Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Steinmeier Turns 70 as He Begins Final Year as Germany's President

The veteran SPD figure enters his constitutionally last year in office with solid public approval despite scrutiny of his past Russia policy.

Overview

  • The Federal President is marking his birthday privately with family, according to his office.
  • Germany's twelfth head of state was elected by the Federal Assembly in February 2017 and confirmed for a second term in February 2022.
  • His career spans service as Gerhard Schröder’s close aide and chancellery chief and two terms as foreign minister under Angela Merkel.
  • After Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, he acknowledged his support for Nord Stream 2 as a mistake, and a planned visit to Kyiv was rejected by Ukrainian authorities.
  • He remains well regarded in polls and has focused his presidency on democratic cohesion, including his "Ortszeit Deutschland" outreach series.