For years, Germany has been working to elevate its status within the United Nations. However, Russia has now sent a clear signal that is not in Berlin's favor. Moscow has categorically rejected Germany's request for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council.

Finland said last week it detained a ship that may be from Russia's shadow fleet of oil tankers as part of a probe into a damaged undersea cable.

Ukraine's leader says partners sending ground troops would help "force Russia into peace," as America's European allies ponder Trump's next move.

Mystery still surrounds the destruction of the Nord Stream pipelines linking Russia to Germany through the Baltic Sea in the fall of 2022, while an undersea cable linking Sweden to Estonia was damaged in October 2023. A gas pipeline connecting Estonia to Finland was also damaged in the same month, later blamed on a Chinese ship dragging its anchor.

Three men have been charged with spying on U.S. military bases for Russia and plotting attacks on American personnel in retaliation for Western support of Ukraine, German prosecutors said.

As Angela Merkel, the longtime former chancellor of Germany, said in November 2024, the looming second Trump presidency “is a challenge to the world, especially for multilateralism.”

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius announces plan to move 2 Patriot air defense systems, 200 soldiers to Poland within next few weeks for expected 6 months - Anadolu Ajansı

Russia’s connection to the rupture of an undersea cable between Finland and Estonia is raising a new bevy of fears over the sabotage of critical power lines. The new incidents come as tensions

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin have urged the incoming Trump administration to maintain military support for Ukraine. Austin warned that ceasing support could lead to more aggression and chaos.

Trump’s incoming administration could create certain risks for Germany, including putting more pressure on its weak economy.