German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Friday urged Russia to be willing to negotiate with Ukraine in his first call with Russian President Vladimir Putin in nearly two years. The Kremlin responded that Moscow was open to new talks and pointed to Putins earlier proposal that Kyiv should cede territory and back off its plans to join NATO.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Friday urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to engage in peace talks with Kyiv, as the two leaders held their first phone call since 2022. The talk comes at a critical juncture in the war,