Trump Announces an “Energy Ceasefire” Between Ukraine and Russia, but Do the Two Sides Know?
US President Donald Trump has announced an “energy ceasefire” between Ukraine and Russia, though it is unclear what either country knows about it. He had earlier eased sanctions on Russia to relieve domestic pressure from rising oil prices.
US President Donald Trump has announced an “energy ceasefire” between Ukraine and Russia. According to an episode of Politico Europe's German-language “Berlin Playbook” podcast, it is unclear how much the two warring countries actually know about it.
Eased sanctions and a dispute with Kyiv
To soften domestic pressure caused by rising oil prices, Trump had previously relaxed sanctions on Russia. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky criticised that move. Trump responded by saying Ukraine needs a new president.
The European response
Meanwhile, EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg are struggling to agree on a new sanctions package against Russia. The episode also examines how Europe wants to stop Russia's shadow fleet and what real consequences the drone attack in Leipzig has.
Crisis in Germany's CDU
The podcast also covers German domestic politics. The leadership of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), whose poll numbers are very poor, is meeting in a closed session to look for a way out of the slump. The episode analyses how party leader Friedrich Merz is to be stabilised in his position.
Dennis Radtke, head of the CDU's workers' wing, the CDA, warns that the party is out of balance on policy substance. He calls for genuine structural reforms in pensions and healthcare rather than mere austerity programmes, and says the Union urgently needs to find answers to people's everyday concerns.
