Publication

This paper examines the reasons for Germany's adoption of a tougher stance toward Russia in the context of Russia's annexation of Crimea. The author argues that these reasons include long-term trends in German perceptions of Russia and Berlin's own self-perception as a power willing to play a more active international role. She also says that while there has been a unified response by Germany's ruling coalition to the Crimea crisis, its general future policy toward Russia is still unclear. She ends the piece by talking about how Polish–German cooperation in EU eastern policy could contribute to securing EU interest in support for Ukraine.