Germany's Scholz speaks with Putin in first contact since Dec 2022

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz appears as a witness in his role as former finance minister at the German parliament's Afghanistan Commission during a parliament hearing, in Berlin, Germany November 14, 2024. REUTERS/Lisi Niesner

BERLIN (Reuters) - German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke on the phone for an hour on Friday afternoon, a German government source said on Friday.

Scholz and Putin last spoke directly in December 2022, the government said.

(Reporting by Thomas Escritt and Andreas Rinke, writing by Miranda Murray, editing by Thomas Seythal)