Putin celebrates birthday with former German chancellor Schröder
Russian leader Vladimir Putin has celebrated his 74th birthday with former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder.
Source: European Pravda, citing German international broadcaster and media outlet DW
Details: The report said that Putin had learnt of Schröder's arrival in Moscow from reports in the media.
"The president invited his old friend to his home. Gerhard Schröder was with Vladimir Putin when the head of state celebrated his birthday yesterday," the Kremlin said. [N.B. Ukrainska Pravda does not recognise Putin as president – ed.]
Schröder travelled to Moscow to meet staff and management of the Globus supermarket chain. He has joined the supervisory board of Hyperglobus, which operates Globus-branded hypermarkets in Russia and became independent of German holding company Globus Holding GmbH & Co. KG in 2025.
In Germany, Schröder's new role in Russia has been described as a "betrayal of Europe".
Several German politicians and economists criticised Schröder's appointment to a senior position at the Globus hypermarket chain in Russia.
Background:
- Eighty-two-year-old Gerhard Schröder served as chancellor of Germany from 1998 to 2005 and led the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) from 1999 to 2004. He has faced years of criticism for his close ties with Russia and his work for Russian energy companies.
- After the full-scale war began, he never distanced himself from the Kremlin. Most recently, in January 2026, the former chancellor spoke in favour of resuming energy cooperation with Russia and called for Russia not to be demonised despite its aggression against Ukraine.
Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon to help us keep reporting!