Former chancellor and gas lobbyist Gerhard Schröder has given up his position on the supervisory board of the Russian energy company Rosneft. It’s too late for SPD General Secretary Kevin Kühnert. And the former NATO chief is calling for more “German leadership”.
After resigning from the supervisory board of the Russian energy group Rosneft, Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) called on former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder to stop further work for companies in the country. “We note that it is now happening to one and the others must follow,” said Scholz on Saturday in Hildesheim on the sidelines of the SPD state delegate conference. The Federal Chancellor stressed that Schröder stands alone with his attitude.
Lower Saxony’s Prime Minister Stephan Weil (SPD) welcomed Schröder’s move, but said it was too late. There has been a war in Ukraine for three months.
Rosneft announced on Friday that Schröder would not extend his term as head of the supervisory board. Schröder is also nominated for the supervisory board of the Russian energy company Gazprom and works as a leading lobbyist for the Gazprom subsidiaries Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2. The Gazprom general meeting is scheduled for June 30th. In his only interview with the New York Times since the beginning of the Ukraine war, Schröder left open whether he would accept the nomination for the supervisory board post.
