Scholz's Putin call was 'strategic mistake', Estonia says

19/11/2024 6:25

        German Chancellor Olaf Scholz's call with Russian President Vladimir Putin was a "strategic mistake" that weakened European unity in the face of Moscow's war against Ukraine, Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said on Monday.
        
        In an interview with Reuters on the sidelines of a meeting of European Union foreign ministers in Brussels, Tsahkna said he hoped widespread international criticism of Scholz's call would dissuade any other European leaders from talking to Putin.
        
        Scholz held a one-hour call with Putin on Friday - his first direct communication with Russia's leader in almost two years. He defended the call as a way to make clear to Putin that German, European and other support for Ukraine would not wane.
        
        But Tsahkna, whose Baltic nation is one of Ukraine's most vocal supporters and one of Moscow's fiercest critics, said the call had damaged Western efforts to isolate Putin.