"In the current situation, we should talk to him (Putin) over and over, which I did last year and which I will continue to do going forward," he said during a televised event held by German publisher Heilbronner Stimme, Sputnik reported.
Scholz added that Russia was expected to withdraw troops from Ukraine before Russian-Ukrainian negotiations could begin. The chancellor suggested that Putin was not ready for such a "decisive step."
Moscow has repeatedly said that it is open to peace negotiations as long as Kiev recognizes the territorial gains Russian forces have made since the launch of its "military operation" in Ukraine in February 2022.