BERLIN, March 19. /TASS/. Direct negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin will take place when the time is right, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said, addressing the Europe 2024 conference in Berlin, broadcast by Handelsblatt.

According to the chancellor, the last time he talked directly to Putin was "over a year ago." "We both reaffirmed that we will do this again, but at the right time," Scholz said.

He added that the West should send "a clear message to the Russian president." According to the chancellor, the Russian leadership should recognize that the West is ready to support Ukraine for "as long as needed." The sooner the authorities come to grips with this, "a just, not dictated world order" will be possible, Scholz believes.

Putin and Scholz have talked on the phone 11 times since the start of the special military operation, including three times in a trilateral format with French President Emmanuel Macron. The majority of these conversations occurred in the spring of 2022. The last time Putin and Scholz spoke over the phone was on December 2, 2022. Their last in-person meeting took place on February 15, 2022.