Tom Nuttall

This is gold

Yes. In Germany's case, officials say that spending on eg Ukr support, mil co-op with ex-NATO countries, defence against hybrid etc would shift from current core (2%) to the 1.5% top-up

Shashank Joshi @shashj

Worth noting that if NATO allies do agree to 3.5% military spending plus 1.5% on infrastructure and defence-related spending, this is an even bigger stretch than it sounds, because the existing spending levels include a fair bit of stuff that rightfully belongs in the 1.5%.

My take on Germany's rearmament efforts: a huge story for Europe and NATO, and perhaps the animating mission of Friedrich Merz's new government. (I didn't write the headline.) ⬇️

Shashank Joshi @shashj

.@tom_nuttall writes on Germany's military revival. 'Soldiers marvel at the esteem they now encounter in daily life. “Sometimes when I’m on the street people stop me to say, ‘Thank you for your service’—like in America!” exclaims one cadet officer.' https://t.co/KFjBCvIgBE

RT @tom_nuttall: How will Trump ambush Merz in the Oval Office?

It's funny but perhaps not unproductive that people are crediting Merz with the decline in asylum numbers that began well before he took office. Draw the sting, take the credit, get rid of the dumb border policies and talk about something else.

Zacki @FrankfurtZack

Asyl: Zahlen sinken rapide! Merz‘ Störrischkeit trägt Früchte Im Mai nur noch 8000 Anträge, niedrigster Wert seit Corona. Schon dieses Jahr dürften wir von 250.000 auf unter 100.000 kommen. Die #Asylwende ist da. https://t.co/vwzrzDCLDL

RT @jdcmedlock: They're literally doing the meme https://t.co/BXoNZd5cEQ

https://t.co/H6U29jDQXH

AFP News Agency @AFP

#BREAKING Dutch far-right leader Wilders says leaving coalition https://t.co/U5tKoPmOnr

Major blow to a central plank of the German government's asylum policy: a court rules in favour of three Somalis who filed a lawsuit after being rejected at the border with Poland. https://t.co/VEsblw8h44

I see it's "restore the pollen-count app to my home screen" season in Berlin again

JD Vance, who appears to have sincere concerns about the use of law to silence criticism of politicians in Germany, will no doubt be concerned to learn that the AfD, a party he has come close to endorsing, is making extensive use of these legal tools. https://t.co/D9XZRKz8Fj

German government announces that Friedrich Merz will visit President Trump in Washington on Thursday.

Merz in press conference with Zelensky: we in Germany will do everything we can to make sure Nord Stream 2 does not get commissioned.

From what I hear Merz is determined to take a tougher line on Hungary and Slovakia than previous German chancellors, with implications for disbursements of EU funds and much besides. One to watch.

Robert Fico 🇸🇰 @RobertFicoSVK

SLOVAKIA IS NOT A LITTLE SCHOOLCHILD THAT NEEDS TO BE LECTURED Slovakia’s sovereign positions do not stem from vanity, but are based on our national interests. The politics of a single mandatory opinion is a denial of sovereignty and democracy. When you hear such aggressive https://t.co/xr1WexRZny