According to a report by the NOS, the Dutch Broadcasting Foundation, broadcast on 11 May, on Russia’s Victory Day the previous Saturday, Putin stated that he believes the conflict with Ukraine is drawing to a close and that he considers Schröder the right person to negotiate new security agreements on behalf of Europe. Schröder is known to be a friend of Putin’s. Among other things, he was chairman of the supervisory board of the Russian oil company Rosneft.
The NOS therefore notes that this suggestion is meeting with resistance across Europe. What makes the statements striking, according to the NOS, is that President Putin has said he wants to talk to Europe. Something he had not wanted to do in the past; he only wanted to talk via Trump. According to the NOS, Putin would also like to talk to Zelensky, in a third country. Until now, he only wanted to talk to him in Moscow and only once a peace agreement had been reached. According to the NOS, Putin also criticized the “globalist” Western leaders again on Saturday, who, he claimed, had promised that NATO would not be expanded further after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, but now seem prepared to bring Ukraine into the “sphere of influence of the European Union”.
I believe that every opportunity for lasting peace in Ukraine must be seized, even if it is up to the EU to choose its own peace negotiator. It is high time that President Putin and other world leaders made a serious effort to bring about peace in Ukraine. Far too many lives have already been lost, people have been injured, and people have been forced to flee. Abducted children want to return to their parents. The war is also causing enormous damage to the natural environment.
According to the OHCHR, in the four years since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, more than 15,000 civilians have been killed, 41,000 injured, and millions of Ukrainian civilians have fled. In 2025 and 2026, more civilians were killed and injured than in 2023 and 2024, and civilians across the country suffered from the ongoing attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. This refers to the number of verified civilian casualties
According to the Center for Strategic & International Studies, there have been approximately 1.2 million Russian casualties – including those killed, wounded and missing – since the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The report estimates that Ukrainian casualties – including those killed, wounded and missing – amount to between 500,000 and 600,000.
In short, it is high time for an end to the violence. High time for a permanent ceasefire and peace negotiations in Ukraine. According to the NOS, the ceasefire that has been in place for the past three days to mark the commemoration of the Second World War in Russia appears to have been reasonably observed, even though both countries accuse each other of violations. Although the NOS reported on 12 May that Russia and Ukraine have unfortunately resumed drone attacks following the ceasefire, the three-day ceasefire offers a glimmer of hope. A permanent ceasefire must be established. The Netherlands, the EU and the US must press Ukraine and Russia to agree to this.
Security expert Bob Deen of the Clingendael Institute also stated last Sunday on the Duitch current affairs TV program Buitenhof that Russia is now showing a willingness to engage in negotiations. And that, in his view, the EU should give this some thought. There are various factions within the EU. The EU grew out of the European Coal and Steel Community, established to bring about peace between nations. Steel, the raw material for weapons, was placed under joint control to prevent war between France and Germany, rivals in the First and Second World Wars.
I believe that the EU should honor its roots in peace and do everything in its power to bring the horrific war in Ukraine to a swift end. Too many people have already been killed, injured or forced to flee. Perhaps the Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, could play a role in any peace negotiations. After all, the UN was also founded with the aim of contributing to peace. On 21 May 1960, a massive statue was unveiled in the garden of the United Nations in New York, a gift from the Soviet Union. The artist Evgeny Vuchetich had depicted the text from Isaiah 2:4: ‘They shall beat their swords into ploughshares.’ This is reported in the Dutch daily newspaper Reformatorisch Dagblad. May peace continue to inspire us.
The abducted Ukrainian children must also be returned home. According to the report by the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine dated 9 March 2026, 1,205 Ukrainian children have been taken to Russia or to territories occupied by Russia.
Furthermore, a voice must be given to local people who promote a culture of peace, such as Yurii Sheliazhenko in Ukraine. He condemns Russian aggression in his country, whilst continuing to promote peace.
May the war in Ukraine and all wars come to an end soon. Let us cherish life. Let us care for one another and for nature. Hopefully, the day will soon come when we see: A World Where All Children Can Play.
May-May Meijer, chair and founder Peace SOS
Photo: This photo was in our archive. We don’t know the artist.
Note: This article was first published in Dutch under the title Grijp de kans op vrede in Oekraïne on the Joop BNNVARA website on 12th May 2026.