Latest news with #German-Russian
DW
25-06-2025
- Politics
- DW
Why does Germany pay taxes for Russian propaganda? – DW – 06/25/2025
The "Russian House" still stands in the heart of Berlin. Critics say it is used to spread propaganda for Putin's Russia. Meanwhile, Germany pays property taxes for the land. The Russian House is centrally located on Friedrichstrasse in the heart of the German capital. As a throwback to a bygone era of friendly German-Russian relations, it is the subject of fierce disagreements and has long been a bone of contention in Berlin. The massive seven-story building covering an area of almost 30,000 square meters was opened in 1984. At that time, back in the days of the East German state, its role was to celebrate friendship with the Soviet Union through concerts, film screenings, and book readings. It even had its own small bookstore. Today's administrators still maintain that it is a place to celebrate the friendship between the two countries: "The Russian House is Russia's cultural embassy in the heart of Berlin," according to the Russian Embassy's website. But quite a few critics say that the events that take place there, which the Russian House estimates attract 200,000 visitors a year, mainly serve as propaganda for Vladimir Putin's Russia. Berlin media outlets have repeatedly reported on events at the in-house cinema where, for example, a Holocaust film was shown in which Ukrainian citizens were portrayed as Nazis. And if Robin Wagener, a member of the Bundestag for the Green Party, is to be believed, the Russian House even sells soap for children in the shape of a tank. Wagener told DW: "It is time we recognized that this is not mutual cultural exchange, but Russian war propaganda in Germany." That's why Wagener thinks it's time to focus on one particularly bizarre detail: the property on Friedrichstrasse belongs to Germany, and yet the building is run by the Russian federal agency "Rossotrudnichestvo." In English, that's the Federal Agency for the Commonwealth of Independent States, Compatriots Living Abroad, and International Humanitarian Cooperation. Rossotrudnichestvo, whose primary purpose is to promote the Russian language abroad, currently has 73 similar institutions in 62 countries worldwide, including the one in Berlin. Since 2022, following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the agency has been on the EU sanctions list. At the time, the EU justified this by stating that the agency's goal was to consolidate "a wider public perception of the occupied Ukrainian territories as Russian." The director and deputy director, the statement added, had clearly expressed their support for Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine. However, as the de facto owner of the property, the German federal government must now pay a whopping €70,000 ($81,193) in property taxes. This stems from a long-standing agreement between Germany and Russia, which recognized each other's cultural work. Wagener wants to ensure that this sum is cut from the upcoming budget negotiations. Wagener first had the idea a year ago, but in the chaotic turmoil of the coalition government between the center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD), the Green Party, and the neoliberal Free Democratic Party (FDP), no budget was agreed upon, which is only now being finalized. Wagener's reasoning for the possible cut: The house has long lost sight of its original purpose, namely to promote mutual cultural exchange: "Russia keeps escalating. And that's making the situation worse. The basis for this mutual cultural agreement was to promote the exchange of culture and science." Wagener approached the new federal government on this matter. The response was somewhat awkward: "With regard to the house located on the property, which is owned by the Russian Federation, the Federal Republic of Germany pays the property tax for the Russian Federation on the basis of its legal obligation under the bilateral German-Russian agreement on property issues relating to cultural institutes of 2013." It made reference, in other words, to an agreement that was reached before the Russian occupation of Crimea. Whether this will lead to the freezing of funds is anything but certain. The German Foreign Office has repeatedly stated that the employees of the institute have diplomatic status in Germany. It is an open secret that the German government is shying away from open conflict over the Russian House because it fears that the Russian government could respond by closing the Goethe Institute in Moscow. Green politician Wagener nevertheless vows to continue campaigning for its closure: "I believe that this Russian cultural center has no future as a cultural mediator. If one wants to seriously engage with Russian culture, which I would very much welcome, then there are already civil society venues run by people who are themselves persecuted in Russia and live here in Germany because they can no longer freely express their culture in Russia." For the time being, however, the Russian House plans to continue hosting events at its located on one of the most famous streets in the German capital, right in the heart of you're here: Every Tuesday, DW editors round up what is happening in German politics and society. You can sign up here for the weekly email newsletter, Berlin Briefing.
DW
25-06-2025
- Politics
- DW
Berlin's 'Russian House' is financed by German taxpayers – DW – 06/25/2025
The "Russian House" still stands in the heart of Berlin. Critics say it is used to spread propaganda for Putin's Russia. Meanwhile, Germany pays property taxes for the land. The Russian House is centrally located on Friedrichstrasse in the heart of the German capital. As a throwback to a bygone era of friendly German-Russian relations, it is the subject of fierce disagreements and has long been a bone of contention in Berlin. The massive seven-story building covering an area of almost 30,000 square meters was opened in 1984. At that time, back in the days of the East German state, its role was to celebrate friendship with the Soviet Union through concerts, film screenings, and book readings. It even had its own small bookstore. Today's administrators still maintain that it is a place to celebrate the friendship between the two countries: "The Russian House is Russia's cultural embassy in the heart of Berlin," according to the Russian Embassy's website. But quite a few critics say that the events that take place there, which the Russian House estimates attract 200,000 visitors a year, mainly serve as propaganda for Vladimir Putin's Russia. Berlin media outlets have repeatedly reported on events at the in-house cinema where, for example, a Holocaust film was shown in which Ukrainian citizens were portrayed as Nazis. And if Robin Wagener, a member of the Bundestag for the Green Party, is to be believed, the Russian House even sells soap for children in the shape of a tank. Wagener told DW: "It is time we recognized that this is not mutual cultural exchange, but Russian war propaganda in Germany." That's why Wagener thinks it's time to focus on one particularly bizarre detail: the property on Friedrichstrasse belongs to Germany, and yet the building is run by the Russian federal agency "Rossotrudnichestvo." In English, that's the Federal Agency for the Commonwealth of Independent States, Compatriots Living Abroad, and International Humanitarian Cooperation. Rossotrudnichestvo, whose primary purpose is to promote the Russian language abroad, currently has 73 similar institutions in 62 countries worldwide, including the one in Berlin. Since 2022, following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the agency has been on the EU sanctions list. At the time, the EU justified this by stating that the agency's goal was to consolidate "a wider public perception of the occupied Ukrainian territories as Russian." The director and deputy director, the statement added, had clearly expressed their support for Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine. However, as the de facto owner of the property, the German federal government must now pay a whopping €70,000 ($81,193) in property taxes. This stems from a long-standing agreement between Germany and Russia, which recognized each other's cultural work. Wagener wants to ensure that this sum is cut from the upcoming budget negotiations. Wagener first had the idea a year ago, but in the chaotic turmoil of the coalition government between the center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD), the Green Party, and the neoliberal Free Democratic Party (FDP), no budget was agreed upon, which is only now being finalized. Wagener's reasoning for the possible cut: The house has long lost sight of its original purpose, namely to promote mutual cultural exchange: "Russia keeps escalating. And that's making the situation worse. The basis for this mutual cultural agreement was to promote the exchange of culture and science." Wagener approached the new federal government on this matter. The response was somewhat awkward: "With regard to the house located on the property, which is owned by the Russian Federation, the Federal Republic of Germany pays the property tax for the Russian Federation on the basis of its legal obligation under the bilateral German-Russian agreement on property issues relating to cultural institutes of 2013." It made reference, in other words, to an agreement that was reached before the Russian occupation of Crimea. Whether this will lead to the freezing of funds is anything but certain. The German Foreign Office has repeatedly stated that the employees of the institute have diplomatic status in Germany. It is an open secret that the German government is shying away from open conflict over the Russian House because it fears that the Russian government could respond by closing the Goethe Institute in Moscow. Green politician Wagener nevertheless vows to continue campaigning for its closure: "I believe that this Russian cultural center has no future as a cultural mediator. If one wants to seriously engage with Russian culture, which I would very much welcome, then there are already civil society venues run by people who are themselves persecuted in Russia and live here in Germany because they can no longer freely express their culture in Russia." For the time being, however, the Russian House plans to continue hosting events at its located on one of the most famous streets in the German capital, right in the heart of you're here: Every Tuesday, DW editors round up what is happening in German politics and society. You can sign up here for the weekly email newsletter, Berlin Briefing.
DW
19-06-2025
- Politics
- DW
Germany updates: Putin ready to talk with Germany's Merz – DW – 06/19/2025
Skip next section Putin warns Germany over Ukraine missiles, open to Merz talks 06/19/2025 June 19, 2025 Putin warns Germany over Ukraine missiles, open to Merz talks Russian President Vladimir Putin says he's open to speaking with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, but has issued a stark warning over potential weapons deliveries to Ukraine. Speaking to senior news agency editors, Putin said, "we are always open to this." However, the Russian leader warned of "very serious damage" to German-Russian relations if Berlin decides to send Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine. Ahead of his election earlier this year, Merz expressed support for supplying Ukraine with Taurus long-range missiles, provided such action is coordinated with European allies. The Taurus missiles would allow Ukraine to hit targets deep inside Russian territory. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said earlier this month that Germany is not considering delivering Taurus missiles. Putin also said he did not consider Germany a neutral mediator when it came to the war in Ukraine. "We consider the Federal Republic, just like many other European countries, not a neutral state, but as a party supporting Ukraine, and in some cases, perhaps, as accomplices in these hostilities," Putin said. Is Germany's Merz backtracking on his support for Ukraine? To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Trump threatens to impose sanctions on Ukraine
Donald Trump has threatened to impose sanctions on Ukraine as well as Russia if the two sides fail to reach a peace agreement. In an Oval Office meeting with Friedrich Merz, the German chancellor, Mr Trump likened the war in Ukraine to a fight between two young children in a park. 'Sometimes you're better off letting them fight for a while and then pulling them apart,' Mr Trump said. The president added that he had relayed that analogy to Vladimir Putin in their phone conversation on Wednesday. Mr Trump also still left the threat of sanctions on the table, saying they could be applied to both sides. 'We're going to be very tough, whether it's Russia or anybody else, we're going to be very tough, that's a bloodbath that's going on over there.' 'There's some bad blood between the two. I have to deal with it and the chancellor has to deal with it, it's incredible [as] … there's a great hatred between those two, between those two men, but between the warring parties, great hatred.' Asked if he would continue supporting Ukraine, he responded: 'Yeah...I'm with Ukraine.' Mr Merz later emphasised that Germany 'was on the side of Ukraine' and that Kyiv was only attacking military targets, not Russian civilians. 'We are trying to get them stronger,' Mr Merz said of Ukraine. The president then insisted he was 'not friends' with Putin and pointed to his opposition to the German-Russian Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which was championed by Angela Merkel. 'I used to go with Angela and say, 'Well, wait a minute, we're spending all this money to defend you against Russia, and then you're giving Russia billions of dollars a month. What kind of a deal is that?' he said. Thanks for following our live coverage of Friedrich Merz's Oval Office meeting with Donald Trump. Mr Merz started the meeting by providing Mr Trump with the birth certificate of the US president's grandfather, Frederick Trump The meeting quickly moved on to Elon Musk, who has been vociferous in his criticism of Mr Trump's so-called 'big, beautiful' tax and spending bill Mr Trump said he was 'very disappointed' by Mr Musk's criticism and said he was only upset because it removed an incentive for Americans to buy electric vehicles Ukraine also dominated the agenda, with Mr Trump likening Moscow and Kyiv to 'two children fighting in the park' Mr Trump also threatened to impose sanctions on both Russia and Ukraine Slumped in his chair with his legs crossed, Friedrich Merz looked remarkably comfortable in the Oval Office. And it's really no surprise. He faced just a handful of questions about trade and defence and avoided confrontations about the far-right AfD. His most passionate response came during a defence of Ukraine. Moving towards the edge of his seat with his elbows on his knees, he said nations have a 'duty' to end the war. 'I think we having the duty to do something on that now, to stop it after three and a half years, which is really terrible. 'Look at the kids, the kids which were kidnapped from Ukraine to Russia.' Mr Trump insists he is 'not friends' with Putin and points to his opposition to the German-Russian Nord Stream 2 pipeline, backed by Mrs Merkel, as proof. 'I used to go with Angela and say, 'Well, wait a minute, we're spending all this money to defend you against Russia, and then you're giving Russia billions of dollars a month. What kind of a deal is that?' 'The biggest pipeline in the world. Got to go all over Europe, not only to Germany, you know, but then they were branching off all over the Europe. Nobody ever heard of it. Not one person of you heard of it. And I stopped it. It was dead. And then they say, I'm friends with Putin. I got along with him. He respected me. I respected him.' He then accused Biden of approving Nord Stream 2 in almost the first week he came in. In fact, the US could only exert political pressure to stop the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. The EU was also largely opposed to it but the project went ahead. Olaf Scholz pulled the plug when Putin invaded Ukraine. The Oval Office meeting, expected to be the subject of trade and tariffs, has been consumed by questions about Elon Musk. 'He said the most beautiful things about me. He hasn't said bad things about me, personally, but I'm sure that'll be next,' Donald Trump said. It is the first time the US president has addressed the rift with his former doge chief since Mr Musk launched a blistering attack on his big beautiful spending bill. Mr Trump appears to be refraining from launching a trademark attack of his own. But in the background, Mr Musk's outbursts have been dismissed as a case of 'sour grapes' after he was rebuffed from extending his time in the White House. Elon Musk now appears to have hit back at Donald Trump's criticism in a post on X. The US president just said Mr Musk only opposed his tax and spending bill because it removes a $7,500 tax incentive for electric vehicle (EV) buyers. Mr Musk tweeted: 'Whatever. 'Keep the EV/solar incentive cuts in the bill, even though no oil & gas subsidies are touched (very unfair!!), but ditch the MOUNTAIN of DISGUSTING PORK in the bill. 'In the entire history of civilisation, there has never been legislation that both big and beautiful. Everyone knows this! 'Either you get a big and ugly bill or a slim and beautiful bill. 'Slim and beautiful is the way.' Mr Musk later claimed it was 'false' to suggest that he had ever read the bill. Mr Merz takes a risk and urges Donald Trump to put pressure on Russia and end the war in Ukraine, in this the 80th year since D-Day. He said: 'Mr. President, this was the liberation of my country from Nazi dictatorship. We know what we owe you, but this is the reason why I'm saying that America is again in a very strong position to do something on this war, and ending this war. 'So let's talk about what we can do jointly and we are ready to do what we can and you know that we gave support to Ukraine, and that we are looking for more pressure on Russia. The European Union did, and we should talk about that.' 'We will talk about it,' Mr Trump said, 'It's good timing.' But later the President returns to the theme of sanctions, likening Russia and Ukraine to two fighting children. He vows he will be 'very very tough' when he sees the moment the fighting is not going to stop on both Moscow and Kyiv. 'It's in my brain the deadline,' he said, 'We'll be very, very, very tough. And it could be on both countries to be honest. You know, it takes two to tango, but we're going to be very tough, whether it's Russia or anybody else. We're going to be very tough.' Donald Trump has wasted no time in taking a swipe at former German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who led Friedrich Merz's CDU for 16 years. He was asked about his travel ban and said: 'Frankly, we want to keep bad people out of our country. The Biden administration allowed some horrendous people, and we're getting them out one by one, and we're not stopping until we get them out. 'We have 1000s of murderers. I hate to I even hate to say this in front of the chancellor, because you have a little problem too with some of the people that were allowed in this country. It's not your fault. It's not your fault. It shouldn't have happened. 'I told her it shouldn't have happened, what you did. But you have, you have your own difficulty with that, and we do, and we're moving them out, and we're moving them out very strongly, but it can't come fast enough.' The key thing here is that Mr Trump recognises that Mr Merz and Ms Merkel were rivals. She sidelined him during her 16 years in power - leading him to leave politics for the world of business before his return. Donald Trump has addressed Elon Musk's criticism of the president's 'big, beautiful' bill, the most significant legislation of the US president's second term so far. Mr Musk, who left the White House last week, launched a blistering attack on the bill in recent days, labelling it the 'Debt Slavery Bill'. Speaking from the Oval Office alongside Mr Merz, Mr Trump said he had a 'great relationship' with Mr Musk but said 'I don't know if we will any more'. Mr Trump went on to say he was 'surprised' by Mr Musk's criticism after he was given a 'wonderful send off' at the White House last week. The US president continued: 'I'm very disappointed because Elon knew the inner workings of this only developed a problem when we knew we were going to cut the electric vehicle mandate.' 'I'm very disappointed in Elon, I've helped him a lot.' Credit: Reuters Donald Trump has assured visiting Friedrich Merz that the two countries will have strong ties. 'We're going to have a great relationship with your country,' Mr Trump told Mr Merz at the beginning of the German leader's White House visit. Shortly after entering the Oval Office, Mr Merz presented Mr Trump with the birth certificate of the US president's grandfather, Frederick Trump. Donald Trump and Friedrich Merz are now sat side-by-side in the Oval Office. Mr Trump opened by thanking the German chancellor for visiting the White House, before going on to describe the war in Ukraine as 'so sad'. Asked if he would put more pressure on Putin, Mr Trump said: 'I ended Nord Stream 2, nobody else did, and then Biden came in and immediately approved it. 'That's the largest, essentially the largest pipeline in the world going to Germany and other countries.' Friedrich Merz has arrived at the White House, where he was greeted by Donald Trump. The two leaders shared a warm handshake before heading inside, not before Mr Trump was asked about his phone call with Chinese premier Xi Jinping. 'It went very well thank you,' the US president shouted at the pack of reporters outside the White House. Donald Trump has agreed to visit China after a 'very positive' phone call with Chinese premier Xi Jinping, signalling progress in their bitter dispute over tariffs. Moments before his meeting with Mr Merz, the US president wrote on Truth Social: 'I just concluded a very good phone call with President Xi, of China, discussing some of the intricacies of our recently made, and agreed to, Trade Deal. 'The call lasted approximately one and a half hours, and resulted in a very positive conclusion for both Countries.' You can read more about Mr Trump's phone call with Xi here. The first White House ambush of Donald Trump's second term came at the end of February when Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, visited Washington. The meeting got off to a good start from Ukraine's point of view but quickly descended into chaos when JD Vance confronted the Ukrainian president and accused him of being 'disrespectful'. Mr Vance accused Mr Zelensky of taking foreign leaders on 'propaganda tours' of Ukraine before Mr Trump jumped in and said Mr Zelensky did not 'hold the cards'. The meeting ended without the two sides signing the much-hyped minerals deal and Mr Zelensky was asked to leave the White House early. Last month, Mr Trump ambushed Cyril Ramaphosa during their Oval Office meeting with footage he said showed white South Africans being persecuted. In an extraordinary confrontation, the US president ordered staffers to dim the lights and play a video showcasing what he called a genocide of white farmers in the country. Turning to Mr Ramaphosa, the South African president, Mr Trump said people 'were fleeing' while demanding an 'explanation' for what he said was a 'very sad situation'. The US president and Chancellor Friedrich Merz have spoken several times by phone, either bilaterally or with other European leaders, since Merz took office on May 6. German officials say the pair have started to build a 'decent' relationship, with Mr Merz wanting to avoid the antagonism that defined Trump's relationship with one of his predecessors, Angela Merkel, during the president's first term. Mr Merz arrives at the oval office with an extensive business background - something that could curry favour with the president. No other European leader has criticised Donald Trump as fiercely as Friedrich Merz, Germany's new chancellor. On Thursday, the two will come face to face in Washington in what is the biggest test of Mr Merz's tenure so far. It means entering the gladiatorial arena of the Oval Office and enduring the impromptu press conferences now dreaded by visiting leaders the world over. Mr Trump has already ambushed Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky, South Africa's Cyril Ramaphosa and Jordan's King Abdullah II in front of the cameras. But Mr Merz is no pushover. 'When he comes into the room, everyone goes quiet, like when the schoolteacher comes in,' a source from his centre-Right Christian Democrats (CDU) said. Friedrich Merz has said he is looking forward to meeting Donald Trump for the first time in person as Germany's new chancellor. The 69-year-old conservative won a parliament vote to become Germany's chancellor last month after winning a federal election in February. Speaking to reporters, Mr Merz said: 'I am looking forward to the visit. We are well-prepared. NATO will be a major topic, as will trade and Ukraine. When we talk about German domestic politics (AFD), I will use clear words'.'The Chancellery will intensify bilateral talks'. Hello and welcome to our live coverage as Friedrich Merz, the German chancellor, prepares to meet Donald Trump in the White House. We'll bring you the latest as it happens.
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Three people charged in Germany over spying for Russian intelligence
German prosecutors filed charges on Wednesday against three people accused of spying for a Russian intelligence service. The trio allegedly spied on a former soldier for Ukraine in Germany, with the potential intention of killing him. The charges were filed by the Federal Public Prosecutor's Office at the Frankfurt Higher Regional Court. Germany has detained several people accused of acting on behalf of Russian intelligence in recent months. Last week, three German-Russian men went on trial in Munich, accused of plotting acts of sabotage on military infrastructure and railway lines.
