Russian announcements concerning a partial troop withdrawal from near the Ukrainian border are a "good sign," German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said following his face-to-face talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday.
During the press conference at the Kremlin, Scholz added that he hoped more such steps would follow.
Meanwhile, in another sign that tensions are thawing, Putin also underlined that Russia "of course" does not want war after Western capitals accused Moscow of amassing troops near Ukraine with plans to invade.
"Do we want this or not? Of course, not," he said.
"That is exactly why we put forward proposals for a process of negotiations."
On the other hand, Putin also described the situation in east Ukraine's breakaway regions as "genocide" and called for the conflict there to be resolved through the Minsk peace progress.
The Russian president said that his country had decided to partially withdraw troops from near Ukraine and saw some room for further discussion with the West on Moscow's security demands.
He said, however, that there had not been a constructive response to Russia's demands.
Earlier on the same day, Scholz declined a Kremlin-administered COVID-19 test on a visit to Moscow, opting for a swab from one of Berlin's own doctors, a German government source told Agence France-Presse (AFP).
Scholz "received a test from a German embassy doctor" upon arrival in Moscow, the official said on condition of anonymity.
The German Chancellor's meeting with Putin comes a day after he travelled to Kyiv to shore up support for Ukraine during talks with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
"It's clear that we now have to talk about the difficult situation regarding security in Europe," the German leader said at the onset of talks with Putin.
The Russian president said that energy issues would also be on the agenda.
Western countries have warned Moscow that they could impose sanctions on the Nord Stream 2 – a controversial pipeline set to double supplies of Russian gas to Europe – if Russia attacks Ukraine.
The Kremlin earlier Tuesday confirmed a pullback of some Russian forces from Ukraine's borders but said the move was planned and stressed Russia would continue to move troops across the country as it saw fit.
Western countries for weeks have been sounding the alarm over a buildup of Russian troops around Ukraine and a potential invasion, saying any military action would be met with sweeping economic penalties.