Zeitenwende speech

In the early months of 2022, Russia built up a military presence of around 150,000 troops near the Ukrainian border while demanding a commitment from the Western military alliance NATO that Ukraine would not be admitted to its membership. Western governments rejected this demand and reacted by increasing their military aid to Ukraine. Germany, whose government was led by the recently elected chancellor Olaf Scholz, was criticised for taking a cautious approach to the crisis. The criticism focused on Scholz's refusal to specify whether certification of Nord Stream 2, a gas pipeline financed by the Russian energy corporation Gazprom, would be suspended in the event of a Russian attack on Ukraine. On 15 February, Scholz met the Russian President Vladimir Putin for talks in Moscow. Scholz's visit was interpreted by some commentators as a sign of German weakness towards Russia.{{sfn|Vock|2022}} On 22 February, Scholz announced that his government would prevent the pipeline's certification after Putin ordered troops into eastern Ukraine.{{sfn|Riley|Horowitz|2022}}

On 24 February 2022, Russia launched an invasion of Ukraine from its built-up positions in southern Russia and Belarus. The invasion was described by Putin as a "special military operation" to aid the Donetsk People's Republic and the Luhansk People's Republic, two separatist territories in Ukraine's Donbas region that had requested Russia's help. Western leaders harshly condemned the attack.{{sfn|Al Jazeera|2022}}

As a country poor in natural resources and economy greatly relying on export, Germany was particularly affected.{{sfn|Deni|Henke|Matlé|Besch|2025|p=xiii}}

On 27 February, Scholz addressed the Bundestag, Germany's lower house of parliament, to outline his government's reaction to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. He announced a fundamental restructuring of the country's cautious defence policy: Scholz vowed to set up an extraordinary fund of €100 billion to be invested in the modernisation of the German armed forces, the Bundeswehr.{{sfn|Becker|2022}} He also promised that defence spending would exceed 2% of gross domestic product (GDP), a requirement of NATO membership that Scholz's Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) had traditionally opposed.{{sfn|Becker|2022}} Scholz justified his departure from established defence policy with the threat posed by Russia to peace in Europe. He described the new political situation on the continent as a "historic turning point" {{langx|de|Zeitenwende}}, literally: times-turn),{{Sfn|Harding|2022}} saying:

{{lang|de|Wir erleben eine Zeitenwende. Und das bedeutet: Die Welt danach ist nicht mehr dieselbe wie die Welt davor. Im Kern geht es um die Frage, ob Macht das Recht brechen darf, ob wir es Putin gestatten, die Uhren zurückzudrehen in die Zeit der Großmächte des 19. Jahrhunderts, oder ob wir die Kraft aufbringen, Kriegstreibern wie Putin Grenzen zu setzen. Das setzt eigene Stärke voraus.}}{{Sfn|Federal Government of Germany|2022a}}

We are living through a watershed era. And that means that the world afterwards will no longer be the same as the world before. The issue at the heart of this is whether power is allowed to prevail over the law. Whether we permit Putin to turn back the clock to the nineteenth century and the age of the great powers. Or whether we have it in us to keep warmongers like Putin in check. That requires strength of our own.{{Sfn|Federal Government of Germany|2022b}}

{{expand section|what the policy changes were and what they occasioned in German government practice|date=August 2024}}

By September 2022, the Zeitenwende speech was more often referred to simply as Zeitenwende, the "historic shift in German foreign and security policy" initiated by the speech. For example, by Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, chair of the Bundestag’s defense committee.{{Sfn|von der Burchard|2022}}

In addition to increases in German budgetary allotments for defence spending to achieve the 2% of GDP target mentioned in Scholz' speech, by September 2022, Germany had sent "30 Gepard anti-aircraft tanks, 10 Panzerhaubitze 2000 howitzers and three MARS multiple rocket launchers, as well as various lighter weapons," to support Ukraine. However, the government continued to delay the provision of heavy weapons, resisting opposition pressure to provide German-made Leopard battle tanks and Marder infantry fighting vehicles.{{Sfn|von der Burchard|2022}} On 5 January 2023, Scholz partially reversed this policy: he issued a joint press release with Joe Biden, the President of the United States, announcing that their countries would supply Ukraine with Marders and Bradley Fighting Vehicles respectively. Scholz also committed to sending a Patriot air defence system as a reaction to Russia's continued attacks on Ukraine's critical infrastructure.{{Sfn|Richter|2023}}

During the early weeks of 2023, pressure increased on the German government to approve the supply of Leopard battle tanks. After Poland stated that it would submit a request to export 14 Leopard tanks to Ukraine, the government's spokesperson announced on 25 January that Germany would grant export requests from other states and that 14 Leopards would be sent to Ukraine from the inventory of the German armed forces.{{Sfn|Tagesschau|2023}}{{needs update|2024|date=August 2024}}

File:Putins Krieg - eine Zeitenwende.jpg

The speech was received positively by most German and international politicians. The Bundestag passed a motion of condemnation against the Russian government with the support of all parties except The Left and Alternative for Germany (AfD). Friedrich Merz, the leader of the opposition Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU), vowed to support Scholz's defence agenda,{{sfn|Deutsche Presse-Agentur|2022}} while he characterised the previous attitude of the chancellor's party as pro-Russian. Robert Habeck, the Minister for Economic Affairs, endorsed the new policy and admitted to mistakes in Germany's previous assessment of Russia.{{sfn|Becker|2022}} Jens Stoltenberg, Secretary General of NATO, praised Germany's new commitment to collective security, describing Scholz's promises as "a significant investment in security and freedom for our nations".{{sfn|Deutsche Presse-Agentur|2022}} According to a poll, 78% of Germans supported the proposed policies.{{sfn|Wintour|2022}}

Even though the party shared Scholz's condemnation of Russia, the Left Party criticised the proposed increase in military spending. The party's chairwoman Amira Mohamed Ali accused the chancellor of engaging in an arms race that would prove detrimental to international security. Alice Weidel of AfD contradicted Scholz and asserted that NATO had committed an "historic mistake" in "aggrieving Russia" by entertaining the possibility of Ukrainian membership.{{sfn|Deutsche Presse-Agentur|2022}} As Scholz resisted the transfer of heavy weaponry to Ukraine, parts of the governing coalition began challenging the chancellor in parliament.{{Sfn|von der Burchard|2022}}

Writing for The Guardian, Patrick Wintour described Scholz's proposals as a "180-degree course correction" and wrote that Germany had become "not just an economic but also a geopolitical powerhouse" overnight.{{sfn|Wintour|2022}} Sergey Lagodinsky, a Member of the European Parliament, argued that, in addition to its increased military spending, Germany needed to learn how to wield military intervention as a tool of foreign policy. He considered the country's close energy ties with Russia "one of the biggest strategic mistakes of the past 20 years".{{sfn|Wintour|2022}} In August 2022, The Economist credited the Zeitenwende speech with facilitating the modification of long-held positions in politics and society. The newspaper reckoned that Germany now had the potential to become a "country comfortable with asserting itself using its armed forces". It also linked Scholz's new defence agenda to a new energy policy that could see Germany become less dependent on Russian gas, a scenario it described as "one of Vladimir Putin's biggest [potential] regrets".{{sfn|The Economist|2022}}

The term Zeitenwende became a political catchphrase in the aftermath of the speech{{Sfn|Alexander|2022}} and was chosen the German word of the year 2022.{{Sfn|Der Spiegel|2022}}

Around the anniversary of the speech, some have criticized a perceived gap between Scholz's words and subsequent actions. Minister-President of Bavaria Markus Söder criticized Scholz by stating "everyone is talking about Zeitenwende, but so far we’ve only seen Zeitlupe [slow motion]".{{cite news |title="Alle reden von Zeitenwende, aber bisher ist es nur eine Zeitlupe" |url=https://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/markus-soeder-beim-aschermittwoch-alle-reden-von-zeitenwende-aber-bisher-ist-es-nur-eine-zeitlupe-a-c27cf5ae-18c0-44e8-8224-3aea9e744cbf |access-date=13 March 2023 |publisher=Der Spiegel |date=22 February 2023|quote=Alle reden von Zeitenwende, aber bisher ist es nur eine Zeitlupe}} Matthew Karnitschnig of Politico commented that "it's become clear that the best way to describe Scholz's much-ballyhooed slogan is with a blunt Americanism: bullshit".{{cite news |last1=Karnitschnig |first1=Matthew |title=The truth about Germany's defense policy shift |url=https://www.politico.eu/article/germany-zeitenwende-defense-spending-nato-gdp-target-scholz-ukraine-war-russia/ |access-date=13 March 2023 |publisher=Politico |date=27 February 2023}} Confronted with similar criticisms by CNN's Fareed Zakaria, Scholz emphasized Germany's aid to Ukraine and the successful decoupling from Russian energy dependence, while stating it "is absolutely clear we will go to two percent of GDP [in military spending]" and that starting necessary military production takes time.{{cite AV media |title=Zakaria asks German chancellor what happens next in Putin's war with Ukraine |time=5:47– |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ON1C6XpBaVI |access-date=13 March 2023 |publisher=CNN |via=YouTube}}

As of early 2025, the overall picture is mixed.{{sfn|Deni|Henke|Matlé|Besch|2025|p=xiii}}

In the area of energy, Germany's hydrocarbon dependency on Russia had ended, with little chance

of returning to the status quo ante bellum. However, the resulting high energy prices had contributed to the economic stagnation.{{sfn|Deni|Henke|Matlé|Besch|2025|p=xiv}} Although Germany had managed to avoid broad deindustrialization, energy-intensive industry, especially plants directly dependent on natural gas for as a source of heat or feedstock, had partially fled the country.{{sfn|Deni|Henke|Matlé|Besch|2025|p=59}}

Germany had become the biggest European provider of support for Ukraine, but is unlikely to succeed in building up its army to the targeted 203,000 personnel strength. As the off-budget €100 billion Sondervermögen Bundeswehr fund money runs out, a creation of a new, and larger size, fund becomes inevitable, with the alternative being a significant expansion of the defense budget.{{sfn|Deni|Henke|Matlé|Besch|2025|p=xiv}}

Although Chancellor Scholz's 2022 Zeitenwende speech was accompanied by a €100 billion special fund to modernize the Bundeswehr, implementation has faced significant obstacles. By 2025, critics noted that despite initial procurement efforts—such as F-35A fighters, upgraded Puma IFVs, and naval frigates—the Bundeswehr remained under-equipped and strategically limited.{{Cite web |date=2024-12-17 |title=€100 Billion Later: Fixing the Bundeswehr Wasn’t on Budget |url=https://www.grosswald.org/eu100-billion-later-fixing-the-bundeswehr-wasnt-on-budget/ |access-date=2025-05-18 |website=Großwald {{!}} Structured Intelligence on European Defense |language=en}}

• Germany–Russia relations
• History of German foreign policy
• List of humanitarian aid to Ukraine during the Russo-Ukrainian War
• List of military aid to Ukraine during the Russo-Ukrainian War
• Russia in the European energy sector
• Nordstream 1 and Nord Stream 2

{{Reflist}}

{{refbegin}}

• {{Cite news

| title = Entschlossen wie nie

| last = Becker

| first = Kristin

| publisher = ARD

| language = de

| website = Tagesschau

| url = https://www.tagesschau.de/inland/regierungserklaerung-ukraine-russland-scholz-putin-101.html

| date = 27 February 2022

| access-date = 21 September 2022

| archive-date = 15 August 2022

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220815141653/https://www.tagesschau.de/inland/regierungserklaerung-ukraine-russland-scholz-putin-101.html

| url-status = live

}}

• {{Cite news

| title = Deutschland reagiert auf Putins Aggression

| agency = Deutsche Presse-Agentur

| newspaper = Süddeutsche Zeitung

| language = de

| url = https://www.sueddeutsche.de/politik/konflikte-deutschland-reagiert-auf-putins-aggression-dpa.urn-newsml-dpa-com-20090101-220227-99-307983

| date = 27 February 2022

| access-date = 21 September 2022

| ref = {{harvid|Deutsche Presse-Agentur|2022}}

| archive-date = 24 August 2022

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220824194909/https://www.sueddeutsche.de/politik/konflikte-deutschland-reagiert-auf-putins-aggression-dpa.urn-newsml-dpa-com-20090101-220227-99-307983

| url-status = live

}}

• {{Cite news

| title = Germany is facing dramatic change in many dimensions all at once

| author =

| magazine = The Economist

| url = https://www.economist.com/briefing/2022/08/11/germany-is-facing-dramatic-change-in-many-dimensions-all-at-once

| url-access = subscription

| date = 11 August 2022

| access-date = 21 September 2022

| ref = {{harvid|The Economist|2022}}

| archive-date = 21 September 2022

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220921044933/https://www.economist.com/briefing/2022/08/11/germany-is-facing-dramatic-change-in-many-dimensions-all-at-once

| url-status = live

}}

• {{Cite web

| title = Regierungserklärung von Bundeskanzler Olaf Scholz am 27. Februar 2022

| language = de

| publisher = Federal Government of Germany

| url = https://www.bundesregierung.de/breg-de/suche/regierungserklaerung-von-bundeskanzler-olaf-scholz-am-27-februar-2022-2008356

| date = 27 February 2022

| access-date = 21 September 2022

| ref = {{harvid|Federal Government of Germany|2022a}}

| archive-date = 19 September 2022

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220919102220/https://www.bundesregierung.de/breg-de/suche/regierungserklaerung-von-bundeskanzler-olaf-scholz-am-27-februar-2022-2008356

| url-status = live

}}

• {{Cite web

| title = Germany halts Nord Stream 2 and Russia responds with a stark warning

| last1 = Riley

| first1 = Charles

| last2 = Horowitz

| first2 = Julia

| publisher = CNN Business

| url = https://edition.cnn.com/2022/02/22/business/nord-stream-2-germany-russia/index.html

| date = 23 February 2022

| access-date = 21 September 2022

| archive-date = 20 September 2022

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220920012426/https://edition.cnn.com/2022/02/22/business/nord-stream-2-germany-russia/index.html

| url-status = live

}}

• {{Cite news

| title = Russian forces launch full-scale invasion of Ukraine

| publisher = Al Jazeera

| url = https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/2/24/putin-orders-military-operations-in-eastern-ukraine-as-un-meets

| date = 24 February 2022

| access-date = 21 September 2022

| ref = {{harvid|Al Jazeera|2022}}

| archive-date = 24 February 2022

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220224053027/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/2/24/putin-orders-military-operations-in-eastern-ukraine-as-un-meets

| url-status = live

}}

• {{Cite news

| title = Olaf Scholz is getting tougher on Russia, if only his allies would notice

| last = Vock

| first = Ido

| magazine = New Statesman

| url = https://www.newstatesman.com/world/europe/2022/02/olaf-scholz-is-getting-tougher-on-russia-if-only-his-allies-would-notice

| date = 16 February 2022

| access-date = 21 September 2022

| archive-date = 15 August 2022

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220815205356/https://www.newstatesman.com/world/europe/2022/02/olaf-scholz-is-getting-tougher-on-russia-if-only-his-allies-would-notice

| url-status = live

}}

• {{Cite news

| title = The week where decades happened: how the west finally woke up to Putin

| last = Wintour

| first = Patrick

| author-link = Patrick Wintour

| newspaper = The Guardian

| url = https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/04/russia-ukraine-how-the-west-woke-up-to-vladimir-putin

| date = 4 March 2022

| access-date = 21 September 2022

| archive-date = 13 August 2022

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220813050227/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/04/russia-ukraine-how-the-west-woke-up-to-vladimir-putin

| url-status = live

}}

• {{Cite web

| url=https://www.bundesregierung.de/breg-en/search/policy-statement-by-olaf-scholz-chancellor-of-the-federal-republic-of-germany-and-member-of-the-german-bundestag-27-february-2022-in-berlin-2008378

| title=Policy statement by Olaf Scholz, Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany and Member of the German Bundestag, 27 February 2022 in Berlin

| date=2022-02-27

| access-date=2023-01-02

| website=Federal Government of Germany

| ref = {{harvid|Federal Government of Germany|2022b}}

}}

• {{Cite web

| url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/nov/17/night-everything-changed-waiting-for-russian-invasion-of-ukraine-kyiv

| title=The night everything changed: waiting for Russia's invasion of Ukraine

| date=2022-11-17

| access-date=2023-01-02

| website=The Guardian

| last=Harding

| first=Luke

| author-link=Luke Harding

}}

• {{cite news

| title=Pressure mounts on Germany's Scholz to send tanks to Ukraine : Even his own coalition partners are telling him it's time to send more heavy weapons to fight Putin.

| url=https://www.politico.eu/article/german-government-faces-domestic-pressure-to-send-tanks-to-ukraine/

| last=von der Burchard

| first=Hans |work=Politico

| date=22 September 2022

| access-date=26 September 2022

| archive-date=25 September 2022

| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220925233914/https://www.politico.eu/article/german-government-faces-domestic-pressure-to-send-tanks-to-ukraine/

| url-status=live

}}

• {{Cite news

| date=2022-12-09

| title=»Zeitenwende« ist das Wort des Jahres 2022

| language=de

| work=Der Spiegel

| url=https://www.spiegel.de/kultur/zeitenwende-ist-das-wort-des-jahres-2022-a-f1135c68-93d5-46c1-b055-fd9262c689e0

| access-date=2022-12-11

| ref = {{harvid|Der Spiegel|2022}}

}}

• {{Cite news

| last=Alexander

| first=Robin

| date=2022-12-04

| title=Ein Jahr Ampel: In der Multi-Krise wird erkennbar, woran Scholz sich klammert

| language=de

| work=Die Welt |url=https://www.welt.de/politik/deutschland/plus242470655/Ein-Jahr-Ampel-In-der-Multi-Krise-wird-erkennbar-woran-Scholz-sich-klammert.html

| access-date=2022-12-04

}}

• {{Cite news

| title=Biden und Scholz geben gemeinsame Erklärung ab

| url=https://www.sueddeutsche.de/politik/scholz-biden-ukraine-panzer-1.5727481

| last=Richter

| first=Nicolas

| date=2023-01-05

| work=Süddeutsche Zeitung

| language=de

}}

• {{Cite web

| url=https://www.tagesschau.de/ausland/europa/eilmeldung-ukraine-leopard-panzer-101.html

| title=Deutschland liefert 14 "Leopard"-Panzer

| access-date=2023-01-25

| website=Tagesschau

| language=de

| ref = {{harvid|Tagesschau|2023}}

}}

• {{cite book |last1=Deni |first1=John R. |last2=Henke |first2=Marina E. |last3=Matlé |first3=Aylin |last4=Besch |first4=Sophia |last5=Bosch |first5=Tim |last6=Campbell |first6=Loyle |last7=Stent |first7=Angela E |last8=Rathke |first8=Jeffrey D. |last9=Luetkefend |first9=Theresa |last10=Stumbaum |first10=May-Britt U. |last11=de Cet |first11=Sharon |title=Assessing the Zeitenwende: Implications for Germany, the United States, and Transatlantic Security |date=2025 |publisher=US Army War College Press |location=Carlisle Barracks, PA |url=https://press.armywarcollege.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1972&context=monographs}}

{{refend}}

{{2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine|Reactions}}

Category:2022 speeches

Category:February 2022 in Germany

Category:Foreign policy doctrines

Category:German foreign policy

Category:Military history of Germany

Category:Olaf Scholz

Category:Reactions to the Russian invasion of Ukraine

Category:Social Democratic Party of Germany