Faced with accusations he’s putting the brakes on further aid to Ukraine, Scholz said tough conversations need to be had if the military support package — the largest yet from any ally — can be confirmed over the coming days. “I had suggested expanding [military aid] at some point,” Scholz said of Ukraine aid on the … Read more
“It’s worth getting rid of bureaucratic barriers since there’s a war in Europe and you cannot treat [the] defense industry the same way you’d treat, say, milk production,” Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto said. Kosiniak-Kamysz said that the group’s next meeting in Paris will discuss in more detail how to finance the development of Europe’s … Read more
Since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Russia has ramped up its campaign of so-called hybrid attacks — such as arson, cyber and information campaigns, or sabotage — throughout Europe. Recent examples include the alleged cutting of energy and communications cables in the Baltic Sea, which German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius described as “sabotage.” … Read more
“If Putin attacks, we must be fit to wage war,” Pistorius said in the interview published on Saturday. The minister’s comments come amid a push for NATO members to increase their defense spending, with new NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte saying alliance members need to spend “much more” on defense than the current target of 2 … Read more
Denmark’s navy said it was shadowing the ship, which is currently anchored in international waters between Denmark and Sweden. “From the Swedish side, we have had contact with the ship and China and stated that we want the ship to move towards Swedish waters,” Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said Tuesday, while stressing that he was … Read more
Pistorius was hosting his counterparts in a new format that U.K. Defence Secretary John Healy dubbed “E5.” Russia’s invasion of Ukraine plus years of badgering by the U.S. is having an impact. France and Germany reached NATO’s spending target of at least 2 percent GDP this year, although Italy still falls short. The U.K. is over … Read more
Opinion polls suggest otherwise, however, with the SPD polling in the mid-teens following the collapse of Scholz’s center-left coalition earlier this month. Friedrich Merz’s opposition Christian Democrats lead on 33 percent, followed by the far-right opposition Alternative for Germany at 18 percent. At home, Scholz has been panned for weak leadership of his fractious “traffic … Read more
This marks the second time in a year that Baltic Sea infrastructure — which includes communications cables and energy pipelines such as Nord Stream — has been damaged, raising concerns over security and sabotage. Another telecom cable in the Baltic Sea between Lithuania and Sweden’s Gotland Island was damaged Sunday morning, telecom company Telia Lietuva, … Read more
Scholz’s SPD, on the other hand, is polling third with 16 percent, just behind the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party and down 10 percentage points since the 2021 election. According to Spiegel, SPD members of the Bundestag in a recent meeting joined local and regional politicians in voicing doubts over Scholz’s chances to succeed … Read more
Der öffentlich-rechtliche Rundfunk soll weniger kosten, die Gebühren dürfen nicht weiter steigen. Darin sind sich die meisten Länderchefs einig, die sich ab heute zur Ministerpräsidentenkonferenz in Leipzig treffen. Über den Weg zu den Einsparungen dagegen herrscht noch keine endgültige Einigkeit. Wie die Anstalten geschrumpft werden könnten – organisatorisch, aber auch inhaltlich – analysiert Gordon Repinski. … Read more
