Europe Watch

Military Analysis: Europe’s Firepower is Far Behind U.S., Russia, and China | The Gateway Pundit– www.thegatewaypundit.com
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After eighty years of relying on the U.S. for defense, the EU’s combined military power remains dwarfed by the U.S., Russia, and China.

Recent media reports have claimed that Europe is bolstering its defenses to counter Russia, increasingly independent of U.S. assistance.

These headlines, while attention-grabbing, often gloss over a critical clarification: Europe is not a unified political entity. It is a continent—a geographic space—lacking its own institutions or a standing army.

When such claims surface, they could plausibly refer to three distinct entities: NATO, the US-led transatlantic alliance with its collective defense framework; the European Union (EU), a political and economic union with limited military integration; or a broader notion of “greater Europe,” encompassing all nations on the continent, including non-EU and non-NATO countries like Russia itself.

For this article, I assume these claims point to the EU’s militarization efforts. And for the analysis, I am employing this PMEI framework—Political, Military, Economic, and Infrastructure—widely used in strategic and national security contexts, to provide a comprehensive lens to assess the EU’s complex systems, identifying strengths, vulnerabilities, and interdependencies across these critical domains.

France Cracked Down on Far-Right Corruption—And Team Trump Is Triggered – Mother Jones– www.motherjones.com
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Far-right French politician Marine Le Pen has not proven to be as lucky as Donald Trump was in skirting consequences of breaking the law.Alexis Sciard/IP3/ZUMA

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After a French court found far-right leader and former presidential frontrunner Marine Le Pen guilty of embezzlement on Monday—a conviction that will bar her from holding political office for five years—some of President Donald Trump’s closest allies are boosting baseless conspiracy theories alleging that Le Pen’s conviction is part of a global scheme to keep right-wing populists from holding office.

Le Pen is reportedly accused of wrongfully diverting $5 million in funds earmarked for the European Parliament to staffers of her nationalist, xenophobic party, the National Rally, over a 12-year period. The verdict makes her ineligible to run in the country’s next presidential election in 2027—and comes after she was polling at 37 percent, more than 10 points ahead of her closest challenger. Le Pen has run for that office three times before, and became more popular as right-wing political parties across Europe rose in prominence in recent years; in the 2022 presidential runoff, Le Pen earned 41.5 percent of votes to President Emmanuel Macron’s 58.6 percent. (Macron is term-limited.)

 

German foreign minister says Ukraine peace talks at ‘deadlock’, but China disagrees– www.euronews.com
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The German foreign minister says that US President Donald Trump’s efforts to secure a truce in Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine are at a deadlock, but her Chinese counterpart claims that it is encouraging that peace talks between Washington and Moscow continue.

Arriving in Kyiv for an unannounced visit, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said that “due to the deadlock” between the US and Russia on a ceasefire deal, European allies’ continued support for Ukraine in the war is “absolutely crucial”.

Yet at the same time, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, on a visit to Moscow, was quoted as saying Tuesday that “certain results have been achieved” in Washington’s attempt to stop the Kremlin’s full-scale invasion, now in its fourth year.

In an interview with Russian state news agency RIA Novosti, he said that Beijing supports the goal of “a fair, long-term, binding peace agreement acceptable to all parties involved”.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Wang is scheduled to meet with Putin and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Tuesday, but no further details were given.

Zelensky Urges Europe to Unite Behind Ukraine, 3 Years After Bucha Massacre– www.themoscowtimes.com
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday visited Bucha, where Russia’s army is accused of murdering hundreds of civilians three years ago, urging European allies to unite to prevent fresh massacres.

Following Russia’s retreat from the Kyiv suburb of Bucha after a month-long occupation ending March 31, 2022, AFP journalists saw the bodies of at least 20 civilians lying on a street after being shot dead, some with hands tied behind their backs.

It was the first in a string of macabre discoveries in towns abandoned by Russian forces, which sparked an international outcry and war crimes investigations. Moscow has denied responsibility, accusing Ukraine of staging incidents.

“Please remember that Bucha is not ‘somewhere in Ukraine’; it is something that can happen in any European country if our unity does not work now to genuinely hold Russia accountable for this war,” Zelensky said at a ceremony.

Sweden pledges $1.6 billion in new Ukraine aid, including air defense– www.yahoo.com
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PARIS — Sweden announced additional military aid for Ukraine to the tune of 16 billion Swedish kronor ($1.6 billion), in response to a Ukrainian request for capabilities in air defense, artillery, satellite communications and the maritime domain.

The new military aid package, Sweden’s biggest yet, brings support for Ukraine’s defense to 29.5 billion kronor this year, the government said on Monday. The Nordic country said it has provided 80 billion kronor of military aid to Ukraine since 2022.

“We are stepping up the support and we are increasing it in strength and scope, and there are strong reasons to do this in light of the very serious situation in Ukraine,” Minister for Defence Pål Jonson said at a press briefing in Stockholm on Monday. “Russia has the initiative in the war, and we need to support Ukraine to break that trend right now.”

The Swedish government has proposed to provide 40 billion kronor in aid in Ukraine in 2025, partially by moving funds earmarked for 2026 to this year.

Putin open to contacts after Trump criticism: Kremlin– thehill.com
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Russian President Vladimir Putin says he’s open to staying in touch with the White House after critical comments from the U.S. president toward Russia’s leader, which have been rare amid his efforts to get peace talks rolling.

Putin criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday, suggesting he may not be a legitimate leader, and therefore unable to represent Ukraine in peace talks.

Trump said Sunday he was “very angry” and “pissed off” at Putin’s remarks about Zelensky, and threatened to impose new tariffs on Russian oil exports.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov indicated on Monday the remarks would not derail ongoing discussions related to Ukraine.

“We are working to implement some ideas in connection with the Ukrainian settlement. This work is ongoing,” Peskov said, per The Associated Press.

Trump Threatens Europe and Canada if They Band Together Against U.S. – The New York Times
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President Trump said in a middle-of-the-night social media post early Thursday that he would come after the European Union and Canada if they banded together to “do economic harm” to America, opening a new front in the unfolding trade war.

“If the European Union works with Canada in order to do economic harm to the USA, large scale Tariffs, far larger than currently planned, will be placed on them both in order to protect the best friend that each of those two countries has ever had!” Mr. Trump wrote.

His threat creates a new problem for the European Union, which is already trying to respond to his tariffs on steel, aluminum, autos and potentially a broader array of goods and services.

Mr. Trump on Wednesday said that all cars and certain automobile parts that are shipped into the United States would be subject to a 25 percent tariff.

NATO members considering deploying air and naval forces to Ukraine – WaPo — RT World News– www.rt.com
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Several European nations are reportedly shifting away from the idea of sending ground troops to the country

France and the UK are leading discussions on sending a military force to Ukraine, with the focus shifting to a potential deployment of air and naval forces amid ongoing ceasefire negotiations, the Washington Post reported on Sunday, citing sources.

The two countries seek to send a European-led ‘reassurance force’ to Ukraine to secure cities and key sites away from the front lines and to provide logistical support and training to the Ukrainian army.

As part of the effort, a French-British military team plans to visit Ukraine in the coming weeks to assess the number of troops needed and potential deployment locations, the WaPo says.

According to unnamed diplomats familiar with the matter, “the European focus has also shifted to air and sea power” due to concerns over whether the West would be able to maintain a large deployment of ground troops, while some NATO members have proposed using their assets to patrol the skies or the Black Sea.


 

However, some European officials doubt that a ceasefire – a precondition for deploying troops – will be reached soon, a WaPo source said. According to the paper, some diplomats describe the discussions about sending the military to Ukraine “as an exercise in preparation and leverage.”

Several European countries are reportedly hesitant to send troops without a promise from the US to intervene in case of an escalation, with European officials seeking American support in the form of air defense assets, intelligence, and heavy airlift. However, US President Donald Trump has not provided assurances, with officials from his team offering mixed signals over whether the option is even on the table.

While Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, recently described the initiative as “simplistic,” a French official familiar with the matter told the WaPo that the discussions are proceeding “in perfect harmony with our American partners, who are interested in this approach and have told us it’s a good one.”

Russia has warned against any unauthorized deployment of foreign troops to Ukraine, which it would consider to be legitimate targets. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said Moscow is opposed to the idea of deploying NATO troops to Ukraine, regardless of whether they are “under a foreign flag, under the flag of the European Union or national flags.”

Trump Putin: Russian newspaper fires salvo at Trump for not fulfilling ‘obligations’ after his ‘angry with Putin’ remark– timesofindia.indiatimes.com
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Trump said he’s angry with Putin as he’s delaying the agreement with Ukraine.

Reacting to US President Donald Trump’s caustic remark about Vladimir Putin that he was “pissed off” at Putin for delaying agreement with Ukraine to end the ongoing war, Moskovsky Komsomolets, a leading pro-Kremlin paper, accused Trump of not fulfilling “obligations” to stop Ukrainian strikes on Russian energy infrastructure.
“All agreements on the level of President Trump are only worth a few pennies on market day. Moscow is prepared to make a deal with the US president, as ‘the leader of the free world’, and the undisputed boss of Nato and ‘the lord and master of Kyiv’. But right now the leader is not leading, the boss is not bossing and the lord is not directing his vassal,” the paper stated. “The Trump administration is demonstrating a strange passivity, a strange inconsistency and a strange inability to fulfil the obligations it took upon itself,” the report said adding that Moscow has another way of ending the Ukraine crisis in a manner that suits Russia.

“If the diplomats cannot move the peace process forward, the military will do all the talking. Putin has made his move, now we wait for Trump’s,” the paper said.

As Trump sees Ukraine peace deal slipping away he lashes out at both Putin and Zelensky– www.washingtonexaminer.com
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TRUMP: ‘VERY ANGRY, PISSED OFF’: With Russian President Vladimir Putin showing he’s in no hurry to make peace with Ukraine and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky balking at the latest version of the proposed mineral deals with the U.S., President Donald Trump is showing his frustration with both leaders as the prospects for a quick, war-ending deal are fading fast.

Trump, as quoted by NBC Meet the Press moderator Kristen Welker, is unhappy with Putin’s latest delaying tactic, calling for “temporary international administration” in Ukraine under the auspices of the United Nations, because Putin claims Zelensky is not the legitimate leader of Ukraine.

“The president told me, quote, ‘I was very angry, pissed off’ when Putin started getting into Zelensky’s credibility and started talking about new leadership in Ukraine,” Welker said in the opening of her Sunday show. “If Russia and I are unable to make a deal on stopping the bloodshed in Ukraine, and if I think it was Russia’s fault, which it might not be. But if I think it was Russia’s fault, I am going to put secondary tariffs on all oil coming out of Russia,” Welker quoted Trump as saying.

Trump says he had “very good” call with Zelenskyy one day after speaking to Putin– www.cbsnews.com
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Washington — President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke on the phone Wednesday morning in a call that lasted roughly an hour, according to Mr. Trump.

“Just completed a very good telephone call with President Zelenskyy of Ukraine,” the president wrote on Truth Social. “It lasted approximately one hour. Much of the discussion was based on the call made yesterday with President Putin in order to align both Russia and Ukraine in terms of their requests and needs.”

The call comes a day after Mr. Trump’s lengthy call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, in which Mr. Trump said Putin agreed to a 30-day ceasefire against Ukraine’s energy and infrastructure. The commitment fell short of the full ceasefire pushed by the U.S. and agreed to by Ukraine. Hours after Mr. Trump and Putin hung up, Russia launched a series of drone strikes that struck civilian areas and damaged a hospital.

Trump and Putin agree to an immediate ceasefire for energy infrastructure in Ukraine conflict – AP News
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President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed during a lengthy call Tuesday to an immediate pause in strikes against energy infrastructure in the Ukraine war, but the Russian leader stopped short of backing a broader 30-day pause in fighting that the U.S. administration is pressing for.

The White House described it as the first step in a “movement to peace” that it hopes will include a maritime ceasefire in the Black Sea and eventually a full and lasting end to the fighting. But there was no indication that Putin has backed away from his conditions for a prospective peace deal, which are fiercely opposed by Kyiv. And shortly after the call ended, air raid alerts sounded in Kyiv, followed by explosions in the city. Local officials urged people to seek shelter.

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After the arrest of Romania’s leading opposition leader, Calin Georgescu, protests, riots, and civil disturbances have been occurring ever since. The party who saw their candidate arrested and imprisoned is now scrambling to replace him before the re-run election this May. The election produced a win for Georgescu which was invalidated by an EU court on the grounds it was too influenced by Russian propagandists.

Romania’s far-right candidate Calin Georgescu to challenge presidential election ban – Reuters
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Romanian far-right presidential contender Calin Georgescu said on Monday he would challenge a decision to bar him from taking part in an election rerun in May, but analysts said his chances of standing were slim amid fears of Russian meddling.

The dispute over Georgescu’s candidacy is firing up tensions both at home and abroad.

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A small group of his supporters smashed pavements and set rubbish bins ablaze in Bucharest on Sunday, while Elon Musk, a key adviser to U.S. President Donald Trump, asked in a post on X on Monday: “How can a judge end democracy in Romania?”

 

Chaos in Romania’s capital after far-right Calin Georgescu barred from presidential redo – The Washington Post
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Chaos broke out in Romania’s capital Sunday evening as incensed supporters of the far-right populist Calin Georgescu protested the electoral body’s decision to reject his candidacy in a presidential election redo. He won the first round of last year’s race before a top court annulled the election.

Brussels ‘must take position’ on Romanian presidential election controversy one way or another, warns Slovak PM Fico– rmx.news
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The European Commission is under increasing pressure to address the unfolding political crisis in Romania after Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico called for clarity on the rejection of Calin Georgescu’s presidential candidacy.

Fico’s remarks, shared on social media, warn that the Commission’s silence would further undermine trust in the European Union.

Fico emphasized that the European Commission “must take a position” on the situation one way or another, asserting that either Georgescu, a nationalist and NATO-skeptic, is right, or the Romanian authorities’ decision to bar him from running is justified.

“The European Commission (EC) must take a position on the presidential elections in Romania — and take responsibility for it. If Mr. Georgescu is being wronged simply because he has a different opinion, he must be given European protection. If the EC is convinced that the Romanian authorities are doing the right thing, it must stand up for them. The only thing the EC cannot do is to remain silent,” Fico declared.

The controversy erupted after Romania’s Central Electoral Bureau (BEC) rejected Georgescu’s candidacy for the upcoming presidential elections on Sunday evening. The decision, taken with 10 votes in favor out of the 14-member committee, sparked protests in Bucharest, where demonstrators clashed with police, waving national flags and chanting slogans calling for “revolution.” Riot police used tear gas to disperse the crowd, and multiple arrests were made.

Protesters block main state Serbian TV building as tensions soar ahead of a planned large rally – ABC News
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 Several hundred student protesters have blocked Serbia’s public television station building in Belgrade as tensions are soaring in the Balkan country days ahead of a planned large rally over the weekend billed as an endgame in months of anti-government demonstrations.

The students first blocked the TV building in central Belgrade, Serbia’s capital, late on Monday and several hundred gathered again early on Tuesday, after announcing that their blockade will last for at least 22 hours.

University students in Serbia are behind almost daily rallies that started after a concrete canopy crashed down in November at a railway station in the northern city of Novi Sad, killing 15 people. The protests have rocked populist rule of President Aleksandar Vucic and his firm grip on power.

Zelensky arrives in Saudi Arabia for crucial peace talks with US officials– www.france24.com
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has arrived in Saudi Arabia for crucial talks on ending the war with Russia. He is scheduled to meet with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman before joining US and Ukrainian officials for negotiations on a peace framework and potential ceasefire. The talks in Jeddah mark the first meeting between the two sides since Zelensky’s White House visit last month. Here is Philip Turle’s analysis.

News24 | Ukraine launches drone attack wave on Moscow, killing one and shutting down airports– www.news24.com
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Ukraine has launched a “massive” drone attack against Moscow that killed at least one person, injured several others and saw the shutdown of airports and damaged residential buildings, officials and aviation authorities said.

Russian Army Reports Major Advances in Kursk Region After ‘Operation Pipeline’– www.themoscowtimes.com
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Russia has reclaimed more than 100 square kilometers (38.6 square miles) of territory and 12 villages from Ukrainian forces in the southwestern Kursk region over the past 24 hours, the Russian military said Tuesday.

“The North Group of Forces has liberated 12 settlements during offensive actions… and more than 100 square kilometers of the Kursk region,” Russia’s Defense Ministry said in a daily briefing.

The retaken settlements include Agronom, Bogdanovka, Bondarevka, Dmitryukov, Zazulevka, Ivashkovskiy, Kolmakov, Kubatkin, Martynovka, Mikhaylovka, Pravda and Yuzhny, all located just north or east of the Ukrainian-held city of Sudzha.

Russia’s significant advances this past month, which analysts say put Ukrainian forces at risk of encirclement, appear to have taken advantage of U.S. President Donald Trump’s suspension of military aid and intelligence sharing to Ukraine.

Playing his ‘Trump card,’ Putin goes for the kill to force Zelensky’s hand– www.washingtonexaminer.com
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PUTIN’S POWER PLAY: Emboldened by President Donald Trump’s suspension of military aid and intelligence to Ukraine, Russian forces have stepped up the pace of air attacks and redoubled efforts to take back captured territory in the Kursk region in what appears to be an attempt to solidify its battlefield position ahead of a forced surrender by Kyiv.

Ukrainian troops in the field suspect that the U.S. is not just hurting Ukraine, but helping Russian forces in the Kursk region, who seem to have new intelligence about Ukrainian positions as they attempt to encircle Ukrainian forces and retake the tiny sliver of Russian territory that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky hoped to use as one of his few bargaining chips in any peace negotiation. Ukrainian soldiers in the border region have complained on X that they come under instant heavy attack as soon as they activate their Starlink terminals.

“Throughout this week, Russia has carried out hundreds of attacks against our people using various types of weapons: around 1,200 guided aerial bombs, nearly 870 attack drones, and over 80 missiles of different types,” Zelensky posted on X over the weekend, ahead of a scheduled trip to Saudi Arabia today. Zelensky said a Saturday attack in Dobropillya, a city in the Donetsk region, was “one of the most brutal” striking civilians targets, including nine residential buildings, a shopping center, and killing 11 people.

Musk and Rubio spar with Polish minister over Ukraine’s use of Starlink – BBC.com
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US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Elon Musk have clashed with Poland’s foreign minister over the use of the tech billionaire’s Starlink satellite internet system in Ukraine.

Musk said on X that Ukraine’s “entire front line” would collapse if he turned the system off. Radoslaw Sikorski responded, saying his country paid for its use in Ukraine and a threat to shut it down would result in a search for another network.

Rubio dismissed Sikorski’s claims and told him to be grateful, while Musk called him a “small man”.

The exchange appeared to lead to Polish PM Donald Tusk calling on his country’s allies to show respect for their weaker partners, rather than arrogance.

Starlink’s system is part of SpaceX’s venture to provide high-speed internet to remote and underserved areas. It has been used extensively by the Ukrainian military.

Elon Musk floats drastic measure against Ukraine that would ‘immediately’ end war with Russia – Daily Mail
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Tech titan Elon Musk has suggested crippling sanctions on Ukraine’s oligarchs is the key to halting the nation’s bloody conflict with Russia

Musk, 53, the billionaire CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, called for sanctions targeting Ukraine’s wealthiest elite in a post on X Sunday morning.

The stunning intervention was a radical departure from the current strategy focused on punishing Russia for its unprovoked invasion of the country.

‘Place sanctions on the top 10 Ukrainian oligarchs, especially the ones with mansions in Monaco, and this will stop immediately. That is the key to the puzzle,’ Musk wrote bluntly.

The remark comes at the end of a week of intensive debate in Washington over whether continued US financial and military aid to Kyiv is sustainable as the war drags on with no clear end in sight.

Republican Senator Mike Lee (R-Utah) recently argued that the US shouldn’t offer ‘another penny’ to Ukraine – a view echoed by growing segments of the American public weary of the seemingly endless bloodshed and multibillion-dollar aid packages.

US demanding Ukraine trade land for peace, as talks with Rubio open in Saudi Arabia– www.washingtonexaminer.com
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RUBIO: ‘THERE IS NO MILITARY SOLUTION’: Secretary of State Marco Rubio is in Saudi Arabia for face-to-face talks with a delegation consisting of Ukraine’s foreign minister, defense minister, and national security adviser to determine what concessions Ukraine is willing to make to end the three-year war with Russia.

Rubio told reporters en route to Jeddah that Ukraine must utter no magic words, but he is looking for signs that Ukraine is ready to make painful concessions to achieve a lasting peace deal. “I mean, right now, we’re really in listening mode,” Rubio said. “We have to understand the Ukrainian position and just have a general idea of what concessions they’d be willing to make, because you’re not going to get a ceasefire and an end to this war unless both sides make concessions.”

“We’re not going to be sitting in a room drawing lines on a map, but just get a general sense of what concessions are in the realm of the possible for them and what they would need in return, and then find out what the Russian position is in that regard,” Rubio said. “At some point soon, obviously, we’ll have to go back and establish a process by which we can determine what the Russian positions are in this regard and see how far apart we are,” he said.

Zelensky Says ‘Sorry’ To Trump For Oval Office Showdown: Big Revelation Before U.S.-Ukraine Talks – The Times of India
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U.S. President’s special envoy Steve Witkoff has said that the Ukrainian President apologized to Trump in a letter after the unruly public argument during an Oval Office meeting. “Zelensky sent a letter to the president. He apologized for that whole incident that happened in the Oval Office,” Witkoff told Fox News, adding that that was an important step toward rapprochement between both sides. The revelation comes just hours before Zelensky is set to meet Marco Rubio in Saudi Arabia for talks to end Russia’s war.

A coalition government is forming in Germany that saw the alliance of the far left Green Party with the center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) to prevent the rising Alliance for Deutschland party (AfD) from gaining any power despite finishing a close second to the CDU. That coalition is in peril already, thanks to a new budget proposal.

The German government on its way out, in a lame duck session, is preparing to pass a budget, one that the presumed next Chancellor, Friedrich Merz, is not only approving, but introducing. It includes billions of euros more in increases targeting infrastructure improvement and military expansion, all under the guise of responding to the Donald Trump threat. The stumbling block for the bill passing is the same leftist party expected to work in partnership with the CDU in the next party, the Green Party, who is threatening to vote the proposed Merz amendments down.

Germany’s Green Party rejects Merz’s spending proposals | Politics News– www.aljazeera.com
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Germany’s Green Party has threatened to torpedo plans put forward by likely incoming chancellor Friedrich Merz to invest hundreds of billions of euros in defence and infrastructure.

Merz, whose conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) emerged the biggest in February’s legislative elections, wants in particular to relax the strict limits imposed by the “debt brake” in Germany to invest more in defence and security. His proposal comes as the country’s economy experiences prolonged stagnation and United States President Donald Trump’s direct overtures to Russian President Vladimir Putin have left Europe feeling vulnerable on security.

The proposed constitutional changes to ease strict borrowing limits in the area of defence and establish a 500-billion euro ($542bn) fund for infrastructure had been described as historic when they were presented last week.