Frayed Partnership

The most recent topic of debate in Germany has certainly been Russia’s role in the conflict in Syria. The Russian-Ukrainian conflict is still an issue, but coverage in the German media of the actual fighting in Donbas has been overshadowed over the last months by the slow pace of reforms and the changes of government due to, firstly, the resignation of the reform-oriented minister of economy, Lithuanian Avaras Abromavičius, and secondly, that of prime minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk, which, in turn, led to minister of finance Natalya Yaresko’s also leaving office. The public, therefore, is less focused on Russia’s role in Ukraine than on Ukrainian internal affairs and challenges. A topic Germans have become much more aware of over recent months is the well-publicized so-called "hybrid war" led by Russia in Ukraine.