Chancellor Olaf Scholz spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday for the first time in nearly two years as the German leader gears up for a snap election and Europe waits to hear Donald Trump's plan for ending the war in Ukraine.

Germany's government says that Chancellor Olaf Scholz had a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the first such conversation in two years.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said his conversation with Vladimir Putin on Friday had given no indication of a shift in the Russian President's thinking on the war in Ukraine but defended his much-criticised decision to phone the Kremlin.

French President Emmanuel Macron said that a major Russian air barrage against Ukraine on Sunday showed that Russian President Vladimir Putin "does not want peace and is not ready to negotiate". The priority for France was to "equip,

Emmanuel Macron has expressed regret that Vladimir Putin appears unwilling to pursue "peace" or engage in negotiations with Ukraine. The French President’s remarks came after Russia carried out a large-scale airstrike targeting Ukraine's energy infrastructure,

French President Emmanuel Macron has stated that Russian President Vladimir Putin is unwilling to pursue peace negotiations with Ukraine, as reported by Le Figaro. Putin "does not want peace" with Kyiv and "is not ready to negotiate,