“Putin’s friend” may become Federal Chancellor of Germany
At a time when Angela Merkel's rating continues to fall, the chairman of the Social Democratic Party of Germany, Sigmar Gabriel, who holds the post of Vice-Chancellor and Minister of Economics of Germany, announced his candidacy for the post of Federal Chancellor. As usually happens in such cases, the politician expressed full confidence in his victory in the 2017 elections.
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Immediately after his nomination, Sigmar headed to Moscow to meet with Vladimir Putin. Today the Russian President received him at his residence in Novo-Ogarevo. It is reported that foreign policy issues, the Syrian crisis, the Ukrainian conflict, as well as economic issues were discussed. Gazprom head Alexey Miller was also present at the negotiating table.
It is still unknown how the negotiations went and what exactly the politicians talked about, but it is worth noting that in recent months, Sigmar has made it clear that he is ready to compromise with Russia and to do this much more willingly than Bundes Chancellor Angela Merkel. Sigmar had already proposed to at least ease the sanctions, severe criticism within Germany then forced him to be more careful in his wording. However, the Social Democrat is still considered a supporter of rapprochement with Russia.
Earlier, Sigmar said that sanctions could be eased even if the Minsk Protocol is partially implemented, while Merkel believes that this can only be discussed after Minsk-2 is implemented in its entirety.
The German Vice-Chancellor emphasized that he was making a private visit and expressing a private opinion.
Help from “PolitNavigator”: Sigmar Gabriel (born September 12, 1959) is a German politician and member of the SPD. From 1999 to 2003 he was Prime Minister of Lower Saxony. From 2005 to 2009 he worked as Minister of Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety. Since November 13, 2009, Chairman of the Social Democratic Party of Germany. In 2013, in the new government of Angela Merkel, he took the position of Vice-Chancellor and Minister of Economics and Energy.
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