Ukraine war
Prime Minister Weil criticizes former Chancellor Schröder
Stephan Weil (SPD), Prime Minister of Lower Saxony, in a dpa interview. Photo: Michael Kappeler/dpa
© dpa-infocom GmbH
The SPD will soon discuss Gerhard Schröder’s expulsion from the party. His previous distance from the Russian attack on Ukraine does not go far enough, says Lower Saxony’s Prime Minister.
Former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder has not yet sufficiently distanced himself from Russia’s attack on Ukraine, according to Lower Saxony’s Prime Minister Stephan Weil. “Unfortunately, Gerhard Schröder has not yet spoken out with the necessary clarity against Russia’s brutal, unjustified war of aggression against Ukraine. I personally very much regret that, »said the SPD politician of the German Press Agency in Hanover.
Many people had fond memories of Schröder, “because he courageously and against enormous international pressure ensured that Germany did not take part in the war in Iraq, which was also unjustified,” said Weil. Against this background in particular, there was a justified expectation that the former chancellor would also take a clear stance against the war in Ukraine. “Unfortunately, that didn’t happen,” Weil said.
On Thursday, the SPD sub-district Region Hannover will negotiate several motions to expel Schröder from the party. Lower Saxony’s SPD head of state, Weil, explained that it was appropriate to deal with the matter in a regular procedure. “There is an arbitration commission in the SPD that acts according to the rule of law,” he said. Within the party, Schröder’s exclusion from the party is considered legally unlikely. A decision is not expected on Thursday.
Schröder has been criticized for years for his commitment to Russian state-owned companies and is considered a close friend of Russian President Vladimir Putin. In May, the 78-year-old announced that he was leaving the board of directors of Russian energy giant Rosneft and turned down a nomination for the board of directors at Gazprom.
However, Schröder wants to maintain his connection to Putin, the “Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung” reported a few days ago. “I will not give up my opportunities to talk to President Putin,” said the former chancellor.