Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel called on the international community to take Russian President Vladimir Putin's recent public statements seriously and not dismiss them as a bluff, saying interaction with the Russian president could help create room to maneuver, Bloomberg reported.

One has to take the words seriously, not dismiss them from the start as if they were a bluff, but to take them seriously is not a sign of weakness or appeasement, but proof of political wisdom, Merkel said at an event in Berlin.

 Wisdom that helps preserve room to maneuver or, just as importantly, even create more, she added.