The former chancellor has been criticized for his commitment to Russian state-owned companies.
(Photo: dpa)
Berlin Health Minister Karl Lauterbach described former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder’s attempts to mediate in the Ukraine war as naive. “So if someone like Putin makes a war, he won’t say: ‘Oh Gerd, now that you say that, I’ll think about it again, maybe I’ll slow down here’,” said Lauterbach in the ARD documentary “Confrontation,” which aired Monday night.
“To be honest, I felt sorry for Gerhard Schröder. Because he showed naivety here. The whole performance bordered on the embarrassing. Ashamed of others is a term that comes to mind,” says Lauterbach.
Schröder has been criticized for years for his commitment to Russian state-owned companies – and against the background of the Russian attack on Ukraine, the pressure on him is increasing.
At the beginning of March, the former chancellor traveled to Moscow, where he spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin. According to reports, he also met a Ukrainian delegation in Istanbul.
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“I used to appreciate him a lot, but that was a long time ago. He really was a former chancellor who could have done a lot with what he did as a statesman – but he lost almost everything,” said Lauterbach about Schröder. “As former chancellor, he has managed to border on being a joke.”
Nothing remains of its former prestige. “People will not remember him as chancellor – but as someone who ended up bordering on the ridiculous,” said Lauterbach.
>> Read also: Former Chancellor Schröder should be put on the EU sanctions list – a comment
The SPD leadership issued an ultimatum to Schröder to resign from his post at Russian state-owned companies. However, according to SPD leader Lars Klingbeil, he has not yet responded to the demands of the party leadership.
Klingbeil emphasized on “t-online”: “We have clearly distanced ourselves politically.” Party order proceedings against Schröder are currently underway. “We would all have wished that Gerhard Schröder would take the right side of history at the latest when the war began. He chose the wrong side.”
In a letter, Klingbeil and co-chair Saskia Esken had asked Schröder to resign. Klingbeil said at the beginning of March that a “timely” answer was expected.
Specifically, it is about activities at the natural gas pipeline company Nord Stream 1 and 2 and the Russian oil company Rosneft, where he is chairman of the supervisory board. In addition, Schröder is to take on a supervisory board position for Gazprom.
More: You can follow the current developments in the Ukraine war in our news blog