Today: Whose side is the US on in the Ukraine war? | Takeover fever in the chemical industry

According to the Kremlin, Russian President Vladimir Putin is generally ready for trilateral talks with Ukraine and the USA. They could take place in Abu Dhabi in mid-November. Is this a chance for peace in Ukraine? Current developments raise doubts: Ukraine's drone defense was temporarily weakened by the throttling of Starshield. Ukraine accuses the USA of delaying the delivery of defense missiles. And US President Donald Trump has repeatedly called for new elections in Ukraine.

Stefan Meister heads the Center for Order and Governance in Eastern Europe, Russia and Central Asia at the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP). In the podcast, the Eastern Europe expert talks about the question of whose side the USA is actually on in this conflict.

The focus is on Evonik. At the end of September it was announced that BASF was examining a takeover of the Essen-based specialty chemicals group. Evonik considered the price to be too low and, according to Handelsblatt information, is itself considering purchasing the US specialty chemicals group Ashland. On Friday, according to Handelsblatt information, BASF increased its offer for Evonik to 24 euros per share. Why is the German chemical industry so keen to take over? This is what Handelsblatt industry reporter Isabelle Wermke explains.