Olaf Scholz made his inaugural visit as German chancellor to Moscow on Tuesday to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin, with the ongoing crisis at the Russian-Ukrainian border dominating the agenda.

Scholz arrived in Moscow after a trip to Kyiv on Monday, where he met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to strengthen Berlin's support in the face of Russian aggression.

"The most important thing is that we manage relations between countries through good discussions with each other," Scholz said as he met Putin, adding he was glad the two leaders were able to meet face to face.

In a joint press conference after meeting, the chancellor said "it is our absolute duty as heads of government that Europe does not see an escalation into war."