Bundeswehr 'must grow' to respond to Russia's behaviour, Germany's Pistorius says
In his comments, defence minister Pistorius says that “big events are known to cast their shadows,” as he talks about the new voluntary military service (12:13).
He says the Bundeswehr “must grow” to respond to “the international security situation,” in particular “Russia’s aggressive behaviour.”
“We not only need a well-equipped force – we’ve been working on that for two and a half years now, and we won’t stop. But we also need a Bundeswehr with strong personnel. Only then will deterrence as a whole be truly credible vis-a-vis Russia,” he says.
He says the numbers are already rising, but more needs to be done there, including reservists.
He says the government will propose a number of incentives to reach new targets, including improved pay, to “improve the attractiveness compared to the status quo.”
Russia 'is and will remain' main threat to freedom, peace, stability in Europe, Germany's Merz says after cabinet, Nato military chief meeting
Opening the press conference, Merz says he wanted to revive the tradition of cabinet discussions on security to show the issue is treated seriously and to “send a signal” to EU and Nato allies.
Merz says before the meeting, they met with Nato’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe, Alexus Grynkewich, to discuss the military situation.
“His situation report was very clear. Russia is and will remain, for the long term, the greatest threat to freedom, peace, and stability in Europe,” he says.
Merz says the country’s security policies are shaped partially in response to this, starting from new Nato commitments adopted at The Hague summit earlier this year.
He also makes it clear that Germany “stands firmly by Ukraine’s side.”
But he points out that with Russia “long conducting” hybrid attacks, sabotage, cyber-attacks, targeted disinformation and other actions, there is need to do more.
As part of that, it will create a centralised National Security Council to coordinate security and defence discussions and plan for threats in the future.
Updated
Germany pursues draft bill to introduce voluntary military service
Germany’s cabinet passed a draft bill that would introduce first a voluntary military service, and could lead to conscription if recruitment goals are missed, the government said in a statement, reported by Reuters.
The defence ministry hopes the voluntary six-month scheme will help double the number of trained reservists from the current level of around 100,000 and that some of the volunteers will go on to have a career in active service.
Minister Boris Pistorius wants to increase the number of soldiers in service from 180,000 to 260,000 by the early 2030s to meet new Nato force targets and strengthen its defences – part of a planned surge in military spending, Reuters said.
Merz and Pistorius are speaking now about the details, so let’s listen in.
Russia focused on Putin's 'unprecedented' China visit, Kremlin says
As we are waiting for Merz and Pistorius to show up, we are getting some news lines from Moscow, with the Kremlin saying its focus is on preparing Vladimir Putin’s “unprecedented” visit to China later this week.
It added that it supported the US efforts to end the war in Ukraine and hoped they would continue.
But at the same time the Kremlin appeared dismissive about European plans for security guarantees for Ukraine, saying Russia had a “negative” view of the proposals, and rejecting any plans for western troops to be stationed in Ukraine.
It also added that it wouldn’t be helpful to discuss these issues publicly, Reuters reported.
Updated
Germany's Merz, Pistorius to give briefing on plans to strengthen army
Meanwhile over in Germany, chancellor Friedrich Merz and defence minister Boris Pistorius are about to give a press conference on plans to strengthen the country’s army.
You can watch it live below, and I will bring you any key news lines here.
France faces new political crisis as PM expected to lose confidence vote
in Paris
France is braced for another political crisis as the minority government of François Bayrou appears almost certain to be toppled in a confidence vote next month, amid deep political divisions over an unpopular austerity budget and debt-reduction plan.
“I will fight like a dog,” the centrist prime minister told L’Express on Tuesday after his surprise decision to call a vote of confidence from parliamentarians.
Bayrou, 74, a close ally of Emmanuel Macron, is expected to lose the vote as opposition parties on the far right and left said they would relish the opportunity to eject him after less than nine months in office.
Boris Vallaud, the head of the Socialist parliamentary group, told BFM TV: “We need to change politics and for that we need to change prime minister.”
Bayrou’s gamble – which involves Macron convening a special session of parliament on 8 September for a confidence vote that the prime minister has almost no chance of winning – has sparked fears of another political crisis less than a year after the previous government of Michel Barnier was toppled over budget disagreements after only three months.
The Paris stock market tumbled, shares in French banks sank and the country’s borrowing costs rose on Tuesday as investors fretted.
A planned protest movement against Bayrou’s proposed budget cuts, which gathered support on social media over the summer, as well as potential strikes and demonstrations by trade unions are expected to begin on 10 September, regardless of whether Bayrou is forced to quit.
The beleaguered politician attended a meeting of the CFDT trade union on Tuesday where he urged French political parties to think carefully about the vote, noting they had 13 days to “say whether they are on the side of chaos or responsibility”.
Bayrou said: “Is there or is there not a national emergency to rebalance the accounts, to escape excessive debt by choosing to reduce our deficits and produce more? That is the central question.”
In what was seen as a last-minute appeal to the left, he said he was prepared to demand a “specific effort” from high-wealth individuals, after his budget proposals were widely criticised for affecting poor people and pensioners while having less impact on the very wealthy.
If Bayrou is ousted, Macron would be dragged into domestic upheaval at a significant international moment for him, as he positions himself to play a role on Ukraine and the recognition of a Palestinian state.
Under the French political system, the president, who is head of state and has authority on foreign policy and national security, directly appoints a prime minister as head of government to run domestic affairs. Macron could swiftly appoint a new prime minister but they too could risk being ousted over the budget.
A source close to the far-right leader Marine Le Pen told Reuters it was hard to see how any new prime minister could escape being hit by a vote of no confidence.
Elsewhere, we are keeping an eye on the situation in France after the country’s prime minister François Bayrou announced his plan to call a vote of confidence in his government on 8 September, which he has almost no chance of winning.
Let me bring you an update on this from our Paris correspondent, Angelique Chrisafis.
Over 100,000 households in Ukraine without electricity after Russian strikes, Zelenskyy says
In a separate update, Zelenskyy said that “more than 100,000 households” in Ukraine remain without electricity after overnight Russian strikes on civilian infrastructure.
He said:
“Unfortunately, energy facilities were damaged. The attack caused power outages in the Poltava, Sumy, and Chernihiv regions, leaving more than one hundred thousand households without electricity. All emergency services are working on the ground to restore power as quickly as possible.”
He then said:
“The Russians continue the war and ignore the world’s calls to stop the killings and destruction. New steps are needed to increase pressure on Russia to stop the attacks and to ensure real security guarantees. We are working with our partners to exert such pressure.”
Russians 'sending negative signals' on meetings as talks on security guarantees progress, Zelenskyy says
In the last few minutes, Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy issued another update after his phone call with Finland’s influential president Alexander Stubb.
He said that progress is being made on “the architecture of strong and multilateral security guarantees with Ukraine,” but criticised Russia for “sending negative signals regarding meetings and further developments.”
The Russians will only react to real pressure in response to all this.
Here is what he said:
“A very good conversation – as always.
We are coordinating our positions to deliver more substantial results. Our teams are actively preparing the architecture of strong and multilateral security guarantees for Ukraine, with everyone involved – Europeans, Americans, and our other partners in the Coalition of the Willing.
Military commanders, defence ministers, and security advisers – at different levels, we are preparing the components of future security.
We are accelerating the process of defining the details. It is already time to organise the format for the leaders’ discussions to determine the key priorities and timelines. An important area is relations with the United States, ensuring maximum substance in these relations.
Unfortunately, the Russians are currently sending negative signals regarding meetings and further developments. Strikes on our cities and villages continue. Every day there are new victims. The Russians will only react to real pressure in response to all this. Pressure is needed. We are counting on it.
Concrete steps are needed from Russia – steps toward real diplomacy.”
Denmark summons US charge d'affaires over alleged attempts to interfere with Greenland's status
We are getting big news just in from Denmark, which has summoned the US charge d’affaires in the country over alleged attempts to interfere with the status of Greenland, a long-term point of interest for the new US administration of Donald Trump.
In a comment to public broadcaster DR, foreign minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen said that “any attempt to interfere in the Kingdom’s internal affairs will obviously be unacceptable.”
The move comes after DR reported that Danish intelligence services have uncovered a network of “at least three” people working on “influence operations” in Greenland to drive a wedge between Denmark and the territory, in a bid to pave the way for it to get closer to the United States.
The broadcaster said it knew the names of the three American men involved in the operations, but chose not to publish them to protect sources. It said they were previously known to be close to Trump, but it was not immediately clear if they worked on the White House’s order or on their own.
It alleged that one of the men visited Greenland to attend meetings and compile a list of potential allies and opponents of Donald Trump’s plans to take over the territory.
He also allegedly urged Greenlanders to “point out cases that could be used to put Denmark in a bad light in American media,” DR said.
The two other men were allegedly involved in building networks of contacts with politicians, business figures and community leaders to pursue Trump’s plans.
The meeting with the US charge d’affaires is expected later today, Rasmussen said.
In May, Wall Street Journal also reported that the US stepped up its intelligence operations to spy on Greenland, also prompting Rasmussen to summon US envoy for a chat.
A Greenlandic parliamentarian, Aaja Chemnitz, told DR that it was unacceptable to “try to infiltrate Greenlandic society in this way,” insisting that “it is Greenland itself that must decide what we want and what kind of future we want.”
Morning opening: 'Very substantive' talks on security guarantees on Ukraine, Zelenskyy says
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said last night he was making progress in talks with European and US partners on designing potential security guarantees for Ukraine should the war be brought to a close.
In his nightly address, he said:
“It is important that everything be as practical as possible – what forces on the ground, in the air, at sea – everything must be clearly defined.
And the foundation of our security is our strong Ukrainian army, … which means long-term financing and the provision of weapons – all of this will be ensured. …
We are working very substantively with the Americans following our meeting in Washington. We now have a new foundation for joint efforts. This is significant.
The only signal Russia is sending indicates that it intends to continue evading real negotiations. This can be changed only through strong sanctions, strong tariffs – real pressure.”
Separately, US peace envoy Steve Witkoff revealed overnight that he will be meeting with Ukrainian officials this week, insisting that US back-channel talks with both Ukraine and Russia continue.
“I’m meeting with the Ukrainians this week. So I will be meeting with them this week in New York, and that’s a big signal. We talk to the Russians every day,” Witkoff said on Fox News.
Elsewhere, I will be keeping an eye on a high-profile visit by French president Emmanuel Macron, German chancellor Friedrich Merz, and Polish prime minister Donald Tusk in Moldova.
Their trip comes a month before high-stakes parliamentary elections in the country, with allegations of Russian interference and attempts to throw Moldova off its pro-EU course.
All three leaders are having their own problems at home, but they will take a moment out of their busy schedules to send a message to the people of Moldova, encouraging them to confirm their pro-European choice in last year’s presidential election.
I will bring you all the key updates here.
It’s Wednesday, 27 August 2025, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live.
Good morning.
