Schröder's fellow party member responded to criticism over his visit to Moscow
Disagreement arose in the SPD over the visit of the former chancellor to Vladimir Putin
Quick Look
- SPD expert Ralf Stegner defended Gerhard Schröder's visit to Moscow, calling it a potential contribution to peace.
- At the same time, regional branches of the party in Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria demanded that Schröder be expelled from the SPD.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
Gerhard Schröder maintains personal friendly relations with Vladimir Putin, which has repeatedly caused criticism in German political circles.
BERLIN, October 10 - RIA Novosti. Foreign policy expert of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) Ralf Stegner rejected criticism of former German Chancellor and SPD member Gerhard Schröder for his trip to Moscow, noting that it could serve to achieve peace.
On Thursday, the Kremlin press service reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin, on the eve of his birthday, learned from the media that his old friend Schroeder came to Moscow on business. The head of the Russian state invited him to his home. Later, the Kremlin published a joint photo of the politicians. Bild reported that the meeting between Schröder and Putin caused a sharp reaction among German politicians.
The politician also emphasized that Schröder went to Moscow as a private citizen.
Meanwhile, the co-chairs of the regional branches of the SPD in Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria, Robin Meszaros and Sebastian Roloff, demanded to initiate another procedure for the expulsion of Schröder from the ranks of the SPD, calling his continued stay in the party “impossible.” At the same time, they admitted that they doubt the success of their initiative.
“The obstacles to expelling (Schroeder - ed.) from the party are very significant,” Meszáros said in an interview with Tagesspiegel.
Open Questions
- Will there be an official attempt to expel Schröder from the SPD?
