Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Economy

How German foreign policy towards Russia changed after the war in Ukraine

Germany is arming itself

At the same time there were drastic decisions in German foreign policy. On February 24, Chancellor Olaf Scholz entered speech in which he underlined the importance of German security policy. The start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine is a dark day in Europe, Scholz said.

Now there is a change in the middle of the coalition government. foreign minister Annalena Baerbock had previously spoken out against arms deliveries to Ukraine. However, the situation has since changed and the world is in a different place since Russia invaded, Baerbock said. Germany must therefore adapt to the new situation in international politics.

Germany’s adjustment to the current situation was surprisingly quick. Scholz’s comments that Germany intends to allocate 100 billion euros of its budget to the Bundeswehr and the Bundeswehr and to meet the 2 percent GDP target for NATO are of historic importance. Due to Germany’s Nazi past (1933-1945), the country has been pursuing a policy of demilitarization since the end of the Second World War.

The fact that a social democratic party, the SPD, and the Greens, known for their pacifist attitude, are responsible for the rethinking in Germany makes the situation all the more paradoxical. However, this paradox does not occur for the first time in German history.

In the Kosovo war of 1998, Germany took an active part in a war for the first time since the end of the Second World War. The government at that time consisted of the SPD and the Greens.