Russian President Vladimir Putin’s birthday celebration on Wednesday in Moscow had a prominent special guest: German Ex-Chancellor Gerhard Schröder, who happened to be in Moscow that day for the occasion of starting his new job as member of the supervisory board of the Russian subsidiary of German retail chain Globus.
The Presidential Administration wrote on Telegram that Putin learned of Schröder’s presence in the Russian capital from media reports on Wednesday morning. “The president invited his old friend to his home.” The Presidential Office released photos showing the two men smiling and shaking hands. The two have longstanding good relations with each other.