Republika Srpska leader: EU doesn't want Schroder as Russia negotiator

MOSCOW, June 13. /TASS/. The European Union does not want former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroder to act as a negotiator with Russia, Milorad Dodik, chairman of the leading political party in Republika Srpska (an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina), the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats, said in an interview with TASS.

"In the European Union, they do not want to see Schroder in this role. But what can the head of the EU diplomatic service, Kaja Kallas, do? Such an incompetent woman was appointed to this post in such difficult years, and this is a misfortune for Europe. I have nothing against women; there are very successful politicians among them. But Kaja Kallas is definitely not among them. Who is she to lead foreign policy and security affairs? For example, [US President Donald] Trump does not respect her. We saw this when they met," he said.

According to the politician, Europe is now in a poor position as it refuses relations with China and Russia. "As an official at such a high level, Kallas should focus on cooperation with large and strong countries, which we do not see. And because of this, Europe is losing," he added.

Dodik pointed out that Schroder at one point complied with the German authorities’ decision to cut all relations with Russia. "Although it was not his will, he was forced to take this step. However, it is good that now he comes to Russia and appears here. This means either that Berlin’s previous restrictive approach has failed, or that it has been abandoned," he said.

"In any case, I think Schroder is a good mediator for negotiations and for properly presenting the Russian position in Europe," Dodik said. "We have not yet heard his statements. It would be interesting to hear him say that European policy in previous years was wrong, and that Germany’s economy collapsed because of it. So far we have not heard such statements. However, perhaps I am missing something."

The politician noted that he personally has sympathy for Schroder. "Europe needs a voice of reason, a rational voice," Dodik stressed. "Because Russia’s policy today is a policy of common sense. This cannot be disputed. Otherwise, the Russian military leadership would have chosen a quick solution using its full military potential, which would have led to huge casualties and suffering. But that did not happen. Relations between Russians and Ukrainians are somewhat similar to what happened between Serbs and other Balkan peoples. We understand this," Dodik concluded.

Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin named Schroder as a preferred negotiator for talks with Moscow from the European Union because he "can be trusted."