The German broadcaster n-tv quoted the former head of state as saying during an accidental encounter in the city center that he was "on vacation." Schroeder acted surprised when he was told that the head office of the Russian oil giant Rosneft was located nearby.
Schroeder’s wife Soyeon Schroeder-Kim sought to dispel the rumors about her husband's trip to Russia, saying on Tuesday that "He is not on vacation. He is holding talks on energy policy in Moscow."
Nord Stream pipeline
© Sputnik / Alexey Vitvitsky
The Spiegel reported that Schroeder flew to Moscow on Sunday via the Azerbaijani capital of Baku and would leave Russia on Tuesday. The website cited an unconfirmed source as saying that the focus of talks between Schroeder and an unknown party was gas flow through Nord Stream 1.
The Russian president’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, told reporters that Vladimir Putin did not have a meeting scheduled with Schroeder but such a possibility was not ruled out. As a chancellor from 1998 to 2005, Schoeder has a long history of contacts with Putin but those have been in decline since he left office, Peskov added.