By Thomas Escritt and Andreas Rinke BERLIN (Reuters) -German Chancellor Olaf Scholz urged Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday in their first phone call in nearly two years to pull his forces out of Ukraine and begin talks with Kyiv that would open the way for a "just and lasting peace".

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz spoke with Russian leader Vladimir Putin on 15 November, calling on the Kremlin leader to end the war and withdraw Russian forces from Ukraine. Source: Süddeutsche Zeitung;