EU Foreign Ministers Formally Reject Schröder as Ukraine Security Mediator

EU foreign ministers meeting in Brussels unanimously rejected Putin's proposal to use former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder as a mediator in future Ukraine security talks. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas was blunt: Schröder 'worked as a high-level lobbyist for Russian state-owned companies' and would effectively be 'sitting on both sides of the table.' Ukraine also rejected the idea. The episode highlighted the EU's hardened stance against Russian diplomatic maneuvers that exploit personal ties to former European leaders.