On May 9, in his address, Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke of the war in Ukraine as “coming to an end.” No further details have been provided by the Kremlin since then, but it was enough to revive new negotiation scenarios.
Since that date, Putin had gone so far as to suggest the name of former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder as mediator, and now the name Angela Merkel is surfacing.
But Schröder’s mediation was immediately widely criticized in Germany, the federal government going so far as to say that it was again a ploy or “a false offer” from the Russian president.
The EU’s top diplomat would be, by definition, in an ideal position to play a mediation role between Kyiv and Moscow, but Kaja Kallas poses the opposite problem, as the Kremlin would judge her too favorable to Ukraine.
Another name has surfaced, that of former German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who was in Strasbourg this Tuesday to receive the European Order of Merit, but she also raises skepticism, as she was too accommodating toward Russia and its gas resources during her tenure.
The German official herself rejected this principle of mediation.
There is also mention of Finnish President Alexander Stubb, but beyond that, Russia would still need to genuinely intend to pursue a negotiated solution.
