Schroder Meeting Putin: "Ukraine Must Give Up Crimea to End the War"

Gerhard Schr?der [Photo by AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Byung-hee] Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schr?der is expected to spark controversy by proposing that Ukraine should relinquish its rights to the Crimean Peninsula as a solution to end the war in Ukraine.

According to Bloomberg on the 3rd (local time), Schr?der said in an interview with the German magazine Stern that he met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow last week and that Russia is open to talks to end the war in Ukraine.

Schr?der then stated that as a solution to end the war, Ukraine should give up its rights to the Crimean Peninsula. He also argued that the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine should remain part of Ukraine, but special rights should be granted to the minority Russians in the Donbas region.

Schr?der said, "The good news is that the Kremlin wants a solution through negotiations." He added, "It was a mistake for Russia to invade its neighbor Ukraine," and "This war can be resolved." He also said that both Russia and Ukraine need to make concessions to end the war and that Turkey could play a mediating role.

Although Schr?der said that both Russia and Ukraine must make concessions, his proposed solution to end the war leans somewhat toward Russia's position, so controversy is expected in the future.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy maintains a stance that Ukraine will never concede any territory to Russia. In June, President Zelenskyy declared that Ukraine would reclaim the Crimean Peninsula, which was taken by Russia eight years ago, during this war. In an interview with The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) at the end of last month, he said, "If we enter a ceasefire without regaining the territory lost due to the Russian invasion, it will only provide a pretext for prolonging the war."

A survey conducted by WSJ in early last month of 1,500 Ukrainian adults showed that 89% of respondents opposed the idea of conceding their country's territory to Russia in exchange for a ceasefire.

Schr?der, who led Germany from 1998 to 2005, has maintained a personal friendship with President Putin and has served as a board member of the Russian state-owned gas company Gazprom, receiving substantial payments, which has drawn much criticism both domestically and internationally.

Regarding Germany's recent energy crisis, Schr?der said that operating the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline could help overcome the energy crisis this winter.

The Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline was planned during Schr?der's tenure and completed toward the end of Angela Merkel's chancellorship. However, Germany has not approved the operation of Nord Stream 2 due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Additionally, Russia has reduced gas supplies through the existing Nord Stream 1 pipeline to about 20%, raising concerns that Germany will face a severe power shortage this winter.

Schr?der said, "If (Germany) does not want to use Nord Stream 2, there will be consequences."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.