The German government has rejected Vladimir Putin’s proposal that former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder act as a mediator between Russia and Ukraine, they said. Reuters, South German newspaper, SPIEGEL And other German media, citing sources.
According to the publications’ interlocutors, this does not seem credible, because Russia has not changed any of its conditions. The sources added that the first test of reliability may be Moscow’s willingness to extend the truce for three days.
The German government also points out that Schroeder’s mediation proposal “falls into a series of imaginative initiatives” and forms part of Russia’s hybrid strategy to divide Europe.
The night before, after the victory parade, Putin came out to reporters and answered their questions. In particular, he was asked whether there were “reasonable politicians in Western Europe with whom a dialogue could be conducted.” “For me personally, the former Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, Mr. Schroeder, is the best,” Putin said.
Gerhard Schröder served as Chancellor of Germany from 1998 to 2005. He is called a close friend of Vladimir Putin. After his resignation, he chaired the board of directors of the company operating the Nord Stream project. From September 2017 to May 2022, Schröder was also Chairman of the Board of Directors of Rosneft.
Since the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Schroeder has been criticized for his ties to Russia. Against this background, the former advisor withdrew his consent to join the Board of Directors of Gazprom, where he was nominated in February 2022, and also resigned from the position of Chairman of the Board of Directors of Rosneft.