The Latest Breaking News from Friedrich Merz

U.S. Cancels Plan To Deploy Thousands Of Additional Troops To Poland

The Pentagon has cancelled plans to deploy 4,000 additional troops to Poland while moving forward with the withdrawal of thousands more from Germany.

International Business Times · May 15

First Thing: China trip winds down but Trump-Xi Iran accord remains elusive

US president offers no news of any breakthrough on Iran. Plus, how renters’ rights could be key issue in midterms

The Guardian - UK · May 15

Merz doubles down on opposition to ‘Draghi-style’ common debt proposal

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz reiterated his opposition to issue additional joint debt to strengthen European competitiveness during a speech in Aachen on Thursday, in response to Mario Draghi’s acceptance speech for the Charlemagne Prize.

Euronews · May 15

Polish President Says The Country Could Host The Troops The U.S. Pulled From Germany

Polish President Karol Nawrocki vowed to lobby U.S. counterpart Donald Trump to get the country to host the troops Washington pulled from Germany.

International Business Times · May 7

More than 50,000 pupils expected to strike over German rearmament policy

Organisers of nationwide protest say its aim is to stop the government turning young Germans into ‘cannon fodder’

The Guardian - UK · May 7

‘Stuck in the mud’: one year on, Friedrich Merz struggles to find his footing

Just 19% of Germans approve of the chancellor’s leadership – with some of his comments causing offence amid spats with the White House

The Guardian - UK · May 6

Trump and his oil-and-coal oligarchy should face sanctions for their war on the environment

Europe punished Russian billionaires over the war in Ukraine. It should do the same to those abetting an ecocidal regime, says Guardian Europe columnist Alexander Hurst

The Guardian - UK · May 6

Can US law stop Trump from withdrawing troops from Europe?

A 2026 US defence law does not prevent troop withdrawals from Europe, but imposes consultations and justifications for major cuts that make such a move more difficult.

Euronews · May 5

Why Friedrich Merz decided to risk Donald Trump’s wrath

Trump’s retribution is painful for Germany and Nato, but Merz is not backing down. He knows the status quo is untenable, says Jörg Lau, international correspondent for Die Zeit

The Guardian - UK · May 5

NATO still in the dark over US plans to withdraw 5,000 troops

The US has not specified to NATO which operations will be impacted as part of the Pentagon's decision to remove 5,000 soldiers from German territory. European nations have been preparing for an eventual change in US force posture, but were not consulted before this announcement.

Euronews · May 5