For the first time in its history, the European Union appears to be pursuing a consistent, and relatively successful strategy vis-à-vis Russia as of 2014, that consists of two pillars: sanctions to constrain the Kremlin and negotiations to de-escalate tensions and maybe lead to a sustainable solution in Eastern Ukraine. This is new. Prior to the war in Ukraine, the EU was divided, except on its “Partnership for Modernisation” initiative, that failed because the other party, Moscow, was not serious about it. Sanctions had hardly ever been applied. Member states were divided among many lines of cleavage (East and West, North and South, orthodox and non-orthodox, energy dependent or not, and finally according of who was in power). The main argument of this paper is to underline that while the Kremlin’s policy has mostly united members – more or less – it is essentially the German Chancellor and her government that have designed the current strategy, managing to convince, cajole or maybe coerce other EU members regarding sanctions while ignoring them as far as negotiations (the so-called Normandy format is concerned). In other words, the current EU policy towards Russia depends on a constellation that may be fleeting. How and why a strong and active German leadership came about on this issue? How did Berlin ensure unity among the 28? How did it design, upload and implement its strategy at the EU level? What kind and degree of coordination with the other member states (and which member states) and with EU institutions did Berlin pursue? Are there any ways and means to ensure a more durable policy and can it serve as a model in other areas? What can be expected from the Energy Union, for instance??
