Gerhard Schroeder hospitalized amid burnout controversy
Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder has been admitted for clinical treatment due to a diagnosis of occupational burnout, the DPA agency reported on Tuesday, citing the politician's lawyer. Recently, Schroeder was unable to appear for health reasons before the investigative committee examining the construction of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline.
In a statement to the investigative committee obtained by DPA, Schroeder's doctor confirmed that the 80-year-old politician is "suffering from severe burnout syndrome with the typical signs of profound exhaustion and a pronounced lack of energy." The former chancellor also suffers from difficulties with "concentration and memory difficulties as well as sleep problems."
Currently, it seems unlikely that Schroeder will testify in Schwerin anytime soon. "Neither at present nor in the foreseeable future is he able to cope with the physical and mental burden associated with a prolonged, especially public, hearing before the investigative committee," noted the politician's doctor, as quoted by the German agency.
Putin's friend
Following Russia's aggression against Ukraine, Schroeder, who led the German government from 1998 to 2005, faced significant criticism for his contacts with Russian authorities, particularly due to his friendship with Vladimir Putin and his work with Russian state-owned companies: Nord Stream, Gazprom, and Rosneft.
As recently as August 2022, just a few months after the Kremlin launched its full-scale war in Ukraine, Schroeder traveled to Moscow, where he spoke with Putin about the possibilities of restarting Nord Stream 2.
"Of course, the former chancellor, like probably all thinking and understanding people and experts in Europe, is very, very concerned about reality and worried about the energy crisis brewing in Europe," said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, quoted by the RIA Novosti agency.
