Putin and Scholz have not had any non-public contacts since December 2022.
“There are practically no common themes for discussion on the surface, our relations have been reduced to virtually zero and not on our initiative,” he said, adding that Putin “has always been and remains open to dialogue.”
This follows an earlier report by the German Die Zeit on Oct. 1 that Scholz is considering holding a phone call with Putin ahead of the G20 summit that will take place in Brazil on Nov. 18-19.
According to German federal government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit, Scholz will “not hesitate” to have a phone conversation with Putin if he thinks the moment is “appropriate.”
Earlier, on Sept. 9, the Italian newspaper La Repubblica wrote that Scholz was reportedly drafting a “peace plan” similar to the 2014-2015 Minsk agreements which would require Ukraine cede territories occupied by Russia.