Despite his friendship with Putin: Scholz and Steinmeier congratulated ex-Chancellor Schröder on his anniversary

Scholz and Steinmeier congratulated Schröder on his 80th birthday/Collage 24 Channel

On April 7, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and the country's President Frank-Walter Steinmeier congratulated former head of government Gerhard Schröder on his 80th birthday. This happened despite the fact that the politician takes an openly pro-Russian position and is friends with Putin.

Die Zeit journalists noted that the German authorities and leaders German Social Democrats actually stopped contacts with their fellow party member Gerhard Schröder. However, they made an exception in honor of his birthday.

Scholz and Steinmeier congratulated Schröder on his 80th birthday

According to journalists, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, as well as SPD leaders Zaskia Esken and Lars Klingbeil, congratulated Schröder on his birthday, despite deep differences in political views.

In addition, according to Bild journalists, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who publicly distanced himself from Schröder after the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, also sent the ex-chancellor a short congratulation.

< p class="bloquote cke-markup">“I wish you a wonderful holiday and good conversations with family and friends on this special day,” Bild quotes the letter.

It is worth noting that in recent years the SPD leadership has criticized Schröder , known for his friendship with Vladimir Putin, due to his reluctance to sever previous contacts and lobbying in the Russian energy industry, despite the war in Ukraine. But the procedure for expelling Schröder from the party, initiated by several branches of the SPD in 2023, failed.

Meanwhile, the ex-chancellor also does not miss the opportunity to criticize his colleagues. The day before, he complained about the “provincialism” of the SPD party leadership and said that he could only take it seriously politically to a limited extent.

According to Die Zeit his 80th birthday the politician will celebrate privately with family and friends. The list of guests invited to Schröder’s celebration is being kept secret for now.

Schröder said that he was invited to be a “mediator” for Ukraine and Russia

• Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder, known for his friendship with Putin, claims that Kyiv invited him to act as a “mediator.” Despite this, he stated that the United States allegedly disrupted “peace negotiations” between Ukraine and Russia.
• The former German Chancellor also voiced five points of the supposed “peace plan.” They say that it was discussed then and consisted of: refusal of Ukraine’s membership in NATO, “bilingualism” of Ukraine, “autonomy” of Donbass, “security guarantee” for Ukraine, negotiations on the status of Crimea.
• He also noted that he had a conversation with Umerov, as well as “tete-a-tete with Putin”, However, he did not specify when, where and in what status.