Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder has been proposed by Vladimir Putin as a potential European mediator in peace negotiations for Ukraine. Schröder, who governed Germany between 1998 and 2005, has maintained a long-standing friendship with Putin since his time as chancellor. Although other German leaders such as Angela Merkel and Olaf Scholz also sought to strengthen ties with Russia through projects like the Nord Stream pipelines, Schröder stood out for his constant support of Russia even after the invasion of Ukraine in 2022, which distanced him from the political establishment and his own party, the Social Democrats.
The technology of diplomacy: from pipeline to silence 🤝
The proposal comes at a time when the energy infrastructure between Europe and Russia is in ruins. After the sabotage of Nord Stream in 2022, the pipelines that Schröder championed as chancellor became inoperative. Now, the former leader could apply his technical knowledge of supply networks to negotiate, but with no gas to transport, his role would be limited to managing agreements over empty pipes. Diplomacy, like gas, needs functional conduits; Schröder's are broken.
Schröder, the mediator who already warmed up at Gazprom ⛽
The curious thing is that Schröder not only knows Putin but also served as a director of Rosneft and Nord Stream AG. If appointed as mediator, he might ask for the meeting to be held in the Gazprom boardroom, with Russian coffee and German cookies. Of course, to be impartial, he would have to forget that his salary depended on the Kremlin. Perhaps his first proposal would be to restart the pipelines as a gesture of goodwill. Ironies of peace: the mediator arrives with an outstanding gas bill.