Berlin: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Sunday in an interview with CNN's Fareed Zakaria that Russian President Vladimir Putin is the key to ending the brutal conflict in Ukraine.

He insisted that Moscow must withdraw its troops from the neighboring country for peace talks to move forward. The Kremlin has already said this requirement for peace talks is unacceptable, however.

"Putin must realize that his invasion and imperialist offensive will not succeed. And that he must send his troops home. That's where the talks will begin," according to Scholz.

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Putin must act; Ukraine "is ready for peace, but it must be done," he continued.

The message from Kiev, where President Vladimir Zelensky has passed a law making communication with the current Russian government impossible, contradicted Scholz's statement.

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The German leader was questioned about the feasibility of a deal in which Ukraine would have ceded Crimea and parts of Donbass to Russia in exchange for security guarantees such as membership of NATO and the European Union. The German Chancellor replied that "decisions without the Ukrainians" would not be made.

Before launching its military operation in February last year, Scholz insisted that the Kremlin had miscalculated Ukraine's defense capabilities and the West's willingness to support Kiev.

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Kiev should lift its own embargo on talks with Russia for a peaceful resolution to the conflict, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Friday at the Raisina Dialogue, a key Indian conference on geopolitics and geo-economics.