German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Saturday told a state party conference that Russia will only stop its war in Ukraine when it is unable to continue economically, and possibly militarily.
“All our efforts in recent weeks have been met with an even more aggressive approach by the Moscow regime against the people of Ukraine. And this will not stop until we have worked together to ensure that Russia can no longer continue this war, at least for economic reasons, perhaps also for military reasons, but in any case for economic reasons,” Merz said.
He stressed the importance of European unity in confronting the conflict, recalling recent discussions with EU leaders, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House.
Merz also outlined Germany’s renewed leadership in defence policy and NATO. He said decisions to raise defence spending to 3.5% and invest an additional 1.5% in defence infrastructure had strengthened NATO’s European pillar.
“If Germany is prepared to take on a leadership role in Europe again, if Europe stands together, then we have a chance of being heard. Then we can assert our interests. We can defend our freedom and our security together,” he said.
Merz described foreign and European policy as inseparable from Germany’s domestic security.
He also noted the growing pressure on Russia as missile and drone attacks against Ukraine intensified in recent days.
On Friday in Toulon, France, Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron said that U.S. President Trump must respond to the cancelled meeting he had announced between Putin and Zelenskyy, highlighting that Russia had shown no desire for a peaceful solution.
SOCAR has completed the acquisition of a 99.82% stake in Italiana Petroli (IP) from API Holding after receiving all r...
Health authorities are monitoring a widening hantavirus alert after new suspected cases emerged in Spain and on a remote South Atlantic island, day...
Russia is holding a significantly scaled-back Victory Day parade in Moscow on 9 May 2026, reflecting heightened security concerns and the ongoing w...
Efforts to end the U.S.-Iran war appeared to stall as the two sides exchanged fire in and around the Strait of Hormuz. A rep...
Somalia is facing a severe malnutrition crisis and urgently needs additional humanit...
SOCAR has completed the acquisition of a 99.82% stake in Italiana Petroli (IP) from API Holding after receiving all required regulatory approvals.
Health authorities are monitoring a widening hantavirus alert after new suspected cases emerged in Spain and on a remote South Atlantic island, days after an outbreak on a cruise ship left three people dead and several others infected.
Russia is holding a significantly scaled-back Victory Day parade in Moscow on 9 May 2026, reflecting heightened security concerns and the ongoing war in Ukraine, now in its fourth year.
Efforts to end the U.S.-Iran war appeared to stall as the two sides exchanged fire in and around the Strait of Hormuz. A reported CIA assessment suggested Tehran could withstand a U.S. naval blockade for months despite mounting sanctions and renewed Gulf attacks.
The U.S military said it carried out retaliatory strikes on Iran on Thursday (7 May). Meanwhile, Iran's Joint Military Command accused the U.S. of breaching the ceasefire, by striking an Iranian oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz and launching attacks on several Iranian cities.
The U.S. and Iran exchanged fire in and around the Strait of Hormuz, though both sides signalled they did not want escalation. The clashes come as Washington awaits Tehran’s response to a proposed deal to end the war while leaving key disputes, such as Iran’s nuclear programme, unresolved for now.
Singapore has isolated and is testing two of its residents who travelled aboard a cruise ship linked to a deadly hantavirus outbreak, the Communicable Diseases Agency (CDA) said on Thursday.
Efforts to end the U.S.-Iran war appeared to stall as the two sides exchanged fire in and around the Strait of Hormuz. A reported CIA assessment suggested Tehran could withstand a U.S. naval blockade for months despite mounting sanctions and renewed Gulf attacks.
Ukraine’s military said it struck a Russian Karakurt-class small missile carrier in the Caspian Sea near Russia’s Dagestan region on Thursday. The extent of the damage is still being assessed, according to Kyiv.
Somalia is facing a severe malnutrition crisis and urgently needs additional humanitarian funding to prevent conditions deteriorating further, the World Food Programme has warned.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer vowed to carry on as leader on Friday (8 May) after his ruling Labour Party suffered heavy losses in local elections. Labour lost hundreds of councillors across the country, as some figures in the party said he should stand down.
Indonesian rescue teams have located two Singaporeans who went missing after Mount Dukono erupted on Friday (8 May) on the island of Halmahera, though authorities say it remains unclear whether they are alive.
Health authorities are monitoring a widening hantavirus alert after new suspected cases emerged in Spain and on a remote South Atlantic island, days after an outbreak on a cruise ship left three people dead and several others infected.
The U.S. Defense Department has released dozens of previously classified files on unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) on Friday (8 May), following an order from President Donald Trump. U.S. officials described as a push for “unprecedented transparency”.
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