Stuck between Trump and Putin: Can Merz lead? – DW – 05/22/2025
05/22/2025
May 22, 2025
How did Germany's newly elected chancellor debut as a peacemaker in Europe after his visit to Kyiv alongside fellow European leaders? Can he lead while caught between the U.S. and Russian presidents? DW's Chief Political Editor Michaela Küfner discusses Merz's first steps as Germany's new chancellor on the European stage with Andreas Rinke from Reuters and Aylin Mantle from DGAP.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
DW
2 hours ago
- DW
Kenya: Gen Z questions Ruto's new jobs initiative – DW – 06/06/2025
Kenyan President William Ruto's new youth employment plan promises jobs to 800,000 young Kenyans. But amid economic strain and past unfulfilled pledges, many remain unconvinced. Kenyan President William Ruto announced an ambitious initiative to tackle Kenya's youth unemployment issue earlier this week. The program, dubbed the National Youth Opportunities Towards Advancement (NYOTA), which aims to target over 800,000 young Kenyans, has sparked skepticism among Generation Z — the term generally used to describe people born during the late 1990s and early 2000s. Many Gen Zers in Kenya question the feasibility of to tackle youth unemployment amid budget constraints and a track record of unfulfilled pledges. According to the Kenyan leader, the NYOTA project is a 20 billion Kenyan shillings ($154.8 million/€135.5 million) partnership with the World Bank aimed at supporting young Kenyans between 18 and 29 — and up to 35 for people with disabilities. "In recognition of the immense potential of our young people, their critical role in the economy, and their capacity for creativity and innovation, the Government of Kenya has partnered with the World Bank to roll out the 20 billion National Youth Opportunity towards Advancement Project," said Ruto, noting that the initial 100,000 jobs will start as soon as next week. "We have committed 5 billion Kenyan shillings in grants to support 100,000 young people. We are not just offering a paycheck for today, we are providing financial relief and a bridge to future opportunities," Ruto added. But even as the president framed the plan as a generational investment, many young Kenyans dismissed it as political posturing. 'We don't trust him anymore' Young Kenyans are often seen as tech-savvy "keyboard warriors" who have increasingly asserted themselves as a politically conscious group pushing for transparency, accountability and good governance. Is Gen Z lazy, or are they onto something? To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Risper Waithera, a university student in Nairobi, described the plan as unrealistic. "According to the current budget constraints that the government is undergoing, I don't think it's actually realistic to think that he can employ 800,000 youths in Kenya right now," she told DW. Last year, Gen Z protesters demanded better governance from Ruto, who dismissed nearly his entire cabinet in response to the demonstrations. For Lucy Njeri, the issue is one of broken trust: "The degree [to which] Gen Z trusts whatever the president is saying is very low. That is because he has promised a lot in the past, and there's been little to zero implementation of the promises before," she said. Expert doubts funding and sustainability The plan's financial foundation has also come under scrutiny. Alexander Riithi, head of programs at the Institute for Social Accountability, warned that the budget lacks clarity and fails to outline how the funds will be managed or distributed. "Given the many promises the president has issued in the past, people are a bit skeptical... We have not seen any allocation in the budget for this particular program," he told DW. "If you look at even the pay that is suggested, 500 shillings [about $3.87] a day for the workers and 580 shillings [around $4.50] for supervisors, this is even lower than what people in the construction industry get," he said. Riithi also highlighted what he called a contradiction in the president's approach. "This is the same thing that the president used against the Kazi Mtaani program of former President Uhuru Kenyatta. He said you cannot have educated people going to slash grass." Kazi Mtaani was a public works program launched by Ruto's predecessor to provide short-term employment to young people through tasks such as street cleaning, garbage collection and landscaping. Patricia Rodrigues, associate director at Control Risks, an international political risk consultancy, told DW that the skepticism around the plan is rooted in Ruto's strained relationship with young voters. "The president has not had the best track record or reputation with young people in Kenya. While he came to power promising a lot of things, some of those promises have not been necessarily met," she said. "These programs cost money, and the Kenyan government does not necessarily have the finances available to do everything that it had intended." Gen Z: From street protests to disillusionment The NYOTA project comes months after a wave of youth-led demonstrations mobilized by mainly Gen Zers compelled the government to respond to growing public discontent over proposed tax increases, rising unemployment and allegations of police brutality. The protests — which were largely organized through social media platforms — drew thousands to the streets and forced several policy reversals, including the withdrawal of controversial finance bill provisions. Daniel Kimani, another young Kenyan who spoke to DW, expressed doubt about the government's ability to deliver on its pledge. "The promises that were given about employing 800,000 youths, I don't think that's possible with our government. Over the past years, we've already seen that no one has been employed," he said. Ruto's strained relationship with young voters "The government only listens to us when we go to the streets. But not unless we do that, they can't listen to us, and that's not going in the right direction." Lillies Aoko, a freelance content creator who has been actively engaging in online advocacy around youth issues, echoed that sentiment, saying that many young people feel ignored — despite repeatedly voicing their frustrations through social media and peaceful protests. "Do you think they are listening to our concerns? They are not. We've cried [out about] most of the things. But the government is not listening at all," she told DW. Global image, domestic tension While the World Bank-backed project adds credibility on paper, critics say it does little to resolve the trust deficit between the government and Kenya's digitally mobilized youth. Rodrigues warned that "when you unveil a new program, this naturally does come with a lot of skepticism about whether or not it will actually make a tangible difference in the lives of especially unemployed young people." For Ruto, the initiative may be an attempt to reconnect with the demographic that was pivotal in challenging his administration's policies online and on the streets. With the 2027 general election on the horizon, appealing to young voters, who make up the majority of Kenya's population, could be a strategic move to rebuild trust and regain political ground. A Gen Z lifestyle in Amsterdam To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Edited by: Keith Walker
DW
2 hours ago
- DW
Ukraine: 'Decisive' pressure needed after Russia pounds Kyiv – DW – 06/06/2025
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called those not pressuring Russia to end its war "complicit and responsible" for lives lost after Russian bombs hit Kyiv. The call came after Russia launched hundreds of overnight strikes. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday called for allies to increase pressure on Russia to end its war of aggression after Moscow launched more than 400 drones and 40 missiles at targets in Ukraine overnight, killing at least four people and wounding 20 more. Three of those killed in the attack were emergency responders helping victims in the city, with the Interior Ministry saying, "they were working under fire to help people." "If someone does not put pressure and gives the war more time to take lives, they are complicit and responsible," Zelenskyy wrote in a social media post, adding, "we need to act decisively." Separately, the Ukrainian president said Russia's leaders are, "obsessed with war, consumed by hatred and the desire to destroy the lives of other nations." Zelenskyy said such people could only be defeated with force, "the force of diplomacy, sanctions, weapons and technology." On Friday, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko confirmed the attack on the capital and said at least six other regions had been targeted in what was one of Russia's largest coordinated attacks in the three-year war. Klitschko cited Ukrainian air force intelligence that counted 407 drones and 4 missiles launched at the country overnight. An air force spokesman said roughly 30 of the missiles and more than 200 of the drones had been shot down. Russia's Defense Ministry said the attacks was in response to what it called Ukrainian "terrorist acts" against Russia. 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 Trump shifts from 'I'll end it on day one' to 'let 'em fight for a while' The United Nations estimates that more than 12,000 civilians have been killed since Russia launched its war of aggression against neighboring Ukraine on February 24, 2022. Dmytro Lubinets, Ukraine's commissioner for human rights, said "Russia is acting like a terrorist, systematically targeting civilian infrastructure." He, too, called for a tough international response. Ukraine has offered a 30-day unconditional ceasefire as an attempt to end the war but Russia has continuously rejected such overtures. On Thursday, US President Donald Trump — who has repeatedly boasted that he could easily end the war but has utterly failed to do so — changed course from his calls to immediately end the conflict, instead suggesting it, "might be better to let them fight for a while" before Zelenskyy sits down with Russian President Vladimir Putin to negotiate a peace agreement. Trump said that with children, "sometimes you're better off letting them fight for a while and then pulling them apart," adding that he relayed the analogy to Putin in a call this week. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Trump had the right to his own opinion, but that the conflict for Russia was an "existential matter." "For us it is an existential issue, an issue on our national interest, safety, on our future and the future of our children, of our country," Peskov told reporters when asked about Trump's comments. Edited by: Louis Oelofse
Local Germany
2 hours ago
- Local Germany
German Chancellor suggests immigrants have 'imported antisemitism'
Following his first meeting as German Chancellor with US President Donald Trump in Washington on Thursday, Friedrich Merz gave a televised interview with US right-wing outlet Fox News in which his use of a controversial phrase raised eyebrows in Germany. Citing a report by Germany's Federal Association of Research and Information Centres on Antisemitism (RIAS) – which found an increase in antisemitic incidents in Germany in 2024 – the interviewer asked the chancellor what he was doing to address the issue. 'We are doing everything we can to bring these numbers down," Merz told Fox News. "We are prosecuting those who break the law, and frankly, we have a sort of imported antisemitism with this big number of migrants that we have within the last ten years.' Merz's reply appeared to put blame for increasing antisemitism on migrants who have arrived in the country during the last ten years. In particular, the phrase "imported antisemitism" has been highlighted as problematic by an independent German organisation that keeps track of words and phrases linked with xenophobia. 'Ugliest word of the year' Controversial in Germany, the phrase 'imported antisemitism' ( importierter Antisemitismus) received press coverage earlier this year when it was nominated as Germany's Unwort des Jahres -- in other words the ugliest word of the year for 2024. Every year, Unwort des Jahres – an independent, voluntary organisation – attempts to draw attention to the most discriminatory and malicious phrases which have sprung up or gained popularity in Germany. A jury of experts including journalists, linguists and rotating guests assesses thousands of public submissions -- this year there were 3,172 submissions nominating 655 different phrases, of which 80 were accepted by the jury. Germany's official Unwort des Jahres 2024 was Biodeutsch . READ ALSO: Biodeutsch - Why this is Germany's ugliest word of the year However, publicist and political scientist, Saba-Nur Cheema, and Director of the Anne Frank Educational Centre, Meron Mendel, chose 'imported antisemitism' as their personal Unwort des Jahres for 2024. According to the jury, the expression is used to suggest that hatred of Jews has become a problem in Germany due to the influx of migrants. The term is used primarily in right-wing circles to discriminate against Muslims and people with a migration background 'and to distract from their own antisemitism'. Advertisement Of 8,627 cases of antisemitism recorded in the RIAS report for 2024, 5,857 cases were classified as 'Israel-related antisemitism,' more than twice as many as in the previous year. RIAS defines 'Israel-related antisemitism,' as Jews in Germany being held responsible for actions of the Israeli government, the state of Israel being demonized, and its right to exist being denied (among other criteria). The report also recorded 544 individual incidents with a right-wing extremist background, the highest number since the nationwide comparison began in 2020. President Trump repeatedly criticised former chancellor Angela Merkel for her decision to welcome a large number of Syrian refugees in 2015 during his televised meeting with Merz on Thursday, a policy which Merz has also previously criticised.
