Germany

Ukraine’s ambassador to Germany, Oleksii Makeiev, spoke to Euronews about Ukraine’s role in the German election campaign and what he says is a lack of political courage.

Germany’s conservative parties and far-right AfD lead in the polls, with the CDU’s Friedrich Merz likely to become chancellor after the 23 February vote.

The centre-right CDU has been accused of breaking ‘taboo’ by putting forward a motion to the Bundestag for a stricter migration policy which was backed by the far-right Alternative for Germany party (AfD).

Amnesty International, Seebrücke and other organisations called for the rally under the slogan “Firewall instead of arson”.

The tech billionaire made the controversial comment at an AfD rally, two days before the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz.

In Trump’s inauguration week, markets will focus on his policy announcements, which may significantly impact market movements. Other key economic veri from major economies, along with corporate earnings, are also set to influence investor sentiment.

The protests took place while AfD was opening its election campaign in the central city of Halle on Saturday.

US President-elect Donald Trump said NATO member states should increase their defence spending to 5% of GDP and criticised Europe’s contributions.

The poorest US state has a higher GDP per capita than Europe’s top economies, except for Germany. Is this set to continue being the case in 2025?