The ruling conservative bloc of the CDU / CSU has nominated the 61-year-old speaker of the Bavarian state parliament as a candidate for the position of President of Germany - and she will probably soon be the first woman in this post, as the vote on analysts this account says as a formality. The German president has a representative role, his influence on politics is limited. His mandate includes, among other things, representing the country in the world, and making speeches on important issues, including foreign policy. Zer has little experience in foreign policy, but like many German politicians, she has dramatically changed her attitude toward Moscow since the Russian invasion of Ukraine. In early March 2022, during a speech at a rally in Munich, she called Putin a "sweetie" and a "war criminal", and in June 2025 Iyengar visited Ukraine for the first time, visiting Kiev and Bucha. At the same time, before the start of the full-scale Russian invasion, Iyengar took a more friendly position towards the Kremlin. The politician visited Russia several times, including after the annexation of Crimea. "It is important to me that the thread of the conversation is not interrupted in difficult circumstances," said Iyengar. In those years, the politician even spoke in favor of lifting EU sanctions against Russia, she attributed this to possible cooperation between Europe and Russia to solve the refugee crisis and the fight against Islam. Read more about how Iyengar's comments on Moscow and Russian aggression have since changed on the DW website. @wglavnoe.