Donald Trump 'more nuanced' on Ukraine than assumed: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz

In a recent interview, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz revealed that his phone call with US President-elect Donald Trump was surprisingly detailed. They discussed the ongoing war in Ukraine, with Scholz perceiving a more nuanced stance from Trump than publicly expressed.

Berlin: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said in an interview published Friday that Donald Trump privately held "more nuanced" positions on Ukraine, days after he spoke with the president-elect of the United States by phone.

Trump's reelection in last week's US presidential vote has raised concerns he could withdraw Washington's significant support for Ukraine once back in the White House.

On the campaign trail, the Republican claimed he could end the fighting within hours and that he would talk directly with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Scholz, who spoke with Trump by phone on Sunday, told the German Sueddeutsche Zeitung daily his call with the president-elect was "perhaps surprisingly, a very detailed and good conversation".

The two discussed the situation in Ukraine "for a while", according to Scholz, as the 1,000-day mark of Russia's full-scale invasion fast approaches.

• Web Development
  Mastering Full Stack Development: From Frontend to Backend Excellence
  By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer
  View Program

• Office Productivity
  Excel Essentials to Expert: Your Complete Guide
  View Program

• Web Development
  Advanced C++ Mastery: OOPs and Template Techniques
  By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer
  View Program

• Data Science
  SQL for Data Science along with Data Analytics and Data Visualization
  By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer
  View Program

• Finance
  A2Z Of Finance: Finance Beginner Course
  By - elearnmarkets, Financial Education by StockEdge
  View Program

• Marketing
  Performance Marketing for eCommerce Brands
  By - Zafer Mukeri, Founder- Inara Marketers
  View Program

• Strategy
  Succession Planning Masterclass
  By - Nigel Penny, Global Strategy Advisor: NSP Strategy Facilitation Ltd.
  View Program

• Marketing
  Future of Marketing & Branding Masterclass
  By - Dr. David Aaker, Professor Emeritus at the Haas School of Business, UC Berkeley, Author | Speaker | Thought Leader | Branding Consultant
  View Program

• Finance
  Crypto & NFT Mastery: From Basics to Advanced
  By - CA Raj K Agrawal, Chartered Accountant
  View Program

• Marketing
  Marketing & Sales Strategies for Startups: From Concept to Conversion
  By - Dr. Anu Khanchandani, Startup Coach with more than 25 years of experience
  View Program

• Finance
  A2Z Of Money
  By - elearnmarkets, Financial Education by StockEdge
  View Program

• Web Development
  Advanced Java Mastery: Object-Oriented Programming Techniques
  By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer
  View Program

• Web Development
  Django & PostgreSQL Mastery: Build Professional Web Applications
  By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer
  View Program

• Web Development
  A Comprehensive ASP.NET Core MVC 6 Project Guide for 2024
  By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer
  View Program

• Data Science
  MySQL for Beginners: Learn Data Science and Analytics Skills
  By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer
  View Program

• Web Development
  JavaScript Essentials: Unlock AI-Driven Insights with ChatGPT
  By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer
  View Program

• Astrology
  Vastu Shastra Course
  By - Sachenkumar Rai, Vastu Shashtri
  View Program

• Finance
  Financial Literacy i.e Lets Crack the Billionaire Code
  By - CA Rahul Gupta, CA with 10+ years of experience and Accounting Educator
  View Program

• Artificial Intelligence(AI)
  AI-Powered Python Mastery with Tabnine: Boost Your Coding Skills
  By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer
  View Program

Without giving many details, Scholz said he got the impression Trump "has a more nuanced position than is often assumed".

Asked by the paper whether Trump would make a deal over the head of the Ukrainians, Scholz said Trump gave "no indication" that he would.

Germany, for its part, would not accept a "peace by diktat", Scholz said.

Separately on Friday, Scholz spoke by phone with Putin, the first call between the two leaders since December 2022.

Scholz urged Putin to end the war and enter negotiations with Ukraine for a "just and lasting peace".

In the newspaper interview, Scholz stressed that Putin "did not succeed in conquering the entire country".

"NATO has gained two additional members, Finland and Sweden, and is stronger than ever," Scholz said.

"Ukraine has become a strong nation with prospects of joining the European Union and a clear orientation towards Western Europe. It is a country with a very strong army.

"We must not underestimate all of this, even if the high number of dead and injured and the incredible destruction in Ukraine are terrible," Scholz said.

sea/jsk/gv

(You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel)
...moreless

(You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel)
...moreless

Prime ExclusivesInvestment IdeasStock Report PlusePaperWealth Edition

• Trump’s return is worrying Indian IT firms. And it’s not about immigration.

• What the headlong fall of 23andMe signals for India’s genetic-testing market

• Remembering Vistara. Ratan Tata’s expansive dream flies into a larger aviation vision

• When education becomes an investment, should laws of business apply?

• In a slowing economy, finding growth stocks is tough. But Birla AMC’s Mahesh Patil has some ideas

• Big fleet owners say aye, as AI makes inroads into logistics

• 1
• 2
• 3

View all Stories