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Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroder Spotted in Moscow Ahead of an Economic Forum
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Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder is visiting Moscow, German news outlet n-tv reported on June 2.
n-tv correspondent Rainer Munz spotted Schröder, who spent years lobbying for Russian state-owned energy conglomerates, at the Hotel Kempinski in the Russian capital. While the precise agenda of his unannounced visit remains unconfirmed, it coincides with the opening of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF).
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The Kremlin-run forum features the return of select German entrepreneurs alongside politicians from the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, n-tv writes.
The visit comes shortly after Russian leader Vladimir Putin floated Schröder as a potential mediator to represent the European Union in peace negotiations regarding the war in Ukraine. The proposal was swiftly and unanimously dismissed by both the EU and Ukraine.
EU High Representative Kaja Kallas explicitly rejected the Kremlin’s initiative during a recent meeting of foreign ministers in Brussels, highlighting Schröder’s extensive ties to Russian state industries.
“If we were to give Russia the right to name a negotiator on our behalf, that would not be very smart,” Kallas stated, according to n-tv. “Then he would, in a sense, be sitting on both sides of the table.”
Ukraine expressed identical opposition to the proposal. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha firmly stated that Kyiv does not support Schröder’s involvement, noting that numerous other qualified European leaders are available to conduct diplomatic discussions on behalf of the EU.
Schröder has faced years of severe domestic and international criticism for maintaining a close personal friendship with Putin and accepting lucrative positions at Russian oil and gas corporations, including Gazprom and Rosneft. N-tv notes that, in 2014, shortly after Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea, Schröder drew widespread condemnation for celebrating his 70th birthday with Putin in St. Petersburg. He maintained his roles with Russian energy companies long after the launch of the 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Throughout the war, the former chancellor has consistently justified the Kremlin’s strategic positions. In 2023, he characterized the perceived security threat posed by Russia to Europe as “absurd.” Earlier this year, Schröder authored a guest piece for the Berliner Zeitung calling for the resumption of Russian energy deliveries to Germany and advising against the “demonization of Russia as an eternal enemy.”
Schröder previously traveled to Moscow in March 2022 to meet with Putin under the guise of an independent peace initiative, which failed to yield any tangible results, n-tv reported.
The EU had also previously considered former German Chancellor Angela Merkel a candidate for the role of mediator due to her extensive experience with both sides.
However, according to a recent report, Merkel rejected the initiative during the WDR Europaforum, arguing that effective diplomacy requires active political authority. She expressed skepticism about deploying former politicians to negotiate with current world leaders, leaving the EU to evaluate alternative non-aligned figures while Brussels firmly rejects Moscow’s unilateral choices.
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