Russia launches wave of drone strikes at Ukraine as Zelenskyy says Scholz-Putin call opened 'Pandora's box'

16 November 2024, 08:07 | Updated: 16 November 2024, 10:00

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has slammed German Chancellor Olaf Scholz for having a phone call with Vladimir Putin, saying it has opened a “Pandora’s box.”

It comes as Russia launched a barrage of drone strikes at Ukraine last night, the country's military said.

Ukraine's air force reported 83 drones were launched, with 53 intercepted before they could land.

30, however, were "lost in various regions of Ukraine" after "active countermeasures" from Ukraine's airforce.

At least one person died following the strikes, according to reports.

The phone call, which took place on Friday, was the first time the German leader has spoken with Mr Putin since December 2022, ten months after Mr Putin launched his invasion of Ukraine.

Speaking on Friday evening, Mr Zelenskyy slammed Scholz and suggested the call undermines Ukraine’s efforts to defeat Russia.

"Now there may be other conversations, other calls. Just a lot of words," Mr Zelenskyy said.

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"And this is exactly what Putin has long wanted: It is extremely important for him to weaken his isolation."

According to German government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit, the call lasted around an hour and saw the Social Democrat call for an end to Russian aggression in Ukraine.

"The chancellor urged Russia to be willing to negotiate with Ukraine with the aim of achieving a just and lasting peace and stressed Germany's unwavering determination to support Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression for as long as necessary," the spokesman said.

Taking to X after the call, Scholz said: “I spoke to President Putin on the phone and called on him to end the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine and to withdraw his troops. Russia must show willingness to negotiate with Ukraine - with the aim of achieving a just and lasting peace.”

Former PM Boris Johnson threw his support behind the Ukrainian leader, writing: "I am afraid Volodymyr Zelenskyy is completely right. We risk drifting back to the ghastly Franco German Normandy format which treated Russia and Ukraine as equally valid interlocutors in a domestic squabble.

"That is a shameful betrayal of the reality - that Putin has launched a criminal and unjustifiable invasion while Ukraine is an entirely innocent party.

"The only way to bring this war to an end is massively and rapidly to strengthen the position of Ukraine."

Putin reportedly told the German any agreement would need to reflect the "new territorial realities" in Ukraine, a suggestion Mr Zelenskyy wholeheartedly rejects.

It comes after the Kremlin denied reports that Donald Trump spoke to Vladimir Putin and that he urged him not to escalate the war in Ukraine.

Russian government spokesman Dmitry Peskov called news that the US president-elect warned Putin of the United States’ sizeable military force stationed in Europe were "pure fiction".

It had also been reported that the two leaders also discussed a path to wider peace in Europe as well as agreed to a later call to finalise a plan to end the war in Ukraine.

Mr Peskov said: "This is the clearest example of quality of information sometimes published even in fairly reputable publications. It is entirely inaccurate. This is pure fabrication; it is simply false information."

Two Ukrainian sources told the Washington Post that Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s government knew of the call and did not object to it taking place.

Mr Trump's communications director Steven Cheung said: "We do not comment on private calls between President Trump and other world leaders."