Do we like Frank-Walter Steinmeier?
Our score: 8 out of 10. A decent, consistent voice for equal rights and the rule of law, with one real stain: years of soft-handed Russia policy he later admitted was wrong.
Steinmeier is Germany's head of state, a largely ceremonial job he has held since February 2017 and won again in February 2022. Before that he was a career Social Democrat insider: Chancellor Gerhard Schröder's right-hand man, then foreign minister and deputy chancellor. He's more the careful diplomat than the firebrand.
His biggest stain is Russia. As foreign minister he pushed engagement with Moscow, and in April 2022 he told ZDF his support for the Nord Stream 2 pipeline was clearly a mistake. He said “We failed on many points.” Credit for owning it, but Ukraine's allies had been warning him for years, and Kyiv reportedly snubbed his planned visit that month.
On the harm check he comes out well. In 2018 he stood up at a Berlin ceremony and asked gay people for forgiveness for postwar persecution, and told queer, trans and intersex people they are protected in today's Germany. In 2025 he warned of a tipping point for LGBTQ+ rights and said people's dignity is violated daily in Germany.
He's also been plain about who belongs. In August 2026 he said that “there are no first- or second-class citizens”, and that naturalised citizens have the same rights as anyone born German. He didn't name the AfD, but German media read it as a rebuke of its remigration plans.
The recent stoush was in March, when he said the US-Israeli war on Iran was a politically disastrous mistake and breached international law. Reuters noted he was far blunter than Chancellor Merz, who has dodged the legality question. Fans praised him for speaking plainly; others called it leftist. Where you land depends on whether you see a president defending international law or overstepping a ceremonial role.
On the Middle East he's walked a line. In May 2025 in Israel he said Israel must defend itself against Islamist terrorism and that Hamas hides behind civilians. He also pressed for aid into Gaza and warned the suffering there is widening rifts with Israel's friends.