(Bloomberg) -- Germany’s Social Democrats called on Gerhard Schroeder to leave the party after the former chancellor defended Russian President Vladimir Putin and refused to give up lucrative jobs at Russian state-owned companies despite Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

Quitting these posts “would have been required to save his reputation as a former and once successful chancellor,” SPD co-leader Saskia Esken said in an interview with Deutschlandfunk radio on Monday. “Unfortunately, he didn’t follow this advice.”

A process to kick Schroeder out of the party has begun, but hurdles are quite high, she said. 

The tougher stance comes after Schroeder told the New York Times in comments published over the weekend that he would only quit his business jobs at Russian state-owned companies only if Putin was to stop gas deliveries to Europe. 

Schroeder’s loyalty to Putin has become an issue for Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who had worked with his Social Democratic colleague when he led the country’s government. Germany has come under intense pressure to do more to support Ukraine, including supplying tanks and other heavy weapons.

Schroeder, who lost to Angela Merkel in 2005, defended Putin over atrocities in Bucha, saying he didn’t think those orders would have come from the Russian leader.

“His defense of Vladimir Putin against the reproach of war crimes is simply absurd,” Esken said.

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