BERLIN, December 10. /TASS/. It is necessary to continue negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said at a meeting with voters in Potsdam, cited by DPA news agency on Saturday.

"We have opposing opinions," he said. "But I am going to keep talking to him as I want to catch the moment when it will become possible to get out of this situation. It cannot happen if we do not talk to each other," Scholz said.

The latest phone conversation between Scholz and Putin took place on December 2.

On February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a special military operation following a request for help from the leaders of the Donbass republics. In response, the West began slapping ever more sweeping sanctions on Moscow. Moreover, Western countries started funneling weapons and military equipment to Kiev, and the price tag for this military aid is currently estimated at billions of dollars.