Chancellor Olaf Scholz spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday for the first time in nearly two years, breaking Western isolation over Ukraine. The German leader is gearing up for a snap election and Europe girding to hear Donald Trump’s plan for ending the war in Ukraine.

The spokesman also said Scholz had spoken with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy beforehand, and that the chancellor had reiterated Germany would support Ukraine for as long as necessary. They said that Scholz condemned the war of aggression against Ukraine,