He is considered the shadow man of Russia’s despot Vladimir Putin (69). He is the head of the supervisory board at the oil giant Rosneft, has a top position at Nord Stream and is actually supposed to become a supervisory board member at the Gazprom group: former chancellor Gerhard Schröder (77).
By Nadja Aswad and Inga Frenser
Now his friend has invaded Ukraine, bombing cities and innocent people, causing bloodshed. And Schroeder?
Today, after a long silence, he reported on his page on the LinkedIn career network and claims that many mistakes had been made on both sides.
I beg your pardon?
“A lot has been said in recent years about mistakes and omissions in the relationship between the West and Russia,” said Schröder. And then he relents a bit:
“But Russia’s security interests do not justify the use of military means either.”
Schröder called on Russia to end the war and the associated suffering for the people of Ukraine as quickly as possible. “That is the responsibility of the Russian government,” Schröder wrote.
Schröder recently caused a stir when, before the attack, he criticized Ukraine’s demands for arms deliveries as “saber rattling”.
also read
► Scholz condemns Russian invasion of Ukraine: “This is Putin’s war”
► It is no longer enough to illuminate the Brandenburg Gate!
Chancellor Olaf Scholz (63, SPD) later had to make it clear publicly that Schröder did not speak for the federal government.
Schröder, who is considered a close friend of Putin, also wrote in his “LinkedIn” post that if sanctions are necessary, the political, economic and civil society ties between Europe and Russia should not be completely severed – and thus once again sided with Russia.
Schröder: “Because these [Verbindungen] are – despite the current dramatic situation – the basis for a hope that we all have: that a dialogue about peace and security on our continent is possible again.”