56 h. ago Merz ‘delusional’ over US sparing German cars in EU trade deal

Brussels has warned German chancellor not to expect UK-style carve-out for car sector in EU deal with Donald Trump

Economics

4 d. ago EU readies retaliatory tariffs to secure better trade deal with Trump

German chancellor backs more muscular approach ahead of July talks deadline

Economics

4 d. ago Kiefer/Van Gogh review – Anselm puts the nightmare into Vincent’s sunflower visions

Royal Academy, LondonThe Dutch artist looks like a prophet of the Holocaust when viewed through the 80-year-old German painter’s dark lens in this startling show, which makes you see how Van Gogh might have painted modern horrorsVincent van Gogh was born in 1853, in the middle of the comparatively peaceful 19th century. If he hadn’t shot himself in a cornfield at the age of 37, and had made it to his 60s, he could have witnessed all that end in the 1914-18 war. If he’d lived to 80, he would have read in his newspaper, at an Arles cafe table, of the election of Adolf Hitler as German chancellor, and in 1945, at 92, watched newsreel footage of the emaciated survivors of Belsen.Odd thoughts, but they are stoked by the Royal Academy’s strange and startling exhibition. This is an intimate encounter between the great living German history painter, to mark his 80th year, and his hero Van Gogh. It juxtaposes his responses to the latter, from teenage drawings to recent gold-spattered wheatfi...

Politics

2 w. ago Starmer and European allies urge restraint from Israel and Iran after strikes

The Prime Minister, France’s President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz called for a ‘diplomatic resolution’.

Politics

3 w. ago Trump makes Second World War joke in front of German chancellor

Donald Trump made a Second World War joke about Germany re-arming while meeting the country’s chancellor, Friedrich Merz, in the Oval Office on Thursday, 5 June, amid negotiations over tariffs.

Politics

3 w. ago Trump says it may be better to let Ukraine and Russia ‘fight for a while’

US president casts doubt on peace efforts as German chancellor urges him to increase pressure on MoscowEurope live – latest updatesDonald Trump has said it may be better to let Ukraine and Russia “fight for a while” rather than pursue peace immediately, as the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, urged him to increase pressure on Russia.During the Oval Office meeting, Trump voiced doubts about the potential success of peace talks, saying “sometimes you’re better off letting them fight for a while and then pulling them apart”. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Donald Trump says he and Friedrich Merz are ‘unhappy’ about Russian invasion of Ukraine at White House meeting – Europe live

US president says ‘I think we’re going to be successful at stopping bloodshed’ as he meets German chancellor in Oval OfficeUK trade secretary Jonathan Reynolds has also called for reforms of the WTO including changes to the much-criticised dispute resolutions system which can also take years to settle disputes between trading nations.“We do recognise that reforming and repositioning the WTO so that it can respond more effectively to the challenges of today is the only way to safeguard long term stability and growth tomorrow. Continue reading...

Events

3 w. ago Germany on tenterhooks for Merz’s first official meeting with Trump

Two leaders are on first-name terms after phone chats but German chancellor knows he may have to tread fine lineGermany’s new conservative leader, Friedrich Merz, is due in Washington on Thursday for his first official meeting with Donald Trump, putting political Berlin on tenterhooks like no other transatlantic encounter in living memory.Discussions between the German chancellor and the US president will focus on Ukraine, the Middle East and trade policies. How well or badly the talks go – during a small group meeting, followed by a lunch and then, perhaps most nailbitingly, a press conference in the Oval Office – may shape relations for decades to come, analysts say. Continue reading...

Politics

last month Taurus cruise missiles: Weapons Germany could be sending Ukraine to strike deep into Russia

German chancellor Friedrich Merz says it is possible Berlin will send the longe-range cruise missiles to Kyiv

Events