Berlin, 20 March - Neftegaz.RU. The German government rejected a call to impose European Union sanctions on former chancellor Gerhard Schröder due to his professional connections to Russia.
«The federal government and the chancellor do not see any reason to consider such measures», official spokesperson of Angela Merkel told the press.
This comments were a response to corresponding suggestions made earlier by the Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin. Speaking to newspaper Bild, Klimkin had described Schröder as «Putin's globally most important lobbyist» and urged the EU to «assess how it can react.»
The former chancellor Schröder is known to have an amicable relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin. After his political retirement in 2005, he joined the gas producer Gazprom and has acted as chairman of the board at the state-owned gas oil company Rosneft since 2017.
Gerhard Schröder has denied assertions that Rosneft constituted the «extended arm of the Russian government», noting that several international public and private entities such as BP, the state of Qatar and Glencore held shares of the country's largest oil producer.
He has further stated that he was motivated by a desire to contribute to ensuring Germany's and Europe's energy security in joining Rosneft's board.
