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Schroeder served as German Chancellor from 1998 to 2005. After leaving office, he was controversial in Germany due to his work in a Russian energy company and his personal relationship with Putin.
The Kremlin said on Thursday (October 8) that former German Chancellor Schroeder attended Russian President Vladimir Putin's birthday celebrations.
Putin celebrated his 74th birthday in Moscow on Wednesday. The Kremlin said Putin learned from Russian media reports that Schröder was in Moscow for business reasons.
The Kremlin said: "The president invited his old friend to his home." The Russian government also released a photo showing Schröder and Putin smiling and shaking hands tightly.
Schroeder last week became a member of the supervisory board of supermarket chain Hyperglobus. The 82-year-old visited a branch of the supermarket chain in Moscow.
Hyperglobus was originally part of the German retail company Globus Holding. The company operates supermarkets in Germany and the Czech Republic.
Globus Holding also operates supermarkets in Russia, but sold relevant shares last year. The supermarkets in Russia were therefore spun off into the independent company Hyperglobus.
Schroeder is a member of the German center-left Social Democratic Party and served as German Chancellor from 1998 to 2005.
After stepping down as chancellor, Schröder worked for a Russian state-owned energy company and maintained personal contact with Putin. This is controversial in Germany, especially after Russia invades Ukraine in 2022.
Due to Schroeder's involvement in the Russian energy sector, Schroeder's Berlin office, which operates with taxpayers' taxes as a source of funds, was closed in 2022. In addition, there were many calls within the Social Democratic Party to expel him from the party, but Schroeder was still able to retain his membership in the Social Democratic Party.

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