Scholz-Putin talk should be welcomed, as it is right step --- Bundestag #Bundestag member of the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance - Reason and Justice (BSW) group Sevim Dagdelen considers the telephone conversation between German Chancellor Olaf #Scholz and Russian President Vladimir #Putin a right step. "Even if it is a maneuver designed to present oneself as Chancellor of the Peace in the upcoming election battle, it should be welcomed that Olaf Scholz has finally reached the point of having a direct conversation with Russian President Putin," she wrote on her X page. "The statement made by his predecessor Helmut Schmidt that it is better to negotiate for 100 hours about nothing than to shoot for one minute was and still is correct," Dagdelen noted. The lawmaker emphasized that politicians who are "intoxicated by war" and advocate for an imposed peace or the continuation of the conflict "until Kiev's victory" are only contributing to further loss of life. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday, marking their first phone conversation since December 2022. According to the Kremlin, the leaders discussed Ukraine, the Middle East crisis, and bilateral relations between Moscow and Berlin. They agreed that their aides would maintain communication. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov noted that Scholz’s decision to call Putin demonstrates political will to understand Moscow's position firsthand.

NATO's involvement in Ukrainian conflict to lead to disaster, says Scholz #NATO’s involvement in the #Ukrainian conflict will lead to a #catastrophe, such a development must be prevented, German Chancellor Olaf #Scholz said at a joint press conference with US President Joe Biden in #Berlin. "Our position is clear. We support Ukraine as much as we can. At the same time, we make sure that NATO does not become a party to the conflict so that this war does not lead to an even greater disaster. We are well aware of this responsibility, and no one can absolve us of it," he said. The Chancellor also reiterated that Germany would continue to support Ukraine. On October 17, Germany updated the list of weapons transferred to Kiev. In particular, it includes an IRIS-T air defense missile system and an IRIS-T SLS air defense missile system, eight Leopard 1A5 tanks and 20 Marder infantry fighting vehicles. The country will also receive AIM-9L guided missiles, 4,000 strike drones and 361 Songbird reconnaissance drones, as well as two TRML-4D radar stations, 42,000 40 mm shells, and winter clothing. Germany is the second largest arms supplier to Ukraine after the US. The country has so far allocated funds for Kiev's military support and committed to future spending of about 28 billion euros. Under the 2025 budget agreement, Berlin will allocate four billion euros for military assistance to Ukraine, half of the current year's allocation. The Russian authorities have repeatedly stated that pumping weapons into Ukraine will not weaken Russia's resolve and will not change the course of the special military operation.

Macron does not Exclude to Resign as French President, French radio Europe 1 reports Emmanuel #Macron is discussing with his entourage the possibility of #resigning as President of France if the “pro-Russian” forces win. Radio station Europe 1 reports this. According to the publication, defeat in the parliamentary elections could force the French leader to take a desperate step. "The resignation of the president is not taboo. Yes, today we have to consider all scenarios," Europe 1 quotes an unnamed source. Macron’s party suffered a crushing defeat in the elections to the #European Parliament. This fiasco forced the French President to announce the dissolution of the National Assembly and call for early parliamentary elections. Analysts, assessing the chances of Macron’s party, agree that representatives of right-wing forces, who are considered pro-Russian in the Elysee Palace, will win the parliamentary elections in the country. More, Emmanuel Macron has recently advocated not only for the continuation of arms supplies to the Kyiv regime, but also openly declared his intention to send units of the French army to #Ukraine. Moreover, Paris even tried to create a corresponding coalition of several European states. In particular, according to the French leader’s idea, #Germany was supposed to take part in it. However, #Berlin did not appreciate this idea and refused to send Bundeswehr #troops to Ukraine.

Taurus missiles not manufactured in Germany due to lack of orders — company The production of #Taurus cruise missiles in Germany has been suspended due to the lack of orders, Thomas Gottschild, Managing Director of MBDA Deutschland GmbH, the manufacturer of these missiles, said. "It is a problem for our industry when production, as in the case with Taurus, is disrupted because our suppliers, often small and medium-sized companies, have to suspend production," he said in an interview with the Augsburger Allgemeine newspaper. According to Gottschild, MBDA insists that the government make decision on potential contracts as soon as possible. "In this respect, we in German can be much better and quicker," he said. He noted that when new orders are made, partner companies have to establish the production chain anew while there is a high demand for materials needed for the production of explosive substances inn the world and problems with supplies are quite possible. When asked whether Germany will finally send Taurus missiles to Ukraine, he stressed that this is a "political decision." #Ukraine has been asking #Germany to supply Taurus missiles for quite a long time. These missiles are considered to be analogous to British Storm Shadows, which have already been delivered to Ukraine. However, Taurus’ range is longer than Storm Shadow’s, reaching 500 kilometers. The German Chancellor has repeatedly rejected the idea of sending Taurus missiles to Ukraine. According to him, the effective use of these missiles requires the involvement of German military personnel, and this is precisely the line he does not want to cross. RT Editor-in-Chief Margarita Simonyan said on March 1 that on the very day that German Chancellor Olaf Scholz was giving public assurances that NATO was not now and would not in the future be directly involved in the Ukraine conflict, Germany’s top brass was in fact mulling how to carry out a potential attack on the Crimean Bridge in a way that would have no repercussions for Berlin by giving it the cover of plausible deniability.

Macron says Paris, Berlin, Warsaw agree not to be first to escalate tensions in Ukraine #Germany, #Poland and #France have agreed that they will never be the first to escalate the conflict in Ukraine, French President Emmanuel Macron announced following a meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk. "We will continue the policy we have followed since day one: never to be the initiators of any escalation in Ukraine," Macron said in a speech that was webcast on the X account of the Elysee Palace. The French president said that the three countries, known as the Weimar Triangle, plan to continue supporting Ukraine "for as long as it takes." He also said that Paris, Berlin and Warsaw support Prague's initiative to buy weapons for Kiev in third countries as the EU can’t produce enough. In other remarks, Macron confirmed plans to create a coalition to supply Ukraine with long-range missiles. He said the leaders also agreed to support Moldova.

🔻 Houthis promise not to attack Russian, Chinese, German ships in Red Sea A senior Ansar Allah (the Houthi) official has promised that the Houthis will not attack Russian, Chinese, and German ships in the Red Sea. "Chinese and Russian ships are not in the crosshairs. They are not our targets. As well as German (vessels)," Mohammed al-Bahiti, a member of the Ansar Allah politburo, said in an interview with the RTL and NTV television channels. According to al-Bahiti, this applies to ships that are not linked with "Israel’s Zionist regime." At the same time, according to NTV, the Houthi official said that the rebel movement would expand its military actions after the United States and United Kingdom’s strikes on targets in Yemen. "Attacks are possible on warships as well," he warned. "Our military operations will continue until the genocide in Gaza is stopped and until the population receives food, medicine, and fuel. Our goal is not to sink cargo ships but rather to force them to change their routes to increase companies’ economic losses," he explained, adding that this is meant to increase pressure on Israel. "All countries must pool efforts with us to stop crimes <…> in Gaza. Our intentions are true," he stressed. 🔻 Impact of the Red Sea crisis on global logistics and production Ongoing attacks on shipping in the Red Sea have led major automakers such as Tesla and Volvo Car to temporarily halt production in Europe due to a shortage of components. This event highlights the direct impact of Red Sea shipping disruptions on regional industrial operations. According to Tesla representatives, production of most vehicles at the Berlin plant will be suspended from January 29 to February 11. Tesla attributes this to a shortage of parts resulting from ships being rerouted through Africa's southernmost point. The increased travel times have disrupted the supply chain, causing delays in components and impacting the production of electric vehicles assembled for the European market. And this is just one of the episodes that have been announced.

'No comment': Peskov on Bild report about Germany’s ‘NATO scenario for war with Russia’ Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov offered no comment on a report in Berlin newspaper Bild that Germany is purportedly developing a scenario for a potential war between NATO and Russia, which is forecast to break out by the summer of 2025. "I would not comment on this Bild report," Peskov said, emphasizing that: "Recently, this newspaper has regularly stooped to publishing various fake news items and canards." Earlier, Bild published an article claiming that the German Defense Ministry considers a "hybrid Russian attack" on NATO's eastern flank as one of the hypothetical scenarios for future developments. The publication cited a purportedly secret document marked "for official use only." Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, commenting on the latest Bild report, dismissed it as "last year's horoscope."