Friedrich Merz’s high-stakes gamble to enlist the far right in pressuring the German government to tighten migration laws has upended the campaign three weeks before general elections.

German opposition leader Friedrich Merz sees potential in collaborating with U.S. President Trump, advocating for a strong European negotiating stance. His call for unified military purchases faces challenges from France's defense industry.

L OBITH, NEAR where the river Rhine enters the Netherlands, has been a border town ever since northern Europe has had borders. Buried nearby lie the remains of a Roman camp that in the first century AD guarded the limes,

BERLIN—The front-runner in Germany’s election made a gambit this week to woo supporters of an increasingly popular far-right party by proposing a raft of new immigration restrictions. The move is now backfiring.

BERLIN (Reuters) - German opposition leader Friedrich Merz, tipped to become the next chancellor, said on Thursday he wanted to win back the lost trust of key allies and ensure Berlin is more assertive on the global stage in a speech laying out his foreign policy plans.

Germany's conservative opposition leader Friedrich Merz, frontrunner in polls to become the next chancellor ... he would seek strong ties with Germany's traditional core EU partner France but also with Poland and Italy, led by far-right premier Giorgia ...

DAVOS, Switzerland — Germany’s likely next chancellor, Friedrich Merz, wants his country and France to overcome their disputes on EU trade policy. “I am very close to Emmanuel Macron, and we are meeting regularly on these issues,” Merz told a panel ...

Ukraine must win the war against Russia, regain lost territory and be free to join military alliances, Friedrich Merz, favourite to become Germany's next chancellor, said Thursday.

By Ben Aris in Berlin Could Gazprom’s Nord Stream undersea gas pipelines, partially destroyed by saboteurs in September 2022, eventually be restarted? The idea of reconnecting Europe to the giant Russian Yamal gas fields has been introduced as a possible bargaining chip in the widely expected ceasefire talks between Russia and Ukraine.

Friedrich Merz, the front-runner to become Germany’s next chancellor, relied on votes from the far-right AfD to push an anti-migration motion through parliament.

Polls show conservative leader Friedrich Merz’s Union leading ahead of the Feb. 23 election with around 30% support, while AfD is second with about 20%.