Recent German news clusters around three major themes: foreign policy, domestic politics and security.
1. Ukraine support and sanctions – Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul reiterated that Berlin "fully supports" President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, rejecting US President Donald Trump's call for a leadership change and confirming Germany will keep pushing for tougher EU sanctions on Russia. This matters because Germany is the EU’s largest donor to Ukraine and a key driver of the sanctions regime, influencing both the war’s trajectory and European energy security.
2. Political instability at home – The centre‑left SPD’s labour minister and co‑leader Bärbel Bas quit, citing personal grief and "public attacks" from the governing CDU/CSU, highlighting growing coalition friction over pension and labour‑market reforms. At the same time, the far‑right Alternative for Germany (AfD) is gaining unprecedented power, winning a state‑parliament speaker post in Saxony‑Anhalt and prompting the Deutsche Bank CEO to warn that far‑right and far‑left gains are scaring foreign investors. These developments signal a potential shift in German electoral politics, with the CDU facing an identity crisis and the AfD threatening the post‑war political consensus.
3. Security and espionage concerns – The arrest of former BND chief August Hanning on espionage charges has sparked a debate on intelligence reform and raised alarms about loss of trust with allied services. Combined with heightened tensions over Russian aggression, this underscores the security challenges Germany faces on multiple fronts.
What to watch next – Expect further CDU internal debate as it confronts electoral losses and the AfD’s rise; monitoring how the coalition handles Bas’s resignation and pending pension reforms; and watching Germany’s next steps on EU budget negotiations and any additional sanctions on Russia. Additionally, developments in the Hanning espionage case could lead to legislative changes affecting Germany’s intelligence framework.