Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder attended Russian President Vladimir Putin’s 74th birthday celebration at Putin’s home in Moscow on Wednesday, the Kremlin said on Thursday.
Putin invited Schröder after learning from media reports that the former chancellor was in Moscow for business related to the Russian supermarket chain Hyperglobus, according to a Kremlin statement published on Telegram. Schröder had recently joined the supervisory board of Hyperglobus, which operates Globus stores in Russia. The Kremlin released a photo of the two men smiling and shaking hands in front of a traditional stove and samovar.
Schröder, 82, served as German chancellor from 1998 to 2005 and has maintained close ties with Putin. Earlier on Wednesday, he visited a Globus supermarket in Moscow and addressed employees, according to Russian state media.
The visit drew sharp criticism in Germany. Green Party lawmaker Katrin Göring-Eckardt called it “a disgrace for Germany, a betrayal of Europe, a disservice to peace” in a post on X. Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, chair of the European Parliament’s Defense Committee, referred to Schröder as “Germany’s cheekiest retiree” and criticized his willingness to attend the event despite his stated health constraints. Dennis Radtke, head of the CDU’s social wing, also mocked Schröder’s prior claims of being too unwell for parliamentary investigations while still active in Russian business roles.
