Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder returned to Moscow to celebrate the 74th birthday of his friend, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and with him criticism returned within Germany of the relationship that Schroeder insists on maintaining at a time when Putin has been living in European isolation since the beginning of the war in Ukraine.
In pictures that provoked German politicians, the Kremlin published on Telegram a picture of Putin and Schroeder smiling and warmly shaking hands with the two friends, with an attached statement announcing that the Russian president had invited his “old friend to his home” to celebrate his birthday with him, when he learned by chance that he was in Moscow through media reports.
Schroeder, 82 years old, had arrived in the Russian capital the day before, where he visited a Russian store affiliated with the German department store chain “Globus,” after accepting a position on its supervisory board.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz's spokesman commented by saying that he felt "deep dissatisfaction" with Schroeder's visit to Moscow, adding that the latter had not informed the Chancellor, the German Foreign Ministry, or the Interior Ministry of the visit in advance.
The spokesman added in a regular press conference in response to a question about the subject that Schroeder’s visit at this particular time is “absolutely immoral,” pointing to the increasing Russian attacks on Ukraine. Stefan Mayer pointed out that the orders given by the Russian president “cause enormous suffering in Ukraine every day, including civilian casualties, the dispersion of families, and deaths and injuries.”
Schroeder has maintained his relationship with Putin and his work inside Moscow since the war in Ukraine, and refused to yield to internal demands to sever his relationship with him. This caused the German government to strip Schroeder of some of the privileges granted to former advisors, such as employees and the office. But the Social Democratic Party, which threatened to expel him from the party if he did not sever his relationship with the Kremlin, maintained his membership in it. He is still within the party, which has historically had close ties to Russia and before that to the Soviet Union, and he defends Schroeder and refuses to criticize his relationship with Moscow.
While Vice Chancellor and Socialist Party leader Lars Klingbeil repeated words similar to those of Merez, saying that the visit was “completely unacceptable,” MP from his party, Ralph Stegner, defended the former chancellor, saying in press statements that Schroeder “is not an active politician and visited Moscow as an ordinary citizen.”
He criticized the negative reaction in Germany to his visit, adding: “Schröder is one of the few in Germany who still has access to Putin, and as a democratic socialist he will tell Putin that he must end the war.” If his visit brings us one millimeter closer to a ceasefire in Ukraine, I see no shame in that.”
Last May, Putin proposed Schroeder's name to be a mediator in peace negotiations with Ukraine and the West, but Kiev and the European countries rejected the idea, and Schroeder is considered not neutral in the matter.
Stegner commented again on this, saying that “there must be a distinction between an effective negotiator and a mediator, and as a mediator, access is the most important point, and Schroeder enjoys that.” Schroeder assumed the leadership of Germany between 1998 and 2005, and since leaving office he has maintained close relations with the Kremlin, and over the following years he contributed to bringing the trade relationship between the two countries closer and persuading former Chancellor Angela Merkel to expand gas import projects from Russia and build a second line to transport Russian gas directly to Germany, known as “Nord Stream 2.” The line stopped working after the war in Ukraine, and was damaged after an attack on the cables extending at the bottom of the ocean, in an operation that the German public prosecutor accused Ukrainians of carrying out.
Criticism of Schroeder's visit came from most German parties, such as the Greens, the Christian Democratic Union, the Liberal Party, and even the far-left Die Linka party. But the only party that did not criticize the visit was the far-right Alternative for Germany, which is now at the forefront in national opinion polls, and has a support rate of up to 30 percent. It is currently the largest opposition bloc within the Federal Parliament (Bundestag).
The party achieved a historic victory in local elections in the state of Saxony-Anhalt in eastern Germany, where it is preparing to lead the local government with the support of a left-wing populist party led by Zara Wagknecht, who split from Die Linka a few years ago due to a dispute over politics with Russia. The Alternative for Germany (AfD) and the Wagknecht party both support re-establishing rapprochement with Russia and stopping support for Ukraine.
