Volodymyr Zelensky announces shake-up of Ukraine's military commanders
Volodymyr Zelensky announced a shake-up of Ukraine's military yesterday, including the appointment to a new post of a commander who tendered his resignation over a deadly Russian attack.
The Ukrainian president, speaking in his nightly video address after a meeting of top commanders, said the reshuffle sought to ensure that the military remained focused on combat more than three years after Russia's invasion of its smaller neighbour.
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RTÉ News
3 hours ago
- RTÉ News
Merz tells Trump he wants 'more pressure' on Russia
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has urged US President Donald Trump to put more pressure on Russia to bring an end to its three-year-old war against Ukraine. "You know that we gave support to Ukraine and that we are looking for more pressure on Russia," Mr Merz told President Trump at the start of their White House meeting. Mr Trump described Mr Merz as a good representative of Germany and also "difficult," which he suggested was a compliment. He said US troops would remain in Germany and said it was positive that the German government was spending more money on defence. Mr Merz said he was pleased to be there and preparing for a deeper relationship with the United States. The two leaders met in the Oval Office, which has been the site of showdowns between President Trump and visiting dignitaries including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. However, President Trump and Mr Merz, both conservatives, appeared to have a warm rapport from the start. Mr Merz started with praise, thanking President Trump for putting him up in the Blair House, a presidential guest dwelling across from the White House, and he thanked him for doing so. However, tensions over trade simmered under the surface of their encounter. The United States and the European Union are in talks to reach a trade deal, which would be critical for Germany's export-heavy economy, but Mr Trump said he would be fine with an agreement or with tariffs. "We'll end up hopefully with a trade deal," he said. "I'm ok with the tariffs or we make a deal with the trade," Mr Trump Mr Merz, who took office last month, told reporters ahead of the meeting that they would discuss Russia's war in Ukraine, US tariffs and NATO in the meeting but said he was not expecting major breakthroughs. Germany is the second-largest military and financial backer of Ukraine in its defence against Russia's invasion, after the United States. Mr Trump has urged NATO countries to spend more on defence, though he suggested there might be some limits on how far Berlin should go given its World War II past. The meeting comes amid a broader fraying of ties between the US and many European countries. Mr Trump's administration has intervened in domestic European politics in a break with past practice, aligning with right-wing political movements and challenging European policies on immigration and free speech. Mr Merz, 69, and his entourage have sought coaching from other leaders on how to deal with President Trump to avoid conflict, according to a source briefed on the matter. The meeting is taking place just weeks before a critical summit of the NATO Western military alliance, which has been strained by Mr Trump's threats that the US will not come to the aid of allies that do not increase their defence spending. Such threats are of particular concern to Germany, which has relied on US nuclear deterrence for its security since the end of World War II. Mr Merz has already made some bold policy moves that he can highlight to appease Mr Trump, analysts said. He has backed President Trump's demand for NATO members to commit to a target of more than doubling defence spending to 5% of economic output in the future, earning praise last weekend from US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth. Mr Merz, who has promised a more assertive foreign policy, also coordinated a visit by European leaders to Kyiv just days after taking office, two European diplomat sources said. "This shows that Germany is willing to accept a greater responsibility for Ukraine and the European security order – these are all things that have been wished for in the United States over years and will be welcomed," said Sudha David-Wilp of the German Marshall Fund of the United States. Mr Merz and Mr Trump could find some common ground given they share business backgrounds, membership in right-of-centre political parties, a focus on fighting illegal immigration and a fondness for golf, said Steven Sokol, President and CEO of the American Council on Germany. However, analysts noted frictions in the US-German relationship. Mr Merz was publicly critical of President Trump shortly before the 2024 presidential election.
Irish Examiner
4 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Trump says it might be better to let Ukraine and Russia ‘fight for a while'
President Donald Trump has said that it might be better to let Ukraine and Russia 'fight for a while' before pulling them apart and pursuing peace. In an Oval Office meeting with German chancellor Friedrich Merz, Mr Trump likened the war in Ukraine — which Russia invaded in early 2022 — to a fight between two young children who hated each other. 'Sometimes you're better off letting them a fight for a while and then pulling them apart,' Mr Trump said. He added that he had relayed that analogy to Russian president Vladimir Putin in their phone conversation on Wednesday. The US president still left the threat of sanctions on the table. He said sanctions could be imposed for both Ukraine and Russia. 'When I see the moment where it's not going to stop … we'll be very, very tough,' Mr Trump said.
Irish Daily Star
4 hours ago
- Irish Daily Star
BREAKING: Trump breaks silence on 'disturbed' Musk's electric car plea and black eye
U.S. President Donald Trump and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz held a bilateral meeting on Thursday. The pair discussed several important topics, such as NATO , the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, and trade. Trump, 78, welcomed Merz to the White House at 11:40 a.m. and the pair shook hands before retreating into the West Wing to hold the meeting. During the meeting, Trump was asked about the barrage of attacks made by the former Department of Government Efficiency head. "Well, look, I like Elon and I was very surprised," Trump said. "You saw the words he had for me and he hasn't said anything about me which is bad," Trump added. " I would rather have him criticize me than the bill. Because the bill is incredible." Read More Related Articles Sisters, 9, 8 and 5, found dead on planned father visitation had zip-tied bags over heads Read More Related Articles Liam Neeson opened up about friends who died on hunger strike during the Troubles "It's the biggest cut in the history of our country we've ever cut, Trump added. "It's about 1.6 trillion cuts." The Associated Press reported that the German leader will likely speak in-depth about the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. In a statement Thursday morning, the German Chancellor said that "the meeting has been well prepared on all sides." Merz teased the agenda with Trump by saying,"We will have to talk about NATO — we changed the constitution in Germany so that we can spend the means that need to be spent." He added, "We want to become the strongest conventional army in the European Union." According to Merz, he does not expect to have any major breakthrough with Trump on those key issues. A White House official also stated Trump is likely to raise with Merz include Germany's defense spending, trade, Ukraine and what the official called 'democratic backsliding." The Trump administration has claimed that the countries' shared values, such as freedom of speech, have allegedly deteriorated in Germany and that the country should reverse its course. Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Merz stated that if Trump wanted to talk about German domestic politics, he was willing to do so; however, he also stressed that Germany held back about discussing American domestic policies. For all the latest news straight to your inbox, sign up for our FREE newsletters here .
