Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has criticised German chancellor Olaf Scholz for speaking with Russian president Vladimir Putin over the phone for the first time in two years.Mr Scholz urged Putin to pull his forces out of Ukraine and open talks with Kyiv in order to set the region on course for a “just and lasting peace”.

The new communication between Scholz and Putin — their first since December 2022 — comes at a time of speculation about what the new administration of President-elect Donald Trump will mean for Ukraine.