Germans have been of two minds about Russia since the days of Frederick the Great. One school of thought has it that Russia is a huge, backward, barbarian country that can’t be trusted and can only be held in check through military might; the other is that constructive engagement is the best way to keep the Russians from causing trouble. The list of efforts to engage the Russians is lengthy, and includes Nord Stream 2, Ostpolitik, illicit military cooperation between the two wars, and Bismarck’s Reinsurance Treaty. Oh, and the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact. Let’s not forget that one.
Merkel moved closer to the first camp after Crimea, because it proved to her that Putin couldn’t be trusted, but she never lost touch with the second group, as evidenced by her support of Nord Stream 2. What will the new government do? Most likely, it will be more idealistic and less supportive of business, so it will be more consistently tough on Putin than Merkel was, but without offering any kind of additional military deterrent.