Scholz cautiously optimistic on US-German partnership after first Trump talks

Scholz cautiously optimistic on US-German partnership after first Trump talks
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz addresses the 55th annual World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting in Davos, Switzerland, Jan. 21, 2025. (Reuters)
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Updated 21 January 2025

Scholz cautiously optimistic on US-German partnership after first Trump talks

Scholz cautiously optimistic on US-German partnership after first Trump talks
  • “The United States is our closest ally outside Europe,” Scholz said
  • Speaking on the first full day of Trump’s new term in office, Scholz said cooperation between Europe and the US was key for peace and security worldwide

DAVOS: Chancellor Olaf Scholz voiced cautious optimism on Tuesday on the potential for German-US relations under President Donald Trump, citing good first talks with his administration, and stressed that cooperation was key for peace and prosperity.
“The United States is our closest ally outside Europe. And I will do everything in my power to ensure that it stays that way,” Scholz said in a speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
“My first good conversations with President Trump and also the contacts between our advisers point in this direction,” he added.
Speaking on the first full day of Trump’s new term in office, Scholz said cooperation between Europe and the United States was key for peace and security worldwide as well as economic progress.
However, the German chancellor added that Europe must become more self-reliant.
Germany’s ambassador to Washington has warned internally of turbulent relations under Trump while German companies have sounded the alarm over threatened tariffs under the new US administration.


Ukrainian drones hit electricity substation in northern Russia, governor says

Ukrainian drones hit electricity substation in northern Russia, governor says
Updated 2 sec ago

Ukrainian drones hit electricity substation in northern Russia, governor says

Ukrainian drones hit electricity substation in northern Russia, governor says
  • Damage to the substation is being assessed, but electrical supplies in the region are continuing uninterrupted
MOSCOW: Three Ukrainian drones hit an electricity substation in the northern Russian region of Vologda overnight, regional governor Georgy Filimonov said on Saturday.
Damage to the substation is being assessed, but electrical supplies in the region, which is located north of Moscow and around 1,900km from Ukraine, are continuing uninterrupted, Filimonov said in a post on Telegram.
Separately, two people were wounded when a Ukrainian drone hit a residential building in the Russian city of Saratov, local governor Roman Busargin said in a statement on Telegram.
Saratov, an industrial city on the Volga river 625 km (388 miles) from the Ukrainian border, has been repeatedly struck by Ukrainian drones since Russia ordered tens of thousands of troops into its neighbor in February 2022.
The more sparsely populated Vologda region, by contrast, has not been a regular target of Ukrainian strikes.
In total, Russia’s Defense Ministry said on Saturday that it had downed 83 drones overnight, mostly over regions bordering Ukraine.