German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is “deeply outraged”. The reason is the visit of former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder to the Kremlin to celebrate his birthday in Moscow with Vladimir Putin. Putin is “solely responsible for the war”, added spokesman Steffen Meier at a press conference in Berlin, reporting the German leader’s position.
Schroeder and Putin’s reunion: photos in the Kremlin
“The chancellor believes it is immoral for Schroeder to celebrate such a day with him,” he concluded. The news of Schroeder’s birthday meeting with Putin in Moscow hit the German media from Moscow. The Russian president celebrated his 74th birthday. The Kremlin released the photos taken on Telegram, with the two in a living room with fireplace and samovar behind them and an intimate atmosphere far from the sumptuous luxury of the palace on the Black Sea. A reunion between old friends organized at the last moment, when the president “discovered, the day before, while scrolling through the news, that Schroeder was in Moscow for his new role with Globus”, the network of German hypermarkets in Russia which has just announced a new role for the former German Chancellor.
In the past, Schroeder had held positions in the state companies Rosneft and Gazprom, until he was forced, due to internal pressure in Germany, after the start of Moscow’s war against Ukraine, to give them up. At the moment, Russia is paying particular attention to Germany and the growth of support for the AfD in the eastern lands which does not hide its pro-Russian positions.
Merz’s indignation “deeply indignant”
Asked about the Schroeder Putin meeting, German government spokesman Steffen Meyer said Merz was “deeply outraged.” “Putin bears sole responsibility for the war in Ukraine,” he said at a press conference. “His orders are the cause of the immeasurable suffering inflicted every day: civilian victims, destroyed families, dead and injured.”
Merz “considers it absolutely immoral that Schroeder would celebrate with Putin on such a day,” Meyer added. Photos released by the Russian presidency show the two men shaking hands and smiling. Schroeder, a Social Democrat who led Germany from 1998 to 2005, long cultivated a close relationship with Putin and maintained deep business ties with Russia after leaving office, including a lucrative role at gas giant Gazprom. Criticism of Schroeder’s ties to Russia intensified following Russia’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The “privileges” denied
Schroeder, 82, was stripped of some privileges reserved for former German chancellors because of his closeness to the Russian president. According to the Kremlin, Schroeder was in Moscow for one of his recent business commitments:
this time as a new member of the supervisory board of the Russian supermarket chain Hyperglobus. In May, Putin suggested that European Union countries should use Schroeder as a mediator to resolve the ongoing war in Ukraine. The proposal was quickly rejected by EU governments.