Vladimir Vladimirovich, is Angela coming back?

Russian President Vladimir Putin&rsquo;s proposal that Gerhard Schr&ouml;der serve as a peace mediator between Kyiv and Moscow, put forward over the weekend, was immediately met with strong rejection from the European Union, the German government, and Ukraine.Although the former German chancellor has been a long-time friend of Putin and a lobbyist for Russian interests, even in Moscow there was little belief that such a choice would be acceptable to the West.However, according to Der Spiegel, it is likely that the Russian president knew from the outset that such a proposal had no real chance of success.Schr&ouml;der has been closely linked for years to Russian energy companies, and his open support for Moscow after the start of the 2022 invasion of Ukraine has led many in Europe to consider him politically and morally compromised.🇩🇪🇺🇦 Spiegel: In political circles, Merkel is called the best candidate for the role of mediator, as she is personally acquainted with both Zelensky and Putin. pic.twitter.com/r9V53QxAaU&mdash; Savchenko Volodymyr (@SavchenkoReview) May 12, 2026 EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas made it clear on the sidelines of a foreign ministers&rsquo; meeting in Brussels: &ldquo;If we were to give Russia the right to appoint a negotiator on our behalf, that would not be very wise.&rdquo;A similar stance was taken by most EU member states. The German government also reacted quickly.A government spokesperson stated unequivocally that Schr&ouml;der &ldquo;is not an option.&rdquo;The Ukrainian ambassador to Germany, Oleksii Makeiev, reacted even more sharply. &ldquo;A person who for years represented Russian interests in Germany has neither the moral nor the political legitimacy to act as a mediator today,&rdquo; he said in an interview with Der Spiegel.Not a terrible idea. At the 2008 Bucharest NATO summit it was Merkel and Sarkozy who protested against Ukraine joining NATO cos they knew it would unnecessarily provoke Russia. https://t.co/dfkmsSFeGf pic.twitter.com/aY0JjxPQJX&mdash; Hexagram (@Hexagram012) May 13, 2026Analysts believe that Putin&rsquo;s somewhat &ldquo;clumsy&rdquo; proposal is a sign of growing desperation in the Kremlin.The war against Ukraine has lasted 1,540 days, and despite some tactical successes by Russian forces, Moscow has failed to achieve its strategic goals.Putin apparently understands that he cannot defeat Ukraine on the battlefield in the foreseeable future and is therefore seeking ways to initiate negotiations.Last year, U.S. President Donald Trump attempted to take on a mediating role. He first met with Putin, then with Zelensky, and in November presented a 28-point peace plan that was very favorable to Moscow.Zelensky at the time showed some willingness to compromise, stating that he was ready to &ldquo;freeze&rdquo; the conflict and no longer insisted on Ukraine&rsquo;s immediate NATO membership. However, Trump soon shifted his focus to the war in Iran.In this vacuum, European countries see an opportunity. German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul told Welt am Sonntag: &ldquo;We are ready to take on greater responsibility, and we are already in talks about this with the Americans and Ukraine.&rdquo;Laut dem Spiegel wird Angela Merkel als Vermittler f&uuml;r ein Aushandeln eines Waffenstillstands zwischen der Ukraine und Russland gehandelt. Hier mal ein Bild, wie man Merkel in (eher patriotischen Kreisen) der Ukraine wahrnimmt. Das sind Biere der popul&auml;ren Brauerei Prawda aus&hellip; pic.twitter.com/9vdJeL8WnX&mdash; Peter Althaus 🇺🇦 (@peteralthaus) May 12, 2026Berlin, Paris, and London have in recent weeks been working intensively on a new attempt to bring Europe into the negotiations.According to Financial Times information, EU leaders are preparing for possible peace talks.Within German government circles, the name Frank-Walter Steinmeier has been mentioned as a potential mediator.As a long-time foreign minister and now federal president, Steinmeier personally knows both Putin and Zelensky.However, he also faces criticism, particularly from Ukraine, the Baltic states, and Poland, for having been too conciliatory toward Russia.. Pictorial Press, Pictorial Press Ltd / Alamy / ProfimediaAngela Merkel&rsquo;s policy toward Russia is now considered in many European capitals to have been overly Moscow-oriented. This inherited reputation further complicates the role of any German politician in peace negotiations.However, within political circles, Merkel is described as the best candidate for a mediator role because she personally knows both Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin.Another factor taken into account is that she is already out of office.On the other hand, her spokespersons have stated that no official requests regarding Merkel&rsquo;s participation in negotiations have been received so far.Her office has also not responded to questions about whether Merkel would even be willing to take on such a role in the future.

Vladimir Vladimirovich, is Angela coming back?

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