Germany news: Merz says Trump's Russia diesel deal 'out of question' for Europe
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Chancellor Friedrich Merz has said that Donald Trump's diesel deal with Russia would be "out of the question" for Germany and the EU. Meanwhile, the ruling coalition has been rocked by a major resignation. DW has more.
https://p.dw.com/p/5O94V Merz visited Kyiv and Volodymyr Zelenskyy earlier this month [FILE: October 4, 2026] Image: DW Advertisement Skip next section What you need to know What you need to know Merz said the order of the day was new EU sanctions on Russia not diesel deals with Russia, saying Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy 'can rely on Germany' Bavarian state premier Markus Söder has accused some conservative bloc members in Saxony-Anhalt of being cowards Bärbel Bas, Germany's education minister and the co-chair of the SPD, has resigned amid coalition infighting with Chancellor Merz's CDU The winner of Germany's most prestigious literary peace prize has cricized the country's support of the Israeli government Here are the latest headlines and reports from across Germany on Monday, October 12:
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The aircraft, normally stationed at Büchel air base in western Germany, have been deployed to Aviano Air Base in northern Italy, a German Air Force spokesperson told the DPA news agency.
Several dozen German military personnel will also participate in the exercise, which rehearses NATO's ability to deploy nuclear weapons in the event of a conflict.
No live nuclear weapons will be used. NATO says the exercise is routine, unrelated to current world events and not directed against any particular country.
The alliance has not disclosed details of this year's scenario. Last year's exercise involved around 2,000 personnel and more than 70 aircraft.
Germany participates in NATO's nuclear-sharing arrangements, under which German aircraft could deliver US nuclear weapons in a conflict.
10/12/2026 October 12, 2026 Germany's Merz slams Trump's Russian diesel deal German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has criticized US President Donald Trump's agreement to import Russian diesel, calling for tougher sanctions on Moscow instead.
"We take note of the agreement between the United States and Russia on diesel exports," Merz said in Berlin on Monday. "For Germany and Europe, such a decision is out of the question."
Merz said Russia would only negotiate seriously under pressure and called for further sanctions following Russian attacks on Ukraine's civilian energy infrastructure.
He also questioned Trump's announcement of an immediate halt to Russian and Ukrainian attacks on each other's energy facilities, saying Moscow had responded with massive strikes.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Trump's announcement of the partial ceasefire came as news to him, while the Kremlin has not confirmed that it has taken effect.
Merz reaffirmed Germany's support for Ukraine and said efforts to achieve a just and lasting peace would be discussed at this week's EU summit.
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10/12/2026 October 12, 2026 Tennis: Alexander Zverev will be world number 1 for the first time Mark Hallam 29-year-old Alexander Zverev has won the US and French Opens this year, the first two majors of his career [File: September 13, 2026] Image: Robert Deutsch/IMAGN Images/REUTERS The long-awaited mathematical confirmation has arrived: Germany's Alexander Zverez will take the top spot in the men's singles tennis rankings at the end of the year.
A shock straight set defeat for Carlos Alcaraz on Monday in Shanghai against unseeded Belgian player Zizou Bergs made Zverev claiming the number 1 ranking innevitable.
Aged 29, Zverev will be the oldest player ever to take over the top spot for the first time in his career.
He said that knowing he'd finish the season at number was a "dream come true," and said he'd concentrate on finishing the season "in style."
It's been a year of breakthroughs for Zverev, whose career to date had long seen him living in the shadows of greats like Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, and later Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz.
He won his first two Majors, at the French Open and then the US Open , and was also runner-up to Sinner at Wimbledon .
Sinner has not played since that final because of injury. Coupled with some patchy form from Alcaraz, this opened the door for Zverev to push to overtake them in the annual rankings.
The last — and only — German man to top tennis' world rankings was Boris Becker, who had two brief mid-season stints at number 1 in 1991. He did not finish the year as number 1, though.
Angelique Kerber also spent a combined seven and a half months at women's singles number 1 across three stints between 2016 and 2017, including at the end of the 2016 campaign. Steffi Graf meanwhile dominated the women's rankings for much of the period between 1987 and 1997.
10/12/2026 October 12, 2026 SPD, Greens and Left party begin coalition talks in Mecklenburg-Lower Pomerania The Social Democrats (SPD) have opened up coalition talks with the Greens and the Left party in Germany's northeastern state of Mecklenburg-Lower Pomerania, sources confirmed to local media.
The three parties have already held exploratory discussions on working together and received permission from party leadership bodies to move forward.
This comes several weeks after the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) came in first in the state election with 38.2% of the vote. However, without an outright majority and no other parties willing to work with them, they were unable to form a government.
Together the SPD, Greens and Left will hold 32 seats in the 71-member state parliament, giving them three more seats than the AfD.
The regional party leaders, including incumbent SPD state premier Manuela Schwesig , are expected to issue a joint statement later today.
The trio…
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