The claims were made by Roderich Kiesewetter, a lawmaker from Germany’s conservative opposition party, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), who wrote on the social media platform X on Saturday that there were “growing indications” Scholz would meet with Putin before February 23, the date of Germany’s upcoming parliamentary elections.

Dismissing the accusations on Sunday, Scholz said: “That is a false claim. You can’t do something like that, it is deeply indecent. There is no evidence to support it.

“Nobody can report anything, that anyone has even thought about such a thing. And that’s why I think upright people should be outraged when false allegations are used.”

He also reaffirmed his stance on Ukraine, saying: “Russia should not count on support for Ukraine waning at some point. And that will also be the case in the future.”

Although Scholz has supported Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression, he has resisted Kyiv’s repeated requests for Germany’s long-range Taurus missiles, fearing that any use of German weapons against Russia could draw Berlin directly into the conflict.

Scholz also reestablished contact with Putin in November, holding his first phone conversation with the Russian leader in nearly two years.

During the hour-long conversation, Scholz reportedly urged Putin to withdraw troops from Ukraine and seek a “just and lasting peace” through negotiations.

Commenting on his diplomatic approach, Scholz said: “What certainly sets me apart from some people is that I am in favor of prudence. I am in favor of not ruling out diplomatic options. And that of course includes and will continue to include telephone conversations if this is specifically called for and can perhaps deliver at least a small benefit.”

The 66-year-old politician is grappling with a political crisis at home after he lost a parliamentary confidence vote in December, setting the stage for snap elections in February.

The vote was triggered by the collapse in November of the country’s three-party governing coalition, which included Scholz’s center-left Social Democrats (SDP), the Greens and the free-market Free Democrats (FDP).

In pre-election polls, the CDU is currently leading, and the party’s leader, Friedrich Merz, is viewed as the leading contender to become the new German chancellor.