Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder has been officially nominated for a seat on the supervisory board of Russian state-owned company Gazprom. The group announced this on Tuesday. There was initially no comment from the SPD politician. Schröder has been accused of his close ties to Russia and the party leadership has asked him to leave the SPD. The ex-chancellor is a personal friend of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Schröder gave up his position on the supervisory board of the Russian energy company Rosneft last week. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) had previously expressed the wish that Schröder would resign his mandate. The 78-year-old has been accused of being cross-party of high-paying positions in Russian state-owned companies, as the European Union seeks to impose sanctions on the Russian economy to help Ukraine in this way.
Due to his commitment to Russia, Schröder also lost the privileges previously accorded to former chancellors. The Bundestag’s budget committee decided last week that the office of the 78-year-old with four employees will be closed. The European Parliament wants to put Schröder on the list of sanctions against oligarchs.
Also works for Nord Stream 2
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s personal friend has also held senior positions on 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 suspended by the German government. The former SPD politician caused a stir when, in the midst of the escalation of Russia’s attack on the neighboring country, he criticized Ukraine’s demands for arms supplies as “saber rattles”.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
