Last month, Berlin stated that Russian President Vladimir Putin was refusing to take phone calls from Olaf Scholz
The Kremlin has disputed German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s public statements about wanting to resume contact with Russian President Vladimir Putin, asserting that Berlin has yet to make any formal overtures.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated during a press briefing on Monday that “President Putin remains open to all negotiations,” dismissing comments from German officials that have portrayed the Russian leader as unwilling to engage.
Peskov added that the leaders of Germany and France were the first to cut off direct communication channels with Moscow following the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in February 2022, and have not yet restored these channels.
These comments come after Scholz recently suggested that the “right time” for a conversation with Putin could be approaching, while German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock criticized the Russian president last month for “refusing peace overtures.” Speaking in Berlin alongside Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky, Baerbock alleged that “Putin isn’t even willing to speak to the German chancellor on the phone,” in an attempt to justify providing more weapons to Kiev.
However, the Kremlin maintains that Germany has not made any official move to reestablish contact. Peskov’s clarification emphasized that while Putin remains available, “there has been no request for a conversation from Berlin,” affirming that Moscow is “always open to contact.”
Peskov also noted that Western European leaders “have shown certain nervousness” regarding potential foreign policy changes under US President-elect Donald Trump. While Peskov acknowledged these concerns, he stressed that their official position continues to support “pumping Ukraine with weapons to prolong the war.”
Tensions surrounding the perceived breakdown in communication between Putin and Western leaders have heightened since a report last month in Die Zeit, which suggested that Scholz might seek a conversation with the Russian president at the G20 meeting in Brazil this November. Peskov indicated that any contact would require substantial groundwork.
The last phone conversation between Scholz and Putin occurred in 2022. In early October, Peskov reiterated that Moscow’s doors remain open, but stated that diplomatic relations have reached “rock bottom” – a situation he attributes to Germany’s stance on Ukraine rather than Russian reluctance.