Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder, 80, is being treated in hospital for burnout, according to German news agency dpa.
Schröder, who served as chancellor from 1998 to 2005, has faced intense scrutiny in recent years due to his close ties with Russia.
The former leader of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), the same party as current Chancellor Olaf Scholz, has drawn criticism for his involvement with Russian state-owned energy companies.
His reluctance to fully condemn Russian President Vladimir Putin following the invasion of Ukraine further strained his relationship with the German political establishment. Schröder and Putin have long maintained a friendly relationship.
A doctor’s assessment, cited by dpa, indicates Schröder is suffering from "severe burnout syndrome with the typical signs of profound exhaustion and a pronounced lack of energy."
It reported that Schröder's lawyer, Hans-Peter Huber, said he had gone into clinical treatment on the advice of the doctor.
Schröder was supposed to be questioned last month by a parliamentary commission of inquiry in the northeastern state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania into the construction of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline from Russia to Germany, whose board of directors he headed. But he didn't appear because of illness.
Nord Stream 2 never went into service and was damaged in underwater explosions in the Baltic Sea in September 2022.
