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Russia Today
a day ago
- Business
- Russia Today
How to start a war with Russia in these easy steps: Just ask Merz's Germany
If in a dark hole, dig deeper, especially even deeper than feckless German ex-chancellor Olaf Scholz. That seems to be Berlin's new motto. Under Friedrich Merz's new mis-management, the German government is clearly setting out to worsen its current abysmal non-relationship with Russia. That is a sadly ambitious aim, because things are already more dire than they've been at any point since 1945. But Merz and his team, it seems, are not satisfied with playing a key role in fighting a proxy war against Russia that has been a ruinous fiasco; not for the Russian economy, but for Germany's. Even by February 2023, German mainstream media reported that the war had sliced 2.5 percent off GDP. That, by the way, is a large figure in and of itself, but consider that between 2022 and 2024 Germany's annual GDP growth (or, really, reduction) rate has varied between -0.3 percent (2023) and +1.4 percent, and it looks even worse. And yet, instead of sincerely – and finally – trying to use diplomacy to end this war against Russia via Ukraine, Merz's Berlin is now taking the risk of escalating the current mess into the nightmare of a direct military clash between Russia and Germany (and, hence, presumably NATO – though not necessarily including the US any longer). Such a confrontation would be devastating in a manner that Germans have not experienced for a long time, as even a recent German TV documentary had to admit, despite its obvious purpose to boost the country's current re-militarization-on-steroids. The single most obvious symbol of Berlin's new, industrial-strength recklessness is the Taurus cruise missile, a sophisticated, very expensive weapon (at €1-3 million each) with a full name you will want to forget (Target Adaptive Unitary and Dispenser Robotic Ubiquity System) and, crucially, a maximum range of about 500 kilometers. The government under Scholz, breathtakingly incompetent and shamelessly submissive to the US as it was, never agreed to let Ukraine have this weapon. For, in essence, two reasons: The Taurus, once in Ukraine, could fire deep into Russia, even as far as Moscow, and it is undeniable that it can only be operated with direct German help, which would bring about a state of war between Moscow and Berlin. Merz, however, has created a vague yet substantial impression that delivering the Taurus to Kiev is an option again. Throughout this war – and its prehistory, too – Russia has been sending clear warnings about what such a war might entail: According to Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov, for instance, Germany is 'already directly engaging' in the Ukraine War. But clearly, he, too, sees room for things to get much worse again, with, in his words, Germany 'sliding down the same slippery slope it has already treaded a couple of times just this past century – down to its collapse.' Dmitry Peskov, spokesman of President Vladimir Putin, has underlined that Merz's statements, muddled as they were, pointed to a 'serious escalation.' Less diplomatically, the head of Russia's RT, Margarita Simonyan, has explained that German-Ukrainian Taurus strikes on Russian cities could provoke a Russian missile strike on Berlin. An important Russian military expert, meanwhile, has mentioned the possibility of a strike against Taurus production facilities in Germany. Are these warnings any help? Of course, German politicians would not openly admit to being successfully deterred by Moscow, but it is a fact that Merz has abstained from following through on his implied threat of transferring the Taurus to Ukraine. If he had wanted to do so, the visit of Ukraine's leader Vladimir Zelensky in Berlin would have provided an excellent opportunity to close the deal. Yet, instead of the hotly desired cruise missiles, Zelensky has received something else: a demonstrative use of the German informal you ('du'), plenty of money (again), and a promise that Germany will help build long-range weapons in Ukraine. Considering that Moscow has just demonstrated its ability to strike such production facilities anywhere in Ukraine, that promise is the equivalent of a cop-out. For now at least. That is a good thing. It avoids an immediate, extremely dangerous escalation. Yet Merz and his experts are naïve if they believe that there will be no Russian response to their declared intention to transfer German know-how to Ukraine so that long-range weapons can be made there. For one thing, Moscow has just demonstrated its ability to strike Ukraine's military industry. At the same time, even the Taurus is by no means off the table. Neither are Russian warnings about the catastrophic consequences of its use. The Russian Defense Ministry is confident that its air defenses could stop Taurus strikes, but also emphasizes that its special ability to fly far into Russia constitutes a problem in a class all by itself. What is the new Berlin even trying to do here? Negotiations to end the war are ongoing, even if Merz claims the opposite. Russia is not, as he repeats, merely 'playing for time.' In reality, the second round of the Istanbul 2.0 talks is now scheduled to go ahead, at least as far as Moscow is concerned. The real problem for Western politicians like Merz is that Moscow is not willing to abandon its own interests or comply with unilateral demands backed up by threats. Indeed, if a plausible Reuters report based on leaks is correct, Putin has outlined Russia's conditions for a realistic settlement once again: unsurprisingly, they include a complete stop to NATO expansion, an at least partial end to sanctions against Russia and to attempts to fully seize frozen Russian sovereign assets, the genuine neutrality of Ukraine, and protection for its Russian-speakers. Against this background, Merz's recent sallies are only more puzzling: Russia is not weak but winning this war. A summer offensive may be close and make Ukraine's situation even more untenable. But there also is a genuine opportunity to exploit negotiations that have been restarted so as to finally limit the losses to both Ukraine and the West. Meanwhile, the reluctance of the US to reliably back up a hard course against Russia could permit the NATO-EU Europeans to explore constructive alternatives to the ongoing proxy war. Indeed, it should be their worst nightmare to be left alone with this conflict if Moscow and Washington should break through to a full détente. The German economy will not thrive – even with a hail-Mary boost of debt-based military Keynesianism, as now launched by Merz – unless its relationship with Russia is reframed. Last but not least, Ukraine will not be rebuilt before there is a durable peace. And Berlin's response to all of the above? More of the same, but worse. Now, with the Taurus back on the options menu and open announcements to help Ukraine build, in essence, its own version of it, presumably under intense German coaching and packed with German technology, Kiev's chances are not better and Germany's position is more precarious. The probability of an escalation into a direct Russian-German war remains even higher than before Merz's new initiative, and the probability of peace has been reduced. Call it a lose-lose.
The Guardian
2 days ago
- Business
- The Guardian
Zelenskyy warns of Russian troops gathering in Sumy as he visits Merz in Berlin
Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said Russia has amassed 50,000 of its troops in the Sumy region before a planned large-scale offensive. The Ukrainian president is visiting the German leader, Friedrich Merz, for an 'emergency meeting' in Berlin. Zelenskyy said Russia's 'largest and strongest forces are right now at the Kursk front in order to push our troops out of the Kursk region and to prepare offensives against the Sumy region'. Zelenskyy said the government in Kyiv had undertaken steps to prevent Russia from carrying out wide-scale attacks in the area that borders the Russian oblast of Kursk, where Ukrainian troops carried out a surprise seizure of territory last August using drones and heavy western armaments. Germany's freshly appointed chancellor received Zelenskyy in Berlin amid expectations he will announce new plans to aid Ukraine. Merz welcomed Zelenskyy with military honours at the chancellery building in the German capital. The visit will focus on Germany's continued support for Ukraine as well as efforts to bring about a ceasefire in the three-year-long conflict, the government spokesperson, Stefan Kornelius, said. Berlin is one of Kyiv's main backers, a course that Merz, who came into office last month, has promised to continue. There has been heightened speculation that Merz will promise to deliver longer-ranged weapons systems to Ukraine, such as Taurus missiles, after he said on Monday there were no longer any limits to the range restrictions on the weapons Germany sends to Kyiv to defend itself against Russia. However, the German government has since sought to clarify its position, saying these range restrictions had already been lifted. Merz is expected to offer his Ukrainian counterpart a multibillion euro package including additional air defence capabilities, more weapons and financial aid with which Ukraine can buy US military equipment. It is unclear whether the package will be in addition to the €3bn (£2.5bn) in aid already agreed in March by the outgoing government. There are also expectations that a longer-term approach to helping Ukraine will be adopted. This would probably include Berlin supplying Ukraine with the technical components necessary to build and maintain its own long-range weaponry, including rockets and cruise missiles. This would enable Kyiv to defend itself more effectively without Berlin having to be concerned about being labelled a 'war monger'. This in turn would make support for Ukraine more palatable to Merz's domestic audience, among whom there is concern about Germany being dragged into a wider-scale conflict. Before the meeting in Berlin, Russia's foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, called Merz's plans to build the strongest army in Europe 'very worrying'. Speaking at a security conference in Moscow, Lavrov said the announcement was reminiscent of 'the periods of the previous century when Germany twice became the leading military power and how much trouble this brought'. Sign up to This is Europe The most pressing stories and debates for Europeans – from identity to economics to the environment after newsletter promotion Zelenskyy and Merz are due to hold a press conference at 1.30pm local time before meeting German business leaders to discuss plans to rebuild Ukraine. According to Zelenskyy, Ukrainian troops have in the past two days pushed Russian troops back by about 4km. Russia recently seized four border villages and has been advancing for the past few weeks towards the frontline Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine, close to the town of Kostiantynivka. According to Russian media reports, Ukraine attacked two drone factories overnight, one on the north-western edge of Moscow, the other in the town of Dubno, about 80km north of Moscow. There was no information about casualties or the extent of the damage caused. Russia's defence ministry said that 296 Ukrainian drones had been intercepted over Russian territory. The reports could not be independently verified. Air traffic at Moscow airports and in other towns and cities had to be temporarily suspended, authorities said. In Ukraine, eight people were injured in a Russian attack in the region around the city of Kharkiv, as reported by regional authorities, after Russia fired five ballistic missiles, according to the Ukrainian air force.
Al Arabiya
3 days ago
- General
- Al Arabiya
Germany says it is hosting Ukrainian president on Wednesday
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected to arrive in Berlin on Wednesday for talks with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, the German government, part of a diplomatic drive to end the war in Ukraine.
CNN
3 days ago
- General
- CNN
Germany's leader has criticized Israel's conduct in Gaza. Here's why that's a big deal
For decades, Germany has stood squarely in Israel's corner, its dark history of Jewish persecution shaping its modern-day policy of virtually unquestioned backing. In the aftermath of the Hamas October 7, 2023, attacks, the question of German political and military support for Israel was raised – and reaffirmed by then-Chancellor Olaf Scholz. But comments by new Chancellor Friedrich Merz in recent days have put Germany's support for Israel under the spotlight. 'We are dismayed by the fate of the civilian population and the terrible suffering of the civilian population' in Gaza, the chancellor said on Tuesday while on a visit to Turku, Finland. The question of what provoked Merz's sharp change in tone toward Israel remains unclear. Peter Lintl, an analyst from the German Institute of International and Security Affairs who focuses on German-Israeli relations, believes Merz wanted to get into office, start conversations with Israeli leaders and get an understanding of the direction of travel before outlining his stance. 'The conclusion, that most of the countries in the world came to, it's a horrible war where the aim is not clear anymore,' Lintl told CNN. 'It is clearly a change in tone and change in positioning of the German government.' Merz followed his Tuesday comments by questioning the current actions of the Israel Defense Forces inside Gaza. Referring to Israel's expanded operations and the humanitarian crisis in the territory, the German chancellor said that he 'no longer sees any logic as to how they serve the goal of fighting terror and freeing the hostages. In this respect, I take a very, very critical view of what has happened in the last few days.' Tuesday's language came hot on the heels of a thinly veiled threat from Merz in Berlin on Monday. 'The Israeli government must not do anything that its best friends are no longer prepared to accept,' he said. Merz has also done the previously unthinkable and questioned whether Israel may be violating international law. The change of tone is particularly striking because of Germany's long-standing stance on Israel, that is connected to a theory known as 'staatsraison' or national interest. The connection of staatsraison and Israel were made by then-Chancellor Angela Merkel in 2008. She told the Israeli parliament, or Knesset, that the 'historical responsibility of Germany is part of my country's national interest (staatsraison). This means that, for me as German chancellor, Israel's security is never negotiable.' Similar words were also used by Scholz in the wake of the October 7 attacks in which Hamas militants killed more than 1,200 people in southern Israel and kidnapped some 250 others. Since Merkel's speech, and particularly after she stepped down as chancellor in 2021, 'the term got a life of its own,' the analyst Lintl says. 'It appeared that if you want to be a respected politician, you have to use the term because it came to signal … that Israel's security is German staatsraison. It is the minimum threshold we use to distance ourselves from the past,' Lintl says. That 'past' refers largely to the Holocaust in which the Nazis killed more than 6 million Jews. In Finland on Tuesday, Merz was quick to reiterate he is not abandoning staatsraison entirely. 'Israel's security and existence are, as we have been saying for many years and decades, part of our German staatsraison,' but he has clearly set out to clarify it. Lintl added: 'We didn't know how this government will conduct itself, or how this government policy toward Israel will look – right now we have more of an idea.' It remains unclear if Merz and Germany's relationship with Israel will shift significantly. Merz has maintained he will continue to talk with Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu. Merz has also said he would find 'ways and means' for Israel's prime minister to visit Germany given the ICC (International Criminal Court) arrest warrant out for him. For now, the statements from Israel seem muted, and respectful. The Israeli Ambassador to Germany Ron Prosor told German TV Tuesday morning, 'when somebody criticizes Israel, and when Friedrich Merz makes this criticism, we listen very carefully because he is a friend.' Inke Kappler contributed reporting.
CNN
3 days ago
- General
- CNN
Germany's leader has criticized Israel's conduct in Gaza. Here's why that's a big deal
For decades, Germany has stood squarely in Israel's corner, its dark history of Jewish persecution shaping its modern-day policy of virtually unquestioned backing. In the aftermath of the Hamas October 7, 2023, attacks, the question of German political and military support for Israel was raised – and reaffirmed by then-Chancellor Olaf Scholz. But comments by new Chancellor Friedrich Merz in recent days have put Germany's support for Israel under the spotlight. 'We are dismayed by the fate of the civilian population and the terrible suffering of the civilian population' in Gaza, the chancellor said on Tuesday while on a visit to Turku, Finland. The question of what provoked Merz's sharp change in tone toward Israel remains unclear. Peter Lintl, an analyst from the German Institute of International and Security Affairs who focuses on German-Israeli relations, believes Merz wanted to get into office, start conversations with Israeli leaders and get an understanding of the direction of travel before outlining his stance. 'The conclusion, that most of the countries in the world came to, it's a horrible war where the aim is not clear anymore,' Lintl told CNN. 'It is clearly a change in tone and change in positioning of the German government.' Merz followed his Tuesday comments by questioning the current actions of the Israel Defense Forces inside Gaza. Referring to Israel's expanded operations and the humanitarian crisis in the territory, the German chancellor said that he 'no longer sees any logic as to how they serve the goal of fighting terror and freeing the hostages. In this respect, I take a very, very critical view of what has happened in the last few days.' Tuesday's language came hot on the heels of a thinly veiled threat from Merz in Berlin on Monday. 'The Israeli government must not do anything that its best friends are no longer prepared to accept,' he said. Merz has also done the previously unthinkable and questioned whether Israel may be violating international law. The change of tone is particularly striking because of Germany's long-standing stance on Israel, that is connected to a theory known as 'staatsraison' or national interest. The connection of staatsraison and Israel were made by then-Chancellor Angela Merkel in 2008. She told the Israeli parliament, or Knesset, that the 'historical responsibility of Germany is part of my country's national interest (staatsraison). This means that, for me as German chancellor, Israel's security is never negotiable.' Similar words were also used by Scholz in the wake of the October 7 attacks in which Hamas militants killed more than 1,200 people in southern Israel and kidnapped some 250 others. Since Merkel's speech, and particularly after she stepped down as chancellor in 2021, 'the term got a life of its own,' the analyst Lintl says. 'It appeared that if you want to be a respected politician, you have to use the term because it came to signal … that Israel's security is German staatsraison. It is the minimum threshold we use to distance ourselves from the past,' Lintl says. That 'past' refers largely to the Holocaust in which the Nazis killed more than 6 million Jews. In Finland on Tuesday, Merz was quick to reiterate he is not abandoning staatsraison entirely. 'Israel's security and existence are, as we have been saying for many years and decades, part of our German staatsraison,' but he has clearly set out to clarify it. Lintl added: 'We didn't know how this government will conduct itself, or how this government policy toward Israel will look – right now we have more of an idea.' It remains unclear if Merz and Germany's relationship with Israel will shift significantly. Merz has maintained he will continue to talk with Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu. Merz has also said he would find 'ways and means' for Israel's prime minister to visit Germany given the ICC (International Criminal Court) arrest warrant out for him. For now, the statements from Israel seem muted, and respectful. The Israeli Ambassador to Germany Ron Prosor told German TV Tuesday morning, 'when somebody criticizes Israel, and when Friedrich Merz makes this criticism, we listen very carefully because he is a friend.' Inke Kappler contributed reporting.
