Berlin's SPD and Greens meet Left Party to define red lines, not coalition plans

Berlin's Social Democrats (SPD) and Greens are holding talks with the Left Party (Die Linke) today, but the meeting is less an exploratory coalition discussion than a conversation about red lines the Left Party would need to respect for any future cooperation to be possible.

The relationship between the parties has been strained by accusations of antisemitism within Die Linke, as well as suspicions of possible proximity to organized crime clans. Today's talks will determine whether a red-red-green alliance remains possible under these circumstances, or whether the SPD and Greens instead pivot toward a so-called Kenya coalition with the Christian Democrats. POLITICO analyst Rixa Fürsen notes that the stakes in these talks are also high for the SPD and Greens themselves.

Former Green lawmaker warns of chaos

Volker Beck, a former Green Party member of parliament who now serves as president of the German-Israeli Society, delivered a harsh verdict on the Left Party. He warned of possible entanglements with extremists and predicted that such an alliance would bring security-policy chaos to the German capital. In his view, a red-red-green coalition would amount to a guaranteed disaster.

Merz uses NATO speech to address Ukraine

On the international stage, Chancellor Friedrich Merz again stated his position on Ukraine. In Münster, he delivered a laudatory speech honoring NATO, which is receiving the Westphalian Peace Prize. POLITICO expert Hans von der Burchard explains that Merz used the occasion to push back against the foreign-policy narratives of the AfD and BSW parties.