Ex-German leader Schröder proposed as Ukraine peace mediator despite Russia ties

Gerhard Schröder led Germany as chancellor for seven years, ending his term in 2005. Now, Russian President Vladimir Putin has named him as someone who might help broker peace in the Ukraine war. The suggestion has reignited fierce debate about Schröder's loyalty to Russia at a time when Germany views Moscow as a threat.

Schröder's Russia-friendly approach as chancellor was not unusual for German leaders at the time. Angela Merkel, Olaf Scholz, and President Frank-Walter Steinmeier all supported closer ties with Moscow through projects like the Nord Stream gas pipelines. What set Schröder apart was his refusal to abandon Russia after the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, even as public anger mounted.

The now-82-year-old's relationship with Putin dates back to 1998, when Schröder became chancellor. The two have remained close for over two decades. Shortly before leaving office in 2005, Schröder approved the first Nord Stream pipeline. In 2016, he joined the board overseeing Nord Stream 2, a second pipeline project that never launched because of the war.

Schröder's support for Russia drew harsh criticism from prominent figures. Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who died in a Siberian prison in early 2024, told Germany's Bild tabloid in 2022: "Gerhard Schröder is paid by Putin." Navalny added that Schröder, "He's still the former chancellor of the most powerful country in Europe. Now he's Putin's errand boy, he protects murderers."

German politicians moved to isolate Schröder. Members of the Christian Democrats and Green party demanded he resign from all posts tied to Russian companies. In May 2022, the Bundestag's budget committee stripped him of his state-funded office and staff, a benefit normally given to former chancellors. The committee said Schröder was no longer fulfilling obligations linked to his previous government role.

In 2022, Schröder traveled to Moscow to meet Putin about a "negotiated resolution" to the war. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the trip "disgusting." Yet Schröder has continued to argue that negotiations may be the only path forward. In a 2024 interview with Germany's DPA news agency, he said: "We have worked together sensibly for many years. Perhaps that can still help us find a negotiated solution; I don't see another solution."

When asked how he could maintain his friendship with Putin despite documented war crimes, Schröder separated the personal from the political. He said he did not want to erase the "positive events" the two had shared and believed his personal bond could help solve a serious political problem. He argued that "the war cannot end with the total defeat of one side or the other."

Writing in the Berliner Zeitung newspaper in January 2024, Schröder acknowledged that Russia's invasion violated international law. However, he opposed "demonizing Russia as the eternal enemy" and urged Germany to resume importing Russian energy, which was halted because of the conflict.