Former German Chancellor Schroeder says he will continue to be friends with Putin

Former German Chancellor (1998-2005) Gerhard Schroeder, 79, has said that he will not give up his friendship with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin even despite his growing dislike for him. He said this in an interview with Süddeutschen Zeitung.

At the same time, Schroeder said that "the Russian military operation in Ukraine is a mistake." And if not for the war "for which he is not responsible," Germany would still be buying Russian gas.

At the same time, Schroeder indicated that the attitude towards him in Germany has changed. In particular, he complained that former comrades do not congratulate him on his birthday. Speaking about it he underlined that he was waiting for words of congratulations on his last birthday from the current president of Germany Frank-Walter Steinmeier as they maintained close friendly relations, but now, according to Schröder, Steinmeier ignored the holiday.

Who struck me the most was Steinmeier. I find it very unfortunate," Schröder said in an interview with Süddeutsche Zeitung.

It should be noted that Schröder maintains friendly relations with the Kremlin even after the start of the war in Ukraine. In addition, the former German chancellor is engaged in lobbying the interests of Russian gas companies on the global market. Previously, he chaired the board of directors of Rosneft and also headed the shareholders' committee of Nord Stream AG, the operator of the Nord Stream-2 gas pipeline. After the outbreak of war, he left these positions.

Recall, Gerhard Schroeder and his wife recently attended a ceremony in honour of the 33rd anniversary of German unification. However, many politicians did not want to appear with him in one photo, so the organisers had to put the ex-chancellor away.

In Germany, Gerhard Schroeder has been criticised for lobbying for Russian interests and working in Russian state corporations.