Ukraine war latest: Putin makes first contact with German leader since 2022

What you need to know:

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz says he spoke to President Vladimir Putin on the phone for about an hour. *

Scholz urged Putin to end the war Ukraine, and release Ukrainian soldiers and civilians being held captive by Russia. *

Scholz also pressed Putin to allow the International Atomic Energy Agency to visit the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. *

The two leaders last spoke in May 2022, just weeks after Russia invaded Ukraine.

Putin: No progress made in call

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Friday that he had spoken to Russian President Vladimir Putin on the phone for about an hour, their first contact since May 2022. Scholz said he urged Putin to end the war in Ukraine and release Ukrainian soldiers and civilians being held captive by Russia. He also pressed Putin to allow the International Atomic Energy Agency to visit the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, which has been occupied by Russian forces since the early days of the war. Putin, however, said that the call had not produced any progress. In a statement released by the Kremlin, Putin said that Scholz had not offered any new ideas and that he had reiterated Russia's position that it was not responsible for the war in Ukraine and that it was defending its own interests.

What's next?

It is unclear what the next steps will be in the diplomatic process between Russia and the West. The war in Ukraine is now in its ninth month, and there is no end in sight. The fighting has caused a humanitarian crisis, with millions of Ukrainians displaced and thousands killed. The international community has condemned Russia's actions in Ukraine, and has imposed sanctions on the country in an effort to pressure Putin to end the war. However, these sanctions have not yet had the desired effect, and it is unclear what further steps the international community can take to stop the war. The war in Ukraine is a major challenge for the international community, and it is likely to continue to be a source of tension and instability for some time to come.