**German Chancellor Denies Meeting with Putin**
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has denied claims that he will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin before the end of February. The claim was made by Roderich Kiesewetter, defense spokesperson for Germany’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU).
Scholz said on January 5 that “there are increasing indications” that he would travel to Moscow and meet Putin, but this is a false claim. He described it as “deeply indecent.”
**Reaction from Other Politicians**
The Secretary General of Germany’s governing Social Democratic Party (SPD), Matthias Miersch, called Kiesewetter’s post “extremely problematic, infamous and dishonest.” He said that this was a violation of the agreement on fair competition ahead of elections.
German government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit said that “legal steps” are being prepared over the CDU’s spokesperson claims.
**Background**
The CDU is currently leading in pre-election polls. Party leader Friedrich Merz is widely seen as the frontrunner to become Germany’s next chancellor.
In November, Scholz and Putin held their first phone conversation in nearly two years. Scholz condemned Russia’s war in Ukraine and urged Putin to withdraw troops from Ukraine.
**Reaction from President Zelensky**
President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine said on November 15 that Scholz’s call with Putin opens a “Pandora’s box,” potentially leading to other conversations and calls.