Putin sees Schröder as the EU’s negotiator on Ukraine
10 May 05:17
Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder, known for his friendship with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, is the Russian president’s “preferred” candidate from the European Union in negotiations to end Russia’s war against Ukraine. Putin himself stated this at a press conference with journalists from the Kremlin pool, reports "Komersant Ukrainian" citing DW.
Among other topics discussed at the meeting was the issue of the EU’s possible participation in negotiations to end the war in Ukraine. One of the journalists asked whether, in Putin’s opinion, there were any politicians in Western Europe with whom he could engage in dialogue.
“For me personally, former German Chancellor Mr. Schröder is preferable,” the dictator replied to this question.
Following this, Vladimir Putin stated that Russia is open to dialogue, but Europe must choose a negotiator who has not spoken negatively about the Russian Federation. According to Putin, Russia has “always” spoken respectfully with the EU.
READ ALSO: The Kremlin has again invited Zelenskyy to a meeting with Putin in Moscow
At the same time, the Kremlin leader himself has repeatedly insulted European countries and politicians since the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, notably calling them “pigs” in December 2025. And at the same press conference during which Putin announced the condition regarding an EU negotiator, the Russian president stated that he would have “made a gesture and said something” to Finland over its NATO accession and the countries’ alleged plans to divide Russian territory.
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Putin is now willing to meet with Zelenskyy only in Moscow
Among other things, Putin reiterated that he is not ruling out a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a third country. However, according to the Russian president, this would require “final agreements to be reached that are designed for the long-term historical perspective.”
At the same time, no official negotiations are currently underway between Russia and Ukraine—this was confirmed in mid-April by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
According to Putin, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico told him during a meeting in Moscow that Volodymyr Zelenskyy is ready for a summit-level meeting.
“We have never refused this; whoever wants to meet should come to Moscow,” the Kremlin leader said on this matter.
Kyiv has repeatedly stated that it does not consider the invitations from Russia and Belarus for a meeting between Zelenskyy and Putin on the territory of those two countries to be serious.
WSJ: Putin personally selected negotiators in the U.S. who were convenient for him
The mention of Gerhard Schröder as Putin’s negotiator comes as no surprise—the German politician, who served as Chancellor of Germany from 1998 to 2005, has repeatedly participated in projects related to Russia since his resignation. Schröder chaired the board of directors of the company operating the Nord Stream project, as well as the board of directors of Rosneft. German media describe Schröder as a close friend of Putin and a lobbyist for Russian interests in Germany.
Schröder has also taken a pro-Russian stance during Russia’s war against Ukraine. For instance, in January 2026, in a comment to the Berliner Zeitung, he criticized the “demonization” of Russia and advocated for the resumption of supplies of Russian “inexpensive energy resources.”
In December 2025, the American newspaper The Wall Street Journal published an article suggesting that Putin personally lobbied for Steve Witkoff to be appointed as the Ukraine negotiator for U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration. According to the WSJ, the reasons why Witkoff “appealed” to the Kremlin were that he is more of a businessman than a politician and does not always adhere to intelligence agency security protocols. Later, Putin repeatedly managed to convince Witkoff to meet without being accompanied by CIA staff, diplomats, or even an interpreter.
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