Russia's invasion of Ukraine has produced what Chancellor Olaf Scholz has called a "Zeitenwende", or watershed moment, in German foreign policy. Abandoning decades of Ostpolitik, the Berlin government has established a 100 billion EUR fund to boost Germany's military capabilities and pledged to meet the NATO target of defence spending of 2 per cent of GDP. Nordstream 11 has been scrapped, and the government plans to end dependency on Russian gas by 2024. Germany, on this track, will soon become the continent's foremost military power.
What does this mean for German, and European, foreign policy? What will the implications be for the future of NATO, for the relationship with Moscow, and the relevance of the Franco-German partnership in setting EU foreign policy? And how deep is the German commitment to Ukraine's territorial integrity?
We are delighted to welcome Thomas Bagger, German Ambassador Designate to Poland and former foreign policy advisor to the German President, to discuss his views on these pertinent questions.
The event will take place online on zoom. All are welcome to attend and participate in the Q&A. Please register to receive the link.
*Photo Lewin Bormann: Berlin protests against the war in Ukraine