By Ben Aris in Berlin German Chancellor Friedrich Merz joined Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and French President Emmanuel Macron in calling for Europe to restart relations with Russia. Merz has been an ardent supporter of Ukraine,

Chancellor Merz predicts the demise of the regime, but it's just more performative rhetoric, not strategy, and helps no one

Berlin is expressing doubt about the European Union's ability to withstand the rise of nationalist parties and the pressure from the Trump administration. This unprecedented skepticism in Germany has raised fears of lasting weakening,

Azerbaijan's state energy company SOCAR has started sending natural gas to Germany and Austria, the company said on Friday, as it increases the number of European markets it supplies.

“We heard about this half an hour before it was on TV ,” says a white-uniformed employee in the shop at the factory gates. The factory outlet was busy, despite the snowy weather. Tönnies, the west German meat processor that now owns the factory, “promised to invest when they bought us just two years ago”, complains another worker.

Azerbaijan's state energy firm SOCAR has begun supplying natural gas to Germany and Austria via the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), further expanding the Southern Gas Corridor and helping Europe phase out Russian gas imports by 2027.

Surging renewable output overwhelmed Europe’s power grid in 2025, driving electricity prices below zero more often than ever before.