Daily brief
Donald Trump said Europe would be 'speaking German' without a US-led victory in World War II, a comment that drew criticism from German officials who called it a distortion of history.
Germany, Norway, and Sweden have declined to join a proposed 'Board of Peace' initiative put forward by Trump.
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stated that achieving strategic autonomy for the EU is linked to securing peace in Ukraine.
Chancellor Friedrich Merz is seeking a political alliance in the EU with Italy's Giorgia Meloni, positioning it as an alternative to cooperation with France's Emmanuel Macron.
China and Germany have signed a giant panda conservation agreement, with two pandas set to be sent to Munich.