Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder thinks the war in Ukraine could reach a ceasefire due to the grains deal mediated by Turkey. He told the media after a Moscow visit to the Kremlin that the idea seemed to be receptive to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Solution To End the Russia-Ukraine Conflict
Chancellor Schroeder said that he spoke to Putin about the matter a week ago, and he was open to a resolution of the conflict via talks last Wednesday, reported RT.
Schroeder told Germany's Stern magazine and the RTL/ntv channel that a current "first breakthrough" in grain export negotiations in Istanbul might be used to gradually establish a ceasefire.
Following negotiations that included Turkey and the UN, Russia and Ukraine agreed to a package of papers in July aimed at unblocking Ukrainian agricultural exports held at Black Sea ports due to Russia's military campaign. Furthermore, Moscow and the UN negotiated a second treaty to ease sanctions on Russian agricultural products, noted Mass News.
Schroeder added that the Kremlin wants a negotiated solution, but there may be a denigration of the concessions that Kyiv should agree to. Moscow wants genuine peace, not imposed peace, which could prove to be a grave mistake.
The former chancellor maintains that Donbas and Kyiv are declaring neutrality are viable alternatives. He complimented then-Chancellor Angela Merkel and former Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier for opposing Ukraine's accession to NATO in 2008. He suggested that Ukraine could do more than join NATO, as Austria has done, citing Good Word News.
Kyiv Made the Donbass Dilemma Worse
The ex-German chancellor acknowledged that the Donbass is not easily undone due to Zelensky's decision to attack the separatists of the war in Ukraine, breaking its promise of autonomy for the Russia-aligned province. Ukrainians have been fighting them since 2014.
He advises using the Swiss cantonal model or finding a middle ground. But, he emphasizes that Russia is in a place where it will not give up what it has achieved at the contact line since February 24. Kyiv will not reclaim the lost territories that Moscow has captured.
Schroeder scoffed at Zelensky's fantasy that the Ukrainian army could pry Crime from the clutches of the Russian Federation, even calling the shrill Ukrainian leader's plan absurd.
Instead, tensions on the Crimean Peninsula, which re-joined Russia in a vote in 2014, may be resolved in due course. It will not take 99 years to settle like Hong Kong, but it can happen sooner than everyone thinks.
The former German leader also lauded Turkish authorities for their mediating role, saying they are currently very helpful in negotiations over grain exports.
However, Schroeder believes that no talks can be successful without a positive contribution from the US. In the same interview, Schroeder also proposed activating Russia's Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline to solve the energy situation.
There is a solution, and Germany must choose whether to use it or face the consequences. The former chancellor plainly stated that he stands by his ties to Moscow. Schroeder said the war in Ukraine could be resolved but has layers to it, but the grains deal shows hope for it.
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