Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder was recently spotted in Moscow. He said he was on vacation in Russia, but the hotel he stayed in was close to the Kremlin and seemed to be waiting for Putin's summons.
Schröder is no ordinary former German politician, he advocated friendship with Russia during his tenure, and later joined the top management of Russian energy companies directly, and also worked in the operation and management team of Nord Stream 1 pipeline company. It can be said that Schroeder made great efforts to establish good energy relations between Germany and Russia, which is an indisputable fact.
However, in April, Schröder resigned from the Russian energy company under strong pressure from Germany, but he is still one of the few figures in German politics who can communicate directly with Putin.
Because the Germany led by Scholz has now given up the neutral position that her predecessor Merkel has always adhered to, after the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, it completely fell to the side of the United States, losing Putin's trust and goodwill towards Germany.
So Russia showed no mercy and constantly hit Germany with energy **, making German politicians miserable. In order to ensure that Germany can survive the winter, Scholz had to find someone to get through the relationship with Putin. And Schroeder is undoubtedly the most suitable candidate. But in order to alleviate Germany's energy crisis, the Russia-Ukraine conflict must be resolved first.
And after a few days of silence, Schroeder, who has returned from a vacation in Russia, has good news, he has met Putin in person, and has been confirmed by Russia's desire to resolve the Russian-Ukrainian conflict through negotiations.
This may sound like nothing is being said because the conflict between Russia and Ukraine is still tense and military aid from the United States and Germany is still being delivered to Ukraine. But these words seem to convey a strong message: the Russian side still hopes to resolve the conflict between Russia and Ukraine through negotiations, believing that military means cannot solve all problems.
This is equivalent to sending a signal to Germany**: Germany still has the opportunity to act as a mediator in resolving the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. Whether the conflict between Russia and Ukraine can be quickly resolved will also affect when the German energy security crisis will be resolved.
Maybe next time it's time for Scholz to go out in person, and if he pretends to be stupid and delays, winter will come, and it will be the Germans themselves who will be uncomfortable in the end. Not only to pay a human price, but also to put the German economy in danger of collapse.