Kremlin: Putin and German ex-chancellor Schröder met for private talks

Russian President Vladimir Putin has met with former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder for a one-on-one meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow. The meeting was described as a good conversation by Putin's foreign policy adviser, Yuri Ushakov. Schröder, a friend of Putin, was recently proposed as a mediator for talks between the EU and Russia, although this proposal was rejected by Germany and other EU states. Relations between the EU and Russia remain strained due to Russia's ongoing war against Ukraine.