Vladimir Putin confirmed that any agreement must reflect "new territorial realities," according to the Kremlin, which described the exchange as "frank and detailed."
During the exchange, which Berlin said lasted an hour, the chancellor asked Russia to demonstrate "readiness to start negotiations with Ukraine with a view to a just and lasting peace" by stressing the EU's "unwavering commitment to Ukraine," the German government said in a statement.
The chancellery said that Olaf Scholz had previously spoken to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and that he "will do so again after the meeting with the Russian president".
The German chancellor also confirmed to Vladimir Putin "Germany's determination to support Ukraine for as long as necessary in its defence struggle against Russian aggression".
The last telephone conversation between the German and Russian leaders was held on December 2, 2022, some nine months after Moscow's troops began their offensive in Ukraine on February 24, 2022.
After the Russian invasion, Germany, Russia's historic energy partner, became the second largest provider of military aid to Kiev after the United States.
But in recent months, and despite repeated pleas from Volodymyr Zelensky, Chancellor Scholz has steadfastly refused to supply Kiev with long-range Taurus missiles - which Kiev considers effective for better defense against daily Russian missile and drone attacks - fearing an escalation of relations with Moscow.
That refusal, and Mr Scholz's rejection of Kiev's application to join Nato, has damaged the German leader's image in Ukraine.
These tensions, exacerbated by Ukraine's difficulties on the front against a more powerful Russian army advancing in the Donbass, are also arising in an uncertain global geopolitical context following Donald Trump's election to the White House.
In recent months, the former and future American president has promised to resolve the Ukrainian conflict "in twenty-four hours" without detailing his plan, and his victory has led Ukrainians to fear that American support for their country will wane.
For his part, Mr. Scholz called for renewed efforts to end the conflict through diplomatic means, including talks with Vladimir Putin, in consultation with Kiev and the country's allies.
In mid-October, he judged that the time had come "to do everything - in addition to clear support for Ukraine - to find a way to prevent this war from continuing".
"These discussions must respect clear principles. Decisions will never be taken over Ukraine's head and never without consulting our closest partners," he said.
Many Western leaders, with the exception of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, refuse to talk to the Russian president.
In early November, Vladimir Putin expressed regret that Western leaders had "stopped" calling him.
"If any of them want to resume contacts, I have always said it and I want to repeat it: we don't mind," he said at the Valdai forum.
Russia regularly reiterates that it is open to peace talks, but with "concessions" from Kiev: ceding the Ukrainian territories Moscow annexed in 2022 without fully controlling them. A condition currently considered unthinkable in Ukraine.
The conflict with Russia has led to more than 1 million Ukrainian refugees seeking asylum in Germany, while thousands of Russians also live in Berlin.
It has also prompted Olaf Scholz to make a historic shift in Germany's defence policy, leading to a huge increase in military spending in a country largely steeped in pacifism.
Military and financial support for Kiev and Germany's defence policy will be among the issues of the snap election campaign, which is expected to take the country to an early general election on 23 February. | BGNES
