European anger at Schroeder’s name being put on the table to end the Ukraine war

A storm of controversy was sparked by Russian President Vladimir Putin’s proposal to appoint former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder as a potential European mediator in talks aimed at ending the war in Ukraine.

The European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaya Kallas, rejected Putin’s proposal, saying: “If we give Russia the right to appoint a negotiator on our behalf, this would not be wise.”

Callas explained that Schroeder was “one of the most prominent members of the lobby supporting Russian state-owned companies.” Callas stressed that appointing Schroeder as mediator would mean that Putin “will be sitting on both sides of the table at the same time.”

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sepha also announced on Monday that his country strongly rejects the nomination of former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder as a potential negotiator for the European Union. “We do not support this nomination at all,” Ssibha said ahead of a meeting of the European Union Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels, Ukrainian National News Agency (Ukrinform) reported.

Schroeder, 82 years old, a center-left politician who served as German Chancellor between 1998 and 2005, has been a controversial figure for years due to his friendship with Putin and his role in Russian energy companies.

Schroeder played an important role in Russian energy companies immediately after leaving politics in Germany.

“Among all European politicians, I would prefer to hold talks with Schroeder,” Putin said on Saturday. The Russian president also added that he believed the war was heading towards an end.