Former German Chancellor claims he "mediated" situation between Ukraine and Russia in 2022

Gerhard Schröder, former German Social Democrat Chancellor, known for his friendship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, has claimed that the US supposedly disrupted "peace talks" between Ukraine and Russia at the beginning of the full-scale invasion and that Kyiv invited him to mediate.

Source: Schröder during a lengthy interview with the left-wing Berliner Zeitung

Quote: "I received a request from Ukraine in 2022 to mediate between Russia and Ukraine. The question was whether I would be able to convey a message to Putin," the former German Chancellor said.

Details: The former chancellor also mentioned the five points of what was supposedly a "peace plan" being discussed at the time: Ukraine's rejection of NATO membership, "two official languages" in Ukraine, Donbas "autonomy", "security guarantees" for Ukraine, and negotiations on the status of Crimea.

"The only people who could resolve the war over Ukraine are the Americans. During the peace talks in March 2022 in Istanbul with Rustem Umierov [incumbent Ukraine’s Defence Minister – ed.], Ukrainians did not agree to peace because they were not allowed to. They had to coordinate everything they talked about with the Americans first," Schröder said.

The former chancellor then claimed that he had spoken to Umierov and "tête-à-tête with Putin", failing to specify when, where or in what role.

"However, nothing eventually happened. My impression is that nothing could happen because everything else was decided in Washington. It was fatal. Because the result now is that Russia will be more closely tied to China, which the West should not want," concludes Schröder, who is close to Putin.

Answering the question of whether any agreements with Russia, which has grossly violated international law and attacked Ukraine despite its own promises, are credible, the former chancellor said Western Europe is "not in danger" as Russia cannot defeat NATO.

"Regardless of who is in power, there is a belief in Russia that the West wants to expand further with NATO, namely into the post-Soviet area. Keywords: Georgia and Ukraine. No one at the head of Russia will allow this to happen. This danger analysis may be emotional, but it is real for Russia. The West must understand this and compromise accordingly; otherwise, peace will be tough to achieve," Schröder added.

Gerhard Schröder's ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin and his work for Russian energy companies have drawn criticism, including from his home Social Democratic Party of Germany. Nevertheless, Schröder remains a member of the SPD.

Last year, the former German leader condemned the invasion as unjustified but did not criticise Putin. This position drew sharp criticism from across the German political spectrum.

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