Putin Meets Schröder in Moscow for Private Talks
Russian President Vladimir Putin held a one-on-one meeting with former German chancellor Gerhard Schröder in the Kremlin on June 2, according to Kremlin adviser Yuri Ushakov. Ushakov described the conversation as "friendly" but declined to disclose details. Putin had previously floated Schröder as a preferred European mediator for talks on ending the war in Ukraine, a proposal rejected by Ukraine and viewed skeptically by Berlin and Brussels.
Russian President Vladimir Putin held a one-on-one meeting with former German chancellor Gerhard Schröder in the Kremlin on June 2, Kremlin adviser Yuri Ushakov confirmed to Interfax. Ushakov described the conversation as "friendly" and said it took place "face to face." He added that he did not know the details of the discussion.
Putin had previously named Schröder as his preferred candidate for resuming dialogue with Europe. At a press conference last month, Putin said: "Personally, I prefer the former chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, Mr. Schröder." The proposal was rejected by Ukraine and viewed skeptically in Berlin and Brussels.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said Schröder's past as a lobbyist for Russian state companies made clear why Putin wanted him as mediator. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) said: "We Europeans decide for ourselves who speaks for us. No one else." Ukraine's Ambassador to Germany Oleksii Makeiev said Schröder has "neither the moral nor political legitimacy to act as a mediator today."
Schröder, 82, was chairman of the board of Nord Stream AG and later a board member of Rosneft. He briefly mediated at Ukraine's request in March 2022, without success. In 2025, he canceled testimony before a parliamentary committee citing a burn-out illness.
On Sunday, Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron, and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer are scheduled to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in London for talks in the E3 format, according to a British government spokesperson.