Monday, 17 August 2026Europe · Analysis
Independent · Brussels & Berlin
Person
Federal Minister of Defence, German Federal Ministry of Defence
NATO chief details staggering Russian casualties while Zelensky demands longer security guarantees and von der Leyen invokes EU mutual defence clause.
Germany, France, Italy, Poland and the EU's foreign policy chief meet in Berlin to coordinate long-term military aid, hybrid threat response and defence industrial planning as war enters third winter.
German foreign minister Johann Wadephul says no alliance member will face Russian provocations alone, while Ukraine's president proposes a shared aerial defence system at Warsaw Security Forum.
Brussels targets 189 tankers while London hits missile components and disinformation networks, acting in concert after Trump failed to extract a ceasefire commitment from Putin.
Friedrich Merz takes office leading a CDU-SPD coalition that has already torn up the debt brake, promising a €500bn off-budget fund for infrastructure and defence while pledging to send Taurus missiles to Ukraine.
Friedrich Merz's CDU and the Social Democrats agree a fifth grand coalition with a 13-seat majority, pledging to reform debt rules, boost the Bundeswehr and tighten borders as Germany faces recession and AfD gains.
Vice President Vance's Munich speech, U.S.-Russia talks excluding Kyiv, and a UN vote aligning Washington with Moscow signal a fundamental shift in the security architecture that has underpinned Europe since 1949.
Conservatives lead polls at 30 percent but AfD's 20 percent blocks simple majority, forcing CDU/CSU into complex negotiations with SPD or Greens as migration policy fractures traditional alliances.
German defence minister says Europe must shoulder more security burden regardless of US administration, while permanent Bundeswehr deployment to Lithuania targets 2027 combat readiness.
The newsletter
Delivered to your inbox on the days we publish. No daily digest, no push notifications, no advertising.