German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said any European protection force for Ukraine would depend on Russia’s response and unresolved legal and command issues, following talks in Berlin for a force to help secure a possible ceasefire.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and a U.S. delegation arrived in Berlin for talks on a possible ceasefire in Ukraine, meeting German Chancellor Friedrich Merz ahead of discussions involving European partners. Russian officials have expressed skepticism about the talks, which will continue on Monday.
Foreign policy advisers from the United States, Ukraine, Germany and other partners are set to resume talks on a possible peace framework for Ukraine in Berlin, according to government sources. US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to take part, with discussions following several earlier rounds of negotiations since November. The talks come as diplomatic efforts continue alongside ongoing fighting, with both Russia and Ukraine reporting casualties from drone and missile strikes.
Croatia will purchase 44 German-made Leopard 2A8 tanks, Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced after talks with Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković in Berlin. KNDS Deutschland recently said it had received orders for 350 Leopard 2A8 tanks, including 123 from the German Bundeswehr.
Rheinmetall has signed a €1 billion deal with Bulgaria to establish a joint gunpowder and ammunition factory near Sopot, aiming to produce 100,000 NATO-standard artillery shells annually. The German company holds 51% of the shares in the new project.
The EU Council has endorsed Germany’s medium-term fiscal plan and activated the national escape clause, allowing limited temporary flexibility for higher defence spending under the Stability and Growth Pact. The clause permits deviation of up to 1.5% of GDP annually for four years while maintaining overall fiscal discipline.
The German cabinet approved a bill for setting up a National Security Council and introducing voluntary military service, which could turn into conscription in the absence of sufficient volunteers, of which an initial 15,000 are required with a target of 80,000, whom the government plans to entice with high salaries.
The treaty underscores the countries’ mutual defence obligations as NATO allies, which is made especially significant given the UK’s status as a nuclear power. The goal is to boost European deterrence and defence over the next decade. The two sides plan to jointly develop a European-made long-range weapons system capable of striking targets up to 2,000 kilometres away, addressing a capability gap with Russian medium-range missiles.
The frigates, Spanish ESPS Reina Sofia, and Italian ITS Antonio Marceglia are part of EUNAVFOR Operation ATALANTA and are visiting Mumbai for the first joint exercises of the formation with the Indian Navy, with which they have only conducted “Passing Exercises” (PASSEX) at sea in the past.
The €150 billion SAFE fund will come into force on May 29, offering loans to EU states for defence procurement, that will require 65 percent of all purchases to be of European origin, with contractors required to fully control design to avoid new dependencies.
An agreement between the EU and the UK has included the first steps towards allowing British companies to compete for orders paid for by a €150B loan program intended to boost European defence, that would otherwise only be serviced by European firms.
Europe appears to have accepted the prospect of acting independently of the United States, with a new rearmament program proposed by the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, last week.
As NATO races to supply Ukraine before Trump takes office, Europe is struggling to touch two percent of its GDP on defence expenditure while Russia plans to spend more than 32 percent of its national budget on its military.
Damage to submarine communication cables between new NATO members Finland and Sweden and their alliance partners Germany and Lithuania was likely sabotage, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said on Tuesday. “No one believes that these cables were cut by mistake,” Pistorius said in Brussels at an EU defence ministers meeting to discuss the different threats facing the European Union.
German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said that the Bundeswehr needs around €58 billion ($63 billion) in 2025 to quickly close capability gaps. “As things stand, we will be allocated around €52 billion”, he said, adding, “That means we will be short of almost €6 billion next year.”
