Contents tagged with Germany

  • Germany suspects Russian involvement in a series of cyber-attacks

    The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution of Germany, which deals with counter-intelligence activities, suspects that Russian special services are responsible for a series of cyber-attacks against German government agencies, DW reported.

    “These operations of the Russian special services have apparently continued for 7-11 years,” the Office said in a statement.

    The German Office also has evidence that Russian intelligence agencies organized a powerful cyber-attack on the …

  • Ukrainian Foreign Ministry: No consensus was reached on elections in the Donbas during Berlin meeting

    At their meeting in Berlin, the Foreign Ministers of the Normandy Four were unable to reach a consensus with Russia regarding Kiev’s conditions for elections in Donbas. This was reported by Interfax-Ukraine in reference to statements made by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Pavlo Klimkin.

    “We have not come to an agreement. Russia has presented their own versions of the electoral legislation. I have told the Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, that we are perfectly capable of …

  • Steinmeier: the Minsk Agreements are being implemented at a snail’s pace

    The head of the German Foreign Ministry believes that the diplomatic efforts of France and Germany were instrumental in prevention of a war in Europe.

    At the same time the progress in the implementation of the Minsk Agreements is comparable to a snail's pace. According to the press service of the Foreign Ministry of Germany, this was stated by the German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier on the eve of the twelfth meeting of the Normandy Four.

    Steinmeier fears that the work on the …

  • Germany to expand its army due to tensions with Russia

    Germany plans to increase the size of its armed forces for the first time since 1990 due to tensions with Russia. “The Bundeswehr is expected to recruit an additional 14,300 troops over the next seven years; 4,400 civilian staff will be recruited as well,” Ursula von der Leyen, the German Minister of Defense, said on Tuesday.

    According to her, the expansion of the German army is necessary, owing to the current situation of increased tensions with Russia due to the conflict in Ukraine and also …

  • New negotiations of the 'Normandy Format' to be held in Berlin

    German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier has requested that representatives of the Normandy Four hold a meeting focusing on the settlement of the conflict in Ukraine.

    He has invited his colleagues from Russia, Ukraine and France to discuss a way to resolve the crisis in the Donbas. Negotiations in the Normandy Format will be held on the 11th of May in Berlin.

    “I consider it necessary to make a new attempt to overcome the relationship barrier between Kiev and Moscow. Too much time has …

  • Germany considers it unlikely for Russia to return to the G8

    According to unnamed sources in a Der Spiegel report, the current format of the G7 is unlikely to be re-expanded to the G8 to include Russia, the Office of the Federal Chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel, stated, as reported by Deutsche Welle.

    "The G8 format is dead," the source in the agency said. Merkel's staff is skeptical that Moscow will be able to fulfill the conditions for their return to the Group of Eight.

    According to the journal's information, the US authorities are against the …

  • Berlin confirms its plan to send German soldiers to Lithuania

    On April 29th, after a meeting with the Prime Minister of Latvia, Māris Kučinskis, the Chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel, announced the involvement of the Bundeswehr in the policy of Russian containment along the eastern borders of NATO, Deutsche Welle reported.

    “I want to emphasize the fact that it is extremely important for us to operate within the NATO-Russia Agreement,” Merkel said. At the same time, she expressed her hope to intensify the dialogue between Russia and the Alliance.

    “We …

  • Russian Su-27 once again intercepts US spy plane

    A Russian Su-27 fighter has once again made a dangerous maneuver near an American spy plane in international airspace over the Baltic Sea. This was stated by the representatives of the US Department of Defense, CNN reported.

    CNN said that the Russian Su-27 performed an aerobatics barrel roll (360 degrees revolution around the longitudinal axis) about 30 meters from the American plane.

    According to Reuters, Pentagon spokesman Bill Urban said that such actions of the Russian fighter jet may …

  • Obama and Merkel: Sanctions against Russia should stay in force until the Minsk Agreements are fully implemented by Moscow

    US President Barack Obama said that he and German Chancellor Angela Merkel have a common stance on sanctions against Russia because of its policy with regard to Ukraine: sanctions can only be lifted if Moscow fulfills the conditions of the Minsk Agreements. Obama said this on April 24th at a press conference in Hannover, after a meeting with Merkel as part of his 6-day trip abroad."Sanctions against Russia can and should be lifted only if Russia fulfills its commitments within the framework of …

  • Media: The US expects Germany to take a leading role in strengthening NATO’s eastern border

    The German newspaper Der Spiegel reported that the US expects greater participation from Germany in deterring Russian aggression in Europe. Washington insists that the Bundeswehr actively participate in the planned deployment of rotating NATO units on the eastern borders of the Alliance.

    The US expects Germany and the UK to deploy soldiers and military equipment to the Baltic States, Poland, and Romania, US President Barack Obama reportedly told the US National Security Council.

    Obama plans …