Merz sees no signs that war in Ukraine will end soon – DW – 05/21/2025
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz does not see any indication that the war in Ukraine will end soon, while Defense Minister Boris Pistorius urged further action to cut off Russia's financial lifelines.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Wednesday dampened expectations of a quick end to the war in Ukraine.
"There are currently no signs that this war will end quickly," Merz said in Berlin. However, when mentioning diplomatic efforts to end the war, he referred to the potential mediation of the pope as "the last earthly authority."
Merz said one could only hope that it would at least be possible to bring the conflicting parties together for a constructive discussion in the Vatican. The chancellor also emphasized the importance of Germany playing an "active, supportive, strong" role in the peace efforts.
Trump: 'This is not my war'
Merz's remarks follow Monday's telephone conversation between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Trump-Putin call fails to yield Ukraine ceasefire
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
After the call, Trump wrote that Russia and Ukraine would "immediately start negotiations toward a ceasefire and, more importantly, an end to the war." He also mentioned that the Vatican said it would be very interested in hosting the negotiations.
Trump reiterated his warning that he could abandon the process to seek a ceasefire if there is no progress in the talks. "This is not my war," he told reporters.
On Tuesday, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni announced that Pope Leo XIV had confirmed the Vatican's willingness to host peace talks between the two sides. The Vatican has not issued a public statement on the matter.
Trump misjudged influence on Putin, Pistorius says
Meanwhile, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said Trump misjudged his influence on Putin.
"I suspect he assessed his negotiating position incorrectly," Pistorius told the Deutschlandfunk public radio broadcaster, referring to Trump's apparently abandoned efforts to pressure Putin into accepting an unconditional 30-day ceasefire.
"Nothing is really happening. It's all new places, new timelines — and it just means Vladimir Putin can continue his attacks on Ukraine. But there is no peace in sight," Pistorius said.
Since the phone call between the Russian and US presidents yielded no progress in the Ukraine peace talks, Europe was prompted to announce new sanctions on Russia.
EU plans new sanctions to deflate Putin's war chest
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
Pistorius urged further action to cut off Russia's financial lifelines.
"The goal must be to curb the considerable flow of money into Russia's state coffers, which helps finance the war," he said.
The German defense minister argued that only by doing so can the West effectively degrade Russia's ability to sustain its war in Ukraine, citing revenues from Russian oil and gas exports as an example.
Pistorius also stressed the need to bolster Ukraine's rearmament efforts, noting that the country has production capacity in its arms industry but lacks the funding to utilize it fully.
"We will step in together and fill these capacity gaps," Pistorius said.
Edited by: Sean Sinico
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Local Germany
an hour ago
- Local Germany
Germany has three years to overhaul military: official
Defence spending has risen up the political agenda since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and more recently with the United States pushing NATO members to increase their commitments. "Everything necessary to be fully prepared to defend the country must be acquired by 2028," Annette Lehnigk-Emden, head of the Federal Office for Military Procurement, told Tagesspiegel newspaper. Chief of defence General Carsten Breuer recently warned that Russia could be in a position to "launch a large-scale attack against NATO territory" as early as 2029. He said there was a Russian build-up of ammunition and tanks for a possible attack on NATO's Baltic members. Lehnigk-Emden stressed that Chancellor Friedrich Merz's new government was enabling the upgrade by allocating hundreds of billions of euros for defence. She said the priority would be for heavy equipment such as Skyranger anti-aircraft tanks. Merz has made rearmament a priority of his coalition government to make it "the most powerful conventional army in Europe". Advertisement Rearmament had already begun under the previous government of Olaf Scholz after Russia launched its war in Ukraine. And US President Donald Trump has raised the temperature further this year by pushing NATO members to increase their defence spending to five percent of GDP from the current level of two percent. Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said on Thursday that 50,000 to 60,000 new soldiers would be needed in the coming years to meet the increased defence needs of NATO. Last year, the army had more than 180,000 soldiers and set a goal of exceeding 203,000 by 2031.
DW
2 hours ago
- DW
Spiderweb: Ukraine's undercover operations in Russia – DW – 06/07/2025
While Russia pounds Ukraine from the air, Ukrainian agents are striking targets far behind enemy lines. What's the story behind Ukraine's attacks inside Russia? In recent days, explosions on various railway tracks in the Russian regions of Belgorod and Voronezh derailed trains. According to official information, no one was injured, but the Russian authorities are investigating suspected terrorism. The explosions came amid a spate of acts of sabotage in Russia that made headlines around the world and are suspected to be the result of Ukrainian intelligence activities. Ukraine takes aim at critical targets Russian railroads transport ammunition and fuel for the army and have already been the target of several acts of sabotage by the two Ukrainian secret services, commonly known by the abbreviations SBU and HUR. On November 30, 2023, SBU agents blew up a train loaded with fuel in a tunnel on the Baikal-Amur Mainline. The fire disrupted the most important supply route in the eastern regions of the Russian Federation for a number of days. On June 1, 2025, railroad bridges collapsed in the Russian regions of Bryansk and Kursk at almost the same time, derailing trains and killing seven passengers. The Russian authorities once again started a terrorism investigation and accused the Ukrainian secret services of carrying out the attack. Attacks on the Crimean bridge The bridge between the Russian mainland to the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea, annexed by Russia in 2014 and opened in 2018, is a central element of Russian propaganda and one of the most important logistical arteries for supplying Russian troops. The SBU has already organized three high-profile attacks on the bridge, repeatedly exposing weaknesses in Russia's defences. On the morning of October 8, 2022, a truck loaded with explosives originating from the Russian region of Krasnodar exploded on the two-part structure. Parts of the car bridge collapsed over a length of more than 100 meters. In addition, eight diesel tanks on the railroad tracks next to it caught fire. "The operation was planned for six months and the explosives were transported by fake companies via Georgia, Armenia and Kazakhstan in order to evade Russian control," explained SBU chief Vasyl Malyuk at the time. Fuel tanks burn on the Kerch bridge in October 2022 Image: AFP/Getty Images For 22 days, traffic on the bridge was at a standstill, which led to a shortage of fuel and ammunition in Crimea and forced the Russian army to divert its supplies via the occupied territories of the Zaporizhzhya region. Ukraine continued its attacks the following year. Moscow was forced to reinforce the defense of the Crimean bridge with anti-aircraft systems. But another attack followed shortly afterwards: two drone boats exploded near bridge piers. Russia had to restrict traffic for a month. The attack marked the beginning of a wave of drone attacks that limited Russia's dominance in the Black Sea. In December 2024, the SBU attacked a ship transporting construction materials for bridge repairs. Two drones hit the ship directly in the Kerch Strait, destroying the cargo and injuring 15 crew members, according to Russian sources. As a result, Russia had to step up its patrols there. Less than six months later, on June 3, 2025, the SBU placed underwater mines on pillars of the Crimean bridge and detonated them from a distance. Kyiv reported that agents had mined the pillars, but Russian media denied reports of serious damage. Traffic across the bridge was temporarily interrupted. Targeting airfields Russia's strategic air forces have played an important role in the missile attacks pounding Ukraine from the very first day of the war. As a result, airfields emerged early on as a top priority target for the SBU and HUR. In a photo distributed by the SBU, its chief Vasyl Malyuk plans Operation 'Spider Web' Image: Ukrainischer Sicherheitsdienst/AP/picture alliance The first significant operation was when FPV drones damaged a radar aircraft stationed at an airfield in Belarus. It had to be repaired at great expense. Kyiv initially denied involvement, but in March 2024 Vasyl Malyuk admitted that two Ukrainian drones had been involved. In August of the same year, the HUR attacked the Soltsi airfield in the Novgorod region deep in the Russian hinterland. At least one bomber was damaged and there were also casualties on the Ukrainian side. According to the HUR, its reconnaissance unit was ambushed while returning to Ukrainian-controlled territory and a lieutenant colonel died. The most spectacular plot to date took place on June 1, 2025. Entire swarms of drones, 117 in total, simultaneously attacked four airfields in different parts of Russia. Ordinary trucks, whose drivers knew nothing about the secret cargo, brought them close to the bases. According to the SBU, 41 aircraft were destroyed during Operation Spider Web, including 34 percent of Russian cruise missile carriers. According to NATO, over 40 aircraft were damaged, 10 to 13 of which were completely destroyed. Russian sources reported fewer losses. Ukrainian drones damage more than Russian aircraft To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Drones instead of missiles In July 2023, the SBU attacked the city of Moscow. Two drones built from light aircraft hit buildings. No significant damage was caused but panic ensued in the Russian capital. According to Reuters, air defenses were ineffective against small drones, prompting security measures in Moscow to be tightened. Following this strike, drone attacks became commonplace and records were repeatedly set for range. In April 2024, for example, a HUR drone flew 1,200 kilometers to Nizhnekamsk in the Republic of Tatarstan, where it set fire to an oil refinery and brought production to a partial standstill. In June of that year, SBU drones attacked "Voronezh" radar stations in the Orenburg region, which were part of the early warning system for missile attacks following a flight of around 1,800 kilometers. High-ranking targets The SBU and the HUR also targeted and assassinated suspected collaborators, Russian officers or engineers involved in missile attacks on civilian targets. The first attack by Ukrainian drones on Moscow caused little damage — but shocked city dwellers Image: Lev Sergeev/REUTERS It is known that the SBU killed the commander of the Russian forces for defense against radiological, chemical and biological threats, Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, and one of his associates in Moscow in December 2024. Kirillov was accused of war crimes, including attacks with chemical weapons on Ukrainian defense forces. Earlier this year, Ukrainian agents in Moscow shot and killed Mikhail Shatsky, the deputy head of the Mars Design Bureau, which was responsible for the modernization of missiles and the development of new drones. The operation was confirmed by Ukrainian military intelligence, but without providing any details. This article was translated from German.
DW
3 hours ago
- DW
German minister to ask EU court to rule on migrant turnbacks – DW – 06/07/2025
Skip next section Welcome to our Germany coverage Guten Tag! DW is bringing you updates from across Germany, where Trump's tariffs, migrant turnbacks and a former operetta in Dresden are making headlines. After Chancellor Friedrich Merz met US President Donald Trump at the White House, German businesses are hopeful of a breakthrough in trade talks with the United States. Following a Berlin Administrative Court ruling that the government's policy of turning away migrants at the border was illegal, Germany's interior minister has vowed to go to the European Court of Justice. Also, the roof of the former state operetta building in Dresden, eastern Germany, is at risk of collapse after a major fire. We'll have the latest headlines, analyses, multimedia content, and DW on-the-ground reporting on everything to do with Germany.
