Brussels, Belgium. European governments on Monday rejected a suggestion by Russian President Vladimir Putin that former German chancellor Gerhard Schroeder could represent them in possible future talks with Moscow on Europe’s security.
Putin proposal and European response
Putin said on Saturday he believed the war in Ukraine was coming to an end and that he would be willing to negotiate new security arrangements for Europe, with Schroeder as his preferred partner.
European Union foreign ministers meeting in Brussels said they were sceptical that Russia was ready to end the war and negotiate sincerely on peace and security for Europe.
Rejection of role for Schroeder
Ministers dismissed any role for Schroeder, who has worked for Russian state companies and cultivated a close relationship with Putin.
“It’s clear why Putin wants him to be the person – so that actually … he would be sitting on both sides of the table,” EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas told reporters.
“If we give the right to Russia to appoint a negotiator on our behalf … that would not be very wise,” said Kallas, a former prime minister of Estonia, a Baltic state that was ruled by Moscow as part of the Soviet Union.
Kallas comments on talks
Asked later if she could personally take part in such talks, Kallas said: “When a politician doesn’t toot his own horn, the horn usually remains untooted. So I have to say I think I could see through the traps that Russia is presenting.”
She added that there was no sign Russia was ready to engage in good faith and that Europeans would first need to agree on what they wanted from any negotiations.
Germany’s position
Germany’s Europe minister, Gunther Krichbaum, said Schroeder, who was chancellor from 1998 to 2005, did not have the credentials to be an “honest broker”.
“He is, and certainly has been, heavily influenced by Mr Putin,” Krichbaum said.
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