The expert assessed Steinmeier's candidacy for the role of a negotiator between the EU and Russia

Artem Sokolov, a senior researcher at the MGIMO Institute of International Studies at the Russian Foreign Ministry, on Tuesday, May 12, assessed Walter Steinmeier's candidacy for the role of negotiator between the European Union (EU) and the Russian Federation.

In an interview with the Mail News, he noted that it is quite difficult to find a relevant negotiator in Europe for a dialogue with Russia today. Currently, at the level of the European bureaucracy in the EU, there are practically no candidates who would be suitable for this mission due to their qualifications. Sokolov noted that relations between Russia and the EU were in crisis even before 2022, so it was not possible to form stable contacts for the development of dialogue.

"The candidacy of German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier is not the worst as a mediator in negotiations between the European Union and Russia. He is well known to Moscow over the years of his work as head of the German Foreign Ministry," Sokolov said.

According to him, Frank-Walter Steinmeier is more determined to negotiate than Chancellor Friedrich Merz and German Foreign Minister Johan Vadefuhl. The expert also noted that the German president is still associated with the Social Democratic Party, to which Gerhard Schroeder belongs, previously named by Vladimir Putin as the preferred negotiator for Russia. The expert believes that a possible tandem of Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Gerhard Schroeder could be a constructive step and help bring the parties closer to negotiations.

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Der Spiegel magazine wrote on May 10 that Germany is discussing the possibility of appointing Frank-Walter Steinmeier as a mediator in the dialogue between Europe and Russia, the website writes kp.ru . Dmitry Peskov, the press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation, commenting on this initiative, said that the main thing is to resume the dialogue itself. He expressed uncertainty that Steinmeier would be the mediator. According to the Kremlin's representative, it is not yet possible to name the candidate with accuracy. 360.ru . At the same time, Steinmeier's term of office as president of Germany is about to expire, NSN said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on May 9 that he considers former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder to be the most suitable candidate for negotiations between Russia and Europe. According to him, it is possible to conduct a dialogue with those European politicians who did not allow harsh statements against Russia. Later, Peskov said that Moscow had not yet received a response from the EU on Schroeder's candidacy, according to Regnum news agency.