Ringier suspends consultancy mandate for ex-Chancellor Gerhard Schröder due to proximity to Putin
Ringier is terminating its advisory agreement with former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder effective immediately. The company announced this on Tuesday.
The Swiss publishing house Ringier suspends its consultancy agreement with former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder (SPD) with immediate effect. Schröder is coming under increasing pressure due to his closeness to Vladimir Putin.
The cooperation with Schröder will be suspended by mutual agreement until further notice, Ringier announced on Tuesday. Schröder had been working for the company in an advisory capacity since his resignation as German Chancellor at the end of 2005.
The predecessor of German Chancellor Angela Merkel is coming under increasing criticism as a result of the Russian attack on Ukraine. The Social Democrat is considered a longtime friend of Putin and works for several Russian companies. In recent days, high-ranking German politicians have called on him to quickly end these activities.
Schröder is chairman of the supervisory board of the Russian state energy company Rosneft and also holds management positions in the Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2 pipeline projects. Last Thursday, he called on the government in Moscow on the online network LinkedIn to end the war in Ukraine as quickly as possible. However, there was no mention of personal consequences.
The news portal "The Pioneer" and the Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung reported Tuesday that after more than 20 years, Schröder's longtime office manager and speechwriter Albrecht Funk is turning his back on him. Also three further coworkers would give up their post. No comment was initially available from Schröder or his office. (sda)
