In order to mediate between Ukraine and Russia, former Chancellor Schröder traveled to Kremlin boss Putin on his own initiative. According to media reports, the talks between the two last several hours. Schröder is said to have already left for Istanbul.
Gerhard Schröder has apparently left Moscow again. He is said to have left the Russian capital with his wife Soyeon Schröder-Kim at around 6 a.m. in the morning and flown towards Istanbul, as reported by "Bild". Accordingly, the former Chancellor spoke for several hours on Thursday evening with Russian President Vladimir Putin. In addition, Schröder met with one of Putin's closest advisors for a lengthy conversation on Friday evening, as the newspaper claims to have learned from an insider.
According to the US portal "Politico", Schröder had already met a Ukraine delegation led by the member of parliament Rustem Umerov in Turkey on Monday evening. He was also a member of the delegation that had previously negotiated with Russia in Belarus. As the "Bild" further reports, the Ukrainian side should have nothing against Schröder's mediation efforts. However, she denies having initiated the meeting between Schröder and Putin. According to the newspaper, the Ukrainians are now waiting to hear about the outcome of the talks between the two.
The "Bild" also claims to have learned from the insider that Schröder is currently the only person who has contact with both the Russian and the Ukrainian leaders. The Ukrainian ambassador to Germany, Andriy Melnyk, had previously said: "There aren't that many people in the world, and perhaps also in Germany, who have this personal connection to Mr. Putin."
The former chancellor and Putin confidant had set out for a meeting with the Kremlin boss without consulting the federal government. In his efforts to end the war in Ukraine, however, Chancellor Olaf Scholz also wants to take into account the talks that Schröder is conducting in Moscow. "We will certainly be able to take note of the results and also include them in all the efforts we have made ourselves," said Scholz.