Contents tagged with Germany

  • Merkel demands more money for German Armed Forces because of situation in Eastern Ukraine

    German Chancellor Angela Merkel said in a weekly televised statement, which is published on German Government's website, that the situation in Eastern Ukraine forces NATO member countries to reconsider the Alliance's defense strategy.

    "Because of the conflict in Ukraine and the annexation of Crimea, the topic of national defense and Alliance defense came into focus," said German Chancellor. According to her, the German Armed Forces need financial resources to perform the defense functions.

    " …

  • Putin and Merkel discuss gas transit to Europe via Ukraine

    Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Angela Merkel held a telephone conversation to discuss the continuation of Russian gas transit to the EU through Ukraine after 2019, reports the Kremlin’s press service.

    According to the Kremlin’s press service, Putin and Merkel discussed the transit in connection with the beginning of the next stage of the trilateral gas consultation of Russia, the EU, and Ukraine in Brussels. The parties are working on a decision on gas transit after the …

  • Germany to send 12,000 tons of nuclear waste to Russia

    After a hiatus of 10 years, Russia has started importing radioactive waste from Europe once again. Between 2019 and 2022, Russia will receive 12,000 tons of depleted uranium from Germany, Die Tageszeitung reports.

    The waste will comprise of so-called “uranium tailings”, byproducts of the enrichment process used to make fuel for nuclear power plants, GreenPeace notes. Russia actively imported these materials in the 2000s, but ended the practice in 2009 under pressure from eco-activists, when it …

  • German Foreign Ministry calls for withdrawal of troops in Donbas

    The German Foreign Ministry called for withdrawal of troops in the Donbas, which will open the way for the implementation of the Steinmeier Formula, reports UNIAN news agency, citing the press service of the German Foreign Ministry. The statement was made following the meeting of German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas with his Lithuanian counterpart Linas Linkevičius.

    "The settlement of the conflict in Ukraine remains a top priority for Germany, as potential peace should have a positive impact on …

  • Germany and NATO allies conduct military exercises with nuclear weapons

    The German Armed Forces and its NATO allies are participating in secret exercises, the scenario of which involves simulation of a nuclear war. During the Steadfast Noon military drills, it is planned to practice the use of fighter-bombers that can be equipped with nuclear weapons, reports Deutsche Welle with reference to Deutsche Presse-Agentur (DPA) news agency.

    The participants of the exercise will also work out the safe transfer of nuclear weapons from underground storage facilities to …

  • German Foreign Ministry orders consulates not to recognize Russian passports issued in Donbas

    The German Foreign Ministry has ordered all German consulates not to recognize Russian passports issued to Ukrainian citizens in the temporarily occupied Donbas territories, Ukrainian Ambassador to Germany Andriy Melnyk wrote in a tweet.

    “Treason has been canceled. The leadership of the German Foreign Ministry told me personally about an instruction to all German consulates not to recognize Russian passports issued to Ukrainians in the occupied Donbas,” Melnyk wrote.

    On April 24, Russian …

  • US to deploy military division to Eastern Europe

    The US Armed Forces plan to deploy one of its divisions through Germany to Eastern Europe as part of the Defender-2020 military exercise, reads the statement from the German Defense Ministry to the representatives of parliamentary factions in the German Bundestag’s Defense Committee.

    It is noted that Germany will become a logistics hub during the transfer of American troops to Poland and the Baltic States.

    US, Germany and 15 other NATO members will participate in Defender-2020 military …

  • Poland creates new military division to counter the threat from the East

    A new division of troops has been established in eastern Poland, said Poland’s Minister of National Defense Mariusz Blaszczak, reported Polskie Radio .

    The Minister took part in the ceremony of transition to the 18th Mechanized Division of the 1st Warsaw armored Brigade and the 21st Brigade.

    General Jarosław Gromadziński, Commander of the 18th Division, noted the combat potential of the new tactical unit and its NATO command structure.

    "This division is located in eastern Poland because …

  • Germany refuses to reinstate Russia in G8

    The German government has rejected a proposal by the presidents of France and the US to invite Russia to the Group of Seven (G7) summit in 2020. According to Steffen Seibert, official spokesperson for the German government, Moscow needs to show that it is willing to change its stance on the conflict in eastern Ukraine. Only after that will the Seven consider inviting Russia, DPA reports.

    Ahead of a visit to Moscow on Wednesday, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said that he has “fundamentally …

  • Poland opposes transfer of US troops from Germany

    Polish Foreign Minister Jacek Czaputowicz, in an interview with  the newspaper Rzeczpospolita, commented on the US plans to redeploy its military from Germany to Poland, because Berlin doesn't plan to increase its budget for NATO.

    Czaputowicz didn't support this idea, noting that US troops provide security for Poland even from the German territory. According to him, the US provides a "backup" in case of "attack from Russia," but they manage it well even from a distance.

    Also, the Minister …