The European Union is still undecided: Steinmeier may represent the EU in negotiations with Russia
11 May 05:03
The German ruling coalition is considering the option of having German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier serve as the European Union’s representative in peace talks with Russia to end the war in Ukraine. This was reported by Der Spiegel magazine, citing sources close to the German government, as relayed by "Komersant Ukrainian".
According to the sources, the governing coalition is unlikely to support Russian dictator Vladimir Putin’s proposal to appoint former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder as the EU’s representative in the talks. The German government does not believe he could handle such a task on his own.
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According to Der Spiegel, the “mediation duo” of Schröder and Steinmeier is being called an “interesting option” in Berlin.
Earlier, Reuters, Süddeutsche Zeitung, Der Spiegel, and other German media outlets, citing sources in the ruling coalition, reported that the German government had rejected Putin’s proposal to have Gerhard Schröder—known for his longstanding friendship with the Russian president—represent the EU in the negotiations.
Putin called Schröder the best negotiator from the EU
On May 9, during a press conference with Kremlin-accredited journalists, the Russian president called Schröder the “preferred” candidate from the European Union for negotiations to end Russia’s war against Ukraine. This was his response to a question about whether, in Putin’s opinion, there are politicians in Western Europe with whom he could engage in dialogue.
Following this, Putin stated that Russia is open to dialogue, but Europe must choose a negotiator who has not spoken disparagingly about the country. According to Putin, Russia has “always” spoken respectfully with the EU.
Meanwhile, negotiations between Russia and Ukraine are not currently taking place officially. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov confirmed this in mid-April.
Der Spiegel: The German government does not trust Putin
As sources told Der Spiegel, the German government does not consider Putin’s proposal to be trustworthy, as Russia has not shown a willingness to compromise.
However, the Kremlin’s willingness to extend the three-day ceasefire could serve as a test of its intentions to end the war in Ukraine, the sources said.
A source close to the federal government, speaking to AFP, noted that Putin’s statement “fits into a series of fictitious proposals” and is part of Russia’s hybrid strategy to divide Europe.
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