German ex-chancellor Schröder defends Russia policy in interview

Former German chancellor Gerhard Schröder again defended his friendly policies toward Russia during his time leading Europe's largest economy.

Schröder, a Social Democrat who served as chancellor from 1998 to 2005, has been criticized for years for his involvement with Russian state-owned companies and is considered a close personal friend of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Criticism of Schröder has grown markedly since Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. He has largely resisted pressure to distance himself from Putin and Russian interests.

Schröder told broadcaster RTL that negative reporting about him "hits me but doesn't really hurt" because "I was and am of the opinion that what I did politically related to Russia was right - and I still believe that was right."

The former chancellor told RTL, in an interview recorded on April 20, that he remains far from renouncing Putin in the interview.

"Criticize what I've done or don't, but don't expect any renunciations from me. There is too much swearing off at the moment," Schröder said.

The interview was broadcast as part of RTL's documentary about Germany's BILD tabloid and its former editor-in-chief Kai Diekmann.