Former German Chancellor Schroeder celebrates Putin's birthday at president's home

FILE PHOTO: Russian President Vladimir Putin shakes hands with former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder during a meeting with heads of foreign companies and business associations as part of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum 2016 (SPIEF 2016) in St. Petersburg, Russia, June 17, 2016. REUTERS/Grigory Dukor/File Photo

Oct 8 (Reuters) - Former ⁠German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder helped celebrate Russian President ⁠Vladimir Putin's 74th birthday at the leader's home, ‌the Kremlin said on Thursday.

Pictures posted on Telegram showed Schroeder and Putin smiling broadly and shaking hands, with an old-style stove and ​a Russian samovar used to boil ⁠water for tea ⁠in the background.