German Chancellor Olaf Scholz spoke Friday with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Kremlin leader's first publicly announced conversation with the sitting head of a major Western power in nearly two years.

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.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz urged Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday in their first phone call in nearly two years to pull his forces out of Ukraine and begin talks with Kyiv that would open the way for a "just and lasting peace".

President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz spoke over the phone on Friday, authorities in Moscow and Berlin announced, coming at a pivotal moment for the future of Western support for Kyiv.

Scholz condemned the war and called on Russia to withdraw its troops. He also stressed that support for Ukraine will endure, suggesting that time is not on the Kremlin’s side, Süddeutsche Zeitung reported.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Friday urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to engage in peace talks with Ukraine, in the first call between the leaders in almost two years.

During the conversation, Scholz condemned Russia’s war against Ukraine, calling on Putin to end it and withdraw Russian troops from Ukrainian territory. He also urged Russia to negotiate with Ukraine to achieve a “just and lasting peace.