German foreign policy experts from the party of ex-chancellor Gerhard Schröder have called for a serious assessment of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s proposal to use his long-time friend Schröder as a mediator in the war in Ukraine.
“Every offer must be seriously assessed to determine how reliable it is,” said Adis Ahmetovic, foreign policy spokesman for the centre-left Social Democratic Party (SPD), speaking to Der Spiegel news magazine on Sunday.
“We cannot accept that the US and Russia alone decide the future of Ukraine and European security. Our aim must be to have a seat at the negotiating table,” said Ahmetovic.
“If a condition for this is the involvement of the former German chancellor, it should be considered in close consultation with our European partners and not immediately ruled out.”
SPD foreign policy expert Ralf Stegner expressed a similar view.
So far, he said, Europe has largely been left out of negotiations and is unable to make proposals. “If this could be achieved through someone like Schröder, it would be negligent to rule it out.”
Schröder’s office declined to comment on the proposal.
The former chancellor, now 82, has long faced criticism over his close relationship with Putin and his past roles in Russian energy companies, including the Nord Stream 2 pipeline project controlled by Russia’s Gazprom.
Putin had floated the idea of Schröder, who served as chancellor from 1998 to 2005, as a mediator during a press conference following Russia’s Victory Day parade in Moscow on Saturday
The president said he could envisage Schröder representing the European side. “Of all European politicians, I would prefer talks with Schröder.”
Putin said that while the United States had attempted mediation, a European intermediary could play a role. He added that a peaceful resolution ultimately depended on Russia and Ukraine, but that outside help would be welcomed.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday cautiously welcomed signs of readiness for talks, saying Kiev had long been prepared for negotiations and that an appropriate format still needed to be found. He did not comment on Putin’s suggestion involving Schröder.
In Berlin, however, the proposal was met with clear scepticism.
Sources in conservative Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s government said the remarks were part of a series of apparent offers and aligned with Russia’s strategy to sow division among Western allies.
They said that Germany and Europe would not allow themselves to be “divided.”
They also emphasized that Europe should be involved in any talks, noting that Kiev stands ready to negotiate together with the so-called E3 group — Germany, France and Britain — while previous discussions mediated by the United States excluded European participation, partly at the Kremlin’s insistence.