Contents tagged with Germany

  • Media: Germany fears that Trump will allow himself to be outsmarted by Putin

    Many politicians and public figures in Germany expressed concern regarding the forthcoming meeting of the Presidents of the USA and of Russia that will take place on July 16 in Helsinki, Voice of America reports.

    German media cite Peter Beyer, the Coordinator of Transatlantic Cooperation at the Federal Foreign Office who spoke about NATO’s concerns regarding the agreements that can be reached in the capital of Finland by Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump. …

  • Merkel: Russian annexation of Crimea and war in Donbas justify increase in German defense expenditures

    Russia’s annexation of the Crimea and its support of separatists in the East of Ukraine have become prime reasons for Germany to increase its defense expenditure, Merkel stated, DW reports.

    "Challenges faced by NATO have changed dramatically in recent years,” Merkel stated. According to the German Chancellor, it is important for NATO to focus on the protection of the Alliance after Russia’s annexation of the Crimea and its support of separatists in the East of Ukraine.

    "To do this, we should …

  • Germany suspects two companies of delivering titanium ore to Crimea

    Two German companies, Hansa Heavy Lift and Heinz Corleis are suspected of violating sanctions regarding the Crimea, German radio station Deutschlandfunk reported, prompting the Prosecutor’s Office of Hamburg to file criminal charges against them.

    Allegedly, the companies were to deliver titanium ore to the Russian mainland but cargo ended up in the Crimea instead, Deutschlandfunk say.

    The HHL Mississippi cargo ship belonging to Hansa Heavy Lift was in Kavkaz port in Krasnodar on November 23, 2 …

  • Media: Osama bin Laden’s bodyguard lived on welfare in Germany for 10 years

    German police arrested a Tunisian national who was once a bodyguard of Osama bin Laden, the notorious terrorist leader killed by US Special Forces, reports the German publication Bild.

    The man was 42 years old and lived in Bochum.

    The unnamed man first came to Germany in 1997 and from 2008, he received allowances in the amount of 1,200 euro every month. Members of his family also obtained German passports.

    The ex-bodyguard was arrested when he came to the police to get a registration stamp. …

  • Head of the German security agency accuses Russian hackers of attacking country’s power grid

    Hans-Georg Maassen, who currently serves as President of Germany’s Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, blamed Russia for a recent large-scale cyberattack on German power grids and energy companies in an interview with media group Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland’s newspaper. 

    "The modus operandi is in fact only one of [multiple] indications that point to Russian control of the attack campaign," he said. Hans-Georg Maassen did not reveal details of the investigation.

    Germany’s …

  • Merkel does not believe that ruling coalition of Germany will fall apart because of dispute over immigrants

    German Chancellor Angela Merkel does not believe that the ruling coalition in Germany will fall apart due to disagreements between the parties (the Christian Democratic and Christian Social Unions and the Social Democratic Party of Germany) on the issue of combating illegal immigration. She stated this on Thursday after a meeting in Berlin with the prime ministers of the federal states of Germany.

    The Chancellor stressed that even more effort should be concentrated on the implementation of the …

  • German Foreign Minister anticipates difficult negotiations during the Normandy format talks

    In an interview with Bild, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said that he expects difficult negotiations on the settlement of the conflict in the east of Ukraine in the so-called Normandy format that includes Germany, France, Russia and Ukraine.  After a 16-month break, a meeting of the foreign ministers of the four countries will take place in Berlin.

    The lack of progress in the implementation of the Minsk Agreements has complicated the situation for people in the east of Ukraine who want …

  • Germany issues arrest warrant for military commander close to Assad

      German authorities have issued arrest warrant for the chief of Syria's Air Force Intelligence, Jamil Hassan. German Prosecutor’s Office accuses Hassan of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

    Spiegel newspaper calls the military commander one of the closest associates of the President Bashar al-Assad.

    Syrian activist Anwar al-Bunni worked with Germany's chief federal prosecutor, Peter Frank, to compile the criminal case, using interviews with Syrians, some of whom now live in Germany.

      …

  • Media: Trump to respond to Putin’s missiles by deploying anti-missile systems in Germany

    The animated video clips of missiles destroying the US, which Russian President Vladimir Putin presented in an address to the Federal Assembly, have been noted by the Pentagon.

    As Reuters reports, the US has begun negotiations with Germany concerning the placement of US anti-missile defense systems in the European country.

    A THAAD system may be installed at the Ramstein Air Base, where the command of the US Air Forces in Europe and the joint NATO Air Force Command are based, an official in …

  • Ukrainian Foreign Ministry fires its consul in Germany for making anti-Semitic statements

    The Disciplinary Commission of the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs dismissed the Consul General of Ukraine in Hamburg, Vasyl Marushchynets from service because of anti-Semitic statements that he made on Facebook, the Ministry’s press service stated.

    According to the statement, disciplinary proceedings were initiated against the Consul General. Following the consideration of the case, the commission concluded that the messages posted on the diplomat’s personal Facebook page are a …