Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder attended a reception at the Russian embassy in Berlin, according to the co-chair of the right-wing party AfD. That reception took place on the occasion of the commemoration of the victory over Nazi Germany.
Tino Chrupalla, the co-chair of Germany’s right-wing populist party Alternative für Deutschland (AfD), said he had seen Schröder at the event, along with his wife So-yeon Schröder-Kim. The former chancellor did not respond to questions about his presence.
Earlier, the newspaper Berliner Zeitung reported about the reception on Tuesday. Many German politicians did not attend in protest against the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine. One of the people who was present was Klaus Ernst from Die Linke.
Chrupalla said Wednesday he was invited. “I’m sure all the faction leaders were,” he said. He also said that in times of crisis, dialogue should not be broken off. Reconciliation, he says, is especially important on such historic days.
In February, a conservative member of the Bundestag, Knut Abraham, accused AfD MPs of being an integral part of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s propaganda and war machine, even though they speak of peace.
Schröder has long been under fire in his home country, and in his own party, for his close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin and his involvement in the Russian energy sector.
Schröder was Chancellor of Germany from 1998 to 2005.
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