German chancellor’s conversation Friday with Russian leader undermines efforts to isolate Moscow, Ukrainian president says.

A senior US foreign policy official said that German Chancellor Olaf Scholz's decision to speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin did not break with the joint stance of the Western allies with regard to the war in Ukraine.

The wildly unpopular chancellor's much-criticized decision to phone the Kremlin comes three months before he faces stiff challenges from the populist left and right.