The former chancellor is repeatedly criticized for his lobbying activities for the Russian energy industry.
(Photo: dpa)
Berlin Although Russia has launched a broad-based attack on Ukraine, ex-Chancellor Gerhard Schröder warns against excessive punitive measures against Moscow.
With a view to the future, “when sanctions are required, care should be taken not to completely cut the remaining political, economic and civil society ties that exist between Europe and Russia,” Schröder explained on LinkedIn.
Despite the current dramatic situation, these are “the basis for a hope that we all have: that a dialogue about peace and security on our continent is possible again”.
The EU had announced that it would use the toughest sanctions package in its history against Russia. Schröder, who is considered a longtime friend of Putin and who lobbies for Russian energy companies, also called on Russia to stop hostilities immediately.
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“The war and the associated suffering for the people in Ukraine must be ended as soon as possible. That is the responsibility of the Russian government,” said the former chancellor.
In recent years there has been a lot of talk about mistakes and omissions in the relationship between the West and Russia. And there were also many mistakes on both sides. “But Russia’s security interests do not justify the use of military means either,” emphasized Schröder.
Gerhard Schröder: Lobbyist for Russian corporations
The former chancellor is repeatedly criticized for his involvement in the Russian energy industry. He is the head of the supervisory board at the Russian state energy company Rosneft. The social democrat also holds management positions in the Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2 pipeline projects – both natural gas pipelines through the Baltic Sea connecting Russia and Germany. The pending commissioning of Nord Stream 2 has now been put on hold by the federal government.
Schröder did not comment on his offices on Thursday. Former Austrian Chancellor Christian Kern had announced that he would leave the supervisory board of the Russian state railway RZD because of the invasion.
Politicians from the CDU and CSU called on Schröder to also draw consequences from his engagement in Russia. “Germany can expect him to take a crystal clear position – for Ukraine, for Germany, for the West. This includes: He has to resign from all offices related to Russian state-owned companies, ”said the federal chairwoman of the CDU SME Association (MIT), Gitta Connemann, the Handelsblatt.
The parliamentary manager of the CSU in the Bundestag, Stefan Müller, sees it similarly. “Gerhard Schröder’s soft as silk statement on the Russian invasion of Ukraine is shameful. He must stop working for Russian companies immediately,” Müller told Handelsblatt. “If Schröder continues to stand by Putin’s side, possible sanctions against members of the supervisory boards of Russian companies will also affect him.”
Gerhard Schröder does not clearly distance himself from Putin
In Connemann’s opinion, Gerhard Schröder is not clearly distancing himself from Vladimir Putin. The former chancellor will thus become one of the aggressor’s most important allies in the West. Should Schröder not take any consequences, he would have to give up his privileges as ex-chancellor completely: “It cannot be that the German taxpayer finances office, security and many other things from a Kremlin propagandist.”
The Hamburg CDU member of the Bundestag, Christoph Ploß, made a similar statement. Schröder caused serious damage to Germany with his behavior. “He should no longer be supported by the German taxpayer,” Ploß told the Handelsblatt. “If Schröder himself does not have the decency to forego the tax-financed privileges of a former chancellor, they should be immediately revoked by the German Bundestag.”
Schröder recently caused a stir when, in the middle of the escalation before the attack, he criticized Ukraine’s demands for arms deliveries as “saber rattling”. The United States imposed sanctions on the Nord Stream 2 operating company and its German boss Matthias Warnig on Wednesday.
The Green MEP Reinhard Bütikofer is now also demanding sanctions against Schröder. “It should be examined whether personal sanctions can be imposed on former leading politicians in the EU who are currently lobbying for Putin’s aggressive policies,” said the former Green Party leader to the news magazine “Der Spiegel”.
More: Russia starts war in Ukraine – the current developments