In the Media

Articles, appearances and interviews

14.10.2026
ZDF · Markus Lanz (in German)
Markus Lanz: Gershkovich's Release and the Resignation of Bärbel Bas
Guest on the show of October 14, 2026
Wolfgang Schmidt comments on the resignation of Bärbel Bas and the tone between the SPD and the CDU/CSU, calls for more composure in the coalition and gives his view on Gerhard Schröder's visit to Vladimir Putin. He also describes how the historic deal that secured Evan Gershkovich's release came about. The US journalist talks about his 491 days in Russian detention.
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06.10.2026
MDR AKTUELL (in German)
Audio: Former Chancellery Chief Wolfgang Schmidt on the BND's Warnings About Russia
MDR AKTUELL – Das Nachrichtenradio – published October 6, 2026
An audio report (5 minutes) on the news radio MDR AKTUELL about the BND's warnings regarding Russia.
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05.10.2026
India Today Global
Intelligence & Hybrid Warfare: What Can India & Europe Learn From Each Other?
Special session with Wolfgang Schmidt – published October 5, 2026
Wolfgang Schmidt examines the evolving intelligence and security landscape and what India and Europe can learn from each other on hybrid warfare, cyber resilience and information warfare.
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03.09.2026
Deutschlandfunk (in German)
Hybrid War: Former Chancellery Chief Schmidt Praises Approach Toward Russia
Interview with Philipp May – published September 3, 2026
The German government's signal has reached Moscow, says Wolfgang Schmidt (SPD). He points to the fact that President Vladimir Putin himself responded to Germany's punitive measures following the Leipzig drone attack.
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02.09.2026
Deutschlandfunk Nova · Unboxing News (in German)
Attack in Leipzig – How Dangerous Is Russia for Germany?
Podcast conversation with host Ilka Knigge and investigative journalist Florian Flade (WDR)
Following the suspected Russian attack in Leipzig, Wolfgang Schmidt and WDR journalist Florian Flade discuss how Russia operates covertly against Germany and what responses are possible.
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01.09.2026
Spotify · RONZHEIMER. (in German)
BREAKING: Germany hits back at Russia
Paul Ronzheimer podcast – published 1 September 2026
After the attempted drone attack at Leipzig/Halle airport, the German government has officially held Russia responsible. Wolfgang Schmidt talks to Paul Ronzheimer about the findings of investigators and the intelligence services, and about how certain a government has to be before publicly attributing such an attack to Moscow. He explains why Berlin is deliberately cautious in its response and why a direct military confrontation with Russia must be avoided. The conversation also covers possible Russian retaliation, the closure of the Russian consulate general in Bonn, and the debate over a tougher response – up to delivering Taurus missiles to Ukraine.
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30.08.2026
ARD · Caren Miosga (in German)
Russia's hybrid war: how great is the danger for Germany?
Guest on the talk show “Caren Miosga” of 30 August 2026 (broadcast in German)
Following the attempted attack at Leipzig/Halle airport, Wolfgang Schmidt discusses hybrid attacks on Germany with security and Russia expert Hanna Notte and Nico Lange, Director of the Institute for Risk Analysis and International Security. Schmidt, who as Head of the Chancellery was also the government's coordinator for the intelligence services, cautions against attributing responsibility publicly before investigations are complete, recalling the destruction of the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines: his own first instinct then pointed to Russia, whereas a Ukrainian team is now the main suspect.
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18.07.2026
DW Español · DW Analiza (in Spanish)
DW Analiza: Germany's structural crisis and the Merz government's reforms
Report by DW Español featuring assessments from Wolfgang Schmidt – published 18 July 2026 (report in Spanish)
DW Español examines the structural crisis of the German economy: the automotive, chemical and steel industries are struggling with a loss of competitiveness, while the grand coalition responds with a reform package of tax cuts, less bureaucracy, a later retirement age and a liberalisation of the labour market. At the same time the AfD leads the polls ahead of September's state elections in Saxony-Anhalt and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. Wolfgang Schmidt contributes his assessment to the report.
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15.07.2026
Aspen Security Forum
The New Security Imperative: Digital Resilience Through Integration
Panel at the 2026 Aspen Security Forum in Aspen, Colorado, with Lisa Monaco, Kaupo Rosin and Nicholas Burns, moderated by Edward Luce (Financial Times) – 15 July 2026
At the Aspen Security Forum, Wolfgang Schmidt joins Lisa Monaco (President, Microsoft Global Affairs), Estonian Foreign Intelligence Service Director General Kaupo Rosin and Aspen Strategy Group Co-Chair Nicholas Burns for a discussion on digital security. The panel covers the trend towards developing sovereign capabilities, digital trust, and the competition with China for the most cutting-edge technologies.
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14.07.2026
ZDF · Markus Lanz (in German)
Debate on "Lanz": Does Chancellor Friedrich Merz listen to his advisers?
Guest on the "Markus Lanz" talk show of 14 July 2026 (discussion held in German)
Journalist Melanie Amann and former Chancellery Ministers Peter Altmaier and Wolfgang Schmidt discuss the challenges facing the Merz cabinet on "Lanz". Schmidt argues that "brutal honesty" is needed inside the Chancellery — a chancellor must be able to take criticism from his closest confidants.
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12.07.2026
Podcast · A vista de Lobo, Cadena SER (in Spanish)
A vista de Lobo: Germany's economic stagnation, explained
Season finale of the podcast with Javier del Pino and Marc Bassets – released 12 July 2026 (conversation held in Spanish)
To close the season, journalist Marc Bassets returns to the two countries where he began reporting for the radio show "A vivir". Together with host Javier del Pino, he and former Head of the German Chancellery Wolfgang Schmidt examine what has driven years of stagnation in the EU's largest economy. The conversation was conducted in Spanish.
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02.07.2026
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (in German)
Long Live the Compromise
Interview with Lukas Fuhr on the CDU/CSU–SPD coalition committee – published 2 July 2026
As former Head of the German Chancellery, Wolfgang Schmidt assesses the CDU/CSU–SPD coalition committee in an interview with the F.A.Z. Coalition committees, he argues, are above all forges for compromise — in cross-camp alliances, views collide that do not really fit together, so one should not immediately speak of conflict. His verdict: long live the compromise.
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19.06.2026
Spotify · The Art of Diplomacy
Boiling the Frog – Germany, Ukraine, and Escalation
Conversation with Joshua Yaffa, recorded on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference in February 2026
As former Head of the German Chancellery and a close adviser to Olaf Scholz, Wolfgang Schmidt offers a behind-the-scenes account in the podcast "The Art of Diplomacy" of how Germany navigated the difficult decisions on military support for Ukraine and the risk of escalation. The conversation turns on the war's central strategic debate — whether step-by-step pressure on Russia "boiled the frog" or amounted to "killing Ukraine softly" — and covers Europe's unity, China's public stance against Russian nuclear threats, and the prisoner exchange that freed Evan Gershkovich.
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04.05.2026
Spotify · Table Today (in German)
One Year of Merz – The Verdict. With Wolfgang Schmidt.
Brief conversation with Michael Bröcker on the podcast "Table Today" – 4 May 2026
In a brief conversation with Michael Bröcker, Wolfgang Schmidt offers a forgiving assessment after one year of the CDU/CSU–SPD coalition — he knows how hard governing is. He brushes aside the accusation that the SPD is the brake of the coalition: he has been unable to find the supposedly obstructive left-wing functionaries "despite the most intensive search".
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17.04.2026
Spotify · Machtmenschen (in German)
Machtmenschen: Wolfgang Schmidt on the Scholz Years, the War and the End of the Coalition
Conversation with FOCUS Editor-in-Chief Franziska Reich – published 17 April 2026
Few people experienced the Scholz years as closely as Wolfgang Schmidt – as the Chancellor's closest confidant and Chief of the Federal Chancellery. In the podcast "Machtmenschen", he speaks with FOCUS Editor-in-Chief Franziska Reich about the moment it became clear Putin would attack, about the end of the coalition government he considered "unnecessary", and what remains of those years.
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16.04.2026
ZDF · Markus Lanz (in German)
Markus Lanz, 16 April 2026
Guest appearance on 16 April 2026
How the debate over tax cuts escalated into a coalition dispute – and on the explosive investigative reporting into the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipeline in 2022.
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02.04.2026
Spotify · RONZHEIMER. (in German)
Why Germany Underestimates the Iran Crisis. With Wolfgang Schmidt
Conversation with Paul Ronzheimer – also available as video on YouTube
The war against Iran is not a distant event – it affects Germany too. Wolfgang Schmidt talks to Paul Ronzheimer about crisis management, overnight calls and decisions under uncertainty inside the Chancellery. How vulnerable is Germany's economic model in geopolitical conflicts – and what lessons can be drawn from the 2022 energy crisis?
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29.03.2026
Agenda Pública (in Spanish)
Wolfgang Schmidt and Enma López: The answer to Trump must be more Europe
Interview with Enma López (PSOE) for Agenda Pública – published 29 March 2026 · in Spanish
In Madrid, Wolfgang Schmidt spoke with Enma López, Deputy Spokesperson of the Spanish Socialist Party (PSOE), about the geopolitical challenges facing Europe – from Trump to Russia. Their shared conclusion: the answer to global fragmentation cannot be less Europe, but more Europe.
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26.03.2026
Internationale Politik Quarterly (in English)
Fast Forward: A Wider Conception of German Foreign Policy
Essay in Internationale Politik Quarterly – published 26 March 2026
Wolfgang Schmidt makes a case for a wider conception of German foreign policy: fiscal policy, Germany’s economic model, and the defence of democracy must be understood as key elements of any future foreign policy. Traditional walls between domestic and foreign policy need to come down.
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10.03.2026
YouTube · Bruno Kreisky Forum Vienna
How Can You Still Govern Today, Mr Schmidt?
From the Engine Room of Power – Robert Misik in conversation with Wolfgang Schmidt · in German
Governing today: difficulties, complexities and dilemmas. How do you hold coalition partners together in the engine room of government? How do you pursue long-term plans when the fruits may only be harvested by successor governments?
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