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UPI
2 days ago
- Politics
- UPI
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz to meet Trump next week in D.C.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz (R) welcomes Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Berlin, Germany on Wednesday. Photo by Clemens Bilan/EPA-EFE May 31 (UPI) -- President Trump plans to meet with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz next week in Washington, D.C.. Merz, who was elected May 6 in a parliamentary election, is scheduled to visit with Trump on Thursday in the White House, German government spokesperson Stefan Kornelius said in a news release Saturday. Merz, a member of the center-right Christian Democratic Union, replaced Olaf Scholz, who served since 2021 with the Social Democratic Party. Merz was first elected to the Bundestag in 1994 and was leader of the opposition since February 2022. He will travel to the U.S. capital one day ahead, according to broadcaster n-tv. They will focus on bilateral relations, the Russia-Ukraine war, the Middle East and trade policy, which includes tariffs, according to Kornelius. A White House official confirmed the meeting to The Hill. Like Trump, Merz wants a cease-fire in the war between Ukraine and Russia that began in February 2022. Merz met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Berlin on Wednesday. The chancellor said that Germany will increase financial support for Ukraine as part of a more than $5.5 billion agreement. That includes sending over more military equipment and increasing weapons manufacturing in Kyiv. Members of the Trump administration have criticized Germany's designation of the far-right Alternative fur Deutschland party as an "extremist" political entity. "We have largely stayed out of the American election campaign in recent years, and that includes me personally," Merz said in an interview with Axel Springer Global Reporters Network, which is part of Politico, that was published on May 7. Last Wednesday, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul traveled to Washington and met with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Trump spoke on the phone with Merz during his visit on May 10 with French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer to meet with Zelensky in Kyiv. Macron, Starmer and Zelensky have already met with Trump in the White House. Other foreign leaders who met with Trump since he took office again on Jan. 20 include Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Japan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, Jordan's King Abdullah II bin al-Hussein, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Irish Prime Minister Micheel Martin, Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. Many heads of state, including Trump, went to the funeral for Francis on April 26 in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican. Merz wasn't one of them.
Leaders
7 days ago
- Politics
- Leaders
Germany Threatens Israel with Arms Exports Halt Over Gaza Crisis
Germany, traditionally a steadfast ally of Israel, is reevaluating its stance due to the escalating humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul emphasized that Germany's historical support for Israel should not justify actions leading to civilian suffering. He stated that Germany would not supply weapons used to breach humanitarian law, signaling a potential shift in arms export policies. Chancellor Merz's Criticism Earlier, Chancellor Friedrich Merz expressed that Israel's military strikes in Gaza are no longer comprehensible or justified in combating Hamas. His remarks indicate a significant change in Germany's approach, reflecting growing concerns over the humanitarian situation. Merz is expected to discuss these issues directly with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in an upcoming meeting. Recent polls reveal a decline in German public support for Israel, with only 36% viewing the country positively. Additionally, 51% of Germans oppose weapons exports to Israel, reflecting a shift in public sentiment. Within Germany's political landscape, members of the Social Democratic Party are advocating for a halt in arms exports to Israel to avoid complicity in potential war crimes. International Context Germany's reassessment aligns with actions taken by other nations. The European Union is reviewing its policy towards Israel, and countries like the UK, France, and Canada have threatened concrete actions over the Gaza situation. These developments underscore a broader international concern regarding the humanitarian impact of the conflict. Germany's potential policy shift marks a departure from its long-standing Staatsraeson, the principle of special responsibility for Israel. As the humanitarian crisis in Gaza intensifies, Germany faces the challenge of balancing its historical commitments with contemporary ethical considerations. The outcome of Chancellor Merz's discussions with Prime Minister Netanyahu may further influence Germany's foreign policy direction. Short link : Post Views: 23
United News of India
7 days ago
- Politics
- United News of India
Trump invites romanian president to US during phone call: Reports
Moscow, May 28 (UNI) US President Donald Trump held a phone call with Romanian President Nicusor Dan on Tuesday evening and invited him to visit Washington, Romanian broadcaster Digi24 reported, citing sources. Dan took office on Monday after winning the May 2025 election. On Tuesday, he launched talks on forming a new cabinet with the participation of four parties - the Social Democratic Party, the Save Romania Union party, the National Liberal Party and the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania. The opposition Alliance for the Union of Romanians announced a boycott of Dan's inauguration ceremony, accusing the authorities of election fraud and foreign interference. The conversation between the two leaders lasted about ten minutes, the report said on Tuesday. In recent years, US-Romanian relations have strengthened in the areas of defense, energy security and economic cooperation. The US missile defence base in Deveselu has been operating on Romanian territory since 2016, and in 2023, the countries signed an agreement on cooperation in the field of nuclear energy development. UNI SPUTNIK ARN
DW
7 days ago
- Politics
- DW
Germany's tone with Israel is getting harsher – DW – 05/27/2025
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz says he no longer understands Israel's policy in Gaza. A number of politicians are even demanding an end to Germany's arms deliveries. Never before had Germany's new Chancellor Friedrich Merz expressed himself so clearly on the situation in the war in Gaza. "What the Israeli army is now doing in the Gaza Strip, I frankly no longer understand with what goal," Merz said at the Re:publica digital conference in Berlin on Monday. Merz added that in his view, a line had been crossed and international humanitarian law had been breached. To cause such suffering to the civilian population "can no longer be justified as a fight against Hamas terrorism," he said. Germany's "reason of state" Since the attack on Israel by Islamist terrorist group Hamas on October 7, 2023, most statements by German government representatives began with the claim that Israel had the right to defend itself, and that Hamas was contesting Israel's right to exist. These were statements made by then Chancellor Olaf Scholz of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) and his Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (The Greens). Initial comments from the new Chancellor Merz and his Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul (both of the Christian Democrats, or CDU) had echoed this line of argument. It was always emphasized that the German "reason of state," the consequence of Germany's responsibility for the murder of millions of European Jews by the National Socialists (1933-1945), demanded unrestricted German support for the protection of Israel's right to exist. Following Merz's critical words on Israel's course in the Gaza war, Israel's ambassador in Berlin, Ron Prosor said on the German TV show Morgenmagazin: "When Friedrich Merz voices this criticism of Israel, we listen very carefully because he is a friend." Merz also raised the issue of Israel during a visit to Finland. There he said that he was calling on the Israeli government to allow humanitarian aid and to enable food security for the population in the Gaza Strip. Whether German policy towards Israel needed to change now would be discussed within the government, the Federal Chancellor said. Germany's Foreign MInister Johann Wadephul is more soft spoken towards Israel than his Spanish counterpart Jose Manuel Albares Image: PIERRE-PHILIPPE MARCOU/AFP/Getty Images Macron "Egregious actions" Most recently, Germany was increasingly on its own with its toned-down words of criticism. A week ago, French President Emmanuel Macron spoke of Israel's "shameful" acts on the French TF1 channel. He accused Netanyahu of "unacceptable" behavior in holding up aid to the Palestinians in Gaza. France, the UK and Canada also announced that they were prepared to impose sanctions against Israel beyond the EU framework if necessary. In fact, Israel had been blocking aid deliveries for the approximately 2.2 million people in the narrow coastal strip on the Mediterranean since March. These blockades were only eased just over a week ago, however, at around the same time, the army launched a new and intensified military offensive which killed scores of Palestinians. Moreover, some far-right Israeli government representatives called for the Palestinians to be expelled from the Gaza Strip for good. Resumed Gaza aid deliveries fail to alleviate hunger To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video End of arms exports to Israel? Such announcements, as well as reports of Gaza's dramatic famine and poor medical care, are triggering further political reactions in Germany. "Arms exports to Israel must be suspended as Germany must not be complicit in war crimes committed by the Israeli government," Isabel Cademartori a member of parliament of the governing Social Democrats wrote on X on Monday. She warned that Germany itself could otherwise be prosecuted in international courts. This is indeed a fear that has long been voiced by politicians in Berlin, but so far only with the microphones switched off. According to expert estimates, German companies supplied weapons worth €161 million ($182m) to Israel last year. Also Felix Klein, Germany's anti-Semitism commissioner at the German parliament, is growing increasingly critical of Israel's military offensive in the war-torn Gaza Strip Image: Juliane Sonntag/picture alliance "Not a German reason of state" Felix Klein, the German government's anti-Semitism commissioner, was the most outspoken in his criticism of the Netanyahu government. He told the German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung that "starving Palestinians and deliberately making the humanitarian situation dramatically worse has nothing to do with safeguarding Israel's right to exist. And it cannot be German reason of state either." Last week, there were also heated debates among EU foreign ministers in Brussels whether the EU should amend or even terminate its association agreement with Israel. Germany is strictly opposed to any changes. "We should not cut our ties with Israel, we should use our ties to influence the Israeli government," Hildegard Bentele, a member of the European Parliament for the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), told DW. "So we should not end our cooperation, but rather work together even more closely. Now, above all, to bring humanitarian aid back to the Gaza Strip," she said. Israel is increasingly condemned for starving Palestinians and deliberately limiting humanitarian aid access in Gaza Image: Moaz Abu Taha/APA/IMAGO Heated debates On Monday, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul was confronted with a possible arms embargo against Israel during a visit to Spain. This was apparently going too far for Wadephul. After meeting his Spanish counterpart, Jose Manuel Albares, he said that "nobody is saying that the current situation is acceptable and can be tolerated any longer. Not even Germany." Wadephul received support from the oppositional Green Party. Their chairman Felix Banaszak also opposes a complete stop of arms deliveries to Israel. "This country has been under existential threat since it was founded. It is surrounded by states that don't mean well with this country. Israel must not be defenseless in the face of such a threat. And that includes having to defend itself," he told the RTL television channel on Monday. He also cited attacks from Iran as a further example. Tougher tone towards Israel As of now, this stance seems to remain the German government's medium-term position, despite the new sharp tone towards Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government. Before being elected as the new Federal Chancellor, Merz had invited Netanyahu to Germany, knowing full well that the International Criminal Court in The Hague had issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu in the fall of 2024. Germany would have had to implement this if Israel's prime minister actually came. However, Merz did not repeat the invitation to Germany after his election as Federal Chancellor. German Chancellor Merz criticizes Israel attacks on Gaza To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video This article was originally published in German.
Time of India
27-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Ukraine can strike deep inside Russia as Merz claims US, Germany, UK, and France lift range restrictions on weapons; Moscow calls move 'dangerous'
As the Russia-Ukraine war drags on with little headway made to secure a peace deal of ceasefire despite some attempts by US President Donald Trump , German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has dropped a bombshell. In what could lead to a major escalation in the ongoing conflict, Chancellor Merz stated that the US, Germany, UK, and France have lifted range restrictions on weapons to Ukraine. What this effectively means that Ukraine has got the go ahead and weapons from the western nations to hit targets deep inside the Russian territory. The only long-range weapons Ukraine has used against Russia till now are its indigenous armed drones. Some of these drones have hit targets in Moscow. Ukraine has also fired some long-range missiles supplied by the United States to hit targets in Bryansk and Kursk oblasts of the Russian Federation . But the US and NATO supplied weapons have not been able to alter the course of the fight in Ukraine's favour. Also Read: Trump calls Putin 'CRAZY', predicts Russia's downfall due to the Ukraine war Now, Merz's statement, which has been called "dangerous" by Moscow, can change the dynamics of war and force Russia to escalate the fighting. Live Events "There are no longer any range restrictions on weapons delivered to Ukraine, neither by the British nor by the French nor by us nor by the Americans. This means that Ukraine can now defend itself, for example, by attacking military positions in Russia... With very few exceptions, it didn't do that until recently. It can now do that," Merz said on Monday (May 26) at the WDR Europaforum 2025 at the re:publica digital conference in Berlin. However, there seems to be some confusion with Germany's ruling coalition on Merz's statement with the country's Vice Chancellor and Social Democratic Party (SPD) leader Lars Klingbeil explaining that as far he is concerned that has been no no development or agreement between countries on expanding the range of missiles supplied to Kiev. Klingbeil's party colleague Ralf Stegner opined that Merz making such statements "are not helpful". Merz's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) is supported by the SPD and Christian Social Union (CSU). Yet, Merz maintained that his statement was made only after the countries he mentioned decided to lift the range restriction, a decision he called was made "quite some time ago". "So yesterday in Berlin I merely described what has been underway for a couple of months, namely, that Ukraine has the right to use the weapons it receives beyond its own territory against military targets on Russian soil," he said during a joint conference with Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo. German government not on one page? Meanwhile, Merz's remarks were met with confusion even within his own coalition. German Vice Chancellor and Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil (Social Democratic Party, SPD) told journalists that no new agreements were made on the issue of range restrictions on German weapons sent to Ukraine for strikes on Russian territory. Also Read: China's 35 million leftover men are hunting for brides in Russia, Southeast Asia, Bangladesh and Pakistan The reaction from Moscow was along expected lines with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov outlining that any range restriction removal will be "dangerous". "If these decisions have indeed been made, they are completely at odds with our aspirations for a political [peace] settlement... These are quite dangerous decisions, if they have been made," Peskov said. Russia has long criticized Western countries for supplying Ukraine with long-range weapons. The Kremlin has also warned Germany against providing Kyiv with the Taurus missile system . Long-range weapons with Ukraine Ukraine has several long-range weapons supplied by western nations in its arsenal. The UK and France have sent Storm Shadow/Scalp cruise missiles with a range of about 250 kilometers (150 miles). The US during the administration of former president Joe Biden had in November 2024 greenlighted Ukraine to use its Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) against targets in Russia. The ATACMS have a range of 305 km (190 mi). The Germans have not supplied any long-range missile to Ukraine although they have the option of sending Taurus, which has a range of 500 km (310 mi). Russia has warned Germany against sending Taurus missiles to Ukraine, stating any use of the weapon by Kiev against Moscow would be viewed as "direct participation" by Berlin in the over three-year long war.
