"German officials have reacted cautiously to Vladimir Putin's surprise suggestion that former German chancellor Gerhard Schroder could act as a mediator in Ukraine war peace talks, saying they had taken note of Putin's comments but viewed them as part of a series of bogus offers from Russia, government sources told Agency-France Presse. One source said a real test of Moscow's intentions would be to extend the current three-day truce."
"Schroder, 82, has remained close to Putin long after leaving office, standing apart from most western leaders since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. He previously held key roles in Russian energy projects, including work on the Nord Stream gas pipelines and a seat on the board of Russian oil firm Rosneft, which he gave up in 2022."
"Michael Roth, a former lawmaker from Germany's Social Democratic party (SPD) and chair of the foreign affairs committee, said a mediator cannot be Putin's buddy, in an interview with Tagesspiegel. He stressed that any mediator must above all be accepted by Ukraine. Neither Moscow nor we can decide that on Kyiv's behalf."
"Meanwhile, the US-mediated ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine appeared under serious strain on its second day on Sunday, writes Angelique Chrisafis and Pjotr Sauer. Both sides have accused the other of violating the deal through weekend attacks. Three people were killed in Russian drone strikes on areas ne"
German officials reacted cautiously to Vladimir Putin’s suggestion that Gerhard Schroder could mediate Ukraine peace talks. Government sources said they took note of the comments but viewed them as part of a series of bogus offers from Russia. One source said Moscow’s intentions could be tested by extending the current three-day truce. Schroder, 82, has stayed close to Putin after leaving office and previously worked on Russian energy projects, including Nord Stream and Rosneft. Michael Roth said a mediator cannot be Putin’s buddy and must be accepted by Ukraine. Other Social Democratic figures urged careful consideration with European partners and argued Europe should pursue even small chances. A US-mediated ceasefire showed serious strain as both sides accused each other of violating the deal through attacks, including drone strikes that killed people.
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