How the historical policies of the parties in the Traffic Light Coalition shaped German policy towards Ukraine.

When Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 Germany was one of many countries that took steps to provide financial, diplomatic, and military aid to Ukraine. Despite evidence that the public supported arming Ukraine, German military aid to Ukraine was a contentions political subject in a country that had pursued a mostly pacifist foreign policy for decades. The parties in the government relied on their historical positions when they decided how to respond to the war. The SPD was constrained by its historical commitment to Ostpolitik. The Greens advocated for increased aid to Ukraine before and during the full-scale war. And the FDP pushed for fiscal conservatism during a time when economic conditions made fiscal prudence difficult. The three historical policies of the parties in government conflicted with each other which led to public fighting within the government. The result of conflicting polices, and a sparring coalition government was that the military aid that Germany did provide to Ukraine arrived delayed and staggered which impaired Ukraine’s ability to defend intense against Russia.