Chancellor Angela Merkel has insisted that Berlin will not give into pressure from Washington after the US Senate approved a bill sanctioning German companies working on a pipeline that will deliver natural gas from Russia. During Wednesday’s Q&A session in parliament, lawmakers asked Merkel about the possibility of the US slapping sanctions on German companies building the Nord Stream 2 pip [...]

As the US braces to slap sanctions on European firms building the last leg of the Russia-Germany Nord Stream 2 pipeline, a senior MP in Berlin argues that formal protests don’t work anymore – but a strong response could. [...]

In mid-October, the Handelsblatt newspaper reported that fresh security requirements for telecommunications networks in Germany does not contain a clause to keep Huawei from taking part in the construction of 5G infrastructure. Washington has repeatedly warned Berlin over Huawei taking part in developing Germany’s 5G infrastructure. [...]

The United States maintains nearly three dozen military bases in Germany, with troops stationed in the country since the end of the Second World War, and long after the end of the Cold War and the withdrawal of Soviet/Russian troops from the country in the early 1990s. [...]

The US-made fifth-generation F-35 warplane reportedly continues to face a raft of mechanical issues, although it has been developed for several decades with a budget of over $1 trillion. The German radar-maker Hensoldt has claimed that it managed to track two US stealth fighter jets F-35 from a pony farm for almost 100 miles (about 150 kilometres) during an air show, the website C4ISRNet reports. [...]

Investigative journalist Jurij Kofner is a German citizen. To question the extent to which his country’s policy decisions are influenced by America’s agenda, he explores Germany’s post-war history to understand how relations with the US were formed. He also looks into the dynamics of the two countries’ cooperation under the umbrella of NATO [...]

Germany takes its own approach to relations with China and won’t bow to US demands and pressure over unrest in Hong Kong, analysts told RT, as Chancellor Angela Merkel heads to Beijing to talk trade. [...]

The US-German friendship has taken a nosedive. A recent survey commissioned by Atlantik-Brücke and conducted by the polling firm Civey found that 85 percent of respondents rate relations between the two countries as poor to very poor. [...]

Three-quarters of Germans say that a US troop pullout won’t leave them defenseless, but almost as many believe their own army would be of little effect, a poll found, amid reports that Washington may move its assets to Poland. [...]

Earlier, key European powers Germany, France and the UK appeared to snub Washington’s requests for them to join a US-led mission against “Iranian aggression” in the Persian Gulf, with the three countries signaling support for a European-led security effort to “protect” commercial vessels operating in the region instead. [...]

Germany will refuse to take part in a US-led maritime mission in the Strait of Hormuz, Foreign Minister Heiko Maas announced. Maas said that there “cannot be a military solution” to the current crisis in the Persian Gulf. [...]

Deutsche’s net income also dropped by over 40 percent to €231 million in the second quarter, year-on-year - the lender is predicted to report a full-year loss for 2019. Deutsche shares fell 2.4 percent in response to the results. [...]

China has managed to outperform the US and the UK in a German ranking of the world’s most reliable trade partners, compiled from the latest survey of 2,000 German companies by Frankfurt-based Commerzbank. [...]

While the European Parliament elections are approaching with stakes being high, German MEP and former chairman of the National Democratic Party (NPD) Udo Voigt has spoken about the party's plans for the next legislative term, as well as its priorities and concerns. [...]

A massive political scandal involving Austria's Vice-Chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache has erupted, promoting the senior official to resign. [...]

Berlin’s failure to meet the alliance’s agreement to spend 2% of GDP on defence has been a source of tension between Germany and the US. Angela Merkel earlier pledged to boost military spending up to 1.5 percent of GDP by 2024. But the budget plan, introduced in Berlin, suggests that the expenditures will be decreasing after a rise next year. [...]

Washington has repeatedly threatened to impose sanctions on all parties related to or working on Nord Stream 2, with President Donald Trump accusing Germany of being a “captive” of Russia and urging Berlin to halt its cooperation on the $11-billion project. [...]

MEXICO CITY (Sputnik) - Mexico and Germany oppose any scenario of military intervention in Venezuela, believing that it would lead to catastrophic consequences, the two countries’ foreign ministers said at the joint press conference on Thursday. [...]

Earlier, speaking at the Munich Security Conference over the weekend, US Vice President Mike Pence boasted about "renewed American leadership on the world stage," while talking up sanctions against Russia, tough tariffs against China, 'confrontation' with Iran, and US intentions to withdraw from the INF Treaty. [...]