Germany–Russia relations display cyclical patterns, moving back and forth from cooperation and alliance to strain and to total warfare. Historian John Wheeler-Bennett says that since the 1740s:
101-670: German-Russian ( German Russian ) or Russian-German ( Russian German ) may refer to: Germany–Russia relations People with multiple citizenship of Germany and Russia Russians in Germany Ethnic Germans in the old Russian Empire or present-day Russia: Russia Germans Baltic Germans Black Sea Germans Caucasus Germans Crimea Germans Volga Germans Volhynian Germans Russian Mennonites See also: History of Germans in Russia, Ukraine and
202-594: A neutral country and renounce its aspirations to join NATO. Zelenskyy replied that Putin could not be trusted to abide by such a settlement. Ukraine had been a neutral country in 2014 when Russia occupied Crimea and invaded the Donbas . On 19 February, Zelenskyy made a speech at the Munich Security Conference , calling for Western powers to drop their policy of " appeasement " towards Moscow and give
303-508: A new Novorossiya . Putin referred to the Kosovo independence precedent and NATO bombing of Yugoslavia as a justification for the annexation of Crimea and the war in Donbas, while historians note the similarities with Nazi Germany's Anschluss of Austria . Because of Russia's occupation of Crimea and its invasion of the Donbas , Ukraine's parliament voted in December 2014 to remove
404-710: A popular front approach after 1934, allowing the Communists worldwide to cooperate with socialists, intellectuals and workers on the left in opposing Fascism. The worldwide left-wing support for the Republicans in the Spanish Civil War (1936–39) proved of enormous aid to the Communist cause. Germany and the Soviets both sent military forces and advisors into Spain, as did Italy. The Spanish Civil War
505-861: A sphere of influence to try to control their neighbours". NATO underlined that it is a defensive alliance , and that it had co-operated with Russia until the latter annexed Crimea. It offered to improve communication with Russia, and to negotiate limits on missile placements and military exercises , provided Russia withdrew its troops from Ukraine's borders, but Russia did not do so. Western leaders vowed that heavy sanctions would be imposed should Putin choose to invade rather than to negotiate. French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz met Putin in February 2022 to dissuade him from an invasion. According to Scholz, Putin told him that Ukraine should not be an independent state. Scholz told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to declare Ukraine
606-605: A 3-year-old Russian girl and, on his 60th birthday, invited President Vladimir V. Putin home to celebrate. Germany created a German-Russian Forum ( German : Deutsch-Russisches Forum ) in 1993. Alexandra Gräfin Lambsdorff was its first president. After the failure of the Soviet Union and troubles of the early Russian Federation , a policy of rapprochement named Wandel durch Handel ensued. In 2007 then- Minister of Foreign Affairs Frank-Walter Steinmeier published
707-664: A European country and the first full-scale war in Europe since the Second World War. Russia launched a simultaneous ground and air attack. Russian missiles struck targets throughout Ukraine, and Russian troops invaded from the north, east, and south. Russia did not officially declare war. It was Russia's largest combined arms operation since the Soviet Union 's Battle of Berlin in 1945. Fighting began in Luhansk Oblast at 3:40 a.m. Kyiv time near Milove on
808-485: A clear time-frame for when Ukraine could join NATO. As political analysts Taras Kuzio and Vladimir Socor agree, "when Russia made its decision to invade Ukraine, that country was more remote than ever not only from NATO membership but from any track that might lead to membership". On 21 February, Putin announced that Russia recognized the Russian-controlled territories of Ukraine as independent states:
909-587: A coalition with Britain and France, the Triple Entente . The ultimate result of this was that Russia and Germany became enemies in World War I . The Eastern Front saw Germany successful, with victories at Tannenberg , First and Second Masurian Lakes and Lake Naroch . The czarist system collapsed in 1917. The Bolsheviks came to power in the October Revolution . The new regime signed
1010-460: A distorted view of Ukraine, as well as of its own history, and that these distortions were propagated through the state. In December 2021, Russia issued an ultimatum to the West , which included demands that NATO end all activity in its Eastern European member states and ban Ukraine or any former Soviet state from ever joining the alliance. Russia's government said NATO was a threat and warned of
1111-524: A ground invasion were launched on a northern front from Belarus towards the capital Kyiv , a southern front from Crimea , and an eastern front from the Donbas and towards Kharkiv . Ukraine enacted martial law , ordered a general mobilization and severed diplomatic relations with Russia . Russian troops retreated from the north and the outskirts of Kyiv by April 2022, after encountering stiff resistance and logistical challenges. The Bucha massacre
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#17327729768471212-404: A long article explaining his rationale on EU being such a exceptional role model on international cooperation that Putinite Russia will unavoidably get "like us" by merely "intertwining of interests" ( Verflechtung ), and also that "a pan-European peace order and a lasting solution to important security problems (…) can only be achieved with Russia, not without it or even against it". Even after
1313-535: A major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War , which started in 2014. The invasion, the largest and deadliest conflict in Europe since World War II , has caused hundreds of thousands of military casualties and tens of thousands of Ukrainian civilian casualties . As of 2024, Russian troops occupy about 20% of Ukraine . From a population of 41 million, about 8 million Ukrainians had been internally displaced and more than 8.2 million had fled
1414-632: A measure to prevent friendly fire . Immediately after the invasion began, Zelenskyy declared martial law in Ukraine in a first video speech. The same evening, he ordered a general mobilisation of all Ukrainian males between 18 and 60 years old, prohibiting them from leaving the country. Wagner Group mercenaries and Kadyrovites contracted by the Kremlin reportedly made several attempts to assassinate Zelenskyy , including an operation involving several hundred mercenaries meant to infiltrate Kyiv with
1515-821: A military response if it followed an "aggressive line". Some of the demands had already been ruled out by NATO. A senior US official said the US was willing to discuss the proposals, but added that there were some "that the Russians know are unacceptable". Eastern European states willingly joined NATO for security reasons, and the last time a country bordering Russia had joined was in 2004. Ukraine had not yet applied, and some members were wary of letting it join. Barring Ukraine would go against NATO's " open door " policy, and against treaties agreed to by Russia itself. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg replied that "Russia has no say" on whether Ukraine joins, and "has no right to establish
1616-795: A missile strike against Kyiv on 6 June after not directly attacking the city for several weeks. On 10 June 2022, deputy head of the SBU Vadym Skibitsky stated that during the Severodonetsk campaign, the frontlines were where the future of the invasion would be decided: "This is an artillery war now, and we are losing in terms of artillery. Everything now depends on what [the west] gives us. Ukraine has one artillery piece to 10 to 15 Russian artillery pieces. Our western partners have given us about 10% of what they have." On 29 June, Reuters reported that US Intelligence Director Avril Haines, in an update of past US intelligence assessments on
1717-564: A probative spearhead on 24 February, from Belarus south along the west bank of the Dnipro River . The apparent intent was to encircle the city from the west, supported by two separate axes of attack from Russia along the east bank of the Dnipro: the western at Chernihiv , and from the east at Sumy . These were likely intended to encircle Kyiv from the northeast and east. Russia tried to seize Kyiv quickly, with Spetsnaz infiltrating into
1818-716: A quick victory in Kyiv, Russian forces switched their strategy to indiscriminate bombing and siege warfare. On 25 March, a Ukrainian counter-offensive retook several towns to the east and west of Kyiv, including Makariv . Russian troops in the Bucha area retreated north at the end of March. Ukrainian forces entered the city on 1 April. Ukraine said it had recaptured the entire region around Kyiv, including Irpin, Bucha, and Hostomel, and uncovered evidence of war crimes in Bucha . On 6 April, NATO secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg said that
1919-498: A reconstruction conference in Switzerland that Ukraine needs $ 750bn for a recovery plan and Russian oligarchs should contribute to the cost. The invasion began on 24 February, launched out of Belarus to target Kyiv, and from the northeast against the city of Kharkiv. The southeastern front was conducted as two separate spearheads, from Crimea and the southeast against Luhansk and Donetsk. Russian efforts to capture Kyiv included
2020-461: A similar landing at Vasylkiv , near Vasylkiv Air Base , on 26 February. By early March, Russian advances along the west side of the Dnipro were limited by Ukrainian defences. As of 5 March, a large Russian convoy , reportedly 64 kilometres (40 mi) long, had made little progress toward Kyiv. The London-based think tank Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) assessed Russian advances from
2121-721: A stunning turnabout in August 1939, both countries came to an agreement , and divided up the previously independent nations of Eastern Europe. That détente collapsed in 1941 when Germany invaded the USSR . The Soviets survived however and formed an alliance with Britain and the U.S., and pushed the Germans back, capturing Berlin in May 1945 . During the Cold War 1947–1991, Germany was divided, with East Germany under Communist control and under
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#17327729768472222-763: A terrorist state. Protests occurred around the world, with anti-war protesters in Russia being met by mass arrests and greater media censorship . The Russian attacks on civilians have led to allegations of genocide . War-related disruption to Ukrainian agriculture and shipping contributed to a world food crisis , while war-related environmental damage has been described as ecocide . The International Criminal Court (ICC) opened an investigation into crimes against humanity , war crimes , abduction of Ukrainian children , and genocide against Ukrainians. The ICC issued six arrest warrants: for Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova , and for military officials Sergey Kobylash , Viktor Sokolov , Sergei Shoigu and Valery Gerasimov . After
2323-824: A victorious war with the Ottoman Empire and attempted to impose the Treaty of San Stefano on it. This upset the British in particular, as they were long concerned with preserving the Ottoman Empire and preventing a Russian takeover of the Bosphorus . Germany hosted the Congress of Berlin (1878), whereby a more moderate peace settlement was agreed to. Germany had no direct interest in the Balkans, however, which
2424-652: A western area of operations toward Mariupol was opened by the Southern Military District , including the 58th , 49th , and 8th Combined Arms Army , the latter also commanding the 1st and 2nd Army Corps of the Russian separatist forces in Donbas . By 7 April, Russian troops deployed to the northern front by the Russian Eastern Military District pulled back from the Kyiv offensive, reportedly to resupply and redeploy to
2525-614: Is committing severe human rights violations in occupied Ukraine. The invasion was met with widespread international condemnation . The United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution condemning the invasion and demanding a full Russian withdrawal. The International Court of Justice ordered Russia to halt military operations, and the Council of Europe expelled Russia. Many countries imposed sanctions on Russia and its ally Belarus, and provided humanitarian and military aid to Ukraine. The Baltic states and Poland declared Russia
2626-596: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Germany%E2%80%93Russia relations Otto von Bismarck established the League of the Three Emperors in 1873 with Russia, Germany, and Austria-Hungary. But after Bismarck's dismissal in 1890, his successors chose to support Austria against Russia over competing influence in the Balkans. Germany fought against Russia in World War I (1914–1918). Relations were warm in
2727-687: The 29th , 35th , and 36th Combined Arms Armies . A second axis, deployed towards eastern Kyiv from Russia by the Central Military District (northeastern front), comprised the 41st Combined Arms Army and the 2nd Guards Combined Arms Army . A third axis was deployed towards Kharkiv by the Western Military District (eastern front), with the 1st Guards Tank Army and 20th Combined Arms Army . A fourth, southern front originating in occupied Crimea and Russia's Rostov oblast with an eastern axis towards Odesa and
2828-595: The Charter for European Security , affirming the right of each state "to choose or change its security arrangements" and to join alliances. In 2002, Putin said that Ukraine's relations with NATO were "a matter for those two partners". Russian forces invaded Georgia in August 2008 and took control of the breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia , demonstrating Russia's willingness to use military force to attain its political objectives. The United States "was accused of appeasement and naivete" in their reaction to
2929-629: The French Revolutionary Wars and later the Napoleonic Wars . During the Napoleonic era (1799 to 1815) Austria, Prussia, and Russia were at one time or another in coalition with Napoleon against his arch-enemy Great Britain. In the end, the two German states of Austria and Prussia united with Russia and Britain in opposing Napoleon. That coalition was primarily a matter of convenience for each nation. The key matchmaker
3030-858: The Goths . Substantive historically recorded contact goes back to the times of the Teutonic Knights ' campaigns in the Baltic , where the Knights took control of the land in the 13th century CE. Prince Alexander Nevsky defeated the Teutonic Knights at the Battle of the Ice in 1242. Russia before the mid-18th century stood largely aloof from German affairs, while Germany, until the Napoleonic period, remained divided into numerous small states under
3131-714: The Russian Defence Ministry stated that the first stage of the "military operation" in Ukraine was "generally complete", that the Ukrainian military forces had suffered serious losses, and the Russian military would now concentrate on the "liberation of Donbas ." The "first stage" of the invasion was conducted on four fronts, including one towards western Kyiv from Belarus by the Russian Eastern Military District , comprising
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3232-681: The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk which was highly advantageous to Germany, although it was reversed when Germany surrendered to the Allies in November 1918. Weimar Republic (1918–1933) Nazi Germany (1933–1945) Russian SFSR (1917–1922) as a sovereign state USSR (1922–1990) After the peace treaties that ended the Great War, the newly created states of the Weimar Republic and the Soviet Union both found themselves outcasts in
3333-886: The Whites and related anti-Bolshevik forces (like the Baltische Landeswehr and the Freikorps movement) during the Russian Civil War . With the creation of the Kingdom of Prussia in 1701 and the proclamation of the Russian Empire in 1721, two powerful new states emerged that began to interact. They fought on opposite sides during the War of the Austrian Succession (1740 – 1748), but
3434-863: The dissolution of the Soviet Union in December 1991, the newly independent states of the Russian Federation and Ukraine maintained cordial relations. In return for security guarantees, Ukraine signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty in 1994, agreeing to dismantle the nuclear weapons the former USSR had left in Ukraine. At that time, Russia, the UK, and the USA agreed in the Budapest Memorandum to uphold Ukraine's territorial integrity. In 1999, Russia signed
3535-570: The expulsions of most ethnic-Germans from Soviet-conquered areas . The creation of West Germany and East Germany complicated relations. West Germany initially tried to claim that it was the only German state and the East was illegitimate and under the Hallstein Doctrine refused to have relation with any socialist state except the Soviet Union itself. This policy eventually gave way to Ostpolitik , under which West Germany recognized
3636-710: The neutrality clause from the Constitution and to seek Ukraine's membership in NATO . However, it was impossible for Ukraine to join NATO at the time, as any applicant country must have no "unresolved external territorial disputes". In 2016, President of the European Commission , Jean-Claude Juncker , said that it would take 20–25 years for Ukraine to join the EU and NATO. The Minsk agreements , signed in September 2014 and February 2015, aimed to resolve
3737-619: The "Loyalist," or Republican, side. The Comintern helped Communist parties around the world send volunteers to the International Brigades that fought for the Loyalists. In August 1939 the two totalitarian states stunned the world by coming to a major agreement, the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact . They agreed to invade and partition Poland and divided up Eastern Europe. The Soviets provided Germany with oil and reversed
3838-458: The $ 80 billion-level just before the sanctions were imposed. It is estimated that mutual sanctions entailed the decline in the bilateral trade volume of up to 20% that meant billions of losses for the German economy and, obviously, many jobs being cut. By early 2014, when the conflict was about to start, not only did German exports to Russia constitute the third of the whole EU's, but more than 6,200 German firms operated in Russia itself. In 2017, for
3939-408: The 1920s, very cold throughout the 1930s, cooperative and friendly in 1939–41, and hostile in 1941–45. In the 1920s both countries co-operated with each other in trade and (secretly) in military affairs. Hostilities escalated in the 1930s as the fascists sponsored by Berlin and the communists sponsored by Moscow fought each other across the world, most famously in the Spanish Civil War (1936–39). In
4040-444: The Baltic region (Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia), the Danzig and Vistula River region, Galicia , Slovenia , the Banat , the Bachka , Bukovina , Transylvania , the Volga River district of Russia, Posen , the Duchy of Warsaw , Polish and Ukrainian Volhynia , Bessarabia , and the Mount Ararat region between the 17th and the 20th centuries. Often they came at the invitation of Russian governments. The Germans typically became
4141-520: The Crimean Parliament . Russia annexed Crimea in March 2014, after a widely disputed referendum held under occupation. Pro-Russian unrest immediately followed in the Ukrainian cities of Donetsk and Luhansk . The war in Donbas began in April 2014 when armed Russian-backed separatists seized Ukrainian government buildings and proclaimed the independent Donetsk People's Republic and Luhansk People's Republic . Russian troops were directly involved in these conflicts. The annexation of Crimea and
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4242-606: The Donbas region in an effort to reinforce the renewed invasion of southeastern Ukraine. The northeastern front, including the Central Military District, was similarly withdrawn for resupply and redeployment to southeastern Ukraine. On 26 April, delegates from the US and 40 allied nations met at Ramstein Air Base in Germany to discuss the formation of a coalition that would provide economic support in addition to military supplies and refitting to Ukraine. Following Putin's Victory Day speech in early May, US Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines said no short term resolution to
4343-426: The Donetsk People's Republic and Luhansk People's Republic. The following day, Russia announced that it was sending troops into these territories as "peacekeepers", and the Federation Council of Russia authorised the use of military force abroad. Before 5 a.m. Kyiv time on 24 February, Putin, in another speech , announced a " special military operation ", which effectively declared war on Ukraine. Putin said
4444-406: The East. Gorbachev gave up on trying to support the deeply unpopular East German government. After the Revolutions of 1989 and the fall of the Berlin Wall , the Communist regime in East Germany collapsed and German reunification took place. One issue was the presence of large numbers of Soviet troops; West Germany paid for their repatriation for housing them in the USSR. Remarkably, despite
4545-411: The Great to concentrate on his other enemies. Prussia and Russia in agreement with Austria then cooperated to carve up Poland-Lithuania between them in 1772, 1793, and 1795. Poland disappeared from the map. Both Russia and Prussia had absolute monarchies that reacted sharply when the French Revolution executed the king. They at first were part of the coalition against the new French regime during
4646-595: The Historical Unity of Russians and Ukrainians ", in which he called Ukraine "historically Russian lands" and claimed there is "no historical basis" for the "idea of Ukrainian people as a nation separate from the Russians". Days before the invasion, Putin claimed that Ukraine never had "real statehood" and that modern Ukraine was a mistake created by the Russian Bolsheviks . American historian Timothy Snyder described Putin's ideas as Russian imperialism . British journalist Edward Lucas described it as historical revisionism. Other observers found that Russia's leadership held
4747-453: The November 2011 completion of the Nord Stream 1 pipeline. Generations of German foreign ministers helped over many years to admit Putin into the WTO , which occurred after a span of two decades in 2011. Relations turned negative in 2014 in response to Russia's seizure of Crimea from Ukraine and support for insurgents in Ukraine. Germany was a leader between NATO Quint in imposing round after round of increasingly harsh sanctions against
4848-401: The Russian "retraction, resupply, and redeployment" of their troops from the Kyiv area should be interpreted as an expansion of Putin's plans for Ukraine, by redeploying and concentrating his forces on eastern Ukraine. Kyiv was generally left free from attack apart from isolated missile strikes. One did occur while UN Secretary-General António Guterres was visiting Kyiv on 28 April to discuss
4949-411: The Russian invasion", was not entirely sure of the comment's accuracy. Reporter Glenn Kessler said it came from "a single source, but on the surface it appears to be a good one." Russian forces advancing on Kyiv from Belarus gained control of the ghost town of Chernobyl . Russian Airborne Forces attempted to seize two key airfields near Kyiv, launching an airborne assault on Antonov Airport , and
5050-442: The Russian invasion, said that US intelligence agencies agree that the invasion will continue "for an extended period of time ... In short, the picture remains pretty grim and Russia's attitude toward the West is hardening." On 5 July, BBC reported that extensive destruction by the Russian invasion would cause immense financial damage to Ukraine's reconstruction economy, with Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal telling nations at
5151-513: The Russian oil and banking industries and top allies of President Putin. Russia responded by cutting food imports from the EU. Since the crisis began, Chancellor Angela Merkel told President Putin that the referendum on accession of Crimea to Russia is illegal. The European Union, the United States and their allies began using economic sanctions to force Russia to reverse course regarding Ukraine and stop supporting 2014 pro-Russian unrest in Ukraine . The Los Angeles Times reported that: On
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#17327729768475252-466: The Soviet Union Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title German Russian . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=German_Russian&oldid=1164226760 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description
5353-406: The United States, both of which provided large amounts of munitions. The Eastern Front became the horrendous ideological and race war with more than 27 million killed, including Soviet prisoners of war and Jews. It was perhaps the bloodiest conflict in human history . The defeat of Germany by the Soviets and the Western allies eventually led to the occupation and partition of Germany and
5454-403: The West should become friends and partners. The East StratCom Task Force of the European External Action Service registered an increase in false information propagated in Russia about Germany as a result of the deterioration in German-Russian relations developed since the Poisoning of Alexei Navalny . In October 2021, German Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer had talked about
5555-400: The agreement, choosing closer ties to the Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union instead. This coerced withdrawal triggered a wave of protests known as Euromaidan , culminating in the Revolution of Dignity in February 2014. Yanukovych fled and was removed from power by parliament, ending up in Russia. Russian soldiers with no insignia occupied the Ukrainian territory of Crimea, and seized
5656-401: The aim of killing the Ukrainian president. The Ukrainian government said anti-war officials within Russia's FSB shared the plans with them. Zelenskyy appeared defiant in his first and following video message , showing in another on 25 February, that he and his cabinet is still in Kiyv. On 26 February NATO met and its countries pledged military aid for Ukraine and on 27 February Germany called
5757-403: The anti-Nazi rhetoric of Communist parties around the world. At the same time, the Soviet and German interests were not reconciled in the Balkano-Danubian region. Thus, during 1940-1941 hot Soviet-German discussions concerning a new division of the South-Eastern Europe were going on. In June 1940, Moscow recognized that Slovakia was in the German sphere of influence. Otherwise, Russian request for
5858-447: The attack on September 26 temporarily shutting the pipes down. The pipeline made up a significant portion of Germany's petroleum imports from Russia. In response to sanctions imposed by Germany and the West, Russia gradually plunged flows of gas, which came to a complete halt in September 2022. The earliest contact between Germans and East Slavs is unknown, though evidence of East Germanic loan-words suggest Slavic interactions with
5959-421: The border with Russia. The main infantry and tank attacks were launched in four spearheads, creating a northern front launched towards Kyiv from Belarus, a southern front from Crimea, a southeastern front from Russian-controlled Donbas, and an eastern front from Russia towards Kharkiv and Sumy . Russian vehicles were subsequently marked with a white Z military symbol (a non- Cyrillic letter ), believed to be
6060-413: The city supported by airborne operations and a rapid mechanised advance from the north, but failed. The United States contacted Zelenskyy and offered to help him flee the country, lest the Russian Army attempt to kidnap or kill him on seizing Kyiv; Zelenskyy responded that "The fight is here; I need ammunition, not a ride." The Washington Post , which described the quote as "one of the most-cited lines of
6161-404: The close watch of Moscow, which stationed a large military force there and repressed an uprising in 1953 . Germany has been consistently among the countries with the most negative views of Russia. In 2014 only 19% of Germans viewed Russia positively while 79% had a negative opinion and 81% disapproved of the Russian Leadership, making Germany one of the 10 countries with the highest disapproval in
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#17327729768476262-450: The completion of the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline between them. His successor Angela Merkel , an Easterner and former dissident, has been more critical and clashed with Russian president Vladimir Putin over human rights and other issues. However, she, like her predecessor, always put a high value on the Nordstream pipeline, due to its ability to increase Russian influence. Most of the human rights issues could be seen as side-shows for
6363-440: The conflict, but ceasefires and further negotiations repeatedly failed. There was a large Russian military build-up near the Ukraine border in March and April 2021, and again in both Russia and Belarus from October 2021 onward. Members of the Russian government, including Putin, repeatedly denied having plans to invade or attack Ukraine, with denials being issued up to the day before the invasion. The decision to invade Ukraine
6464-417: The country by April 2023, creating Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. In late 2021, Russia massed troops near Ukraine's borders and issued demands including a ban on Ukraine ever joining the NATO military alliance. After repeatedly denying having plans to attack Ukraine, on 24 February 2022, Russian president Vladimir Putin announced a " special military operation ", saying that it
6565-416: The dominant factors in land-owning and in business enterprise. Some groups, such as part of the Mennonites, migrated to North America 1860–1914. The Germans in the Baltic states returned home voluntarily in 1940. Some 12 to 14 million were brutally expelled from Poland, Czechoslovakia and other countries in Eastern Europe in 1944–46, with the death of 500,000 or more. When the Cold War ended Germany funded
6666-411: The exclusive influence in Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey was rejected by Berlin in November 1940. In 1941, it was Russia's turn, yet Joseph Stalin refused to believe the multiple warnings of a German invasion. Operation Barbarossa began in June 1941, captured or destroyed multiple Soviet armies, and reached the gates of Moscow by December. Stalin fought back and forged close relations with Britain and
6767-719: The first time since the introduction of anti-Russian sanctions in 2014, bilateral trade increased - by 22.8%, amounting to about $ 50 billion. In the first eight months of 2018, the volume of mutual trade between Russia and Germany increased by almost a quarter compared to the same period last year. At the same time, Russian exports to Germany in 2018 increased by 35% to $ 22.1 billion, while imports rose by 12% to $ 16.9 billion. A Levada poll released in August 2018 found that 68% of Russian respondents believe that Russia needs to dramatically improve relations with Western countries, including Germany. A Levada poll released in February 2020 found that 80% of Russian respondents believe that Russia and
6868-492: The five-day Russo-Georgian War in August 2008, Steinmeier argued for a new Ostpolitik and proposed a comprehensive project of ‘Partnership for Modernisation’ – a continued attempt of ‘westernisation’ of Russia and thus an export of norms, institutions and procedures of the western community. Relations were normal in the first part of the new century, with expanding trade relations and an increasing German reliance on pipeline shipments of Russian natural gas, especially in light of
6969-432: The illegal annexation of four partly-occupied provinces . In November, Ukraine liberated Kherson . In June 2023, Ukraine launched another counteroffensive in the southeast, but made few gains. After small but steady Russian advances in the east in the first half of 2024, Ukraine launched a cross-border offensive into Russia's Kursk Oblast in August of that year. The United Nations Human Rights Office reports that Russia
7070-408: The immediate transfer of thousands of missiles to the Ukrainian military to aid in its fight against the invading Russian forces. Germany has also participated in severe economic banking sanctions against Russia since the start of the war. However, Germany is very dependent on Russia for natural gas and has been less willing to sanction this sector, aside from halting the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline and
7171-638: The international system and gravitated toward each other. The Treaty of Rapallo (1922) formalized their warming relationship. Until 1933 the Soviet Union secretly provided training camps for the German Armed Forces. The coming to power in 1933 of Adolf Hitler and the creation of the Nazi state with its virulent anti-Semitic and anti-communist rhetoric made for extremely hostile propaganda in both directions. Nazi propaganda, across Europe and Latin America, focused on warnings against Jewish and Bolshevik threats emanating from Moscow. The Comintern , representing Moscow's international Communist network, moved to
7272-534: The invasion a historic watershed. That day in the evening Putin put Russia's nuclear deterrence into alert. The Russian invasion was unexpectedly met by fierce Ukrainian resistance. In Kyiv, Russia failed to take the city and was repulsed in the battles of Irpin , Hostomel , and Bucha . The Russians tried to encircle the capital, but its defenders under Oleksandr Syrskyi held their ground, effectively using Western Javelin anti-tank missiles and Stinger anti-aircraft missiles to thin Russian supply lines and stall
7373-840: The invasion should be expected. Ukraine's reliance on Western-supplied equipment constrained operational effectiveness, as supplying countries feared that Ukraine would use Western-made matériel to strike targets in Russia. Military experts disagreed on the future of the conflict; some suggested that Ukraine should trade territory for peace, while others believed that Ukraine could maintain its resistance due to Russian losses. By 30 May, disparities between Russian and Ukrainian artillery were apparent, with Ukrainian artillery being vastly outgunned, in terms of both range and number. In response to US President Joe Biden 's indication that enhanced artillery would be provided to Ukraine, Putin said that Russia would expand its invasion front to include new cities in Ukraine. In apparent retribution, Putin ordered
7474-494: The invasion. In 2013, Ukraine's parliament overwhelmingly approved finalising an association agreement with the European Union (EU). Russia had put pressure on Ukraine to reject it. Kremlin adviser Sergei Glazyev warned in September 2013 that if Ukraine signed the EU agreement, Russia would no longer acknowledge Ukraine's borders. In November, Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych suddenly withdrew from signing
7575-468: The left, however, former Social Democrat Chancellor Gerhard Schröder announced his understanding of Russian policies and support for Putin. The New York Times editorialized that Schröder's decision to "embrace him [Putin] in a bear hug sent an unacceptable signal that some prominent Europeans are willing to ignore Mr. Putin's brutish ways." According to the Russian news agency ITAR/TASS in September 2014, Russia's Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev admitted
7676-640: The nominal leadership of the Holy Roman Emperor . After Russia's Great Northern War of 1700-1721 against Sweden , however, Russia's influence spread definitively into the Baltic area. Over the centuries, from the Middle Ages onwards, German settlers steadily moved eastward , often into mostly Slavic areas and areas near to or controlled by Russia. Flegel points out that German farmers, traders and entrepreneurs moved into East and West Prussia,
7777-441: The north and east as "stalled." Advances from Chernihiv largely halted as a siege began there . Russian forces continued to advance on Kyiv from the northwest, capturing Bucha , Hostomel and Vorzel by 5 March, though Irpin remained contested as of 9 March. By 11 March, the lengthy convoy had largely dispersed and taken cover. On 16 March, Ukrainian forces began a counter-offensive to repel Russian forces. Unable to achieve
7878-641: The offensive. On the southern front, Russian forces had captured the regional capital of Kherson by 2 March. A column of Russian tanks and armoured vehicles was ambushed on 9 March in Brovary and sustained heavy losses that forced them to retreat. The Russian army adopted siege tactics on the western front around the key cities of Chernihiv, Sumy and Kharkiv, but failed to capture them due to stiff resistance and logistical setbacks. In Mykolaiv Oblast , Russian forces advanced as far as Voznesensk , but were repelled and pushed back south of Mykolaiv. On 25 March,
7979-406: The operation was to "protect the people" of the Russian-controlled breakaway republics. He falsely claimed that they had "been facing humiliation and genocide perpetrated by the Kyiv regime." Putin said that Russia was being threatened: he falsely claimed that Ukrainian government officials were neo-Nazis under Western control, that Ukraine was developing nuclear weapons, and that a hostile NATO
8080-997: The possibility of deploying nuclear weapons against Russia. She noted that nuclear weapons are a "means of deterrence." After the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine started, Germany, as one of the EU countries, imposed sanctions on Russia , and Russia added all EU countries to the list of "unfriendly nations". Germany joined other countries in spring 2022 in declaring a number of Russian diplomats persona non grata . 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine Eastern Ukraine campaign Southern Ukraine campaign Other regions Naval operations Spillover & related incidents Eastern Ukraine campaign Southern Ukraine campaign Other regions Spillover & related incidents Eastern Ukraine campaign Southern Ukraine campaign Other regions Naval operations Spillover & related incidents Post-Minsk II conflict Attacks on civilians Related On 24 February 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine in
8181-405: The proposal to send weapons to the Ukrainian government, as advocated by Republican congressmen in the US and treated as a possibility by Barack Obama , since pursuit of a military solution to the conflict collided with Germany’s post-war pacific security culture." Germany has traditionally been one of Russia's key economic partners. The annual trade turnover between the two countries had exceeded
8282-660: The public - whilst the end-goal was always the completion of, and compensation for, NordStream. The project under both the Bush and Obama administration moved forward at rapid pace, but with only 300 km left, the Trump Administration halted the project by putting pressure on the Danish company overseeing the completion of the pipeline. Germany's relations with Russia were never likely to be as cozy under Angela Merkel as under her predecessor, Gerhard Schröder, who adopted
8383-564: The relations between the two countries. Initially, it seemed as if the two great empires would be strong allies. German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck formed the League of the Three Emperors in 1872 binding together Russia, Austria, and Germany. The League stated that republicanism and socialism were common enemies, and that the three powers would discuss any matters concerning foreign policy. Bismarck needed good relations with Russia in order to keep France isolated. In 1877–1878, Russia fought
8484-620: The return of hundreds of thousands of people of German descent, whether or not they spoke German. A number of Baltic Germans served as ranking generals in the Russian Imperial Army and Navy , including Michael Barclay de Tolly , Adam von Krusenstern , Fabian von Bellingshausen , Friedrich von Buxhoeveden , Paul von Rennenkampf , Ivan Ivanovich Michelson and Eduard Totleben . Many Baltic Germans (such as Baron Roman von Ungern-Sternberg , Baron Pyotr Nikolayevich Wrangel , Yevgeny Miller , and Anatoly Lieven ) sided with
8585-582: The revolutionaries' call to war against Russia. Prussia did go to war with Denmark, however, and was only stopped by British and Russian pressure. Prussia remained neutral in the Crimean War. Prussia's successes in the Wars of German Unification in the 1860s were facilitated by Russia's lack of involvement. The creation of the German Empire under Prussian dominance in 1871, however, greatly changed
8686-459: The sanctions are hurting the Russian economy and slowing its growth. However he expected to support oil industries that are hurt, to seek financing and high technology from Asia, and to import food from new sources. Germany also tried to persuade Russia to return to the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe , which it had abrogated in March 2015. Even as late as 2016, "German leaders rejected
8787-407: The survivors of the siege of Mariupol with Zelenskyy. One person was killed and several were injured in the attack. Russian forces advanced into Chernihiv Oblast on 24 February, besieging its administrative capital within four days of fighting . On 25 February Ukrainian forces lost control over Konotop . As street fighting took place in the city of Sumy , just 35 kilometres (22 mi) from
8888-637: The two 20th century wars, there are very few hard feelings against Germany in modern Russia, particularly on the part of Russians born after 1945. Moreover, in many places in Russia German war cemeteries were established in places of fierce World War II battles, whereas Germans were happy to get rid of the hated Stasi and Russian occupation. Relations between the two nations since the fall of Communism in 1990 have been generally good but not always without tension. German chancellor Gerhard Schröder placed high value on relations with Russia and worked for
8989-404: The war in Donbas sparked a wave of Russian nationalism . Analyst Vladimir Socor called Putin's 2014 speech following the annexation a "manifesto of Greater-Russia irredentism ". Putin began referring to " Novorossiya " (New Russia), a former Russian imperial territory that covered much of southern Ukraine. Russian-backed forces were influenced by Russian neo-imperialism and sought to create
9090-467: The war saw both grow in power. Russia defeated Sweden and Prussia defeated Austria. Russia and Prussia again were at odds during the Seven Years' War (1756–1763) and fought the battles of Gross-Jägersdorf , Zorndorf , Kay and Kunersdorf . However, when Russian Tsar Peter III came to power, he made peace with Prussia by signing the Treaty of Saint Petersburg , allowing Prussian King Frederick
9191-399: The world. In 2021 73% disapproved, still one of the highest numbers in the world. After the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine German distrust of Russia reached a record of 90% and as of 2024 95% disapprove of Russia's President Vladimir Putin . Relations turned highly negative in 2014 in response to Russia's seizure of Crimea from Ukraine and support for insurgents in Ukraine. Germany
9292-418: Was a leader between NATO Quint in imposing round after round of increasingly harsh European Union sanctions against the Russian oil and banking industries and top allies of President Vladimir Putin . Russia responded by cutting food imports from the EU. The 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine led to a near complete reversal of German-Russian relations with the new German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz , "ordering"
9393-407: Was building up its forces and military infrastructure in Ukraine. He said Russia sought the "demilitarization and denazification" of Ukraine, and espoused views challenging the legitimacy of the Ukrainian state. Putin said he had no plans to occupy Ukraine. The invasion began within minutes of Putin's speech. The invasion began at dawn on 24 February. It was described as the biggest attack on
9494-663: Was in part a proxy war. The Nationalists led by General Francisco Franco and the Republican government fought it out for the control of the country. Militarily, the Nationalists usually had the upper hand and they won in the end. Germany sent in the Condor Legion comprising elite air and tank units to the Nationalist forces. The Soviet Union sent military and political advisors, and sold munitions in support of
9595-631: Was inadequate to maintain a modern army. It did poorly in the Crimean War . As Fuller notes, "Russia had been beaten on the Crimean peninsula, and the military feared that it would inevitably be beaten again unless steps were taken to surmount its military weakness." The Crimean War marked the end of the Concert of Europe. Prussia was shaken by the Revolutions of 1848 but was able to withstand
9696-544: Was largely an Austrian and Russian sphere of influence. In 1879, Bismarck formed a Dual Alliance of Germany and Austria-Hungary, with the aim of mutual military assistance in the case of an attack from Russia, which was not satisfied with the agreement reached at the Congress of Berlin. The establishment of the Dual Alliance led Russia to take a more conciliatory stance, and in 1887, the so-called Reinsurance Treaty
9797-519: Was reportedly made by Putin and a small group of war hawks or siloviki in Putin's inner circle, including national security adviser Nikolai Patrushev and defence minister Sergei Shoigu . Reports of an alleged leak of Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) documents by US intelligence sources said that the FSB had not been aware of Putin's plan to invade. In July 2021, Putin published an essay " On
9898-560: Was signed between Germany and Russia: in it, the two powers agreed on mutual military support in the case that France attacked Germany, or in case of an Austrian attack on Russia. Russia turned its attention eastward to Asia and remained largely inactive in European politics for the next 25 years. Germany was somewhat worried about Russia's potential industrialization—it had far more potential soldiers—while Russia feared Germany's already established industrial power. In 1907 Russia went into
9999-870: Was the Austrian Chancellor Klemens von Metternich, who forged a united front that proved decisive in overthrowing Napoleon, 1813–1814. Russia was the most powerful force on the continent after 1815 and played a major role in the Concert of Europe which included France, Russia, Austria and Britain, but not Prussia. In 1815, the Holy Alliance consisting of Prussia, Russia and Austria was completed in Paris. For forty years (1816–56) Russian-German diplomat Karl Nesselrode as foreign minister guided Russian foreign policy. The revolutions of 1848 did not reach Russia, but its political and economic system
10100-529: Was to support the Russian-backed breakaway republics of Donetsk and Luhansk , whose paramilitary forces had been fighting Ukraine in the Donbas conflict since 2014. Putin espoused irredentist and neo-imperialist views challenging Ukraine's legitimacy as a state, falsely claimed that Ukraine was governed by neo-Nazis persecuting the Russian minority , and said that Russia's goal was to "demilitarize and denazify" Ukraine. Russian air strikes and
10201-439: Was uncovered after their withdrawal. In the southeast, Russia launched an offensive in the Donbas and captured Mariupol after a destructive siege . Russia continued to bomb military and civilian targets far from the front, and struck the energy grid through the winter months. In late 2022, Ukraine launched successful counteroffensives in the south and east , liberating most of Kharkiv province . Soon after, Russia announced
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