Berlin cannot rely on an "erratic" Donald Trump, and it remains unknown whether it can rely on the US as a whole, German chancellor candidate Martin Schulz has stated. Schulz, a Social Democrat (SPD) and the main challenger to Angela Merkel in the upcoming September election, made the comments at a party convention on Sunday. [...]

The very fact that Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Angela Merkel have held negotiations after a long hiatus is a positive signal, Russian academic Vadim Trukhachev told Radio Sputnik, adding that Merkel's visit to Sochi may have become a step toward lifting sanctions on Russia. [...]

The small city close to the border with Germany was named Austria’s most inspiring place to visit in a recent report. What is it that makes it so special? According to a recent report published by TravelBird, the most inspiring city in Austria isn’t the capital, Vienna, or even it’s second city Graz - it’s the town of Salzburg. [...]

If the US attacks a Syrian warplane in Syrian skies, it means an act of war. And the US should give an explanation for this, demands Aleksey Pushkov, the head of Russia's Communications Policy Committee. It also means the US wants a divided Syria, he adds. US attack on Syrian plane in Syrian sky is act of war – Russian senator Nach US-Abschuss von syrischem Jet: Russischer [...]

Austrian and Germany have lashed out at Washington over new sanctions against Russia that target the planned Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline to Europe. [...]

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has joined the chorus of criticism over a new US anti-Russia sanctions bill that would involve fines on EU companies contributing to joint pipeline projects, saying Washington has nothing to do with Europe’s energy policy. [...]

Under Barack Obama, America succeeded in driving a wedge between Russia and the European Union. After a few months of Donald Trump, it appears Russia is slowly moving back into the French and German good books. [...]

Trump’s overall strategy to try and break up the EU reflects his preferred way of doing business: to deal with individual states so they can be more easily manipulated, says political writer and journalist Dan Glazebrook. [...]

The Austrian parliament has passed a bill that will outlaw the wearing of the burqa, the all face-covering veil worn by some women who follow the Islamic faith. The ban is part of a wider controversial law on migrants in the country. [...]

Norway’s largest trade union body has voted in favor of economic, cultural, and academic boycott of Israel over its treatment of Palestinians. In response, Tel Aviv said that the union “placed itself shoulder to shoulder with the worst enemies of Israel.” [...]

An Austrian tank platoon came in first in this year’s NATO tank competition, co-hosted by the US and Germany. Newcomer Ukraine finished second to last, beating out Poland. The annual Strong Europe Tank Challenge at the US Army’s Grafenwoehr Training Area in Germany this week featured teams from NATO members Germany, France, Poland, and the US, as well as non-members Austria and Ukraine, in [...]

Women from Eastern Europe are being smuggled into Scotland for sexual exploitation and sham marriages at the hands of human traffickers, according to a new documentary. Undercover BBC journalist Sam Poling traveled to Slovakia to expose how Eastern European criminal gangs are trafficking young women to Scotland for them to marry third-country nationals, mainly Pakistanis, seeking UK residency. [...]

Despite the fact that a number of European governments have taken steps to thwart American NGOs ostensibly promoting ‘democracy and globalization’ while targeting countries for regime change, the US is unlikely to stop ‘exporting democracy’ around the world. [...]

As Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen prepare to face off in the runoff on May 7, Western mainstream media have started vigorously blaming Russia of attempting to orchestrate a cyberattack on Macron's campaign. Pierre Curien, an expert on cybersecurity explained to Sputnik France why these flimsy claims fall apart at the slightest scrutiny. [...]

The president of Austria has raised quite a few eyebrows after stating that there may come a day when all women are asked to wear headscarves out of solidarity, citing discrimination faced by Muslims in the country. [...]

Daniel Delomez, the mayor of Annezin in the Pas-de-Calais commune of northern France, vented his anger over Marine Le Pen gaining 38 percent of the votes in the region, warning he may resign because he “doesn’t want to dedicate life to as*holes.” [...]

Acquiring a second citizenship is illegal in Austria. After the referendum in Turkey, the Austrian interior minister additionally called for fining Austrian Turks for obtaining it. Austrian Interior Minister Wolfgang Sobotka said Wednesday he would seek hefty fines for ethnic Turks holding Austrian citizenship who illegally obtain a second passport. [...]

The circumstances of the alleged chemical attack against the Khan Sheikhun settlement remain unknown, with many experts preferring not to hurry with a final verdict. However, it didn't prevent the US from launching missile attacks on Syria "in response." Funnily enough, at that same moment when US President Donald Trump violated the "Western values," he received a standing ovation from Europe [...]

In contrast to their reaction to other attacks, the local authorities of Berlin and Paris didn't light up city landmarks in a show of solidarity with the victims, a decision which was greeted with disapproval by French and German citizens. Their reaction came only 24 hours after the tragedy and seems to have been forced by the public indignation. On Wednesday night, Parisian authorities turned [...]

Marine Le Pen’s loss of EU Parliament immunity is going to help her get elected: French people and other Europeans see it as a plot by the establishment to silence her, it shows the EU Parliament is undemocratic, says David Coburn, UKIP MEP. [...]

Ankara has partially blocked its participation in some NATO projects, including political events and military drills, amid a diplomatic row over the cancelation of Turkish rallies in several European countries. A spokeswoman for Ankara's mission to the military alliance said on Thursday that Turkey's withdrawal is only aimed at Austria. [...]

On March 25, the leaders of the 27 EU member-states signed a declaration to “restart” the badly divided European Union. In an interview with Sputnik, Gian Micalessin, a military reporter with the Italian newspaper Il Giornale, spoke about the political crisis facing the EU and its future relations with Russia. [...]