From 1998 until 2014, intergovernmental consultations between Germany and Russia were held annually. Top-level meetings were chaired by the Russian president and the German chancellor, and key ministers from both countries participated. The main topics of the 2002 government consultations in Weimar were: Russian debts dating back to Soviet times (whose final value had to be determined), art looted during the Second World War, and Russia’s relationship to NATO. During the consultations, President Vladimir Putin (left) and Federal Chancellor Gerhard Schröder even found time for a joint appearance on the ARD talk show “Boulevard Bio.” During the show, both emphasized their fondness for “male bonding.” These bilateral consultations ended in 2014 when Russia annexed the Crimean peninsula.  Gerhard Schröder’s close relationship and connection to Russian business has since come under intense scrutiny.