Could German ex-leader really negotiate Ukraine peace?
Key takeaways
- Former German chancellor Gerhard Schröder is a controversial — and some critics would even say, unserious — choice as a negotiator on the Ukraine war.
- Now Russian President Vladimir Putin says he would like Schröder as a possible European mediator in peace talks to end the Ukraine war.
- During his tenure as chancellor, Schröder's Russia-friendly foreign policy attitude was not that different from other German politicians.
Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.
Former German chancellor Gerhard Schröder is a controversial — and some critics would even say, unserious — choice as a negotiator on the Ukraine war. He's long been criticized for being too close to Russia.
https://p.dw.com/p/5DYBo Former German chancellor Gerhard Schröder (center) has been friends with Putin (right), seen here watching Russia play at the 2009 world football cup, for years Image: Vladimir Rodionov/Ria Novosti/Kremlin Pool/dpa/picture alliance Advertisement As head of the center-left Social Democrats, Gerhard Schröder was chancellor of Germany between 1998 and 2005. Now Russian President Vladimir Putin says he would like Schröder as a possible European mediator in peace talks to end the Ukraine war.
During his tenure as chancellor, Schröder's Russia-friendly foreign policy attitude was not that different from other German politicians. Other German leaders, including Angela Merkel and Olaf Scholz as well as current President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, all played a role in establishing closer ties between Berlin and Moscow through projects such as the Nord Stream gas pipelines