This is reported by Reuters.
According to Schroeder, during his stay in Moscow last week, he met with Putin and assured that Russia allegedly wants to find a diplomatic solution to the war in Ukraine.
"The good news is that the Kremlin wants a negotiated solution. A first success is the grain deal, perhaps that can be slowly expanded to a ceasefire," Schroeder said.
The ex-chancellor previously criticized Russia's war against Ukraine, but refused to condemn Putin, whom he calls his close friend. Schroeder said that distancing himself from Putin will not help in the current situation.
78-year-old Gerhard Schroeder served as Chancellor of Germany from 1998 to 2005. From 2007 to May 2022, he headed the board of directors of Rosneft.