Geburtstagsfeier: Merz und Klingbeil verurteilen Schröders Geburtstags-Besuch bei Putin
Auf seiner jüngsten Russland-Reise besuchte Alt-Kanzler Schröder seinen Freund Putin. Anlass: der 74. Geburtstag des Kreml-Chefs. Bundeskanzler Merz und andere Politiker kritisieren den Besuch.
Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder faced harsh criticism after attending a 74th birthday celebration for Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. German Vice Chancellor Lars Klingbeil (SPD) and Federal Vice Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) expressed their outrage over the visit. Steffen Meyer, the deputy government spokesman, stated that Putin was solely responsible for the war in Ukraine, which causes "unimaginable suffering, civilian victims, families torn apart, deaths, and injuries" on a daily basis.
The chancellor deemed Schröder's presence at such a celebration "almost immoral" and unacceptable, while Green Party politician Katrin Göring-Eckardt and the chairwoman of the European Parliament's Defense Committee, Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann (FDP), called it a shame. Kremlin sources claimed that Schröder celebrated Putin's birthday on Wednesday.
The 82-year-old Schröder, who served as chancellor from 1998 to 2005, is known for his close friendship with Putin and his support of Russian energy companies, leading to ongoing criticism. Schröder has met with Putin repeatedly since the beginning of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
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