(FILES) (COMBO) This combination of file photos created on February 21, 2022 shows
(L) German Chancellor Olaf Scholz addressing a press conference in Brussels on February 18, 2022 and (R) Russia's President Vladimir Putin attending a press conference in Moscow on February 18, 2022.. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in a phone call with President Vladimir Putin on November 15, 2024 "condemned the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine" and called on Putin "to end it and withdraw troops", Scholz's spokesman said. Scholz spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky before Scholz had his first call with Putin since 2022 on November 15. (Photo by JOHANNA GERON and Sergei GUNEYEV / various sources / AFP)