This week the two countries will restart government consultations after a pandemic hiatus, but amid the war in Ukraine and rising U.S., Chinese tensions, common ground may be elusive.
For years, Germany seemed to tolerate even flagrant Russian operations on its soil. But a new Cold War-like chill has now made the snooping difficult to ignore.
The threat of U.S. sanctions jeopardized completion of a second direct gas pipeline from Russia. So Gazprom and German officials concocted a phony climate foundation to get the job done.
Inflation and anxiety over nuclear weapons may be eating into some popular support for the war, but key governments remain insulated from the pressures for now.
On the eve of Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s first trip to Beijing, concerns are growing that economic dependence on China is leaving his country vulnerable — again.