Zelenskyy: Scholz’s call to Putin is Pandora’s box, there will be no “Minsk-3”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has strongly rejected the possibility of a “Minsk-3” agreement, asserting that Ukraine seeks real peace, not futile negotiations. His comments came in response to German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s recent phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

In his address to the nation, Zelenskyy expressed concern over the nature of Scholz’s call, saying, “Chancellor Scholz told me that he is going to call Putin. Olaf’s call, in my opinion, is Pandora’s box. Now there may be other conversations, other calls. Just a lot of words. And this is exactly what Putin has wanted for a long time: He must weaken his isolation. Russia’s isolation. And to engage in negotiations that will lead to nothing.”

The Ukrainian leader highlighted that such diplomatic efforts have historically allowed Russia to avoid meaningful consequences for its actions, enabling the country to avoid changing its policies and ultimately contributing to the ongoing war. “This allowed Russia to change nothing in its policy, to do nothing substantial, and ultimately it led to this war,” Zelenskyy added.

He firmly declared that Ukraine would not accept a repeat of the previous Minsk agreements, which failed to bring lasting peace. “There will be no Minsk-3. What we need is real peace,” he stated.

Earlier, Scholz had condemned Russia’s ongoing war on Ukraine during his call with Putin. Scholz warned that Russia’s reported plans to deploy North Korean troops in the conflict would represent a significant escalation. He urged Putin to withdraw all Russian forces from Ukraine, stressing that Moscow had not achieved any of its goals in the war. The German Chancellor also reiterated the long-term nature of Western support for Ukraine, cautioning Putin against believing that such support would eventually fade.