Why is Former Chancellor Schröder meeting Putin in Moscow?

According to the DPA news agency, the former chancellor met Russian President Putin. (Pictured both at a previous meeting.) But not on behalf of the German government. Neither the Kremlin nor Kyiv have made any official statements about the meeting. And so far, nothing is known about the content of the conversation. The only certain thing is that Schröder traveled to Moscow via Istanbul with his wife, which can be confirmed because Soyeon Schröder-Kim posted a selfie.

Schröder's wife published this selfie on Instagram, which shows her with her hands folded and her eyes closed. The view from the hotel window behind her: Red Square in Moscow. She only comments on the picture with a prayer emoji. The fact that Schröder is in Moscow shows how close his relationship with Putin is. That's precisely why he's been harshly criticized - and not just since the war.

Former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder has criticized the Russian invasion of Ukraine but speaks of "mistakes on both sides," and this triggered a wave of outrage. Why has Schröder sidelined himself? Are personal financial interests the reason? Is that why he doesn't want to jeopardize Putin's goodwill? Join us for a look at Schröder as a person.

Schröder is currently in Moscow to discuss the conflict with President Putin, US Politico said. It is a striking move, given that he is amidst a political scandal.

According to Schroeder's critics, he has not spoken out enough against Putin because he has personal financial interests in Russia.

Schröder wrote in a statement on LinkedIn that Russia must compensate for the damage done in Ukraine. Russia's security interests "do not justify the use of military means," he says. But Schröder also wrote that there were "many mistakes" "on both sides," and a remark that upset many.

Schröder went on to say in his controversial text on LinkedIn that sanctions should not cause a complete severance of the "remaining political, economic and civil ties between Europe and Russia." It seems critics say that he wants to safeguard his own interests in Russian companies.

(Pictured: Gerhard Schröder with his fifth wife So-yeon Schröder-Kim)

Schröder is chairman of the shareholders' committee of Nord Stream AG and the board of directors of Nord Stream 2 AG. These two gas pipelines connect Russia and Germany. According to Manager Magazine, his salary for working at Nord Stream is around 250,000 euros per year.

The gas pipelines were already somewhat controversial before the war because European leaders had reservations about relying too much on Russia for their energy. The moment Putin's army attacked Ukraine, Chancellor Olaf Scholz immediately halted the Nord Stream 2 certification process.

However, Schröder is not ready to give up his position at the company. In fact, Tagesschau reported in February that he would join the supervisory board of Gazprom, the major energy supplier and a Russian state-owned company.

(The photo shows the former chancellor with Putin at Gazprom installations in Russia.)

Former Chancellor Schröder is also the head of the supervisory board of the Russian state energy company Rosneft. The CEO of that company has already been hit by sanctions and foreign shareholders such as BP have withdrawn from Rosneft.

All this would not be possible without his close relationship with Vladimir Putin. The connection with Putin started when Schröder was still in politics. He was Chancellor from 1998 to 2005. The two men have been linked for 20 years by a friendship that has always been controversial.

What probably started with state visits (as in the picture) when both politicians were in power, has since 2005, when Schröder lost the federal election, grown into a close private friendship.

Already on Schröder's 60th birthday, 18 years ago, Putin's visit to his home was criticized by the media. They also went sledding together in Moscow during a private visit that critics found inappropriate.

(Photo: Schöder, his then wife Doris Köpf and Putin in a Russian troika)

Alexei Navalny, the Russian opposition leader currently in prison, has long referred to Gerhard Schröder as "Putin's errand boy."

In this photo we see the former chancellor at the 'Russia Day' event in 2014.

Gerhard or 'Gerd' Schröder has been married five times. With his fourth wife, Doris Köpf (1997 to 2018), Schröder adopted two Russian orphans: Viktoria in 2004 and Gregor in 2006.

In 2018, he married his current wife, South Korean economist So-yeon Schröder-Kim. She has defended her husband on her Instagram account in recent days.

Even if there is international criticism of political and business leaders who have ties with Russian oligarchs, for Gerhard Schröder it seems to make no difference. He has not yet severed ties with Putin, Nord Stream, Gazprom and Rosneft.

The SPD has removed Schröder from the list of major social democrats on its website. In addition, Heidelberg's SPD has asked for his resignation. As the SPD secretary general told Tagesspiegel, "[Schröder] is blurring the line between his business activities and the influence he has as an experienced ex-minister. That's not only wrong, it's sad."

In an unimaginable move, all four employees of Schröder's Bundestag office have resigned.

Schröder is known as a football fan, but the feeling is no longer mutual. The German Football Association has asked the former chancellor to give up his "functions in Russian state-owned companies" or else step down as an honorary member of the association. Club Borussia Dortmund has already taken the step to revoke Schröder's honorary membership.

The workers' organization AWO also draws its conclusions and says that Schröder must return the Heinrich Albertz Peace Prize, which he received in 2005.

What other steps will follow against Gerhard Schröder? And will he succeed in his alleged meeting with old friend Putin in Moscow? We haven't heard the last of Schröder yet.