Latest news with #German-Russian
Yahoo
5 days ago
- 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.
Straits Times
28-05-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
Germany charges three with spying on Ukrainian soldier with a view to killing him
(From left) German, Ukrainian and EU flags flying in Berlin ahead of a visit by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on May 28. PHOTO: EPA-EFE Germany charges three with spying on Ukrainian soldier with a view to killing him BERLIN - German prosecutors said May 28 they had charged three people with spying for tailing a former Ukrainian soldier on behalf of Russian intelligence as part of a potential assassination plot. The accused were partially identified by prosecutors as Ukrainian national Robert A, Armenian Vardges I and Russian Arman S, who were arrested in 2024 in Frankfurt. The trio faced charges of 'working for a foreign intelligence service', in a case prosecutors labelled 'particularly serious'. According to investigators, Vardges I received an order from a Russian intelligence service in May 2024 to spy on a man who had 'participated in combat operations for the Ukrainian armed forces' following Russia's 2022 invasion. Subsequently, the Armenian suspect is said to have recruited Robert A and Arman S to support the operation. The suspects planned to lead the Ukrainian target under false pretences to a cafe in the western German city of Frankfurt on June 19, 2024. The three men were at the location on the day to identify the target and 'obtain further information about him'. The target had, however, already contacted German authorities over the suspicious activity and did not appear in the cafe. Instead, the suspects were arrested by police. 'The surveillance operation presumably served as preparation for further intelligence operations in Germany, possibly including the assassination of the target,' prosecutors said. Germany has uncovered numerous cases of suspected espionage and sabotage on its soil since Russia's launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Earlier this month, three German-Russian dual nationals went on trial in Munich accused of spying for Moscow and preparing attacks on critical military infrastructure and industry. Prosecutors this month also said they had arrested three Ukrainians accused of plotting sabotage attacks on goods traffic for Russia. In April 2024, a German former soldier was sentenced to three-and-a-half years in jail for sharing secret military information with Russia in the wake of the outbreak of war in Ukraine. A former German intelligence officer also went on trial in 2024 accused of passing information to Moscow that showed Germany had access to details of Russian mercenary operations in Ukraine. He denies the charges. AFP Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Hindustan Times
28-05-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Germany charges three over spying on Ukrainian soldier for Moscow
German prosecutors said Wednesday they had charged three people with spying for tailing a former Ukrainian soldier on behalf of Russian intelligence as part of a potential assassination plot. The accused were partially identified by prosecutors as Ukrainian national Robert A., Armenian Vardges I. and Russian Arman S., who were arrested last year in Frankfurt. The trio faced charges of "working for a foreign intelligence service", in a case prosecutors labelled "particularly serious". According to investigators, Vardges I. received an order from a Russian intelligence service in May 2024 to spy on a man who had "participated in combat operations for the Ukrainian armed forces" following Russia's 2022 invasion. Also Read | Trump calls Putin 'crazy' over Ukraine offensive, warns of Russia's 'downfall' Subsequently, the Armenian suspect is said to have recruited Robert A. and Arman S. to support the operation. The suspects planned to lead the Ukrainian target under false pretences to a cafe in the western German city of Frankfurt on June 19, 2024. The three men were at the location on the day to identify the target and "obtain further information about him". The target had however already contacted German authorities over the suspicious activity and did not appear in the cafe. Instead, the suspects were arrested by police. "The surveillance operation presumably served as preparation for further intelligence operations in Germany, possibly including the assassination of the target," prosecutors said. Germany has uncovered numerous cases of suspected espionage and sabotage on its soil since Russia's launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Earlier this month, three German-Russian dual nationals went on trial in Munich accused of spying for Moscow and preparing attacks on critical military infrastructure and industry. Prosecutors this month also said they had arrested three Ukrainians accused of plotting sabotage attacks on goods traffic for Russia. In April 2024, a German former soldier was sentenced to three-and-a-half years in jail for sharing secret military information with Russia in the wake of the outbreak of war in Ukraine. A former German intelligence officer also went on trial last year accused of passing information to Moscow that showed Germany had access to details of Russian mercenary operations in Ukraine. He denies the charges.
Time of India
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Germany's most spectacular espionage cases
Germany's most spectacular espionage cases (Representative image: AP) Three men accused of spying and planning acts of sabotage for Russia went on trial at a regional court in Munich on Tuesday. The trio, all German-Russian dual nationals, are charged with planning attacks against military infrastructure and railway lines in Germany . German police arrested two of the men in April 2024, when the German federal prosecutor linked the actions to the war in Ukraine: "The actions were intended in particular to undermine the military support provided from Germany to Ukraine against the Russian war of aggression," the prosecutor general wrote in a press release. They are also accused of spying on US military facilities in Germany. The trial comes comes on the heels of another arrest last week in Germany of men suspected of planning similar attacks on Russia's behalf. According to the federal prosecutor, the three Ukrainian nationals arrested in Konstanz, Cologne, and Switzerland intended to send parcel bombs as arson and bomb attacks on goods transports in Germany. As a test, one of the men, Vladyslav T, sent packages with GPS trackers from Cologne. He claimed to have been ordered to do so by Yevhen B , who provided the contents of the packages via a third man, Daniil B. These are not the first cases of suspected espionage and sabotage by Russiain Germany. Below is an overview of the rich history of clandestine Russian activity in Germany. Carsten L Carsten L went on trial in December 2023. He was responsible for "personnel security" as head of division at Germany's international secret service (BND), but stands accused of being a security risk himself. The former Bundeswehr officer now stands accused of having worked as a double agent for the FSB, Russia's secret service. L is said to have passed on secret documents to the businessman Arthur E, who then handed them over to the FSB L is said to have been paid €450,000 ($484,000) and E at least €400,000 for the documents. Prosecutors now suggest the betrayal of secrets could have enabled the Russian FSB to draw conclusions on Germany's espionage methods. Carsten L and his accomplice Arthur E are now on trial in Berlin. They face a life sentence if they are convicted of particularly serious treason. The Russian war against Ukraine "also means a turning point for internal security," German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said in June 2023, warning of a new wave of disinformation campaigns, cyberattacks and espionage by foreign intelligence services. Thomas H Thomas H was arrested on August 9, 2023 in the western city of Koblenz when the federal prosecutor's office accused the Bundeswehr officer of having betrayed information about military details to Russian intelligence. The Berlin daily Tagesspiegel reported that Thomas H had already come to the attention of his colleagues because of his sympathy for the far-right populist Alternative for Germany (AfD). Some parts of the party are considered far-right extremists and very critical of the NATO alliance's attempts to help Ukraine against Russian aggression. Mr and Mrs Anschlag But spies in Germany have been reporting to Moscow since before Russia launched its war of aggression on Ukraine. Beginning sometime in the 1980s, two Russian agents led a middle-class life under the names of Andreas and Heidrun Anschlag, he posing as an engineer, she as a housewife. They spied on NATO and the European Union, first for the Soviet Union and then for the Russian secret service. They received their orders via encrypted radio messages on shortwave at a time when espionage was not yet a predominantly digital business. Their cover wasn't blown until 2011 — probably thanks to a tipoff from US intelligence services. In 2013, they were sentenced to several years in prison and eventually deported to Russia. Gabriele Gast The communist German Democratic Republic (GDR) referred to their agents as "scouts of peace." An estimated 12,000 of them are believed to have been deployed by the East German secret service, the Staatssicherheitsdienst or Stasi, to West Germany during the Cold War. Among them was Gabriele Gast, a West German recruited by a Stasi officer in 1968 while on a research trip to East Germany for her dissertation entitled: "The Political Role of Women in the GDR." From then on, Gast reported to the intelligence service in East Germany — while also making a career for herself at the Western intelligence service BND under a false name. She was only exposed after the collapse of the GDR in 1989, shortly before the reunification of Germany. She is still considered to have been one of the GDR's top spies in the West. Alfred Spuhler Alfred Spuhler may have been a similarly good source for the Stasi. As a high-ranking BND official, he unmasked hundreds of Western agents working in the GDR. He was arrested in November 1989. Heinz Felfe Heinz Felfe, the longtime head of the BND's "Counterintelligence Soviet Union" unit, was also a double agent. He was a member of Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler's police unit, Schutzstaffel (SS), then reported to the KGB in Moscow until 1961. Over the years, Felfe is believed to have worked for seven different intelligence services, including the British MI6. Günter Guillaume Probably the most sensational espionage case from the Cold War period in Germany is that of Günter Guillaume. Posing as refugees from East Germany, he and his wife Christel came to West Germany in 1956. Their mission was to provide the Stasi with internal information about the center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD). Guillaume worked his way up, eventually becoming personal adviser to Chancellor Willy Brandt when the SPD came to power. When Guillaume's cover was blown, Brandt was forced to resign as chancellor on May 6, 1974. Guillaume was sentenced to 13 years in prison and his wife to eight years. Both were released in 1981 in exchange for West German agents. Elli Barczatis and Karl Laurenz A vast number of Stasi spies were exposed after the fall of the Berlin Wall. Not much is known about Western agents in the GDR, with the notable exception of Elli Barczatis and Karl Laurenz, who smuggled GDR documents to the West at the beginning of the Cold War in the early 1950s. Barczatis worked as chief secretary to GDR Prime Minister Otto Grotewohl. She obtained rather banal government papers that she passed to her lover Karl Laurenz, who handed them over to West German authorities. When this was discovered, both Barczatis and Laurenz were sentenced to death in East Germany and executed by guillotine in 1955.
