ABSTRACT
Putin has contributed much to the development and improvement of German– Russian relations. One may assume that he will make renewed efforts to further improve German–Russian relations. This chapter focuses on German–Russian political and economic cooperation since 2000, the year that Vladimir Putin was elected president of the Russian Federation. Under Putin’s successor, President Dmitriy Medvedev (2008–12), Russian–European relations became friendlier and more cooperative. The German–Russian dialogue concentrated mainly on security issues, but also on trade and investment. However, on these issues much remains unclear and many problems still have to be solved. In the media, in Russia as well as in Germany, is the perception that, today, Russian politics are dominated by the imperturbable Medvedev–Putin tandem and that their foreign policy has changed little.
