Both Latvia and Estonia are working to fortify their borders with Russia, as Latvian television reported on Monday that four-kilometre-long anti-tank trenches had been dug on the country's eastern border.
According to Latvian television, the construction of trenches with a length of 27 kilometers out of a total of 89 kilometers is scheduled to be completed by the beginning of next year, with these trenches being reinforced with more defensive obstacles, such as concrete anti-tank barriers, known as “dragon’s teeth,” according to what was reported by the German News Agency.
“The idea is to force the enemy to use different types of equipment to overcome these obstacles,” said Latvian army representative Edgars Bridis.
In Estonia, the construction of the first concrete bunkers near the border city of Narva was completed at the end of last October, according to a report broadcast by the Estonian Public Broadcasting Corporation (ERR). These facilities were designed to provide protection for soldiers from direct bombardment with artillery shells.
Other shelters have already been constructed in the northeast and southeast of the country, equipped with electricity and communications systems, and concrete and anti-tank barriers have been installed.
The Kremlin confirmed its rejection of the Europeans' participation in the tripartite round of negotiations that will begin in Abu Dhabi in the coming days. Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that his country prefers to discuss the issues raised behind closed doors and away from public discussions in the media.
Peskov said on Monday that the upcoming talks in the Emirati capital, Abu Dhabi, regarding settling the Ukrainian conflict, will be held with the participation of the delegations of Russia and Ukraine and with American mediation, without the participation of representatives of European countries.
He explained in a statement to reporters: “What will happen in Abu Dhabi, in the coming days, are tripartite talks between Russia and Ukraine, mediated by the United States. As for the presence of the Europeans, you know that the Americans have their own channels of communication with the Europeans and Ukrainians, and it seems that they are already building their own coordination mechanism, but I repeat again, we are talking about tripartite talks only. The spokesman explained that Moscow will not publicly discuss models for future security negotiations.
“With regard to the shape of Ukraine, it is a different country geographically,” Peskov noted. “The facts on the ground are clear, and no one is likely to deny them.”
Regarding the APEC summit (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum) on November 18 and 19 in China, Peskov indicated that the countries are exchanging views on the agenda of a possible meeting of Russian Presidents Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, and American Donald Trump at the summit.
“There could be a variety of questions,” Peskov said. Anyway, the meeting will be really interesting. And of course, it will attract the attention of everyone in the world... There is an exchange of proposals on a possible agenda for the meeting. The parties exchange views on this issue.”
In this context, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Moscow welcomes Washington's approach to discussing security guarantees during the upcoming tripartite talks that include Kiev.
Lavrov said on Monday: “I heard a statement from Marco Rubio indicating that security issues are gaining fundamental importance in the Abu Dhabi talks, and even in the context of the entire situation surrounding the Ukrainian conflict. Moreover, the agenda of the Abu Dhabi talks places the security concerns of Russia, Ukraine, and the region as a whole at the top of the list of priorities. We, without a doubt, welcome this approach.”
On the other hand, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Monday that he held talks with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to coordinate positions with the European Union, ahead of talks with Russia mediated by the United States.
European powers are intensifying their diplomatic efforts to ensure that any settlement of the Russian war on Ukraine is fair to Kiev and to avoid Washington providing new security guarantees to Moscow without consulting the Europeans.
Zelensky said on the “X” platform: “Ursula (von der Leyen) and I also coordinated our positions regarding the meeting in Abu Dhabi. We are doing everything in our power to ensure that the tripartite talks lead to results.”
In turn, the President of the European Commission confirmed via social media following the conversation that “the European Union will be present alongside our partners” in the Abu Dhabi talks scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday, echoing statements made by the French Foreign Minister over the weekend.
A European Union official told Agence France-Presse that national security officials from the European Union, NATO, France, Germany and the United Kingdom will be present in Abu Dhabi, although the nature of their participation is not yet clear.
He added: “We will know the exact formulas when we get there.”
The US President raised European fears of an American rapprochement with the Kremlin, after the two parties concluded the diesel deal two weeks ago. European circles spoke of reaching a “very large” agreement with Russia, which includes not only Ukraine, but “all of Europe.”
The statements of Trump's envoy and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, increased European concern, after he said that Washington was working on a "broader European security architecture that could help create the conditions for achieving lasting peace" in Ukraine.
Kushner participated via video last week in a meeting in Brussels that included European, Ukrainian and NATO officials, and said that Washington would consult with its European partners “on the sidelines” of the Abu Dhabi talks.
European allies have long rejected Moscow's efforts to reshape the European security architecture.
Before launching war on Ukraine in 2022, the Kremlin issued an ultimatum to NATO that included a demand to withdraw NATO forces from Europe.
For his part, Trump expressed his belief that the Ukraine war will end soon, during an interview with CBS News on Sunday.
Trump said, in an interview with the “60 Minutes” program: “I believe that we will be able to end the war, and I believe that this will happen, and that Ukraine will end up with somewhat different geographical borders.”
He added that the biggest obstacle to achieving peace is the “intense hatred” between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Zelensky.
Asked whether this feeling was understandable on Zelensky's part, given that Ukraine had been invaded, Trump answered in the affirmative. He added: “But when they held their first meeting, he showed a great deal of disrespect towards Russia... I believe that this war will end, and it will end soon.” The only reason it ended is because of me.”
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz paved the way for the election of the first female president of Germany by announcing his party's support for the nomination of the Speaker of the Bavarian State Parliament, Ilse Aigner.
Meretz announced his support for Aigner in a press conference held at the headquarters of his Christian Democratic Party in Berlin, and she stood by his side.
Mertz praised Aigner, saying that she has the “best qualities” for a president, adding that Germany will gain a president who has “dignity and a sincere heart, who unites, provides guidance, and encourages debate.” He added that it is time for a woman to take office.
Aigner confirmed that she would be a “centrist candidate” and that she would work to unite Germans, adding that she entered politics with the aim of bridging the gap between Germans. Aigner criticized extremist ideologies, saying that “our country and our democracy are under attack from within and without,” pledging to stand up to extremism.
Aigner (61 years old) belongs to the Bavarian Christian Social Party, which is the sister party of the Meretz party, and does not have a presence outside the state of Bavaria, but it participates in federal governments alongside the Christian Democratic Party.
Although the German President does not have the executive duties given to the Chancellor; Rather, its role is limited to protocol and is a symbol of the country’s unity. Choosing a woman for the first time in the Federal Republic of Germany, after 12 men have alternated for the presidency in the past 77 years, is a step that reflects the image of modern Germany.
The term of the current president, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, will end at the end of next March, after serving two terms, the first of which began 10 years ago under the government of former Chancellor Angela Merkel. The president is not entitled to run for more than two terms in Germany, each of which has a term of 5 years. Steinmeier belongs to the Social Democratic Party, a partner in the coalition government. He was Minister of Foreign Affairs and is considered a veteran politician. As for Aigner, she served as Minister of Agriculture in Merkel's first government, and held multiple ministerial positions in the state of Bavaria, such as Minister of Economy and Deputy Prime Minister of the state government.
The Federal Assembly is supposed to vote to choose the president at the end of next January. The President's Electoral College consists of 630 members of the Bundestag (Federal Parliament), in addition to a similar number of representatives from the 16 German states who are elected by local state parliaments and are not necessarily political representatives. This body meets once every 5 years specifically to elect a president. Since the Christian Union and its partner, the Socialist Party, control the Bundestag and the majority of local parliaments, there will be no obstacles to Aigner’s election.
The Bavarian politician is close to the German Chancellor, who owns a house in her state and spends his holidays there with his family. Despite this, Meretz hesitated for months to announce his candidacy for Aigner, and initially wanted to nominate a woman from his party and his inner circle. However, he was subjected to pressure from the sister Bavarian party, especially after the party's leader and the president of the state of Bavaria, Markus Soder, announced his support for Aigner to assume the presidency months ago.
Aigner is a politician close to voters and spends a lot of her time communicating with them, and periodically participates in traditional festivals in Bavaria. It is noteworthy that Aigner does not have a university degree; Rather, she completed vocational education to become a technician in the radio and television sector, then graduated as a technician in mechanical engineering from a specialized school.
These qualities played a role in the Chancellor's decision to support her for the position of president, especially since the role of the president in Germany is considered to bring together and unify the people. It also plays a role in bridging political rifts between parties. This role was played by the current German President Steinmeier when Germany faced political complexities in the past that made it difficult to form governments, especially in the fourth government of former Chancellor Angela Merkel, and with the government of former Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
