'Pro-Russian' Former German Chancellor Schroder Visits Putin's Home to Celebrate His Birthday

"President Putin Invites His Longtime Friend to His Home"

The Kremlin said via Telegram on October 8 local time that former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder attended a celebration for Russian President Vladimir Putin's 74th birthday.

The Kremlin said, "President Putin learned from the morning news the previous day that former Chancellor Schröder was in Moscow on business. The president invited his longtime friend to his home, and Schröder joined him for the birthday celebration yesterday."

Russian President Vladimir Putin shakes hands with former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder (left). Kremlin Telegram channel, Yonhap News

Schröder, a member of Germany's center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD) who led a coalition government with the Green Party, developed a close friendship with President Putin during his time as chancellor from 1998 to 2005. He played a leading role in the Nord Stream project, which transported Russian natural gas directly to Germany through an undersea pipeline.

Shortly after leaving office, he took senior positions at Russian state-owned energy companies, including Gazprom and Rosneft. Recent reports also said that he had joined the board of Hyperglobus, a Russian retail group formerly owned by German company Globus.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.