German Chancellor Olaf Scholz's call with Russian President Vladimir Putin was a "strategic mistake" that weakened European unity in the face of Moscow's war against Ukraine, Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said on Monday.

For the first time in nearly two years, Chancellor Olaf Scholz called Vladimir Putin, the Russian dictator. German commentators are speculating about the politician's motivations. Was it the start of an election campaign or related to the upcoming G-20 summit in Brazil?

BERLIN (Reuters) -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.