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Putin Suggests Former German Chancellor Schroeder Coordinate EU Talks on Ukraine
Russian President Vladimir Putin said he would prefer former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder to coordinate talks with the European Union on a peace deal for Ukraine. The proposal drew scepticism from EU officials who cited Schroeder's past business ties to Russian energy projects.
May 11, 8:00 AM·3m read4 sources
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Russian President Vladimir Putin has suggested that former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder could coordinate talks with the European Union to secure a peace deal in Ukraine. The proposal was met with scepticism by EU officials. European Council President Antonio Costa said recently he believed there was potential for the EU to negotiate with Russia and to discuss the future of Europe’s security architecture.
Asked on Saturday whom he would like to see restarting talks with Europe, Putin said he would personally prefer Schroeder. Schroeder led Germany from 1998 to 2005. A day later, the Russian leader said the four-year-old war may be coming to an end and that he was ready to hold direct talks with his Ukrainian counterpart in Moscow or a neutral country.
Speaking after Saturday’s celebrations for Victory Day, which marks Russia’s victory over Nazi Germany in 1945, Putin added he would be willing to meet only once the terms of a peace agreement had already been settled. Russia had announced a unilateral two-day ceasefire on May 8-9 to mark Victory Day.
As part of a broader Washington-led push for peace, President Donald Trump on Friday announced a three-day pause in the conflict, but both sides have since accused the other of breaking it.
His political goals included European integration, reducing unemployment, liberalising German citizenship laws, curbing nuclear power and rebuilding the economy. Disagreements over the Iraq war caused a serious rift in German-U.S. relations in 2003, when Germany sided with France and Russia in opposing military intervention.
After leaving office in 2005, Schroeder almost immediately took a job as chairman of a German-Russian consortium building a gas pipeline under the Baltic Sea. He held key roles in Russian energy projects, including work on the Nord Stream gas pipelines and a seat on the board of Russian oil firm Rosneft, which he gave up in 2022.
