What Schröder discussed with his friend Putin in Moscow is not clear. From the Ukrainian point of view, it did nothing. A “tragedy”, according to the ambassador.
The Ukrainian ambassador in Germany has declared that former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder’s efforts to mediate in the Ukraine war have failed. “The matter is finally settled for us,” said Ambassador Andriy Melnyk of the German Press Agency. “Further talks with Schröder make no sense for Ukraine. It’s sad to see the whole thing go wrong.”
Schröder traveled from Istanbul to Moscow last Wednesday, where, according to dpa information, he spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday. Schröder has long been friends with Putin, who launched a war of aggression against Ukraine almost three weeks ago. The former chancellor also works as a lobbyist for the natural gas pipeline companies Nord Stream 1 and 2 and is chairman of the supervisory board of the Russian oil company Rosneft.
Melnyk again emphasized that Schröder initiated the mediation campaign. “There was some hope of results, otherwise nobody in Ukraine would have agreed to listen to him,” he said. On Sunday afternoon, a Ukrainian middleman was personally informed by Schröder about the progress of the talks in Moscow.
“But the results were absolutely useless. Nothing new was reported that we didn’t already know from our own talks with the Russian side,” said Melnyk. “It’s a shame that this opportunity was wasted.” The ambassador spoke of a “tragedy”. He had previously made similar statements in an interview with the “Bild” newspaper.
This Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj addressed the members of the Bundestag in a video address. Melnyk calls on Chancellor Olaf Scholz to then make a government statement. He should say how Germany wants to continue to support Ukraine. “Exactly three weeks after the start of the war, it would be high time for the German head of government to comment on this again and announce very specific aid measures.”
Melnyk emphasized that he was concerned with further arms deliveries as well as massive economic support and support for the war refugees. A great deal has happened since the Chancellor’s first government declaration on war. “That’s why another clear statement would be of great importance not only for us, the Ukrainians, but certainly also for the Germans.”
The federal government supports Ukraine both with arms deliveries and financially. Germany has also taken in tens of thousands of refugees from Ukraine. Scholz had already made a government statement in the Bundestag on February 27, day four of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.
Zelenskyj will be connected via video in the plenary hall of the Bundestag on Thursday at 9 a.m. before the regular session begins. 20 minutes are allotted for this. Then the debate on compulsory vaccination begins. Opposition leader Friedrich Merz has also criticized the agenda. “We find that completely inappropriate,” said the CDU/CSU parliamentary group leader on Tuesday.
