In Germany, there is discussion about involving the German president and a former chancellor in possible talks with Russia – Der Spiegel

In Germany, the possible participation of German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder in potential negotiations with Russia is being discussed.

This was reported by the German news and political magazine Der Spiegel.

Within the Bundestag’s governing coalition, an option is being considered under which they could act as mediators on behalf of Europe in negotiations on settling the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

According to the publication, the trigger for this was a statement by Russian President Vladimir Putin, who said after the parade in Moscow on May 9 that, among all European politicians, he would prefer to negotiate specifically with Schröder.

According to the outlet, Berlin is not ready to entrust the role of negotiator to the former chancellor alone, but a “Schröder-Steinmeier duo” is being discussed as a possible option.

As a reminder, Germany has reacted ambivalently to the idea of making Schröder the EU’s negotiator on Ukraine-related issues.

Some politicians from the SPD said that the proposal to send the former chancellor as a negotiator should not be rejected immediately, although the German government has already stated that it opposes his candidacy.

Earlier, The Financial Times wrote that the European Union is preparing for possible talks with Putin. The decision was prompted by European leaders’ dissatisfaction with the actions of U.S. President Donald Trump.