Scholz said that after the outbreak of all-out war, Russia and Ukraine tried negotiating — but Moscow wasn’t serious. “The talks failed because Russia only used them as a pretext to move its troops to the east for a major offensive at the same time,” said Scholz. The German chancellor, who has often been criticized … Read more
In an interview on German public radio Wednesday, Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, chair of the Bundestag’s defense committee and a member of the Free Democratic Party, a junior partner in Scholz’s coalition, hit back at Mützenich, calling the comment “social democratic appeasement policy that has never gotten us anywhere.” Amid the feuding, Scholz used his speech in … Read more
Putin himself has not commented on the audio leak yet, but his spokesperson Dmitry Peskov warned Monday that, “The [military conversation] itself suggests that in the bowels of the Bundeswehr, plans for strikes on Russian territory are being discussed in a substantive and concrete manner.” Russia’s state-owned news agency TASS reported that Monday’s meeting between … Read more
Her comments follow an op-ed published the same day by Finance Minister Christian Lindner, who wrote that Europe must stick to nuclear deterrence given Trump’s comments. According to Strack-Zimmermann, Lindner was referring to France, but she stressed it’s clear that Europe as a whole must work more closely. Ramping up nuclear defense would mean getting … Read more
Trump triggered uproar across Europe after telling a crowd during a weekend campaign stop in South Carolina that he would “encourage” Russia to invade NATO allies who are “delinquent,” saying: “You gotta pay. You gotta pay your bills.” Tusk, who arrived in Berlin to meet Scholz after seeing French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris earlier that day, … Read more
“If Berlin wants to transfer the money — you’re very welcome! We will even grant a discount if the money is received by the end of the year,” Sikorski said, and then added: “But seriously: money is a difficult issue in times of war and crisis.” Instead, the foreign minister suggested that the German government … Read more
The government has described the fossil gas power plants as “modern, highly flexible and climate-friendly” because they will be capable of conversion to use clean-burning hydrogen gas produced from renewable sources. The plants are projected to produce up to 10 gigawatts of electricity. Tenders for the projects will begin soon. German energy firm Uniper, which … Read more
The 2024 budget was delayed after Germany’s constitutional court in November blew a €60 billion hole into the country’s finances, forcing the ruling coalition of Social Democrats (SPD), Free Democrats (FDP) and Greens to cut spending, triggering infighting among parties. The debt brake, combined with the court’s ruling in November — which restricted use of … Read more
First published in Latvijas Avize, Latvia, January 24, 2024 | By Gatis Sluka First published on Der Spiegel, Germany, January 25, 2024 | By Patrick Chappatte First published in Columbia Missourian, January 25, 2024 | By John Darkow First published on PoliticalCartoons.com, January 22, 2024 | By Guy Parsons First published in U.T. Independent, India, … Read more
BERLIN — Emmanuel Macron: French president, statesman and, er, German speaker. Macron impressed and surprised mourners in the German parliament on Monday by delivering a eulogy for Wolfgang Schäuble predominantly in German — for which he needed just a few hours of practice, according to his German teacher. The French president had been invited to the … Read more
