Ukraine War05 June, 20262 min read
Vladimir Putin Rejects EU Mediation in Ukraine Peace Talks, Proposes Gerhard Schröder
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
Putin rejected EU mediation for Ukraine peace talks. Putin proposed former chancellor Gerhard Schröder as mediator.
Putin rejects EU mediation
Russian President Vladimir Putin ruled out European mediation in peace talks over Ukraine and said the EU must persuade Ukraine to make concessions, speaking during a meeting with foreign journalists in St Petersburg.
Putin said, "How can the European Union or individual EU countries act as mediators if they are directly aiding a country with which we are in armed conflict? Mediation requires neutrality," and he added that Europe’s role is to persuade Kyiv to agree to compromises rather than participate in negotiations.
In the same remarks, Putin said former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder could be one of Europe’s possible representatives in potential negotiations, describing Schröder as "a German statesman, one of the best, in his opinion".
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, meanwhile, called on Putin to hold a direct meeting and proposed setting a specific date for negotiations involving both European countries and the United States.
Germany splits over Schröder
Germany’s political debate over Putin’s proposal to use Gerhard Schröder as a mediator has split the SPD, with officials and party voices offering conflicting assessments of credibility and neutrality. Michael Roth, ex president of the SPD foreign affairs committee in the Bundestag, said in an interview with Tagesspiegel that a mediator between Russia and the EU "non puo' semplicemente essere un amico di Putin".
Adis Ahmetović, SPD spokesperson for foreign affairs in the Bundestag, said in an interview with Spiegel that the proposal "deve essere attentamente valutata in stretta consultazione con i nostri partner europei" and should not be categorically excluded from the outset. The Le Monde report, with AFP, described Berlin’s view that Putin’s statements fit a pattern of "Russian false overtures" and said a first test of credibility would be whether Russia extends the truce.
Europe rejects, talks loom
European officials rejected the idea of Schröder representing Europe in future talks with Moscow, with Brussels framing the proposal as incompatible with impartial mediation. In Brussels, European diplomacy chief Kaja Kallas rejected the suggestion and said, "Schröder has not exactly done everything he needed in the past to be able to act as a neutral mediator," adding that close friendships do not help him be perceived as impartial.
The Le Figaro account described Putin’s remark on the sidelines of the May 9 parade commemorating the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany, quoting Putin: "Among all European political leaders, I would prefer to have discussions with Schröder." While the proposal was rejected by European diplomacy, the same Le Monde report said other SPD members argued the initiative should be weighed with European partners and that Ralf Stegner said, "we must seize every chance, even if it is tiny."