Germany

BERLIN (AP) — Germany has become one of Ukraine’s leading weapons suppliers in the 11 months since Russia’s invasion, but Chancellor Olaf Scholz also has gained a reputation for hesitating to take each new step — generating impatience among allies.

Berlin’s perceived foot-dragging, most recently on the Leopard 2 battle tanks that Kyiv has long sought, is rooted at least partly in a post-World War II political culture of military caution, along with present-day worries about a possible escalation in the war.

RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany/KYIV, Jan 20 (Reuters) - Germany said it would need agreement from allies to give the green light for the delivery of German-made tanks to Ukraine to fend off Moscow's invasion, apparently dashing Kyiv's hopes for a quick decision.

Defence ministers from NATO and other countries were meeting in Germany amid warnings that Russia will soon reenergise its almost 11-month-old invasion to seize parts of Ukraine's east and south it says it has annexed but does not fully control.

RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany (AP) — Defense leaders gathered at Ramstein Air Base in Germany heard an impassioned plea for more aid Friday from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as they struggled to resolve divisions over who will provide battle tanks and other military aid to his embattled country.

BERLIN, January 19. /TASS/: Germany is not a party to the conflict in Ukraine but it will continue to provide Kiev with the necessary military assistance, Germany’s new Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said on Thursday in Berlin, speaking to reporters after being sworn in.

BERLIN (AP) — Germany faced mounting pressure to supply battle tanks to Kyiv and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy aired frustration about not obtaining enough weaponry as Western allies conferred Thursday on how best to support Ukraine nearly 11 months into Russia’s invasion.

LUETZERATH, Germany, Jan 18 (Reuters) - Environmental activist Greta Thunberg swiftly resumed campaigning on Wednesday after she was briefly detained in Germany during a protest against a coal mine expansion, tweeting that protecting the climate was not a crime.

"Yesterday I was part of a group that peacefully protested the expansion of a coal mine in Germany. We were kettled by police and then detained but were let go later that evening," tweeted Thunberg, whose whereabouts are unclear.

"Climate protection is not a crime."

BERLIN (AP) — German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Tuesday he will appoint a regional official as the new defense minister following the resignation of the much-criticized Christine Lambrecht.

The defense minister-designate, Boris Pistorius, is a member of Scholz’s Social Democratic Party and has served as interior minister of Lower Saxony state since 2013.

“I am very pleased to have won Boris Pistorius, an outstanding politician from our country, for the post of defense minister,” Scholz said in a written statement.

GRAFENWOEHR TRAINING AREA, Germany (AP) — Monday was just Day Two for Ukrainian soldiers at the U.S. military’s new training program, but the message was coming through loud and clear.

These are urgent times. And the lessons they will get in the next five weeks on weapons, armored vehicles and more sophisticated combat techniques are critical as they prepare to defend their country against the Russian invasion.

BERLIN, January 16. /TASS/: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has accepted Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht’s resignation, Deputy Government Spokesperson Christiane Hoffmann said at a briefing on Monday.

"The chancellor respects Lambrecht’s decision and is grateful to her for the great job she did in this complicated and challenging time. The chancellor will soon present his proposal to the president on a potential successor," Hoffmann noted.

When asked if Scholz had accepted the minister's resignation, she answered in the affirmative.

BERLIN, January 16. /TASS/: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz thanked outgoing Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht for her work and pledged that he would not drag out the search for a successor.

"I already have a clear idea of what will happen next [in the context of the search for a new minister], we will announce this in due time," the chancellor said in the city of Ulm on Monday, quoted by the NTV TV channel. According to Scholz, this will happen "very quickly."