Whatever their protestations to the contrary, the German ruling classes don’t genuinely feel remorse for the way they’ve conducted their Russia policy over the past two decades.

Politicians like Frank-Walter Steinmeier might show contrition for the “mistakes” they made in placing too much trust in Putin. They might protest that all they really wanted was to keep talking in the name of peace. How were they to know that Putin would turn into a madman who’d throw all economic reason out of the window?

We are supposed to believe that these politicians were too trusting, too kind hearted.

This is baloney.

Real German policy was always much more cynical. It was based upon an unstated strategy of carving up eastern Europe into two spheres of influence. As far as Berlin saw it, this was the natural order of things. A great power like Russia had a right to “a backyard.” And of course Germany would dominate central Europe through the EU. 

Berlin was happy for Moscow to keep Ukraine and Belarus under its yoke as long as it got cheap labour from Poland, Romanian and Bulgaria. That the people of Ukraine didn’t think much of being subjugated to their “Brudervolk” was a nuisance that had to be dealt with through protracted negotiations that left Russia with the whip hand.