The German military will be armed with loitering munitions, or exploding drones, for the first time, two defense ministry sources said on Thursday, as Berlin tries to catch up with a technology that has shown its destructive power in Ukraine.

Germany is putting thousands of troops in Lithuania, a NATO member that borders Russia. It's the first long-term deployment abroad since World War II.

In the event of a peace settlement dividing Ukraine in two, the nations of the West have a critical interest in strengthening the western half—both as a bulwark against Russian encroachment and as a shining example of political and economic liberalism.

The co-head of Germany’s Social Democrats party and frontrunner to become the next finance minister Lars Klingbeil dismissed swirling speculation over reviving pipeline gas deliveries from Russia after a potential peace deal for Ukraine.

"Ukrainian technologies are going to be required by the world," Kyiv's strategic industries minister, Herman Smetanin, told Newsweek.

Kyiv minerals deal must comply with European law after Ukrainian minister Andrii Sybiha said work is continuing towards an agreement

Merz made his first key move on March 18 in the Bundestag, followed by a second on March 21 in the Bundesrat. Both moves delivered historic victories. The German parliament approved his constitutional reform, lifting long-standing debt limits on defense spending.

Germany's budget committee cleared the way on Friday for another 3 billion euros ($3.25 billion) in military aid for Ukraine, after chancellor-in-waiting Friedrich Merz pushed through reforms to ramp up investment in defence.

Single-use drones cruise towards their target before plummeting at velocity and detonating on impact. Read more at straitstimes.com. Read more at straitstimes.com.

Vladimir Putin is set to send his top negotiator to Washington in a bid to win back the favour of Donald Trump, who is reportedly angry at the Russian autocrat. Washington officials have acknowledged that Putin is resisting attempts to strike a ceasefire,