German Chancellor Friedrich Merz expressed himself “deeply indignant” with the visit of former governor Gerhard Schröder to Vladimir Putin on the day of his 74th birthday. Merz considered the attitude “absolutely immoral”, stressing that the Russian leader “is solely responsible for the war in Ukraine”.
© Kremlin/Telegram
09/10/2026
by
O german chancellor Friedrich Merz expressed himself “deeply indignant” with the visit of former German head of government Gerhard Schröder to Moscow on the occasion of the 74th anniversary of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The Kremlin revealed on Thursday that the Russian president “invited his old friend to his home” and that “Schröder was with Putin when the head of state celebrated his birthday”.
Asked about the news, German government spokesman Steffen Meyer stated that the current Chancellor is “deeply outraged”
“Putin is the only one responsible for the war in Ukraine,” Meyer said at a press conference. “His orders are the cause of the immeasurable suffering inflicted daily in that country – civilian victims, separate families, dead and injured.”.
The spokesman also pointed out that Merz “considers it absolutely immoral that Mr Schröder is celebrating with Mr Putin on a day like this”.
Schröder, recalls the news agency France-Presse (AFP), led Germany between 1998 and 2005 and cultivated for a long time a close relationship with Putin.
In addition, after leaving the position of chancellor, he maintained strong business links with Russia, including a lucrative post on the Gazprom gas giant.
According to the Kremlin, Schröder was in Moscow to participate in one of his latest business initiatives in Russia — this time as a newly appointed member of the supervisory board of the Russian Hyperglobus supermarket chain.
“Vladimir Putin learned, the morning before, through media news that Gerhard Schröder was in Moscow, where he had traveled for reasons related to the company ‘Globus’,” the Kremlin indicated, adding that the “president invited his old friend to his home”.
“Gerhard Schröder was with Vladimir Putin when the head of state celebrated his birthday yesterday”, reads in a publication of the Kremlin on Telegram platform.
In May, Putin suggested that the countries of the European Union turn to Schröder as a mediator to resolve the war in Ukraine, but the proposal was rejected.