Former German Chancellor Schroeder Suddenly Appeared In Moscow
- 2.06.2026, 17:45
The day before, Putin called him a man "who can be trusted."
Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder was spotted in Moscow shortly after Vladimir Putin suggested he be considered as a mediator in Ukraine talks. A correspondent for NTV's Rainer Munz saw Schroeder on June 2 at the Baltschug Kempinski Hotel. The purpose of the 82-year-old politician's visit to the capital was not announced. NTV journalist did not have time to ask him questions - the former chancellor quickly disappeared in the elevator. Schroeder could come to Russia for the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.
In late May, Vladimir Putin said that the former German chancellor could become a mediator from Europe in negotiations between Russia and Ukraine. "When I mentioned Mr. Schroeder's name, I had in mind a person who can be trusted," the Russian president said last week. According to him, friendship with Schroeder is not a disadvantage: "What's wrong with that?"
The Russian president also emphasized that he was not trying to impose a negotiator's candidacy on the European Union, but believes that the result requires a partner who has not made harsh statements about Russia. Germany has already rejected the proposal. Chancellor Friedrich Merz said that Europe itself should decide who will represent its interests in the international arena. The idea was also criticized in Brussels. "If we gave Russia the right to appoint a negotiator on our behalf, it would not be very smart," EU diplomatic chief Kaja Kallas said. Foreign Minister Andrei Sibiga said Kiev did not support such a proposal.
Schroeder led the German government from 1998 to 2005, criticized in recent years for his friendship with Putin and lobbying for Russian companies. Schroeder called the war against Ukraine a "mistake." He recounted that he had already tried to mediate between Russia and Ukraine to help resolve the conflict in 2022. In an interview with the Berliner Zeitung newspaper, Mr. Schröder said that in 2022 he was approached to mediate from Ukraine to deliver a message to Russian President Vladimir Putin. He named the head of the National Security and Defense Council, Rustem Umerov, as one of his interlocutors from the Ukrainian side.
In the consultations, the former German chancellor proposed a five-point "peace plan" for Ukraine. He named Kiev's official recognition of Crimea's joining Russia as one of the conditions for settling the conflict. He also believes that the Ukrainian authorities should grant broad autonomy to the regions of Donbas. In addition, the Ukrainian leadership, as Gerhard Schroeder believes, should refuse the country's accession to NATO and abolish laws that "infringe on the Russian language". Another point of his peace plan the politician called the provision of security guarantees to Ukraine by the UN Security Council and Germany. In his opinion, the USA is "to blame" for the disruption of the talks between Moscow and Kiev.