EU chief diplomat says Germany's former chancellor Schröder cannot negotiate with Russia on behalf of EU

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said former German chancellor Gerhard Schröder cannot represent the EU in talks with Russia because of his close ties to Russian state companies.

Ukrainska Pravda
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EU chief diplomat says Germany's former chancellor Schröder cannot negotiate with Russia on behalf of EU

Kaja Kallas. Photo: Getty Images

Kaja Kallas, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, has said that former German chancellor Gerhard Schröder, who has long been associated with Russian state energy companies, cannot serve as a European Union negotiator in talks aimed at ending Russia's war against Ukraine.

Source: European Pravda correspondent in Brussels; Kallas speaking before an EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting on 11 May

Details: Kallas said the pro-Russian former German leader would be an inappropriate choice to represent the bloc in negotiations with Moscow.

"Gerhard Schroeder has been a high-level lobbyist for Russian state-owned companies. So it's clear why Putin wants him to be the person so that actually, you know, he would be sitting on both sides of the table," she said.

Kallas also stated that the ceasefire proposed by Russian leader Vladimir Putin had been very cynical, aimed at protecting the Victory Day parade in Moscow while Russian forces continued attacking civilians in Ukraine. [Victory Day is a Russian holiday commemorating the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in 1945, celebrated on 9 May – ed.]

"If we give the right to Russia to appoint a negotiator on our behalf, you know, that would not be very wise," she concluded.

Background:

  • The German government also rejected Putin's proposal that Schröder should act as an EU negotiator with Russia, viewing it as an attempt to sow division within Europe and among German politicians.
  • Schröder, 82, served as chancellor of Germany from 1998 to 2005 and led the SPD from 1999 to 2004. After leaving office, he worked for years in Russian energy companies and is still regarded as a close associate of Putin.
  • Following the start of the full-scale war, he did not distance himself from the Kremlin. Most recently, in January 2026, he called for the restoration of energy cooperation with Russia and urged politicians not to "demonise" Russia despite its aggression against Ukraine.
  • Against this backdrop, members of the SPD have repeatedly but unsuccessfully raised the issue of expelling Schröder from the party.

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