The centre-left Social Democrat SPD traditionally has a core belief in the power of dialogue with Russia. This is a party with a sometimes nostalgic fondness for Russia, and with a deep belief that dogged Cold War diplomacy rather than military threats brought down the Berlin Wall and enabled German reunification. The Green Party defines itself as pacifist, and has its roots in the West German peace movements of the 1960s and 1970s. The liberal FDP is pro-business, and keen on sinking taxes and spending and boosting trade and economic growth. Yet it was an SPD chancellor, Olaf Scholz, who declared on Sunday that Germany had reached a dead end in dealing with Moscow, and announced the most hawkish approach to Russia Germany has ever known.
