News blog on federal politics: After Trump's diesel deal: Federal government wants to stick to sanctions

The federal government has emphasized that it will stick to its sanctions policy against Moscow despite US diesel purchases in Russia. “The federal government has taken note of the US decision regarding Russian diesel deliveries,” said government spokesman Stefan Kornelius on Saturday, avoiding direct criticism of US President Donald Trump.

A spokeswoman for Federal Economics Minister Katherina Reiche (CDU) said in Berlin: “Germany fully supports the sanctions packages.” Russian oil and crude oil products have been sanctioned by the EU since 2023. Since then, Germany has not purchased any oil or oil products from Russia. “Our supply here is diversified, we are independent of Russian oil,” said the spokeswoman. Security of supply has been guaranteed since then.

At the same time, Kornelius emphasized that the stance of the federal government and its European partners was clear: “The federal government is sticking to the sanctions decisions against Russia and is working with its European partners on further sanctions.” Support for Ukraine in its defensive struggle remains unbroken and diplomatic work on a peace solution will continue.

According to the leadership of the parliamentary group, the Berlin left-wing Bundestag member Ferat Koçak can remain part of the parliamentary group. Co-group leader Sören Pellmann confirmed this upon request. Koçak withdrew from the public eye after the House of Representatives election in Berlin and gave up his seat on the Bundestag's Interior Committee.

The federal government is expecting a significant upswing in the German economy. It has raised its economic forecast and expects growth of 1.3 percent this year. Exports as well as government investments and higher defense spending are cited as the main reasons for the growth.

The meeting of the leaders of the Union and SPD on Wednesday evening ended without any concrete results. “We are aware that our democracy is currently facing a historic test,” write Frei, Miersch and Hoffmann.

The Hamburg logistics company Zippel is not allowed to sell 80 percent of its shares to the Chinese state shipping company Cosco. The federal government banned the deal because of security concerns, a spokesman for the Federal Ministry of Economics said after a cabinet meeting.

A new route is to be built on the nationally important railway line between Hanover and Hamburg. The Transport Committee voted in favor of a corresponding motion. Commissioning is planned for 2050.

The federal government has significantly reduced international climate financing from budget funds for 2025. In 2025, 4.7 billion euros were made available, after 6.1 billion euros in the previous year.

A new naval port for the Bundeswehr is to be built on the Lower Saxony North Sea coast in Emden. Defense Minister Boris Pistorius and Lower Saxony's Prime Minister Olaf Lies signed a declaration of intent.