"He is a Russian lobbyist." Kallas stated that Schröder cannot be the EU's negotiator with Russia
Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder, who is effectively a lobbyist for Russian state-owned companies, cannot be appointed as a negotiator for the European Union on ending the Russian-Ukrainian war. This was stated by EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas on May 11, writes "European Pravda".
Gerhard Schröder. Photo: Burhan Ozbilici / AP
Kallas is convinced that the pro-Russian Schröder is a bad candidate.
"I think that Gerhard Schröder was a lobbyist, a high-ranking lobbyist for Russian state-owned companies.
Therefore, it is clear why Putin wants this particular person — so that, in essence, he sits on both sides of the table," Kallas stated.
She also added that everyone has now seen that "the ceasefire Putin wanted was only very cynical for protecting his parade, while they were actually attacking civilians in Ukraine."
"If we give Russia the right to appoint a negotiator on our behalf, you know, that would not be very wise," the chief EU diplomat concluded.
Official Berlin also does not accept Putin's proposal regarding Schröder as a negotiator with Russia on behalf of the EU and sees it as an attempt to sow discord in Europe and among German politicians.
82-year-old Gerhard Schröder was Chancellor of Germany from 1998 to 2005 and leader of the SPD from 1999 to 2004, and has been criticized for years for his friendly relations with Russia and his work for Russian energy companies.
After the start of the full-scale war, he never distanced himself from the Kremlin. Most recently, in January 2026, the ex-chancellor advocated for resuming energy cooperation with Russia and called for not demonizing Russia, despite its aggression against Ukraine.
Against this backdrop, the question of expelling Schröder was raised several times within the SPD, but without success.
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