The Kremlin clarified this Thursday that Russian President, Vladimir Putin, did not formally propose former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder as a European mediator in a possible peace process with Ukraine, but rather merely mentioned his name when responding to a question posed by the press.
"Putin did not propose Schroeder. Journalists asked him who, in his opinion, would be preferable. He replied that, in his opinion, it would be Schroeder," Kremlin spokesman, Dimitri Peskov, wanted to clarify, according to the Russian news agency Interfax.
In this regard, he insisted that "Putin did not promote any initiative of that type," an idea that has not only been discarded by Ukraine and by the German Government itself, but also, generally, by its allies in Brussels. "That would not be very smart," assessed the EU High Representative for Foreign Policy, Kaja Kallas.
Even so, Peskov highlighted the emergence of this type of discussion within the European Union, when "just a few months ago they were not even happening," suggesting that Kyiv's partners in Brussels are beginning to show greater interest in getting involved in negotiations that, for now, remain out of their reach.
"In the last three or four weeks we have heard statements from Mr. Stubb," he pointed out in reference to the president of Finland, "and also from Berlin that sooner or later it will be necessary to speak directly with the Russians," he said.
"The Russians are willing to dialogue. We believe that talking is always better than resorting to total confrontation, which is precisely what the Europeans are doing now. If this attitude of the Europeans changes in favor of dialogue, we will receive it with open arms," Peskov expressed.
These eventual conversations to which the Kremlin spokesman alludes continue without registering notable progress and, for now, count on the United States as the main mediator. However, the process remains blocked by the open front in Iran, in a context in which the US president, Donald Trump, threatens to resume attacks if an agreement is not reached within a short period.