![\"Germany](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/germany\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1778518486.webp\" "\\"Germany")
<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
. Photo: Kay Nietfeld\/picture alliance via Getty Images<\/p>\n
Germany has turned down Russian President Vladimir Putin\u2019s suggestion to appoint former Chancellor Gerhard Schr\u00f6der as the EU\u2019s envoy for negotiations to end the war in Ukraine. <\/p>\n
According to German media reports on Sunday, May 10, neither the government coalition nor the opposition considers Schr\u00f6der, who is known for his years-long friendship with Putin, an appropriate negotiator, News.Az<\/a> reports, citing UAWire<\/a>.<\/p>\n An AFP source close to the federal government said Putin\u2019s statement \u201cfits into a series of sham proposals\u201d and is part of Russia\u2019s well-known hybrid strategy. \u201cBut Germany<\/a> and Europe will not let this sow division,\u201d officials in Berlin emphasized.<\/p>\n The negotiating tactic proposed by Putin is not seen as credible, since Moscow has not changed its conditions for ending the war it started. Officials noted that a true test of Putin\u2019s intentions would be the extension of a ceasefire, currently set to expire on May 11.<\/p>\n Within Schr\u00f6der\u2019s own Social Democratic Party (SPD), which is part of the ruling coalition, opinions on his potential role as mediator are mixed. Former Bundestag Foreign Affairs Committee chair Michael Roth described Putin\u2019s proposal as a \u201ctransparent maneuver.\u201d In an interview with Tagesspiegel, Roth said, \u201cAnyone seriously aiming for peace starts with a ceasefire.\u201d He added that a mediator in potential talks between Ukraine and Russia \u201ccannot simply be a buddy of Putin\u201d-Ukraine\u2019s acceptance is essential.<\/p>\n On the other hand, SPD foreign policy expert Ralf Stegner urged consideration of Putin\u2019s proposal. \u201cI welcome any initiative that can bring an end to the war,\u201d he told Der Spiegel. Stegner noted that Europe has so far not been part of the negotiating process and has not had the chance to put forward its own ideas. \u201cIf this can be achieved with someone like Schr\u00f6der, it would be unwise to dismiss the opportunity,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n