Constanze Stelzenmüller

There is a general German preference for political stability. That is reinforced by the creeping instability of Germany’s situation in the middle of Europe, the crisis in the Middle East and Africa, Russian aggression, a trans-Atlantic relationship that is suddenly fraught, and Eastern European neighbors who are flirting with authoritarianism.

For Putin, humbling Merkel would be a victory for him across Europe, and the West.