Vladimir Putin meets former German chancellor Gerhard Schröder at Kremlin

Russian President Vladimir Putin held a private meeting with former German chancellor Gerhard Schröder at the Kremlin on Friday, the Kremlin announced through spokesman Yuri Ushakov to Interfax. Ushakov said the two men had a "good discussion" but declined to detail the topics or any prospect of Schröder playing a role in future Russia‑EU talks.

Schröder, 82, led Germany from 1998‑2004 and later worked as a lobbyist and board member of Russian energy companies, a background that has drawn strong criticism in Germany. Putin recently cited Schröder as a possible mediator for potential dialogue between Russia and the European Union, an idea that Germany and other EU member states have rejected. The meeting occurs against the backdrop of the lowest point in EU‑Russia relations since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.