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German Chancellor Friedrich Merz arrived in Kyiv Sunday in a show of support as Russia intensifies its attacks on Ukrainian cities. The aerial war has intensified, with Moscow menacing cities across Ukraine with hard-to-intercept ballistic missiles and jet-powered drones, while Kyiv has been striking Russia's oil industry and businesses. Merz said he travelled to Kyiv, his second trip as chancellor, to demonstrate Germany's support for Ukraine. "If Russia is not stopped, its war machine will sooner or later turn against us," he said in a statement Sunday, adding that he told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, "You can continue to count on our help." Merz said the partnership between the two countries was "not a one-way street," pointing to German and Ukrainian companies jointly developing technologies that benefit both sides. "This makes us safer and stronger," he said. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said the agenda would focus on "strengthening Ukraine, our defenc
Germany is aiming to double annual overnight stays by Indian visitors by 2030, its national tourism board chief Petra Hedorfer said, as the country seeks to tap the growing appetite among Indian travellers for longer, experience-led holidays beyond traditional city itineraries. India is an important strategic growth market for Germany, with Indian visitors accounting for 9,28,635 overnight stays in 2025, up 3.4 per cent from the previous year, Hedorfer, CEO of the German National Tourist Board (GNTB), said in an interview to PTI. The positive trend has continued this year, with 5,37,565 overnight stays by Indian visitors recorded during January-July 2026, an increase of 2.9 per cent year-on-year. July alone saw 85,400 overnight stays, up 3.6 per cent compared with the same month last year. "Looking towards 2030, our longer-term ambition is to double overnight stays annually from India," Hedorfer said. She said Germany remained positive about the potential of the Indian market, ...
Russia's top diplomat rejected German calls to ease off its "dangerous path of escalation" toward the country, instead accusing Germany of being Ukraine's main sponsor and seeking to be a leading military power in Europe. "Does Berlin understand what this could lead to?" Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov asked in his speech at the UN General Assembly's annual gathering of world leaders. "Didn't they not learn the lessons of World War II?" Lavrov was dismissive after the German and Russian foreign ministers met Saturday on the sidelines of the meeting, holding what's believed to be the first such tete-a-tete since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. "He simply reiterated his official public position condemning Russia," Lavrov said. "You can judge for yourself whether that counts as dialogue or not." The meeting, at German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul's request, came just before Lavrov addressed world leaders, where he also criticised the militarisation of Japan