The EU’s foreign policy chief on Monday rejected Vladimir Putin’s suggestion that former German chancellor Gerhard Schröder could represent Europe in future talks with Moscow on European security arrangements.
Putin told reporters on Saturday that he believed the war was “coming to an end”, and said he would be open to negotiating new security terms with Europe, ideally via Schröder as a mediator.
But Kaja Kallas dismissed the offer this morning as she arrived for a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels.
“If we give the right to Russia to appoint a negotiator on our behalf, you know, that would not be very wise,” she said, adding that as Schroder had lobbied for Russian state companies, “he would be sitting on both sides of the table”.
After leaving office in 2005, Schroeder almost immediately took a job as chairman of a controversial German-Russian gas pipeline consortium and has faced heavy criticism in Germany for his closeness to Putin.
European Council President Antonio Costa said last week he believed there was "potential" for the EU to negotiate with Russia, and to discuss the future of the security architecture of Europe.
