Ukraine has commented on the idea of appointing Schröder as the EU's negotiator
Official Kyiv and European Union leaders have categorically opposed the involvement of former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder in the negotiation process.
This was stated by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sibiga, as quoted by Ukrinform.
The Ukrainian side emphasizes that there are a significant number of other authoritative leaders capable of professionally representing the interests of the international community.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sibiga stressed that the role of mediator from the European Union must be filled by individuals with an impeccable reputation.
He noted that the candidate actively promoted by the Russian Federation is completely unacceptable to the Ukrainian state.
“We definitely do not support such a candidate,” the head of the foreign ministry stated.
According to the minister, there are “many other worthy leaders” whose participation in the negotiation process would be significantly more constructive and objective.
Ukraine’s position is fully shared in Brussels, where officials point to an obvious conflict of interest in the proposed candidate.
EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaia Kallas sharply criticized the Kremlin’s initiative.
Kallas reminded the international community of the German politician’s longstanding cooperation with the aggressor country’s energy giants.
She emphasized that Schröder had long been a “high-ranking lobbyist for Russian state-owned companies,” which makes his participation in the negotiations impossible.
“If we give Russia the right to appoint a negotiator on our behalf, you know, that wouldn’t be very smart,” the EU representative explained ahead of the EU Council meeting.
European diplomats are convinced that Vladimir Putin’s desire to involve this particular individual is aimed at creating the illusion of a compromise.
Kaja Kallas noted: “So it’s clear why Putin wants him to be the one, so that, in effect, he’s sitting on both sides of the table.”
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