Moscow has not received a proposal from Berlin for a phone call between German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Russian President Vladimir Putin, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told the Russian pro-state news agency Interfax on Oct. 13.
"No. There were no proposals. We have said repeatedly that Putin remains open to contact," Peskov claimed.
The statement came two days after German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said that Putin is not willing to speak with Scholz about brokering peace in Ukraine.
"He refuses to accept peace and every day sends another signal in favor of war and destruction. These days, he is no longer even prepared to speak to the German chancellor on the phone," the German foreign minister said.
The German newspaper Zeit reported on Oct. 1 that, according to government sources, Scholz is hoping to talk to Putin by phone for the first time in almost two years.
A German government spokesperson said in September that Scholz would talk to Putin "when the time comes," but "for now, we have to wait." The two leaders held the last phone call in December 2022.
The German chancellor met Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky during the latter's visit to Berlin on Oct. 11. Scholz used the occasion to reveal the delivery of a $660-million aid package, including an IRIS-T air defense system, to Ukraine.
Berlin will also work together with Belgium, Denmark, and Norway to supply Ukraine with an assistance tranche worth $1.5 billion, the chancellor said. Initially a hesitant partner, Germany has become Ukraine's second-largest military donor after the U.S.
In a media interview in early September, Scholz urged speedier efforts at resolving the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.
"I believe that now is the moment when we must discuss how we get out of this war situation faster than the current impression is," the chancellor said.
Abbey Fenbert
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