The idea that the president of Ukraine will be able to return Crimea militarily is simply absurd, former Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder told German newspaper Stern after his visit to Moscow last week, during which he met with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

He renewed his call for negotiations with Putin, saying, "The good news is that the Kremlin wants a negotiated solution."

Schroeder suggested that a deal brokered by the UN and Turkey to open the Black Sea shipping lanes could be the basis for a cease-fire agreement, and said both sides would agree to concessions to end the war.

He said it would be a big mistake to dismiss possible concessions from Ukraine in advance as "dictated peace." According to him, problems can be solved by a compromise for the eastern region of Donbass - based on the "Swiss canton model", as well as "armed neutrality" for Ukraine as an alternative to NATO membership.

In his view, Ukraine should give up its claims to Crimea, "The idea that the president of Ukraine [Volodymyr] “Zelensky will conquer Crimea militarily is simply absurd," he said.

He also called on the German government to reconsider its position on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. "If you don’t want to use Nord Stream 2, you have to face the consequences," he told Stern. "If things really slow down, there is this pipeline and both Nord Stream pipelines will have no problem supplying German industry and German households."

The former chancellor said that Germany and France have a special responsibility to end the war in Ukraine. "Not enough is happening on that front at this point, that’s my impression,” he said. “Because it’s clear that nothing will happen without negotiations.”