For all his many, many faults, Gerhard Schröder isn’t exactly a bumbling oaf. His purpose for saying it is his multi decade close relationship with Putin that has netted him a very comfortable life in Russia and he ain’t about to throw that shit out, he’d always give you the line that paints Russia in a positive light. Doesn’t really have bearing on whether it’s true or not, he’s just absolutely not a source to be trusted here