European Union rejects Vladimir Putin's proposal to use Gerhard Schröder as a mediator

On Saturday, Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed that former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder act as a mediator between Russia and the European Union to help end the war in Ukraine. European Union officials, including High Representative Kaja Kallas, officially rejected the proposal on Monday. Kallas stated that allowing Russia to choose an EU negotiator would be unwise and noted that Schröder's previous ties to Russian state energy companies like Rosneft and Gazprom would mean he would effectively sit on both sides of the table. German government spokesman Steffen Cornelius affirmed that there is a clearly defined framework for mediation and that the EU intends to participate in future peace efforts directly. Other European officials, including Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna and German Deputy Minister for European Affairs Gunther Krichbaum, criticized the suggestion, citing a lack of neutrality. Within Germany, reactions were mixed; while some political parties and members of the SPD expressed deep skepticism or outright rejection, others like Ralf Stegner suggested support for any initiative that could end the conflict. Kiev also rejected the proposal.