Finland, which joined Nato in 2023, was also critical of Mr Scholz’s call.
Elina Valtonen, Finland’s foreign minister, said: “The most important thing is that we understand that we should not once again vie for the Kremlin’s attention. This will not help if the heads of European states make coordinated or uncoordinated phone calls with Putin,” she told ARD Europe magazine.
However, Justin Trudeau, Canada’s prime minister, suggested he was in favour of opening a dialogue.
“We all understand how important it is to see an end to the violence in Ukraine, to see an end to conflicts around the world,” he told Bloomberg during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Peru.
“That requires a level of engagement with counterparts who in many cases we disagree with.”
In the call, Mr Scholz told Putin to “negotiate with Ukraine” to restore a “just and lasting peace”, a German government spokesman said.
But he said the call showed him that little had changed in Putin’s attitude towards the war.
Putin told Mr Scholz that Russia was willing to consider fresh energy deals with Germany. Berlin was heavily reliant on Russian gas before war broke out in February 2022 but direct shipments stopped when pipelines under the Baltic Sea were blown up later that year.
Mr Trump’s election victory has sparked fears in Europe that Kyiv may be forced into accepting a peace deal with Russia, after he promised to end the conflict on “day one” of his new administration.
Mr Zelensky admitted last week the war would “end faster” with Mr Trump, who is reported to have spoken with Putin, in charge of the White House.
“The war will end, but there is no exact date,” he told local radio. “Certainly, with the policies of this team that will now lead the White House, the war will end sooner.”