Source:
https://scmp.com/news/world/article/1500873/gerhard-schroeder-snubbed-berlin-after-putin-meeting
World

Gerhard Schroeder snubbed by Berlin after Putin meeting

Russian President Vladimir Putin (centre) and former German chancellor Gerhard Schroeder meet in the Yusupovsky palace at a North Stream reception on the occasion of Schroeder's 70th birthday in St. Petersburg, Russia. Photo: EPA

The German government distanced itself from former chancellor Gerhard Schroeder amid media criticism after pictures were published showing him embracing Russian President Vladimir Putin in St Petersburg.

The pictures come at a time of high tension between the West and Russia over Ukraine and also underscore German ambivalence about imposing new sanctions on Moscow, despite Chancellor Angela Merkel's criticism of Putin's actions in the crisis.