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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Patrick Wintour Diplomatic editor

Friedrich Merz wants Berlin to be a geopolitical hub. Will German voters reward him?

Friedrich Merz Berlin Europe European Union Ukraine United States Russia Bundestag Germany Jared Kushner
Friedrich Merz with the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, at the EU summit.
Friedrich Merz with the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, at the EU summit. Photograph: ANP/Shutterstock

Friedrich Merz’s three-month bid to catapult Germany into the role of undisputed leader of Europe has come unstuck.

His call for Europe to hand Ukraine access to €201bn (£176bn) in frozen Russian central bank assets via a reparations loan was rejected at a decisive European Council meeting in Brussels.

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