Berlin rejects Putin's idea of ​​giving Gerhard Schröder a key role in the negotiations on Ukraine

The German government expressed skepticism on Sunday after a proposal by Russian President Vladimir Putin to appoint former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder as mediator in possible peace talks between Russia and the European Union regarding the war in Ukraine.

According to Reuters, Vladimir Putin has indicated that Gerhard Schröder would be his preferred interlocutor should negotiations open with the European Union on the future of security in Europe and a possible exit from the Ukrainian conflict. The former German leader has long maintained close ties with the Kremlin, which has drawn sharp criticism in Germany since the start of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

This statement comes after remarks by the President of the European Council, António Costa, who recently stated that he believed in the possibility of a dialogue between the European Union and Moscow to address the issue of the security architecture of the European continent.

Berlin, however, quickly dismissed this possibility. A German official quoted by Reuters deemed the Russian proposal "not credible," arguing that Moscow had made no changes to its demands regarding the war in Ukraine.

According to this official, a first concrete sign of goodwill from the Kremlin would be the acceptance of an extension of the recently announced three-day temporary ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine. So far, however, no major diplomatic progress has been made.

Gerhard Schröder, who led Germany from 1998 to 2005, remains a controversial figure in his country due to his ties with Russian energy companies and his avowed closeness to Vladimir Putin. Since the beginning of the war, several German officials have distanced themselves from the former chancellor.

As fighting continues on the ground and peace efforts stall, this new Russian proposal underlines the persistent tensions between Moscow and European capitals over the conditions for a possible settlement of the conflict.