Putin told Scholz that Russia was willing to explore energy cooperation.

In their first telephone conversation since December 20,22, President Vladimir Putin said to German Chancellor Olaf Scholz that Russia would be willing to consider energy deals with Berlin if it was interested.

The report said that the two men exchanged "detailed views and opinions" about Ukraine, and that Putin reiterated the position he's been taking for months: that any peace agreement must be in line with Moscow's interests and should be based on the "new territorial reality" of the fact that Russian forces control a fifth the country.

A Kremlin press release said that Putin blamed Germany for the "unprecedented degeneration" of relations between Germany and Russia.

"It was stressed that Russia has always strictly adhered to its treaty obligations and contractual commitments in the energy sectors and is willing for mutually-beneficial cooperation if Germany shows interest."

Germany relied heavily on Russian gas prior to the war. However, direct shipments ceased in 2022 when the Nord Stream pipes under the Baltic Sea were blown out.

Germany and other European Union nations have imposed successive sanctions against Russia for the war, and taken steps to reduce their dependency on Russian oil.

The Kremlin stated that Putin's position on Ukraine was the same as what he had said in June when he claimed that the war would end if Kyiv renounced its NATO ambitions, and gave over all four regions that were claimed by Russia. Ukraine rejected these conditions, claiming they amounted to surrender.

The Kremlin stated that "potential agreements should take into consideration the interests of Russian Federation in security and proceed from new geographical realities. Most importantly, they should eliminate the root cause of the conflict."

(source: Reuters)