Germany says Israel 'increasingly in the minority' on Palestine issue
Germany is one of Israel's staunchest diplomatic allies but Wadephul noted that "in view of the open threats of annexation by some in the Israeli government, a growing number of European countries are ready to recognise a state of Palestine without previous negotiations".
Last week more than 70 Israeli lawmakers, including some in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing coalition, passed a motion urging the government to impose sovereignty over the occupied West Bank.
Wadephul repeated Berlin's position that "the recognition of a Palestinian state should come at the end of the process" of negotiations.
He did however sharpen his tone slightly by insisting that "this process must begin now" and that "Germany will also be forced to react to unilateral moves".
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On Gaza, whose two-million-plus inhabitants now face an unfolding famine, Wadephul demanded that Israel enable more aid into the territory "immediately, comprehensively and in a lasting way" to alleviate the "dramatic" situation there.
He said that airlifts -- which Germany will take part in in coming days -- were one way of delivering aid but that they "cannot replace" deliveries by land.
"Only overland can aid reach the population in the necessary quantities," he said, adding that Germany was working to re-establish the land route "urgently".
Wadephul is expected to meet his Israeli counterpart Gideon Saar and President Isaac Herzog on the trip to Israel, as well as Netanyahu.
He will also travel to the West Bank to meet Palestinian Authority president Mahmud Abbas.
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Russia's hybrid war on Moldovan democracy – DW – 08/07/2025
The Republic of Moldova will vote in an important parliamentary election in late September. Although the campaign has yet to start, Russia is already attacking on several fronts. For weeks, police in the Republic of Moldova have been posting alarming notices on their Telegram messaging channel. Authorities have repeatedly warned of "fake news" on social media sites, called on citizens not to take "election bribes" and released reports on the arrest of paid demonstrators. Most recently, Moldova's police posted a video explaining to voters how Russia is currently buying masses of votes through an app named "Taito." Moldovan President Maia Sandu described what is going on in her tiny country, sandwiched between southwestern Ukraine and northeastern Romania, after attending a Supreme Security Council meeting last week by pointing to the "unprecedented" example of Russia's efforts to "interfere" in the country's upcoming election on September 28 in order to control it again. But why? The result of the vote will determine whether the tiny republic remains a democratic nation on a path to European integration or whether an alliance of pro-Russian parties takes over the government and maneuvers it back into Moscow's orbit. And despite the campaign not having officially begun, events in the country are moving fast. Russia is apparently treating Moldova as a proving ground for various pre-election hybrid attacks. The aim is to relentlessly use acts of sabotage to sow doubt in the country's democratic system to create uncertainty and political chaos. Russia's tools? Paid public protests, massive vote buying in Moldova and among Moldovans abroad, flooding social media with fake news — and, increasingly, misguiding AI-generated content — and hacker attacks on IT systems. Beyond these, Russia has also increased the number of missiles and drones that it flies through Moldova's airspace en route to attacking Ukraine in an effort to create more fear of war among Moldovans. These efforts combined have transformed Moldova's national parliamentary election into a whole-of-Europe affair. Recently, the July 27 arrest of former Moldovan oligarch Vladimir Plahotniuc at the Athens airport in Greece has made for lots of headlines. Moldovan authorities have sought Plahotniuc's arrest on various charges — among others, for his suspected role in Moldova's so-called "Billion Dollar Heist" between 2012 and 2014 — since he fled the country in 2019. Last month, the Latvia-based independent investigative news magazine published a report claiming that Plahotniuc had traveled to Russia and Belarus several times in recent months to meet with Dmitry Kozak, a longtime ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin and currently vice president of Putin's presidential administration. When the name Kozak is uttered, alarm bells in Moldova set off. Kozak was the author of a 2003 plan that would have seen Moldova split up into a loose federation of small states. At the last minute, Moldova's then-president, Vladimir Voronin, refused to sign the so-called "Kozak Memorandum," a slap in the face for the Kremlin that neither Putin nor Kozak will have forgotten. Plahotniuc's meetings with Kozak are reported to have centered on how the oligarch could reactivate the network that he controlled before he fled Moldova, in order to return the country to Russia's fold. Although tiny agrarian Moldova and its roughly 3.5 million citizens are meaningless to Russia economically, it has nevertheless been the target of Russian neo-imperial aggression for three decades. It was in Moldova, in the spring of 1992, that Russia launched its first post-Soviet war against an independent country — under the same pretext it would use repeatedly thereafter, to protect Russian-speaking citizens from a supposedly fascist national government. The Kremlin supports a separatist regime of mafia-like Russian secret agents in Moldova's Transnistria region and has remained in breach of international law by stationing its own soldiers and a massive arms arsenal there. Moscow has also used Moldova's banks to distribute billions of dollars across the globe as part of its "Russian Laundromat" system and constantly threatens the country by shutting down gas deliveries. In mid-2019, Moldova actually made a massive step toward real democratic regime change, which had, until then, been a rocky journey despite never having fallen into the trap of a pro-Russian restoration. Moldova's voters chose the popular anti-corruption activist Maia Sandu to head their government, eventually making her president. Sandu's Action and Solidarity Party (PAS) won an absolute majority in Moldova's 2021 parliamentary election with the promise of enacting ambitious legal and economic reforms, with which it has had middling success. There are a host of reasons keeping Sandu and the PAS from succeeding. Among them are decades of corruption that have emptied national coffers, a mass exodus that has robbed the government of its brightest minds, the fact that the crisis in Transnistria continues to fester, the EU's belated help in securing Moldova's energy independence from Russia, and lastly, decades of non-stop Russian propaganda. One of the most critical narratives being pushed in the latter is that the EU and NATO are actually trying to drag Moldova into the war in Ukraine — that Russia started. Sandu and the PAS' lagging support under Prime Minister Dorin Recean and the effectiveness of Russian interference were on display during last year's presidential election, which was also tied to an EU referendum. Sandu eventually won convincingly in the second-round of voting, but the referendum on EU integration barely passed. Shortly before the vote, authorities in Moldova announced that they had uncovered a network of operatives that had successfully purchased as many as 300,000 votes in the tally. The network behind the vote-buying campaign was run by Ilan Shor, a Moldovan-Israeli businessman. Shor is also rumored to have orchestrated the so-called Billion Dollar Heist before he joined Vladimir Plahotniuc in fleeing the country — first to Israel and then to Russia. Although a number of the political parties that Shor has founded have been banned in Moldova, he continues to exert influence from inside Russia. In preparation for Moldova's September election, Shor founded what he dubbed the "Victory" party alliance in Moscow. Moldova's Central Election Commission (CEC) barred the alliance from the vote in July. In September, observers expect that Putin's "second front," the pro-Russian four-party "Patriotic Bloc" that includes former-President Igor Dodon, will stand for election. Though Dodon is a Socialist in name, his party, in fact, stands for right-wing populist and Kremlin-aligned positions like all three of the other parties in the bloc. Fittingly, the leaders of all four parties traveled to Moscow for consultations before registering for the September parliamentary ballot. At the top of their election platform is the "restoration of relations with Russia." The Kremlin claims it has nothing to do with any of this. When Sandu accused Russia of engaging in massive election interference, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov shrugged it off, saying simply that Russia does not involve itself with the internal affairs of other nations.
Int'l Business Times
9 hours ago
- Int'l Business Times
Lebanon's Hezbollah Rejects Cabinet Decision To Disarm It
Hezbollah said Wednesday that it would treat a Lebanese government decision to disarm the militant group "as if it did not exist", accusing the cabinet of committing a "grave sin". Amid heavy US pressure and fears Israel could expand its strikes on Lebanon, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said Tuesday that the government had tasked the army with developing a plan to restrict weapons to government forces by year end. The plan is to be presented to the government by the end of August for discussion and approval, and another cabinet meeting is scheduled for Thursday to continue the talks, including on a US-proposed timetable for disarmament. Hezbollah said the government had "committed a grave sin by taking the decision to disarm Lebanon of its weapons to resist the Israeli enemy". The decision is unprecedented since Lebanon's civil war factions gave up their weapons three and a half decades ago. "This decision undermines Lebanon's sovereignty and gives Israel a free hand to tamper with its security, geography, politics and future existence... Therefore, we will treat this decision as if it does not exist," the Iran-backed group said in a statement. The government said its decision came as part of implementing a November ceasefire that sought to end more than a year of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, which culminated in two months of full-blown war. Hezbollah said it viewed the government's move as "the result of dictates from US envoy" Tom Barrack. It "fully serves Israel's interests and leaves Lebanon exposed to the Israeli enemy without any deterrence", the group said. Hezbollah was the only faction that kept its weapons after Lebanon's 1975-1990 civil war. It emerged weakened politically and militarily from its latest conflict with Israel, its arsenal pummelled and its senior leadership decimated. Israel has kept up its strikes on Hezbollah and other targets despite the November truce, and has threatened to keep doing so until the group has been disarmed. An Israeli strike on the southern town of Tulin on Wednesday killed one person and wounded another, the health ministry said. Israel also launched a series of air strikes on southern Lebanon, wounding at least two people according to the health ministry. The Israeli military said it struck "weapons storage facilities, a missile launcher and Hezbollah terrorist infrastructure which stored engineering tools that allowed for the re-establishment of terrorist infrastructure in the area". Hezbollah said Israel must halt the attacks before any domestic debate about its weapons and a new defence strategy could begin. "We are open to dialogue, ending the Israeli aggression against Lebanon, liberating its land, releasing prisoners, working to build the state, and rebuilding what was destroyed by the brutal aggression," the group said. Hezbollah is "prepared to discuss a national security strategy", but not under Israeli fire, it added. Two ministers affiliated with Hezbollah and its ally the Amal movement walked out of Tuesday's meeting. Hezbollah described the walkout as "an expression of rejection" of the government's "decision to subject Lebanon to American tutelage and Israeli occupation". The Amal movement, headed by parliament speaker Nabih Berri, accused the government of "rushing to offer more gratuitous concessions" to Israel when it should have sought to end the ongoing attacks. It called Thursday's cabinet meeting "an opportunity for correction". Hezbollah opponent the Lebanese Forces, one of the country's two main Christian parties, said the cabinet's decision to disarm the militant group was "a pivotal moment in Lebanon's modern history -- a long-overdue step toward restoring full state authority and sovereignty". The Free Patriotic Movement, the other major Christian party and a former ally of Hezbollah, said it was in favour of the army receiving the group's weapons "to strengthen Lebanon's defensive power". Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a televised interview that any decision on disarmament "will ultimately rest with Hezbollah itself". "We support it from afar, but we do not intervene in its decisions," he added, noting that the group had "rebuilt itself" following setbacks during its war with Israel.
DW
10 hours ago
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Ukraine updates: Trump to open to meet Putin, Zelenskyy – DW – 08/06/2025
Donald Trump could meet Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy as early as next week. The announcement follows his envoy's talks in Russia that the US president called "highly productive." DW has more. A potential summit of leaders from the United States, Russia and Ukraine could happen as early as next week, according to media reports citing anonymous White House sources. "The Russians expressed their desire to meet with President Trump, and the president is open to meeting with both President Putin and President Zelensky," said White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt. "President Trump wants this brutal war to end." The reports follow talks between Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff and the Russian leader that Trump described as "highly productive."US President Donald Trump could meet in person with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, as early as next week, according to media reports citing anonymous White House sources. The reports follow talks between Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff and the Russian leader that Trump described as "highly productive." CNN, AP and Reuters news agencies were among those reporting on Wednesday evening that Trump told European leaders he plans to meet soon with Putin, potentially as early as next week. Trump would hold a meeting with Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy after the initial meeting with the Russian leader, they said, citing people familiar with the plan. "The Russians expressed their desire to meet with President Trump, and the president is open to meeting with both President Putin and President Zelenskyy," White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said. "President Trump wants this brutal war to end." She didn't specify a date or location for a possible meeting. Last week, Trump set a deadline of "10 or 12 days" for Russia to stop the war in Ukraine or face US sanctions. During the 2024 election campaign, Trump had vowed to bring an end to the war on his first day in office. Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his country supports a "lasting and reliable" peace with Russia, before later adding that Moscow seems "more inclined" to a ceasefire. "The main thing is that they do not deceive us in the details," Zelenskyy said in a nightly address. The Ukrainian leader also commented on the meeting earlier Wednesday between US envoy Steve Witkoff and Russian President Vladimir Putin. "Russia must end the war that it itself started," Zelenskyy posted on his X account, adding that Kyiv will "definitely defend its independence." Zelenskyy said European leaders had also joined his call with US President Donald Trump, without providing names. The White House said on Wednesday that US is still set to impose "secondary sanctions" on Russia's trading partners, despite the "great progress" touted by President Donald Trump after US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Russia President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. Trump had set a Friday deadline for the Kremlin to agree on a ceasefire in Ukraine. Although few details have been released about specifics, the sanctions are widely expected to target Russia's remaining trade partners to further impair Moscow's access to financing. This could include Russia's oil-buying partners like China and India. In June, Trump had threatened 100% tariffs on buyers of Russian oil. The newspaper reported US measures could also target Russia's "shadow fleet" of oil tankers used to circumvent western sanctions on Russian oil, by using often dilapidated tankers with murky ownership. The measures would be the first punitive action towards Moscow from Washington over the war in Ukraine since Trump took office in January. However, Trump has previously set deadlines for Moscow, only to walk them back. Moscow, so far, has shown no sign of backing down. On Tuesday, the Kremlin slammed "threats" to hike tariffs on Russia's trading partners as "illegitimate." To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video US President Donald Trump said that US special envoy Steve Witkoff made "great progress" after his meeting with RussianPresident Vladimir Putinin Moscow on Wednesday. In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the meeting was "highly productive," without providing details of what was discussed. Trump added that he had updated some of the US' European allies after the meeting. According to Trump "everyone agrees" that the war between Ukraine and Russia must end, and that the US will "work towards that" in the coming weeks. Trump had promised to end the war in Ukraine within 24 hours of taking office. However, attempts at negotiating a ceasefire, or even a drawing down of hostilities, have come to nothing. Since Trump took office, Russia has been increasing the frequency of attacks on Ukraine, with near daily bombardments of cities and infrastructure. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Gas reserves in Ukraine are at their lowest in 12 years, analysis firm ExPro said on Wednesday. Storage facilities are currently less than a third full and the revelation comes after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky earlier on Wednesday accused Moscow of deliberately undermining its preparations for winter by striking a gas facility in the Odesa region. It is not yet clear how Wednesday's attack on the the southern region's gas interconnector, which is used to supply US and Azeri gas through Bulgaria and Romania, will affect future gas collection. Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov said the meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US envoy Steve Witkoff lasted around three hours. "A quite useful and constructive conversation took place," Ushakov told journalists. Putin and Witkoff discussed the conflict in Ukraine and the potential for improving US-Russia ties, Ushakov said. He added that Moscow had received certain "signals" from US President Donald Trump and had sent messages in return, without elaborating on details. The meeting comes just days ahead of a deadline set by Trump for Russia agree to a Ukraine peace deal. German politicians are debating whether to slash financial assistance for Ukrainian refugees. How does the country stack up against its EU neighbors when it comes to generosity in helping those fleeing war? Read the full story on aid provided for Ukrainian refugees in Germany and across Europe. Russian drones struck a gas pumping station in southern Ukraine, part of an LNG imports scheme from the United States and Azerbaijan, Kyiv's energy ministry said Wednesday. The ministry said the attack on the site near the Ukraine-Romania border was aimed "purely against civilian infrastructure" and targeting relations with Azerbaijan, the US and European partners. There was no immediate comment from Russia. The Kremlin said Russian President Vladimir Putin is hosting US President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff for talks. The Kremlin did not immediately provide more information regarding the meeting. There had been doubts as to whether the two would meet during Witkoff's visit to Moscow but Russian state media said the meeting was to take place on Wednesday. Donald Trump has put a Friday deadline for Putin to agree to a peace deal with Ukraine or potentially face economic penalties that could also hit countries buying its oil. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Wednesday two people were killed after a Russian attack set ablaze a holiday camp in central Ukraine. Describing it as a "zero military sense" strike, Zelenskyy condemned the "cruelty" of the attack, "aimed at instilling fear." "Right now in the Zaporizhzhia district, our medics and first responders are helping those wounded in a Russian strike on an ordinary recreation center," Zelenskyy posted on X. "Twelve people have been injured. As of now, sadly, two people are confirmed dead." Ukraine's defense minister has expressed gratitude toward the US for approving more than $200 million (€175 million) in deals to supply arms to Ukraine, funded by allies and arising from agreements between the US and Ukrainian presidents. "Grateful to the US for approving over $200M in Foreign Military Sales for Ukraine," Denys Shmyhal posted on X. "The first package includes equipment, repairs, and technical support for M777 howitzers, valued at $104 million. The second package, worth $99.5 million, covers transportation and cargo consolidation and other logistical services." Entirely funded by partner countries, these packages are a boost to Ukraine's defense and regional security," he added. Patience is required over Russian-US relations, the Kremlin said Wednesday. In remarks carried by the Russian TASS state news agency, spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: "There is, of course, inertia in this process," referring to the prolonged absence of a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump. "It takes time for efforts to bring bilateral relations back onto a normal track."To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video US envoy Steve Witkoff arrived in Moscow on Wednesday, state media reported, where he will meet with Russian officials , with President Donald Trump's deadline to impose fresh sanctions over the war in Ukraine just days away. It is unclear whether Witkoff will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Trump has given the Kremlin until Friday to halt its offensive in Ukraine or face further sanctions. The White House has not been specific regarding potential penalties, but Trump has previously threatened to impose "secondary tariffs" targeting Moscow's remaining trade partners, including China and India. Trump said Tuesday that he would await the outcome of Witkoff's visit before moving forward. "We're going to see what happens," he told reporters. "We'll make that determination at that time." After arriving in the Russian capital, Witkoff was met by presidential special representative Kirill Dmitriev, Russian state news agency TASS said. Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he had had a "productive" conversation with his US counterpart, Donald Trump. The Ukrainian president said "the key focus" of their conversation centered around "ending the war." "Many months could have already passed without war, had Russia not been prolonging it," he continued. "Today, we coordinated our positions, Ukraine and the United States. We exchanged assessments of the situation: The Russians have intensified the brutality of their attacks. President Trump is fully informed about Russian strikes on Kyiv and other cities and communities." Zelenskyy said the pair also spoke about sanctions on Russia with Trump's August 8 deadline for Putin to end the war looming large. "Their economy continues to decline, and that's exactly why Moscow is so sensitive to this prospect and President Trump's resolve," Zelenskyy said. Today's spotlight is firmly on Moscow, where US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff is meeting with Russian officials, just days ahead of a deadline set by his boss. President Donald Trump has warned that if Russia fails to agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine by Friday, it will face new sanctions. However, the lack of urgency in Moscow over the past few days suggests Witkoff may leave empty handed. In fact, sources close to the Kremlin say Russian President Vladimir Putin believes he is gaining ground in Ukraine, and that takes precedence over improving relations with the United States. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has used this moment to press his case for tougher sanctions on Moscow in a call with Trump ahead of Witkoff's visit. We'll be covering all these topics in this blog, with a focus on the ongoing war in Ukraine.
