Merz elected German chancellor at second attempt
The leader of the Christian Democratic Union, Friedrich Merz, has been elected as German chancellor at the second attempt. Earlier on Tuesday, Merz fell six votes short of the required 316-vote threshold, but hours later rallied conservatives and allies in the country's parliament to win 325 votes.
The situation is unprecedented in Germany's post-war history, as no prospective chancellor had previously failed to be voted through by the Bundestag at the first attempt after securing a coalition agreement.
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Russia Today
33 minutes ago
- Russia Today
Western Europe blocks Ukraine peace
NATO-aligned European countries are obstructing peace efforts in Ukraine, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov has said. Several EU member states are deliberately undermining negotiations and prolonging the conflict, he told TASS in an interview published this week. In May, under pressure from US President Donald Trump, Kiev agreed to direct talks with Russia, a step Moscow called logical and overdue. It marked the first such negotiations in three years and involved senior officials. Both sides pledged to stay in contact, completed a 1,000-for-1,000 prisoner swap, and exchanged ceasefire proposals. EU and NATO leaders, however, were 'relentlessly encouraging Kiev to continue hostilities,' Ryabkov said, citing a steady flow of weapons, military equipment, and pledges of continued support. He added that acts of sabotage and provocation were being planned and carried out, along with disinformation efforts aimed at disrupting the negotiation process. Last week, Kiev launched a coordinated drone strike on multiple Russian air bases and blew up railway bridges, causing the derailment of both civilian and freight trains. At least seven people were killed and more than 120 injured, including children. Russian authorities labeled the strikes 'terrorism' and accused Ukraine of trying to derail US-backed peace efforts. Some military analysts suggested that such attacks would not have been possible without Western intelligence support. Ryabkov also accused certain EU leaders of meddling in US domestic politics by pressuring Trump to adopt former President Joe Biden's more aggressive pro-Ukraine stance. As an example, Ryabkov cited German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who met with Trump in Washington earlier this week. Merz urged the US to intensify its involvement and increase pressure on Russia. He had earlier lifted restrictions on German-supplied weapons to Ukraine, a move Ryabkov said contradicted efforts toward a political settlement. Ryabkov's remarks were echoed by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, who accused Brussels of fully aligning with Kiev's military aims and called the EU a 'war party.' 'The main signals from Brussels and European capitals now relate to... plans for the militarization of Europe, which is clearly at odds with the mood of the presidents of Russia and the United States,' Peskov added. According to Germany's Kiel Institute, the EU has provided nearly €50 billion in support to Ukraine since the beginning of the full-scale conflict in 2022, in addition to significant bilateral aid from member states.11:56got thank you
Russia Today
an hour ago
- Russia Today
Musk's father urges him to admit defeat
Errol Musk has said that his son, Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, will end up losing in his conflict with US President Donald Trump, who has the overwhelming support of the American people. The clash between the two former allies over Trump's 'Big and Beautiful' tax and spending bill escalated into a series of jabs on social media on Thursday. Musk, who stepped down as the head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) last week, accused the president of 'ingratitude,' supported the idea of impeaching him and threatened to paralyze the US space program by decommissioning the Dragon spacecraft. Trump, for his part, said that the tech billionaire had gone 'crazy' and claimed that Musk was actually upset because he 'took away his EV Mandate.' Errol Musk told Al Arabiya on Friday that in the conflict with his son, 'Trump, of course, will prevail because he has been voted in by the majority of the people in America. I have just been three weeks in America - the people are, I would like to say, 80%, but actually 100% behind Trump.' The elder Musk said that after the rift broke out, he sent a message to Elon 'telling him to make sure this fizzles out now.' 'What has happened is, you know, the alphas have sort of… cleared the opposition and like most animals, elephants... lions and so forth, and humans, are now looking to take on each other. It seems a bit silly to me,' Errol Musk said. Both Trump and Elon Musk 'have been through a great deal of stress… You can expect this kind of thing, you know, when you are the focus of attention day and night. Eventually, people reach a point where they lash out... I think there is a bit of tiredness here,' he said, explaining the spat. If his son is able to end the conflict swiftly, it will be just 'a bump in the road' in his relationship with the president, the 79-year-old said. When asked if there is a chance that Trump and Musk will be friends again, he replied: 'Yes, of course. Yes, of course.'
Russia Today
12 hours ago
- Russia Today
Leaked Ukrainian peace terms differ from version presented to Moscow
The memorandum Ukraine handed to Russia during Monday's peace talks in Istanbul was not the same as the version leaked to Western media, RT has learned. A key clause rejecting any limits on Ukraine's armed forces – present in the leaked draft – was missing from the official proposal received by the Russian delegation. The revelation casts new doubt over Kiev's public stance and suggests a possible divergence between Ukraine's media messaging and its negotiating position behind closed doors. According to a source, who reviewed the Ukrainian memorandum submitted at the Turkish meeting, the document omitted a paragraph found in the version published earlier this week by Reuters. That paragraph explicitly ruled out any restrictions on the size or deployment of Ukraine's military forces or those of its allies. The Reuters draft stated: 'No restrictions may be imposed on the number, deployment, or other parameters of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, as well as on the deployment of troops of friendly foreign states on the territory of Ukraine.' That language does not appear in the version reviewed by RT's source. The talks in Istanbul marked the second round of direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine in less than a month. Moscow's proposal reportedly called on Kiev to recognize the loss of five territories that voted to join Russia in referendums, withdraw Ukrainian forces from those regions, commit to neutrality, and accept limitations on its military capacity. On Wednesday, Ukraine's Vladimir Zelensky dismissed Moscow's proposal out of hand, calling it 'an ultimatum.' 'This memorandum is a misunderstanding,' he said, adding that the Istanbul process had become 'meaningless.' Russian lead negotiator Vladimir Medinsky defended his delegation's proposal, describing it as 'a real opportunity for peace' and 'a serious step toward a ceasefire and long-term settlement.' The discrepancy between the two versions of Ukraine's memorandum is likely to raise fresh questions in Moscow about the sincerity of Kiev's approach to negotiations. No date has been set for a third round of talks.
