The Economist Asks: How is the Russian crisis changing Germany?

Since reunification, Germany has sought stable relations with Russia. That changed with Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. But is this Zeitenwende (“turning point”) really a new era for Europe’s powerhouse? Anne McElvoy asks John Lough, former NATO strategist, why risk-averse chancellors turned a blind eye to the Kremlin. Anne visits the mothballed Nord Stream 2 pipeline with Alexander Drost, from the University of Greifswald. And Anna Luhrmann, Germany’s Europe and climate minister, discusses how the country can wean itself off Russian energy and the significance of the shift in foreign and security policy.  

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