MUNICH — Chancellor Friedrich Merz called for unity in his struggling coalition on Saturday, saying Germany faced growing threats from political extremists and what he described as daily Russian efforts to destabilise the country, Reuters reported.
Source: Reuters
Speaking at a conference of the Christian Social Union (CSU), the Bavarian sister party of his conservative Christian Democrats (CDU), Merz said Germany faced “extraordinarily serious challenges”. “How do we safeguard our freedom and our security in Europe, in the face of growing threats from extremists within and foreign powers from without?” he said, adding that Russia was seeking “to destabilise Germany on a daily basis”, Reuters said.
Relations between Berlin and Moscow have fallen to their lowest level since the Cold War following Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Reuters noted. Russia rejects accusations that it is conducting a hybrid campaign against Germany and other European countries — that denial is reported here as Moscow's stated position, not as a settled finding.
Merz's comments follow weeks of tension in the ruling coalition after heavy regional election defeats in eastern Germany, where the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) came first in two states and the far-left Left Party topped the poll in Berlin, Reuters reported. Merz's approval ratings have fallen to record lows, while tensions have surfaced both between the coalition partners and between the CDU and CSU, it added.
Source: Reuters
Deutsche Welle's conference coverage, carried in syndication, added the security incidents Merz cited in Munich: an explosive-laden drone discovered near a Ukrainian cargo plane at Leipzig airport — an attempted attack Berlin has blamed on Moscow — and, on Thursday, the arrest in Brandenburg of a Ukrainian man on suspicion of spying for Russia. Those incidents were reported as Merz's examples; the Leipzig and Brandenburg cases have been covered separately by Awaaz Punjab.
Source: Deutsche Welle via GWACalculator syndication
Anadolu Agency's account of the same Munich speech said Merz warned that Russia poses a “massive threat” to Germany's freedom and stability and pointed to cyberattacks, sabotage and attempted attacks on critical infrastructure across Europe. “We are facing a massive threat in the east of our continent. Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine has profoundly shaken the European peace order,” Merz said, according to Anadolu.
Source: Anadolu Agency via EuropeSays
On Saturday, delegates broke into loud applause when Merz mentioned Ilse Aigner, the CSU politician the party has proposed as successor to German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who is due to step down next year, Reuters said. The CDU has so far stopped short of endorsing Aigner, and party sources say it has not abandoned hopes of putting forward its own candidate for the largely ceremonial post of head of state, Reuters added — a reminder that the unity Merz appealed for is still being negotiated inside his own camp.