“Moscow is a beautiful city”: Gerhard Schröder is on “vacation” – just within earshot of Putin
Created: 07/25/2022, 15:35
By: Florian Naumann
Former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder (archive photo).
© Kay Nietfeld/dpa
A former chancellor on "vacation"?
Nothing unusual.
However, Gerhard Schröder did not appear in a beach paradise - but in Moscow.
Munich/Moscow – Gerhard Schröder is traveling – in Russia.
The former chancellor flew to Moscow again a few weeks after the excitement about pro-Putin statements and a failed attempt at mediation in the Ukraine war.
The news channel n-tv reports on Monday (July 25).
Gerhard Schröder: Former Chancellor is vacationing in Moscow - in the middle of the debate about Putin and Russia's proximity
The former German head of government told a correspondent for the TV channel that it was about "a few days' vacation": "Moscow is a beautiful city."
When it was pointed out that the headquarters of the Rosneft gas company was nearby, the SPD politician said: "Is that so?
Oh yes, you are right.”
Schröder's journey comes at a remarkable time.
A party exclusion procedure is underway in the SPD against him because of the connections to Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin and statements about the war in Ukraine - Schröder had accused Kyiv, among other things, of "saber rattling".
The 78-year-old had recently wanted to resign or turn down posts at the Russian gas and energy companies Rosneft and Gazprom after the general uproar.
Gerhard Schröder in Russia: the former chancellor didn't want to let Putin's connection be severed
Schröder's attitude towards his political spec Putin is different - whom the Lower Saxony had already praised as a "flawless democrat" when he was chancellor.
Schröder recently told the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
that he wants to keep in touch with Putin and does not believe in a military solution in Ukraine
.
"The war can only be ended through diplomatic negotiations."
Schröder has been criticized for years for his ties to Russia and his close ties to Putin.
Even after the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February, many party members believe that Schröder has not sufficiently distanced himself from Russia.
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