Speaking in an interview published by the German newspaper Berliner Zeitung on October 20, former Chancellor Schroeder said he was invited to help mediate between the parties in peace talks in March 2022 in Istanbul.
He said that while representatives of Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky were willing to make concessions on key issues such as abandoning efforts to join NATO, “the Ukrainians did not agree to peace because they were not allowed to. They had to ask the Americans first about everything they discussed.”
Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder. (Photo: Reuters)
Russian officials have repeatedly said that the United States and other Western countries supporting Ukraine have prevented Mr Zelensky's government from agreeing to a peaceful solution.
Mr Schroeder is said to have a long-standing friendship with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The former German chancellor described Washington's strategy as "deadly", saying it led to closer ties between Russia and China.
Washington’s allies in Western Europe “failed” to seize the opportunity to push for peace in March 2022, Schroeder said. At the time, Ukrainian President Zelensky was willing to compromise on Crimea and the separatist territories in the Donbass region, he added. Hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian soldiers have died since then as Western military aid prolonged the conflict. Putin estimated earlier this month that Kiev had lost more than 90,000 soldiers in the failed counteroffensive that began in June.
Mr. Schroeder believes that only French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz can resume peace talks in Eastern Europe.
The former German leader said Russian leaders were threatened by the US push to bring NATO to Moscow's western border by adding Ukraine to the alliance. He also said one of the justifications for arming Ukraine - alleged Russian expansionism - had no basis in reality.
On the other hand, Mr. Schroeder stressed, Western leaders must understand that no matter who is in power in Moscow, Russia will not allow Ukraine or Georgia to join NATO. “This threat analysis may be emotional, but it is real in Russia. The West must understand this and accept appropriate compromises. Otherwise, peace will be difficult to achieve,” he said.
Thai An (VOV.VN/RT)
Source
![[Maritime News] More than 80% of global container shipping capacity is in the hands of MSC and major shipping alliances](https://vphoto.vietnam.vn/thumb/402x226/vietnam/resource/IMAGE/2025/7/16/6b4d586c984b4cbf8c5680352b9eaeb0)
Comment (0)