Overview
- Vladimir Putin, who named former German chancellor Gerhard Schröder as his preferred mediator on Saturday, drew a cool response from Berlin and EU leaders.
- EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said Schröder worked as a lobbyist for Russian state companies and warned it would be unwise to let Moscow choose a negotiator for Europe.
- Germany called the idea part of a pattern of false offers and said a first test of credibility would be Russia extending a weekend truce that was due to expire on Monday.
- Reaction in Germany split along party lines, with some Social Democrats and the AfD open to exploring the idea while Greens, liberals, and senior figures rejected a mediator seen as close to the Kremlin.
- Lawmakers in Berlin emphasized that any mediator must be acceptable to Ukraine, noting that neither Moscow nor European capitals can appoint someone on Kyiv’s behalf.