Russia wants negotiations to end the war in Ukraine, and last month’s grain delivery agreement could be a step in that direction, former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder said.
“The good news is that the Kremlin wants a negotiated solution. The first success is the agreement on grain, and perhaps a ceasefire could slowly emerge from it,” Schroeder told the weekly Stern and RTL, stating that he met with Putin in Moscow last week, reports Reuters.
Schroeder estimated that solutions to key problems such as Crimea can be found by allowing a certain amount of time to pass and that “it may not take more than 99 years, as in the case of Hong Kong, but the solution will be found in the next generation.”
He stated that, instead of joining NATO, Ukraine could be offered to be neutral, like Austria.
Referring to the future of the Donbass region in the east of Ukraine, where fierce fighting is taking place, Schroeder assessed that the situation there is complex and suggested that the issue be resolved on the model of Swiss cantons.