German Christian Democratic Union (CDU) lawmaker Michael Brand is calling for sanctions against former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder over his strong links with Russia.
Brand told German publication Taggespiegel that Chancellor Olaf Scholz must ensure that "Schröder, who was placed in leading positions in the Russian energy sector by Putin himself and who collects hundreds of thousands of euros for representing Putin's interests, is finally also sanctioned."
Brand said that it was no longer reasonable for the German taxpayer and the German state "that a German citizen who is involved in financing the brutal war in Ukraine is not on the sanctions list only because he was once SPD leader and chancellor."
Schröder, who is a close friend of Russian President Vladimir Putin, is chairman of energy firm Rosneft and and has been nominated for a director's position at Gazprom. His Russia ties have come under scrutiny in recent months, DW reports.
