German Chancellor Olaf Scholz  plans to call Russian President Vladimir Putin in the coming weeks, German government sources have said, Die Zeit reports.

According to them, the request for this call has not yet been officially sent to the Kremlin, but Scholz's circle expects phone conversations with the Russian president before the next G20 summit, which will take place in Brazil in November.

If the telephonic conversation goes ahead, Scholz will be the first European leader—other than Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban—to have direct contact with Putin in the past year and a half.

The previous telephone conversation between Scholz and Putin was held in December 2022. In June, the German chancellor had said on ARD television that he would call the Russian president if "there is something to talk about."