German politicians have occasionally tried a friendly approach towards Russia/the SU starting with Willy Brandt in the 60s. Those diplomatic efforts led to Gorb

German politicians have occasionally tried a friendly approach towards Russia/the SU starting with Willy Brandt in the 60s. Those diplomatic efforts led to Gorbatschow having enough trust to dismantle the SU peacefully. There were some business interests involved in the issue of SWIFT, mostly the fear that oil & gas deliveries will seize immediately. Beyond that, nobody believes that any meaningful trade will happen going forward. Only some drastic event, specifically the end of Putin, will allow for a reset of the relationship. Besides, it doesn’t really matter if Germany send these arms. Germany is part of the EU, which has authority over trade, and is also seen as a block by the #russian government.