Gerhard Schröder, the former Chancellor of Germany, has once again sparked intense international outrage by arriving in Moscow. According to reports by prominent European media outlets, including the German news magazine Der Spiegel, the long-time ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin was spotted at a luxury hotel in the Russian capital. The visit takes place just on the eve of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), suggesting his participation in an event heavily utilized by the Kremlin to project economic stability amidst severe Western sanctions.
Schröder, who served as Germany’s Chancellor from 1998 to 2005, has long been a highly controversial figure due to his extensive business ties with Russian state-owned energy giants. Even after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Schröder maintained his close relationship with Putin, famously visiting Moscow under the pretext of taking “a few days of vacation” while concurrently holding meetings with the Russian leader. As the head of the shareholders’ committee of Nord Stream AG, Schröder has consistently championed Russian energy interests in Europe, leading to accusations of undermining European security.
The Kremlin recently attempted to exploit Schröder’s political past by proposing him as an EU-backed mediator for potential peace negotiations. However, this proposal was swiftly and firmly rejected by both Kyiv and Berlin. German officials characterized the move as a transparent attempt to fracture European unity and destabilize the collective Western front supporting Ukraine. Despite being stripped of certain parliamentary privileges funded by taxpayers and facing severe backlash from his own Social Democratic Party (SPD), Schröder continues to operate as a key asset for Moscow’s soft-power maneuvers.
This latest visit underscores the enduring challenge of “Schröderization”—the strategy of utilizing former top-tier European politicians to lobby for Russian state interests. As Russia struggles to maintain its military funding and repair its damaged international reputation, figures like Schröder are deployed to create an illusion of normal relations. For Western allies, his presence in Moscow serves as a stark warning that the Kremlin’s networks of influence within Europe remain active and dangerous.