Gerhard Schröder is meeting with Vladimir Putin in Moscow because of the Ukraine war. His wife Soyeon Schröder-Kim surprises with a picture.
Moscow – Since Thursday (March 10th, 2022) speculation has been accumulating about an alleged meeting between former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder and Russian President Vladimir Putin* in Moscow. Schröder’s wife Soyeon Schröder-Kim further fueled the rumor mill with a controversial post on Instagram on Thursday evening (03/10/2022) and is now reaping all sorts of mockery and criticism online.
As the German Press Agency (dpa) reported on Friday (March 11th, 2022), Gerhard Schröder is actually in the Russian capital as part of the Ukraine conflict* to speak to Vladimir Putin*. Corresponding reports from the Politico news portal and the Bild newspaper were confirmed and a first conversation took place on Thursday. Schröder-Kim accompanied her husband on the trip to Russia * and posted a picture.
Ukraine war: Former Chancellor Schröder meets with Putin in Moscow – his wife’s post is criticized
The photo shows Schröder’s wife dressed all in black in front of a window. She clasped her hands in prayer and closed her eyes. St. Basil’s Cathedral, which borders the Kremlin wall, can be seen in the background. The picture does not have an explanatory signature, only a prayer emoji was inserted.
Some users expressed their enthusiasm under Schröder-Kim’s post. “High regard and respect” and “I think your husband’s commitment is very good” is what it says, among other things. However, there has also been harsh criticism. “Now that the pressure on Mr. Schröder is increasing, people are praying for peace. Hypocritical,” writes one user.
Several media professionals and politicians also expressed their astonishment on Twitter. “The picture has been irritating for hours, not only on Instagram,” writes Green MP Canan Bayram, for example. TV presenter and satirist Jan Böhmermann* also became aware of Schröder-Kim’s post and made fun of it. “All of us, Soyeon, all of us,” he tweeted ironically.
War in Ukraine: Former Chancellor Schröder speaks to Putin in Moscow – Cautious reactions from the SPD
Schröder-Kim had already assured on Instagram last weekend that her husband would work to end the Ukraine war. “You can be sure that whatever my husband can do to help end the war, he will do it, regardless of ultimatums from the SPD* or other organizations such as the DFB,” she wrote. However, the German government did not know that Gerhard Schröder had traveled to Moscow to speak personally with Vladimir Putin. The trip had not been agreed, reports the dpa.
On the sidelines of the EU summit in Versailles, Chancellor Olaf Scholz* (SPD) only said about the reports: “I don’t want to comment on that.” SPD leader Lars Klingbeil, on the other hand, commented on Thursday evening about a possible Schröder trip to Moscow on the Program “Maybrit Illner*”. “Everything that helps to end this terrible war is welcome,” he said. We’ll see if it’s of any use. However, every conversation situation is “first of all something reasonable”.
According to dpa information, Schröder and Schröder-Kim traveled to Moscow via Istanbul. The initiative for mediation is said to have come from the Ukrainian side. Schröder, who has had a good relationship with Putin for years, has recently come under increasing pressure because of the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine. After all, he works as a lobbyist for the natural gas pipeline companies Nord Stream 1 and 2 and is the head of the supervisory board at the Russian oil company Rosneft. (as) *fr.de is an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA.
List of rubrics: © Kay Nietfeld/dpa
