British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said today that he has “no intention of talking” to Vladimir Putin, two days after German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s phone call with the Russian president provoked strong reactions in the West.

“It is up to Chancellor Soltz to decide who he will talk to. Me, I have no intention of talking to Putin,” Starmer said, speaking to reporters en route to the G20 summit that starts tomorrow Monday in Brazil.

“We must redouble our efforts to strengthen our support for Ukraine,” added the British prime minister. This issue is “at the top” of his agenda for the G20, which is attended by the world’s biggest leaders but not Putin.

Next Tuesday will mark the thousandth day of war in Ukraine, Starmer said. “This represents 1,000 days of Russian aggression, 1,000 days of sacrifice for the Ukrainian people and, recently, we have seen North Korean troops working with the Russians,” he continued.

“This shows Russia’s desperation, but it has serious implications for European security (…) and for the security of the Indo-Pacific,” he added.

“We must provide full support (in Kiev) for as long as necessary,” the Labor leader added.

Solz’s phone call to Putin angered Kiev: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused him of opening “Pandora’s box”, while there were reactions from other countries.

Today the German chancellor tried to defend his decision to call the Kremlin, saying his phone call with Putin on Friday gave no indication of a change in the Russian president’s position on the war in Ukraine.

According to Scholz, in the phone call he reaffirmed Germany’s unwavering support for Ukraine and assured that no decision to end the war would be made without Kiev.