Jiao Yiqiang, Zhu Yan

Abstract：The Ukraine crisis is not only a major watershed of relations between Russia and the West in the post-Cold War era, but also a turning point in seriously deteriorating German-Russian relations. However, on the whole, a number of intertwined factors, such as historical origins, geopolitical relations, balance of interests, norms and even diplomatic traditions, have led German-Russian relations into a dilemma of “confrontation-cooperation” and diplomatic crisis. Since the end of 2013, when entering the “Merkel 3.0 era” and making adjustments in its foreign policy, Germany has implemented a strategy and policy of “selective interaction” in reshaping its diplomacy with Russia based on the dilemma and tension, resulting in a clear sign of their rapprochement. This has had profound impacts on European geopolitical landscape.