Last weekend, the wife of former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder brought her husband into play as a peacemaker in Russia's war against Ukraine.

Whatever her husband can do "to help end the war," he will do, Soyeon Schröder-Kim posted on Instagram.

Lo and behold: A few days later, rumors began to circulate that Schröder had traveled to Moscow to speak to the Russian President, his longtime friend Vladimir Putin.

Eckhart Lohse

Head of the parliamentary editorial office in Berlin.

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Chancellor Scholz, an SPD member like Schröder, did not want to comment on the reports on Thursday.

It stayed that way on Friday.

As little as is officially known about Schröder's visit to Moscow, one thing is clear: Scholz did not send his party friend and predecessor.

He and his people only found out about the matter on Thursday afternoon on the way to the EU summit in Versailles through media reports.

They didn't know anything at all, Schröder hadn't warned anyone, government circles said on Friday.

There is no official evidence that discussions actually took place with Putin.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov at least did not confirm that.

When asked about a meeting between the SPD politician and the head of the Kremlin, Peskov said on Friday in Moscow, according to the Interfax agency: "I have no information about Schröder.

I can't tell you anything.” The only possible evidence of the Schröder couple's stay in Moscow could be a photo of Schröder-Kim showing them with folded hands in front of a window, with the Kremlin in the background.

The expectation that something could come out of the matter that would help settle the conflict between Russia and Ukraine is extremely low in the German government.

In the most recent talks that Scholz had with Putin to work towards the end of the war, there was reportedly no talk of a role for the former chancellor.

On Thursday, when Schröder was in Moscow, Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron tried to influence Putin in a telephone call.

One reason for Schröder's visit to Moscow could be that the former chancellor is becoming more and more defensive in his party because of his close contacts with Putin and his posts in Russian state-owned companies.

Schröder makes money with a warmonger, which the SPD can hardly bear.

At least since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, all influential Social Democrats have turned their backs on Schröder.

SPD chairmen Saskia Esken and Lars Klingbeil increased the pressure last weekend.

In a letter, they formulated that it was important to take an "unequivocal" stand against Putin's warlike actions.

"Act and speak clear words," the letter said.

Scholz does not seek contact with Schröder.

As can be heard, the two are said to have had contact for the last time in early December, when Scholz was elected Chancellor.

A day later, Schröder even presented a book describing Scholz's path to the Chancellery.

Scholz distances himself internally and publicly from Schröder.

Today's chancellor has long been displeased that he hasn't withdrawn his description of Putin as a "flawless democrat" for a long time.

He recently asked his predecessor to give up his well-paid positions at the pipeline operator Nord Stream and the Russian oil company Rosneft.

"I don't think it's right that Gerhard Schröder holds these offices, and I also think it would be right if he resigned," Scholz said recently.

In any case, his relationship with his Christian Democratic predecessor, Angela Merkel, is far better than that with his fellow party member Schröder.

If he is concerned with improving his battered reputation in the SPD even a little, he must have read carefully that party leader Klingbeil told the "Spiegel" that everything that helps to stop the war is "good". .

But Klingbeil also said that it first had to be seen whether the visit to Moscow would bring anything.