German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said his conversation with Vladimir Putin on Friday had given no indication of a shift in the Russian President's thinking on the war in Ukraine but defended his much-criticised decision to phone the Kremlin.

Germany's government says that Chancellor Olaf Scholz had a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the first such conversation in two years.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau gave support to the decision by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to speak directly with Vladimir Putin on Friday, saying that ending the war will require some engagement with Russia’s president.