BERLIN — Since leaving office in 2005, Gerhard Schroeder has become a controversial figure in Germany with his ever-closer ties to Russia and President Vladimir Putin in particular. Now the former German chancellor is seeking to leverage those connections with an unauthorized peace mission, injecting a surprise twist into Germany’s response to the war in Ukraine.
After meeting Ukrainian delegates in Istanbul this week, Schroeder traveled on to Moscow to talk to the Russian leader, according to a report by Politico, which cited people familiar with Schroeder’s plan.
The move wasn’t coordinated with the German government, and Schroeder’s office in Berlin didn’t respond to requests for comment. But his wife, Soyeon Schroeder-Kim, appeared to provide a clue to his whereabouts after posting a picture of herself in a reflective pose on Instagram, dated March 10, with the Saint Basil’s Cathedral on Moscow’s Red Square in the background.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who was in France to discuss the response to Russia’s invasion with other European Union leaders, wasn’t involved in the effort or informed of the trip in advance, said a senior German government official, who asked not to be identified. When asked about Schroeder’s initiative on the sidelines of the EU meeting, Scholz said he didn’t want to comment.
Schroeder, a Social Democrat like Scholz, has caused the occasional stir in German politics and the broader public since losing to Angela Merkel in 2005. He initially refused to admit defeat in that election, before exiting politics altogether and taking up lucrative board seats with Russian energy companies, lobbying for Moscow’s interests including the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline.
The drumbeat of criticism intensified after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with politicians demanding Schroeder, 77, vacate his posts — including as chairman of state-owned Russian oil and gas producer Rosneft PJSC. Earlier this month, Scholz called on Schroeder to give up his board seats, and several of Schroeder’s staff members quit over his refusal to cut ties to Russian companies.
“Schroeder stands for Germany’s old foreign policy to promote its economic model globally and to seek political change through trade,” said Daniela Schwarzer, executive director at the Open Society Foundations in Berlin. “Putin’s war has shown that Germany’s economic model has not contributed to stability and has even proven to be dangerous.”
While credited with sweeping labor reforms that helped modernize Germany’s economy during his time as chancellor, his close ties to Putin — who Schroeder has called a “flawless democrat” — have been uncomfortable for Scholz’s administration and raised concerns about Germany’s commitment to retaliate against the Kremlin.
Before Russia’s invasion, Schroeder accused Ukraine of “saber-rattling,” and Scholz sought to downplay Schroeder’s influence on the SPD and the German government.
Schroeder’s connections with Putin stretch back decades. The Russian leader delivered a warmly received speech in German in the Bundestag during a state visit in 2001, in which he touted the virtues of democracy. After Schroeder left politics, the two men became close friends. For his 70th birthday in 2014, Schroeder celebrated with Putin in St. Petersburg, a gathering that was criticized back home because it occurred shortly after Russia’s annexation of Crimea
Their close personal ties notwithstanding, there’s little evidence that Putin will be swayed in his Ukraine campaign. Current leaders, from Scholz to French President Emmanuel Macron to Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan and South Africa’s Cyril Ramaphosa have sought to mediate, either via phone or in person, to no avail.
Talks between the foreign ministers of Ukraine and Russia in Istanbul this week went nowhere, with Russia’s Sergei Lavrov going as far as saying that Russia hadn’t in fact attacked its neighbor.
Despite the slim chances of success, Schroeder’s Moscow mission was cautiously welcomed by some as the bombing intensifies and civilian casualties mount.
“All options should be tried to restore communication channels,” Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer told reporters early Friday morning when asked to comment on Schroeder’s trip to Moscow.
Some Social Democrats in Germany are also maintaining a positive stance.
“Anything that helps to stop this horrible war in Ukraine is good,” Lars Klingbeil, the party’s co-leader, told Spiegel magazine.
Michael Roth, an SPD lawmaker and foreign policy expert, was also supportive.
“Every chance should be taken to silence the guns,” he said in an interview with ZDF television. “It’s not about Gerhard Schroeder or anyone else. I’m concerned about the people in Ukraine, because they deserve it. That’s why I keep my fingers crossed.”
