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German leader outraged at Schroeder birthday visit to Putin
Chancellor Friedrich Merz is outraged that former German leader Gerhard Schroeder visited Vladimir Putin in Moscow on the Russian president's...
Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz is "deeply outraged" by former Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder's visit to Vladimir Putin's home to celebrate the Russian president's birthday this week, a German government spokesperson said on Friday.
Schroeder, who served as chancellor from 1998 to 2005, has faced criticism in Germany and abroad over his links to Russian business and Putin, ties that have persisted despite Moscow's 2022 invasion of Ukraine and subsequent waves of Western sanctions.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is warning that extremism is gaining ground in Germany, as his government faces growing political pressure from the far-right Alternative for Germany. Speaking in the Bundestag, Merz acknowledged that some of the anger driving extremism stems from legitimate grievances, but called for constructive action rather than division.His warning comes as his conservatives struggle in the polls DW's Berlin Bureau Chief Max Hofmann examines Merz's speech, the rise of the AfD and the future of Germany's governing coalition.