The ex-Chancellor of Germany refused to pretend that he was not friends with Putin

Former German Chancellor (1998-2005) Gerhard Schröder said he would not pretend that he was never friends with Russian President Vladimir Putin. About this politician stated in an interview with the Süddeutschen Zeitung.

Schroeder noted that his friendship with Putin does not prevent him from continuing to consider the special operation in Ukraine a mistake.

Personal interests should not replace the representation of the interests of the state, the politician emphasized. “Human relationships make it easier to understand your own interests. But they should never replace the representation of the interests of the country concerned,” Schröder said.

The ex-chancellor also pointed to the deterioration of relations with part of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), of which he is a member. According to him, he faces hostility and criticism from other party members, but this criticism is not so painful that he pays attention to it.

Schröder also criticized the position of the current German authorities and the SPD. In his opinion, there are too many climate issues on the agenda and too few economic issues. Speaking about German foreign policy, the former chancellor expressed dissatisfaction with the statement of German Foreign Minister Annalena Bärbock that she considers Chinese leader Xi Jinping a dictator.

Schröder served as chancellor from 1998 to 2005. After his resignation, he held positions in large Russian companies – in 2017, he headed the board of directors of Rosneft, and later the committee of shareholders of Nord Stream AG, the operator of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline. After the start of the special operation, members of the European Parliament demanded that Schröder leave the board of directors of Rosneft due to the fact that it is a Russian state-owned company.