The Latest Breaking News from Friedrich Merz

Today on Critical Materials: the auto industry faces a reckoning over electric door handles. Plus, are Americans fed up with big trucks?

Ukraine will top agenda, but meeting comes as positive sentiment towards Germany in Poland hits near record lows

For a man who insists football isn’t political, the Fifa boss is putting a lot of effort into courting the most divisive politician on Earth

Friedrich Merz to ask for series of exemptions in attempt to protect crisis-hit automotive industry

Hopes to secure a reparations loan for Ukraine have been dashed after the Belgian prime minister blasted the proposal as "fundamentally wrong" and called on the EU to raise fresh debt instead of touching the Russian assets.

The war in Ukraine is a crime. But European leaders should be working for peace, not preparing young people to fight and die, says German academic Mithu Sanyal

In an interview with Euronews, retired US Army Lieutenant General Ben Hodges emphasised that Ukraine's victory is crucial for US prosperity and global stability, amid concerns about reducing US military presence in Europe.

The FTSE 100 index closed down 4.80 points, 0.1%, at 9,534.91.

COMMENT: Making Ukraine a member of Nato would send the powerful message to Putin that the West, like the Kremlin, can act with confidence on the world stage, writes world affairs editor Sam Kiley

The United States has set a Thursday deadline for Ukraine to accept its controversial 28-point peace plan, placing Kyiv’s embattled government under acute pressure. US President Donald Trump has described the proposal as “a starting point”, but both the substance and the process have provoked concern in Ukraine, Russia, and…

Moscow says European counterproposal ‘does not work for us’ in sign that both sides remain far apart