News website Politico reported that Schröder, regarded as a friend of President Vladimir Putin, was in Moscow to meet the Russian leader, citing "sources familiar with the matter." Schröder's connections to the Kremlin and senior posts in Russian businesses - including the Nord Stream pipelines - have put him at odds with his Social Democratic party back home as well bringing about the departure of some members of his office staff. His party have called on him to clearly denounce Putin's actions in Ukraine. Government sources in Berlin told dpa that the government had no knowledge of the reported visit, however. Asked to comment on the visit at the start of an informal EU leaders' summit in Versailles, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said: "I don't wish to comment on that." The Ukrainian ambassador to Germany, Andriy Melnyk, had suggested a week ago that Schröder should mediate between Ukraine and Russia, describing him to tabloid Bild as "one of the few here in Germany who may still have a direct line to Mr Putin." Angela Merkel, who stepped down after 16 years as German chancellor in December and was replaced by Scholz, is widely regarded to have commanded Putin's respect. Schröder, in charge before Merkel, commented on the war on February 24 on his page on the online network LinkedIn. In his post, he called on Russia to end the war and the suffering of the Ukrainian people as quickly as possible. He also stressed that even if sanctions were necessary, the ties in various areas between Europe and Russia should not be cut for good.