EU rejects Putin’s idea of role for ex-German leader in future security talks

EU ministers dismiss proposed role for Gerhard Schroeder, who has cultivated a close relationship with Russia’s president

European governments have rejected a suggestion by Russian President Vladimir Putin that former German chancellor Gerhard Schroeder could represent them in possible future talks with Moscow on the continent’s security.

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.

But European Union foreign ministers, attending a meeting in Brussels on Monday, were sceptical that Russia was ready to end the war and negotiate sincerely on peace and security for Europe.

They 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.

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”.