German government distances itself from Schroeder after his Putin meeting

By Erik Kirschbaum and Noah Barkin BERLIN (Reuters) - The German government and media distanced themselves from ex Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder on Tuesday after pictures depicting him in an embrace with Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg on Monday evening were published. Schroeder's office had no comment on the pictures, which according to the media reports were taken outside the Yusupov Palace where Schroeder was attending a belated celebration in honor of his 70th birthday on April 7. "He does not represent the German government," a senior German government official said when asked about the pictures of Schroeder's meeting with Putin. Germany, which relies heavily on Russia for natural gas supplies, has been trying to defuse tensions over Ukraine and seen in the West as reluctant to ratchet up sanctions against Moscow. Read More http://ift.tt/1rIxbFk