The German government plans to pursue legal action against Christian Democratic Union (CDU) lawmaker Roderich Kiesewetter, following his claims that Chancellor Olaf Scholz intends to visit Moscow to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin. Government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit dismissed the allegation, calling it false.
On Saturday, Jan. 4, Kiesewetter posted on social media platform X, stating, “There are growing indications that Chancellor Scholz will travel to Moscow or meet with Putin before Feb. 23,” the date of Germany’s parliamentary elections.
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[The post had been deleted by the author at the time this article was written. - ed.]
Kiesewetter suggested this would be a “surprise of the election campaign” but did not provide a source for his claim. He also asserted that Putin would meet with US President-elect Donald Trump in March.
Both Scholz and Hebestreit rejected the allegations. Scholz labeled the claim as untrue and “indecent”, according to Tagesschau. Hebestreit reiterated this stance, saying, “Such a trip is not planned and makes no sense. Legal steps are being prepared in response.”
The Kremlin also denied any scheduled meetings. Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that Putin currently has no plans to meet either Scholz or Trump.
The speculation follows a report from Spiegel in December, which suggested Scholz might visit Moscow to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine. However, CDU sources dismissed this as unverified rumors.
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Scholz and Putin last communicated on Nov. 15, 2024, in a phone call—their first in two years. The German Chancellor urged Putin to end aggression in Ukraine and withdraw troops, but later described the conversation as “disappointing,” as Putin reportedly reiterated his usual rhetoric.
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