Europe scrambles for a Putin whisperer: from Schröder to Merkel, who can mediate?

As world leaders gather for the NATO Summit in Ankara, Europe is eager to open talks with Vladimir Putin despite US President Donald Trump's threats. Ukraine is in a strong negotiating position, and Washington is distracted by the Middle East. The challenge is finding an envoy who can make Putin listen. Candidates include Gerhard Schröder, the former German chancellor and Putin confidant, but EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas warns Putin would control both sides of the table. Kallas, an Estonian with a family history of Soviet persecution, sees herself as able to see through Russian traps but is considered a hawk. Angela Merkel, who negotiated the Minsk agreement after Crimea's annexation in 2014, has experience but Putin violated that deal. Finland's President Alexander Stubb, a Trump-whisperer, could bridge US-Europe ties but Finland's NATO accession may alienate Putin. European Council President António Costa, of Indian descent and called the Gandhi of Lisbon, is a wildcard for building consensus. Macron has not ruled out leading talks himself. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says Putin will always pick up the phone if the call is serious. The key is whether Putin is ready to make peace.