Germany’s Next Foreign Minister Favors Tough Stance Against Russia

Friedrich Merts, the winner of Germany’s recent parliamentary elections, began forming a new government on April 28, 2025. The leading candidate for the position of Foreign Minister is one of the harshest critics of Vladimir Putin. Johan Wandepool, a former member of the German army and a strong opponent of Russia, is favored to become the next Foreign Minister. He describes Russia as the ‘number one enemy’ of Europe. This stance contrasts sharply with Germany’s previous decades-long policy of cooperation with Moscow, aimed at securing cheap natural gas. During a press conference in Berlin, Wandepool stated that Russia poses the most serious threat not only to lives and legal systems but also to all European residents. In a recent interview with Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, he characterized Putin as ‘unstable, aggressive, and hungry.’ Wandepool, largely unknown outside political circles, advocates for clear positions supporting military aid to Ukraine, including allowing strikes on Russian soil with weapons supplied by Western allies. He supports sending Taurus missiles with a range of 500 kilometers to Ukraine, a move considered direct involvement in the war by Moscow. Wandepool served in the German army from 1983 to 1986 and later became a lawyer after studying law. He specializes in foreign policy issues and has been deputy chairman of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group. Like Merts, he supports reviving the Franco-German axis as a driving force in Europe, especially during a critical time when the U.S. under Donald Trump turns its back on the old continent and questions its commitment to protecting Europe with its nuclear umbrella. Since 2020, Wandepool has advocated for collaboration with France in the nuclear field, believing that France should place its deterrent nuclear arsenal under NATO or the EU.