ostpolitik

It was and still is a broad, cross-party support based on the German Ostpolitik from 1970s.

If that Ostpolitik delayed the issues with Russia and gave Ukraine some more time, maybe it was the best of the bad options available.

German Ostpolitik (eastern politics) goes back before independent Russia back to the 1960s attempt to cooperate and have peace with Eastern Germany and the Soviet Union.

And well… Neue Ostpolitik and that smug German sense of superiority am I right?

I think there is quite a lot of skepticism about Ostpolitik and the benefits of close economic integration given it did little to prevent Russia entering a war with Ukraine.

It is clear now that the objective of Ostpolitik was not achieved, but the simple alternative (don't trade) does not seem to be obviously better either (Russians would have had even less reasons not to invade more).

No need to assume, it's publicly documented history: The 1969-1974 German goverment of Willy Brandt pursued a new foreign policy towards the Soviet Union, "Neue Ostpolitik".

Buying gas from Russia is sensible, see "Ostpolitik".

For the advocates of Ostpolitik – the new “eastern policy” of rapprochement towards the Soviet Union and its allies including East Germany, launched the previous year under chancellor Willy Brandt – this was a moment of supreme political consequence.

From the article:- > For the advocates of Ostpolitik – the new “eastern policy” of rapprochement towards the Soviet Union and its allies including East Germany, launched the previous year under chancellor Willy Brandt – this was a moment of supreme political consequence.

See the German 'Ostpolitik', currently crashing down in flames, why that might not work out that well.

Ostpolitik bit them in the ass, because they did not diversify their energy supplies.

I see that he was in the Willy Brandt camp who was famous for his Ostpolitik, interesting.