Key facts
- Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder attended Russian President Vladimir Putin's 74th birthday celebration.
- The celebration took place at Putin's home, according to the Kremlin.
- Pictures of Schroeder and Putin at the event were posted on Telegram.
- Schroeder recently joined the supervisory board of Russian supermarket chain Hyperglobus.
- European foreign ministers rejected the idea of Schroeder mediating peace talks.
Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder attended Russian President Vladimir Putin's 74th birthday celebration at the leader's home, the Kremlin said on Thursday. Pictures posted on Telegram showed Schroeder and Putin smiling broadly and shaking hands, with an old-style stove and a Russian samovar in the background.
The Kremlin stated on Telegram that Putin invited his "old friend" Schroeder to his home after learning the former chancellor was in Moscow on business for the company Globus. Schroeder was with Putin when the Russian president celebrated his birthday.
Schroeder, who served as chancellor from 1998 to 2005, recently joined the supervisory board of Russian supermarket chain Hyperglobus. Russian TV footage showed him visiting one of its Moscow stores on Wednesday, where he was greeted with applause from employees.
Schroeder has faced criticism, particularly in Germany, for his ties to Russian business and Putin, which have continued despite Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine and subsequent Western sanctions. In May, Putin suggested Schroeder could represent European countries in peace talks to settle the conflict, a notion that European foreign ministers rejected.