Free Republic

Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted on X, "Deeply shocked by the news of terrorist attacks in Israel. Our thoughts and prayers are with the innocent victims and their families. We stand in solidarity with Israel at this difficult hour." Deeply shocked by the news of terrorist attacks in Israel. Our thoughts and prayers are with the innocent victims and their families. We stand in solidarity with Israel at this difficult hour. — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 7, 2023 The US on Saturday "unequivocally" condemned the attack by "Hamas terrorists" against Israel, the White House said in a statement. "The United...

Kazakhstan’s president, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, hosted routine talks with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Astana on November 9. At the customary, post-meeting press conference, Tokayev said little that was new, yet his delivery marked a notable departure from the past. He opened his remarks in Kazakh, not Russian. Tokayev’s rhetoric included the usual platitudes concerning the strength of bilateral relations, which he said were underpinned by “unshakable values of mutual respect and trust.” He went on to “confirm Kazakhstan is committed to the strategic direction of further strengthening comprehensive cooperation with Russia.” But in making top Russian officials in attendance, including...

The tie that binds? Voters are tired of “immigrants.”Germany is having a real time of it lately. Besides the Greens getting shellacked over bankrupting their citizenry while driving the country into the Dark Ages – and I do mean dark – one of the most cherished aspirational goals of their former long-time chancellor looks to be on its last legs as well.Merkel, Schmerkel – who needs these all frickin’ “immigrant” headaches? It seems as if Chancellor Olaf Scholz is listening to either his voters, or maybe even he has had enough.”We must finally deport on a large scale those who...

German defence minister says his country cannot protect itself in warThe Germany Defence Minister said the army of his country is understaffed and does not have adequate equipment as it has been neglected from the federal government for decades Berlin: German army is not capable of protecting the country against any offensive, said Defence Minister Boris Pistorius. He further alleged that the Bundeswehr is understaffed and under-equipped after being left neglected from the federal government for decades. “We have no armed forces that are capable of defending [Germany] that is, capable of defending [it] against an offensive, brutally waged aggressive...

Europe to send modern armoured vehicles as Russia prepares new mobilisation Kyiv and allies have been calling on Germany to send Leopard 2 battle tanks Germany has been reluctant, but foreign minister has signalled shift if position Germany would not block Poland sending its Leopard 2 battle tanks to Ukraine, its foreign minister said, in a blow for Putin and his invading forces. Ukrainian officials have been calling on Western allies to supply them the modern German-made armour for months, but Germany has held back from sending them or allowing other Nato countries to do so. In apparent shift, Annalena...

Interior Minister Nancy Faeser dismissed Arne Schoenbohm as head of the BSI agency, following reports which "damaged the necessary confidence of the public in the neutrality and impartiality" of his management, the ministry said on Tuesday.... The Cyber Security Council Germany, which Mr Schoenbohm chaired until he became the head of the BSI in 2016, was prone to influence from Russian companies and even the Kremlin’s intelligence agencies, the report said. German media have reported that one of its members was a German company that is a subsidiary of a Russian cybersecurity firm founded by a former KGB agent, which...

The chairman of the Palestinian Authority, who is visiting Berlin, avoided condemning the massacre of the athletes in Munich - and while he was giving his speech, Chancellor Schulz was seen contorting his face. Prime Minister: "a moral disgrace". Earlier, Schultz clarified that for him, Israel is not an apartheid state According to the AP news agency, during the PA chairman's speech, the German chancellor grimaced in displeasure - however, he did not react in real time, but later issued a statement to the German "Bild" in which he criticized Abu Mazen's choice of words. The horrors of the Holocaust...

Germany's leading energy expert says she's living in a nightmare. What's worse, she saw it coming. Germany had vowed to ditch coal but is now restarting mothballed, coal-fired power stations For 15 years Claudia Kemfert says she tried to warn politicians and the public that the country was too reliant on Russian energy. Until recently Germany bought more than half of its gas from Russia. She advised Berlin to find other sources and focus more on renewables. And she warned against the construction of the Nord Stream 1 pipeline through which Germany receives much of its gas. "That's what I...

The head of the German Federation Trade Unions (DGB) warned Sunday that major industries in the country were at risk of collapsing if Russian natural gas were to be cut off. "Because of the gas bottlenecks, entire industries are in danger of permanently collapsing: aluminum, glass, the chemical industry," Yasmin Fahimi told newspaper Bild am Sonntag in an interview. "Such a collapse would have massive consequences for the entire economy and jobs in Germany." Fahimi’s dire warning came a day ahead of an expected round of crisis talks between Fahimi and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in...

In January-April 2022, Germany increased imports from Russia by 60% and transferred almost EUR 6 billion to Moscow, despite the Russian aggression against Ukraine. The Ambassador of Ukraine to Germany Andrii Melnyk announced this on his Twitter account on Friday, June 10. 'It's crazy. Despite the Russian aggressive war, in January-April 2022, Germany increased imports from Russia by 60% (!) And transferred almost EUR 6 billion to Moscow. Trade between Ukraine and Germany fell by 11%," Melnyk said. As proof, the Ambassador of Ukraine published an infographics of trade. As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, on June 7, the adviser...

In a speech to mark the 77th anniversary of the end of the Second World War, German Chancellor Scholz said that by likening the conflict in Ukraine to the fight against Nazi Germany, Russian President Putin was falsifying of history.

Pressure was mounting on Germany to up its game over the war in Ukraine on Tuesday as Kyiv snubbed the country's president and Chancellor Olaf Scholz was accused of a weak response to the crisis. On a visit to Poland, President Frank-Walter Steinmeier admitted he had offered to visit Ukraine with other EU leaders, but Kyiv had told him he was not welcome right now. "I was prepared to do this, but apparently, and I must take note of this, this was not wanted in Kyiv," Steinmeier told reporters. Steinmeier, a former foreign minister, has faced growing criticism since Russia...

The German government said that Russian President Vladimir Putin told Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Wednesday that Europe could continue paying for Russian gas in euros and not rubles as previously announced. German government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit said Putin had told Scholz that payments from Europe next month "would continue to be in euros and transferred as usual to the Gazprom Bank, which is not affected by sanctions." The bank would then convert the payments into rubles, Hebestreit quoted Putin as saying. Hebestreit said in a statement that Putin had stressed in the telephone call with Scholz "which took place at...

Germany wants to end all fossil fuel imports from Russia, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said on Tuesday. "Germany wants to completely phase out fossil fuel dependence on Russia," Baerbock told the Berlin Energy Transition Dialogue conference. "Germany has already halved its imports in the last few weeks, especially in hard coal, and we will not only halve this in all other areas, we will also completely phase out fossil fuels that come from Russia," she added.

Germany has emerged as the main barrier to tougher sanctions against Russia, threatening to spark a rift in western efforts to punish the Kremlin.Europe’s largest economy is the main power resisting attempts to add Sberbank to a list of Russian financial institutions cut off from the Swift payments system, Bloomberg reports.Sberbank, which is Russia’s largest lender, was left off the initial list as part of a decision to protect energy-related transactions, but calls are now mounting for the EU to tighten its sanctions.It’s not Germany’s only area of resistance, either. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has publicly opposed sanctions targeting Russia’s...

Germany will send 1,000 anti-tank weapons and 500 Stinger missiles to Ukraine, marking a complete reversal in Berlin's restrictive arms export policy, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced Saturday. Why it matters: Germany has for months come under intense criticism for its response to Russia's aggression toward Ukraine. The government said its "historical responsibilities" prevented it from shipping arms to conflict zones, and had previously blocked other NATO allies from transferring German-origin weapons to Ukraine. What they're saying: "The Russian attack marks a turning point. It is our duty to do our best to help Ukraine defend against the invading army...

BERLIN (Reuters) – German Chancellor Olaf Scholz turned down an invite at short notice from U.S. President Joe Biden to discuss the Ukraine crisis, German magazine Der Spiegel said on Friday. Scholz did not accept the invitation due to a full schedule, including a trip to Madrid, as well as the desire to show that he was present as Germany grapples with the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Der Spiegel. A government spokesman declined to comment on the report. Both sides hoped now to organize a meeting by mid-February.

Germany’s new foreign minister heads to Washington this week for talks likely to be dominated by the Russia-Ukraine crisis, amid reports that her boss, Chancellor Olaf Scholz, is looking to reset strained relations with Moscow and plans to meet with President Vladimir Putin this month. Germany has just assumed the rotating presidency of the G7 for 2022, and any disunity within its three-party coalition government over confronting challenges posed by Russia or China could have far-reaching implications. Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, co-leader of the Greens, favors a tougher approach to Moscow and Beijing than does Scholz of the center-left Social...

BERLIN (AP) — Members of Germany's biggest opposition party, the center-right Christian Democratic Union of former Chancellor Angela Merkel, have chosen prominent conservative Friedrich Merz as its new leader, the party said Friday. Merz's election with a strong mandate appears to mark at least a symbolic break with the Merkel era. Making his third run for the CDU's top post, he took 62.1% support in a ballot of the party's membership to beat two centrist contenders. A party convention next month will have to sign off officially on the membership vote, but that should only be a formality. Armin Laschet,...

Germany’s incoming government, led by the center-left Social Democrats (SPD), were pressed to clarify their foreign policy priorities at a press conference on Tuesday. Having officially signed a three-party coalition agreement, Chancellor-designate Olaf Scholz and the rest of his Cabinet members are expected to take office on Wednesday after a vote and swearing-in ceremony in the German parliament. Scholz put Europe in focus as he fielded questions on Russia, China and the United States alongside Greens co-leader and incoming vice chancellor Robert Habeck as well as Free Democrat (FDP) chief and incoming Finance Minister Christian Lindner. Strengthening the European Union...