The times in which Berlin saw itself as a mediator between Russia and the West are over, the special relationship has given way to mutual disappointment. German politics vacillates between pragmatism and morality, slouching and certainty.
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When the German-Russian relationship was still comparatively good: Vladimir Putin and Angela Merkel on May 10, 2015 in Moscow.
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Germany is traditionally considered to be a country of “Russia understanders”: While other Western nations, above all the USA, have been pushing for a tougher pace towards Moscow in recent years, Berlin has been one of the brakes. Economic interests played a role, but also the tradition of détente from the times of the Cold War: In Bonn and later in Berlin, dialogue was usually more important than in Washington, for example – and was often convinced that it would act smarter and more prudently than the hawks in America.
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