Bild: Young generation is getting more cancer than their parents / Junge Generation bekommt mehr Krebs als ihre Eltern
FAZ: Merz praises „considerable“ US guarantees for Ukraine / Merz lobt „beachtliche“ Garantien der USA für Ukraine
Funke: Berlin will have to renovate 300 bridges in the coming years / Berlin muss in den nächsten Jahren 300 Brücken sanieren
Handelsblatt: Progress for peace / Fortschritt für den Frieden
RND: The fear of the Alawites: How the balance of power in Syria has shifted brutally / Die Angst der Alawiten: Wie sich das Machtgefüge in Syrien brutal verschoben hat
SZ: Merz sees hope for a ceasefire / Merz sieht Hoffnung auf Waffenstillstand
Tagesspiegel: Berlin talks: Europeans propose a „multinational force“ for Ukraine / Berliner Gespräche: Europäer schlagen „multinationale Truppe“ für die Ukraine vor
taz: In God’s name against Trump / In Gottes Namen gegen Trump
Welt: Business calls for tying Ukraine aid to contracts / Wirtschaft verlangt Bindung der Ukraine-Hilfen an Aufträge
Europeans seek to secure a ceasefire in Ukraine with a multinational force: Several European heads of state and government have agreed on a joint declaration to establish a multinational force to ensure a future ceasefire in Ukraine. The Europe-led and US-backed force is intended to help regenerate Ukraine’s armed forces and secure airspace and sea routes. This is explicitly to be done „also through operations within Ukraine.“ Ukraine’s army is to have a maximum strength of 800,000 soldiers in the future. Additionally, a Washington-led mechanism for monitoring and verifying the ceasefire, with international participation, is planned. Moscow had previously described any deployment of Western soldiers in Ukraine as unacceptable and threatened a military response. The declaration was signed, among others, by Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Poland, Italy, and the EU leadership. sueddeutsche.de, tagesspiegel.de, spiegel.de, tagesschau.de, bundesregierung.de
Trump team reports progress in Ukraine talks in Berlin: A multi-day round of negotiations in Berlin between representatives of the United States and Ukraine on a possible peace plan has concluded. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner took part in the talks at the Chancellery. US President Donald Trump later said in Washington that an agreement in the Ukraine war was „closer than ever“ and based on progress made in the Berlin talks; his team had reported progress after the discussions in Berlin. Trump personally joined the delegations during a dinner at the Chancellery. n-tv.de
Reactions:
- US President Donald Trump expressed optimism after the latest talks with European and Ukrainian partners and praised the Europeans’ proposals, saying they showed a serious interest in peace. He said the parties were now „closer“ than before to a solution. zeit.de
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the Berlin negotiations with the United States as productive. He also sees clear progress on the security guarantees he is demanding for his country. A key issue remains how to deal with the territories in eastern Ukraine occupied by Russia. Zelenskyy announced further meetings with Washington.
- Chancellor Friedrich Merz sees concrete progress on the path toward peace negotiations with Russia following the Ukraine talks. He spoke of a „great diplomatic momentum“ and for the first time described a ceasefire as conceivable, even though questions regarding territorial concessions remain unresolved.
- Moscow reacted cautiously to the talks in Berlin and described Ukraine’s renunciation of NATO membership as a fundamental issue in any potential peace negotiations. The Kremlin announced it would first seek briefings from the United States on the results. tagesspiegel.de
Berlin and Kyiv deepen cooperation in the defense industry: A ten-point plan presented by Germany includes joint defense projects, expanded co-productions, and coordinated purchases of Ukrainian equipment with European partners. In addition, the defense ministries of both countries are to consult regularly on arms policy issues. On the sidelines of a German-Ukrainian business forum, the joint production of tens of thousands of logistics, reconnaissance, and combat drones was also announced, with a contract volume in the hundreds of millions of euros. handelsblatt.com
- Germany launches a new funding program called „Ukraine Connect“ to safeguard private investments in Ukraine. Through the state development bank KfW, 45 million euros are to be made available in the form of low-interest loans to German companies to replace lending that has fallen away due to the war, according to Economy Minister Katherina Reiche.
- At the German-Ukrainian business forum, a new production partnership was announced between Kyiv-based Frontline Robotics and Germany’s Quantum Systems. The companies plan to manufacture tens of thousands of logistics, reconnaissance, and combat drones for Ukraine in Germany; the project has a volume in the hundreds of millions of euros.
- Chancellor Friedrich Merz appeared visibly moved at the German-Ukrainian business forum in Berlin. At the start of his speech following Ukrainian President Zelenskyy, Merz struggled with tears and described Russia’s war of aggression as a „daily nightmare.“
CDU and SPD nominate members for new pension commission: CDU General Secretary Carsten Linnemann has proposed former Federal Employment Agency head Frank-Jürgen Weise as co-chair and Pascal Reddig, head of the CDU/CSU’s young parliamentary group, as a member. The SPD nominated social law professor Constanze Janda from the University of Speyer. The pension commission is to be convened on Wednesday. The body, with a total of thirteen members, is to present proposals for reorganizing the pension system by mid-next year. welt.de, t-online.de
Jens Spahn defends mask procurement: Before the parliamentary inquiry commission on the coronavirus pandemic, the former health minister emphasized that, in light of images from Bergamo, New York, and London, the government had been determined to prevent an overload of the healthcare system at all costs. For this reason, it had been decided to procure protective equipment in excess if necessary. The Federal Audit Office and special investigator Margaretha Sudhof countered that Spahn had ordered large quantities of masks at high prices against expert advice, later resulting in the destruction of stocks worth 3.4 billion euros. spiegel.de, rnd.de, tagesschau.de
CDU/CSU parliamentary leader Jens Spahn warns against changes to the citizen’s income reform: Shortly before the cabinet decision on the reform, the coalition still sees a need for coordination. Spahn called on Labor Minister Bärbel Bas not to water down planned sanctions against those refusing to work. At the same time, he warned against major changes during the parliamentary process. The reform had originally been due to be approved by the cabinet earlier. stern.de, aerzteblatt.de
Saxony’s Minister-President Michael Kretschmer questions the climate neutrality target for 2050: In an interview with MDR, he suggested reviewing the goal of climate neutrality by 2050 and, if necessary, revising it. A reduction of the target—such as aiming for an 80 percent reduction instead of full climate neutrality—could also be discussed. While Kretschmer supports lower CO₂ emissions, he considers the choice of policy instruments to be decisive. mdr.de
- The Cartel Office gives the green light for development of the Leopard 3 tank by KNDS and Rheinmetall.
- The Green Party parliamentary group wants to support guarantees for the use of frozen Russian assets.
- The Greens want to summon Economy Minister Katherina Reiche before a committee if necessary over subsidy funds.
- Germans are divided: Union and AfD voters favor a later retirement age for academics.
New oversight body for the domestic intelligence service in Lower Saxony: The state parliament has approved, by a broad majority of the SPD, Greens, and CDU, the establishment of a new body to oversee the domestic intelligence service. It replaces the previous committee and is intended to respond to the changed security situation, particularly due to right-wing extremism and threats from Russia. Since the SPD, Greens, and CDU rule out cooperation with the AfD, the party’s participation in the body is considered unlikely. n-tv.de
Further news:
- Bavaria: Suspects in the Dingolfing case were legally residing in Germany.
- Brandenburg: German Environmental Aid files criminal complaint over massive oil leakage from a pipeline.
- Saxony: Main trial opened against right-wing extremist group „Saxon Separatists.“
- Saxony-Anhalt: 21-year-old arrested in Magdeburg over suspected attack plans; apparently Islamist motivation.
- Schleswig-Holstein: Penal orders issued after the Habeck blockade at the Schlüttsiel ferry terminal nearly two years ago.
- Mecklenburg–Western Pomerania: AfD politician makes youths lick a German flag—and portrays himself as a victim.
UNESCO records historic decline in freedom of expression: The Freedom of Expression Index fell by ten percent by 2024—a drop the organization has previously observed only during times of global crisis. The decline has been particularly sharp since 2020. The report also points to growing self-censorship and restrictions on press freedom, especially on topics such as corruption, environmental crime, and human rights. orf.at, rnd.de
- EU plans to allow registrations of internal combustion engine vehicles even after 2035, but under strict conditions.
- Why abandoning the ban on combustion engines benefits Chinese car manufacturers.
- Possible cyberattack: Call between EU foreign ministers and US negotiators fails.
- GDPR reform: Data protection conference criticizes plans by the EU Commission.
- Mercosur agreement: The hoped-for growth boost falters at the final stretch.
- Weaknesses in the fight against fraud: EU Court of Auditors sharply criticizes the EU Commission.
- EU asylum reform: First, a clean break with the Dublin cases is needed.
- Disappointment over stalled reforms: Germany’s Mittelstand loses confidence in the Merz government’s ability to deliver solutions. tagesspiegel.de
- BASF grants job guarantees for 33,000 employees in Ludwigshafen. wiwo.de
- Billion-euro contract goes to Papenburg: Meyer Werft to build cruise ships for MSC Cruises. rnd.de
- Railway company plans to announce a new start date for Stuttgart 21 by mid-2026. rnd.de
- 5G coverage: Mobile network expansion gains momentum; dead zones remain. heise.de
- German Pension Insurance (DRV) to end cash pension payouts at the end of the year. spiegel.de
- Financial regulator BaFin finds “serious deficiencies” at digital bank N26. faz.net
- New Forbes calculation: Elon Musk becomes the first person to surpass 600 billion dollars. tagesspiegel.de
Heads-up for your calendar: in Germany, the 26th of December is a public holiday (Zweiter Weihnachtstag). That means many offices, shops, and public services stay closed—or run on a very relaxed, Sunday-style schedule. If it feels like Christmas is stretching one day longer than expected, that’s not your imagination. Welcome to the extended festive pause.