Gerhard Schröder: Germany must strike Putin energy deal and Ukraine should give up Crimea

telegraph.co.uk: Germany must strike a deal with Putin to avoid an energy crisis this winter and Ukraine should give up its claim to Crimea, Gerhard Schröder has said.

The former German Chancellor said his country could avert a gas crunch by restarting work on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline from Russia.

The $11bn (£9bn) project, which would double Russian gas supplies to Germany, was completed last year but the approval process was halted at the outbreak of the war in February.

Mr Schröder, former chair of Rosneft and head of the shareholder committee at Nord Stream, also said Ukraine should abandon its claim to Crimea and negotiate with Putin.

He told Stern magazine it would be a “big mistake” to dismiss possible concessions by Ukraine as a “dictated peace”.

He said problems could be resolved through a compromise for the Donbas region based on a Swiss canton model, as well as “armed neutrality” for Ukraine as an alternative to Nato membership.

In response, Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak described Schröder derisively as a "voice of the Russian royal court".

Mr Podolyak tweeted: "If Moscow wants dialogue, the ball is in its court. First — a cease-fire and withdrawal of troops, then — constructive (dialogue)."