President Steinmeier in Britain for royal visit – DW – 12/03/2025

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadeful joined his NATO counterparts in Brussels on Wednesday to discuss further support for Ukraine.

Wadefull said Berlin would provide an additional $200 million (€171.6 million) worth of military equipment to Ukraine through NATO’s Priority Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) mechanism.

Ahead of the meeting, the German Foreign Minister said that Russian President Vladimir Putin “has not shown any real willingness to negotiate yet.”

“Putin wants to continue to undermine European and Euro-Atlantic security. He wants to test our defense preparedness. He wants to divide us, to weaken our alliance,” he said.

“But he will not succeed,” said Wadeful.

For the latest from Ukraine, read our live update blog.

Not long ago, anything other than victory was unacceptable for the Germany women’s national team.

But, despite a 3-0 defeat to Spain in the Nations League final, the new generation is showing real signs of progress.

Read DW’s full report on the women’s football match between Germany and Spain.

Following Tuesday’s test vote on the controversial pension reform package, its opponents have been asked to come forward for talks with senior members of the conservative bloc by Wednesday afternoon.

Although polling showed that a majority would support the bill when it was voted on in the Bundestag on Friday, there were still many who voted “no”.

Those against the reform are from the youth wing of Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s CDU/CSU bloc. He has said that it will be very expensive, the burden of which will fall on the younger generation.

Amid fears about what will happen to the strained coalition government if Friday’s vote fails, those who voted “no” have been asked to come forward so they can have one-on-one talks with senior MPs.

To learn more about how the conservative youth wing has caused so much trouble for the coalition government, read the full report by DW’s Ben Knight.

As German cities step up Christmas market security after previous terror scares, vendors are footing the bill.

Is the country’s billion-euro holiday tradition starting to feel cold?

Read the full report on the rising costs of Germany’s traditional Christmas markets.

President Frank-Walter Steinmeier’s state visit to the United Kingdom comes as the two countries enjoy closer ties after years of fracture following Brexit, particularly on security issues.

Steinmeier will meet King Charles at Windsor Castle – reminiscent of a meeting between the two at Berlin’s Bellevue Palace in 2023, when Charles made his first state visit to Germany as monarch.

The president will also be given a rare opportunity to speak to British MPs in Parliament, as well as hold talks with Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

The trip talks are expected to focus on support for Ukraine and security for Europe.

On Friday, Steinmeier is due to visit Coventry, a city devastated by German air raids during World War II.

Steinmeier served as Foreign Minister during the Brexit vote and spoke of “irresponsible politicians” who had “tempted” people to leave the EU at the time. But German-British relations have improved over the years, especially under former prime ministers Rishi Sunak and now Starmer.

The president is being joined by representatives of major German companies such as Siemens, BMW, Deutsche Bank and RWE, with Mercedes planning to announce a £20 million ($26.5 million, €22.7 million) electric vehicle technology project.

Good morning! From the newsroom in Bonn.

Today, we track President Steinmeier’s arrival in London for a three-day state visit, including a banquet at Windsor Castle.

We’ll also keep you up to date with the latest news on progress on the complex pensions reform, which has been opposed by a group of young Conservative MPs.

Interior ministers from Germany’s 16 federal states are also meeting for the three-day summit.