Merz sharply criticises Schröder over visit to Putin and birthday celebration

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has publicly and sharply criticised one of his predecessors in the post, former chancellor Gerhard Schröder. The reason is Schröder's visit to Russian President Vladimir Putin and the celebration of Putin's birthday.

Merz's assessment is harsh: he described the conduct as "absolutely immoral". The quote is cited by the Ukrainian news outlet Pravda, which reported on the matter on 9 October.

The source gives no further details about where and when the visit took place or how it went, nor whether Merz's remarks will be followed by any further steps. What is known so far is that the sitting head of the German government has openly condemned a former chancellor's contacts with the Russian leader.