KRAKOWSKIE STUDIA MIĘDZYNARODOWE
KRAKOW INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
XXI: 2024 | e-ISSN 2451-0610 | ISSN 1733-2680
https://doi.org/10.48269/2451-0610-ksm-2024-003
Michał M. Kosman
PhD, DSc, Associate Professor, Kazimierz Wielki University in Bydgoszcz
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1966-9658
Germany and the conflict in Ukraine (2014–2022) from the Polish perspective
Abstract
The aim of the article is to discuss Germany’s position on the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, starting from the annexation of Crimea in 2014 to the outbreak of a full-scale conflict in 2022. After the introductory remarks, the attitude of Germany towards Russia after the end of the Cold War and its evolution are outlined. The author focused in particular on groundbreaking events in the context of the security of Central and Eastern Europe, such as the Orange Revolution in 2004, the NATO summit in Bucharest, and the Russian-Georgian war in 2008. Further on, the German position on the annexation of Crimea in 2014 – both by the federal government and the main political parties, followed by German reactions to the entry of Russian troops into Ukraine in February 2022 and the announcement of a breakthrough in German foreign and security policy (Zeitenwende). An attempt was made to analyze the meaning of the term Zeitenwende on the military, economic and political level. In the final conclusions, an attempt was made to compare German and Polish public opinion towards the Russian-Ukrainian conflict.
Key words: Russian-Ukrainian conflict, annexation of Crimea, Germany, Zeitenwende