The trip is part of a flurry of diplomatic efforts to de-escalate the crisis through dialogue and the threat of sanctions on Russia if it invades Ukraine. Tomorrow, Mr Scholz will fly to Moscow to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Russia denies planning to invade Ukraine, but says it could take unspecified"military-technical" action unless a series of demands are met, including promises from NATO never to admit Ukraine and to withdraw forces from Eastern Europe. Ukrainian officials have publicly criticised Germany for refusing to sell weapons to Kyiv - Berlin argues it cannot due to its bloody 20th century history - and over its reluctance to pull the plug on a controversial Russian-German gas pipeline project.
"The two leaders agreed on the importance of continuing to pursue diplomacy and deterrence in response to Russia's military build-up on Ukraine's borders," according to a readout of the roughly 50-minute call.
Your playing catch up
It's like July 1914.