The EU rejected Vladimir Putin's proposal that former German chancellor pro-Kremlin Gerhard Schroeder be the European mediator in peace talks to end the war in Ukraine
Russian President Vladimir Putin he suggested the former German chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, his longtime ally, as a possible mediator in renewing the dialogue with Europe.
European officials they rejected that possibility. German Chancellor Friedrich Mertz said "We, the Europeans, decide for ourselves who speaks for us. No one else."
The European Union's high representative for foreign policy and security, Kaya Callas, told reporters in Brussels that Schroeder could not be considered an impartial mediator because of his past lobbying for Russian state-owned companies.
"It's clear why Putin wants him - so he would actually sit on both sides of the negotiating table," Kalas added.
The Russian president indicated that conflict in Ukraine could be nearing the end.
The Kremlin said that a prerequisite for future negotiations is for Ukraine to withdraw its troops from the eastern Donbass region. Ukraine, which has largely stopped the Russian advance on the front, categorically rejected it. Both armies continue to suffer heavy losses.
German Minister for Europe Gunter Krichbaum agreed that there is little chance of Schroeder becoming a European representative in talks with the Kremlin: "he has not necessarily shown that he can act as a neutral mediator, that is, an honest mediator", because he is "under the strong influence" of Putin.
"Close friendships may be legitimate all over the world, but they don't help people see you as an honest negotiator," says Krichbaum.
Schroeder previously held senior positions in the Russian energy sector, including work on the Nord Stream gas pipeline and a seat on the board of the Russian oil company Rosneft. Due to public pressure, he stepped down from that position a few months after the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
However, he never explicitly condemned Putin for "military intervention".
And less than three weeks before the Russian attack, Schroeder was nominated for the position of chairman of Gazprom's supervisory board.
Even after evidence of the mass killings in the Kiev suburb of Buch came to light in April 2022, Schroeder said he did not believe the massacre was ordered by the Kremlin.
He condemned the war in Ukraine and demanded an end to hostilities.
He is on friendly terms with Putin, whom he called a "pure democrat" after the elections in Russia in 2012.
Gerhard Schroeder is known to the Serbian public for his closeness with Aleksandar Vučić.
Schroeder supported the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) during the 2017 election campaign and attended Vučić's inauguration ball after his victory.
He gave a joint interview with him for TV Prva a year before that.
Schroeder was the German chancellor during the NATO bombing in 1999, and Vučić was the minister of information in the then government. Schröder is a member of the center-left party, while SNS is a member of the European People's Party, which belongs to the center-right.
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