In brief

• Full-time work at the minimum wage in Germany is more profitable than receiving basic benefits (Grundsicherung), according to new research cited by Polish daily Rzeczpospolita.
• Revenues of the Temu and Shein platforms in Germany fell by more than a third after tariffs were introduced, reports Slovak Denník N.
• Disputes are under way within the CDU/CSU over the successor to President Steinmeier, and the Bavarian CSU has put forward its candidate, Ilse Aigner, for the post, reports Ukrainian Yevropeiska Pravda.
• Germany's foreign minister has declared readiness to support the return of Ukrainian men of conscription age to Ukraine, according to Ukrainian NV.
• The German chancellor accused North Korea of threatening freedom in Europe, while President Steinmeier called on China to influence Russia to end the war in Ukraine.

Polish press

The Polish daily Rzeczpospolita reports that new research shows full-time work at the minimum wage in Germany is more profitable than receiving basic benefits (Grundsicherung). Employed people earn on average 623 euros more per month than people receiving Grundsicherung, and for families the difference can reach as much as 757 euros. The increase of the minimum wage to 13.90 euros per hour in 2026 contributed to this situation, while benefit rates remained unchanged (Niemcy. Praca jest bardziej opłacalna niż zasiłek. Różnica nawet 757 euro – Onet).

Slovak press

According to the Slovak Denník N, after tariffs were introduced, revenues of the Temu and Shein platforms in Germany fell by more than a third, reaching 566 million euros in the third quarter. At the same time, the entire German e-commerce market grew by 2.9% (Tržby Temu a Sheinu v Nemecku klesli po zavedení cla o viac ako tretinu – Denník N).

Ukrainian press

According to the Ukrainian Yevropeiska Pravda, disputes are under way within the German conservative bloc CDU/CSU over the successor to the current president, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who cannot seek a third term. Ahead of the upcoming elections, the CDU, led by Chancellor Friedrich Merz, has not yet made a decision, while the Bavarian CSU has already put forward its candidate, Ilse Aigner, to become the first woman in this post. Other candidacies were also considered within the CDU, but Merz's uncertainty has surprised members of his own party (У блоці Мерца виникли суперечки через кандидата на посаду президента – Європейська правда).

According to the Ukrainian NV, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul declared readiness to assist in the return of Ukrainian men of conscription age to Ukraine, stressing that this does not mean forced repatriation. Wadephul noted that Germany can help identify these men, which could facilitate contact with the Ukrainian government. In the context of the return of migrants, the far-right German party AfD, which enjoys strong support, advocates the return of Ukrainian refugees, which has become one of the key points of its political programme (Приказ о выезде. Какие страны Европы приняли больше всего решений о возвращении украинцев за годы полномасштабного вторжения — инфографика NV – NV).

The Ukrainian press reports that in Germany, in the Johannismühle wildlife park, a wolf attacked an eight-year-old girl, who suffered serious head injuries and was transported to hospital by rescue helicopter. The incident took place on 28 October during a children's programme, and local authorities launched an investigation, closing the park until 2 November. Police are examining how a wild animal could have attacked the child; the park houses various wild species, including grey and arctic wolves, as well as other animals such as bears and bison, according to TSN.

The Ukrainian Yevropeiska Pravda reports that German Chancellor Friedrich Merz accused North Korea of threatening freedom in Europe by sending soldiers to fight on Russia's side in the war against Ukraine. Merz stressed that this situation shows how Korea's security affects European security, and also the withdrawal (Мерц звинувачує Північну Корею у загрозі свободі Європи через допомогу РФ у війні – Європейська правда). In the context of international relations, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier called on China to influence Russia in order to end the conflict, which may be linked to concerns about destabilisation in the region (Штайнмайер призвал Китай оказать влияние на Россию – Charter 97).

According to the Ukrainian portal Espreso, the 37th meeting in the "Ramstein" format will take place on 17 November at NATO headquarters. Germany and the United Kingdom will co-chair the meeting, which aims to coordinate military support for Ukraine. This format was introduced in April 2022 on the initiative of the USA, and after the change of administration in 2025 Germany and the United Kingdom took over its leadership. The last meeting took place on 8 September, when the handover of defence equipment to Ukraine, including German PAC-2 missiles, was announced (Наступний "Рамштайн" відбудеться у штаб-квартирі НАТО 17 листопада – Espreso).

The Ukrainian Yevropeiska Pravda reports that German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier called on China to exert greater influence on Russia in order to end the war in Ukraine. He stressed that prolonged conflicts threaten China's interests, as a large economy, which needs stable supply chains and energy security (Президент Німеччини закликав Китай повпливати на РФ для припинення війни в Україні – Європейська правда). Belarusian Charter 97, for its part, reports that Steinmeier, speaking in Beijing, noted that China, as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, should cooperate in seeking to end the conflict, which causes enormous suffering to people.

The Ukrainian press reports that the German federal state of Hesse has awarded President Volodymyr Zelensky and the Ukrainian people its highest honour, the Wilhelm Leuschner Medal. The award ceremony will take place on 1 December, and Hesse's Minister-President Boris Rhein stressed that it is an expression of solidarity with Ukraine and recognition of Zelensky's efforts in defending the country and democratic values (Німецька земля Гессен присвоїла Зеленському та українцям свою найвищу медаль – Європейська правда).

Tetyana, a Ukrainian woman living in Germany, shared on TikTok her experience of buying a bag of products at Lidl for 3 euros. In Germany, supermarkets offer special bundles of fruit and vegetables that are approaching the end of their shelf life, which aims to fight food waste. Tetyana stressed that buying such bags should not be a cause for shame, because in this way food that is in good condition, not spoiled, is saved. She added that her bag contained, among other things, grapes, figs, apples and potatoes (Українка показала, що продають у Lidl у Німеччині за 3 євро: що було в пакеті – TSN).

The Ukrainian press reports that the next meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group in the "Ramstein" format will take place on 17 November at NATO headquarters in Brussels, co-chaired by the United Kingdom and Germany, which underlines the importance of German support for Ukraine (В НАТО анонсували новий "Рамштайн" з оборони України – Українська правда). In addition, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier called on China to influence Russia to end the war, which may be related to the need to coordinate international assistance to Ukraine.

Belarusian press

The Belarusian Charter 97 reports that German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, during his speech at Peking University, called on China to influence Russia so that it ends the war against Ukraine. He stressed that, as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, China should cooperate in seeking to end the conflict, which has already lasted almost five years and causes enormous suffering to people, especially before the coming winter. Steinmeier also noted that China's interests are threatened by prolonged conflicts, which may affect global supply chains and energy security.

Russian press

According to Wiesti.ru (propaganda media), in Germany activists blocked the entrance to a third university within two days. The action took place at the Alice Salomon University of Berlin, and similar protests had previously taken place in Hamburg and at the Free University of Berlin. The participants of the demonstration, around one hundred students, used furniture to block the main entrance, which police assessed as a spontaneous assembly. (DPA: в Германии активисты заблокировали вход в третий университет за два дня – Wiesti.ru (media propagandowe))

The Kremlin propaganda outlet RT (propaganda media) reports that former German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock was disrupted by pro-Palestinian activists during a lecture at the University of Uppsala. The protesters accused her of justifying Israeli attacks on civilian infrastructure in Gaza, which led to a tense confrontation. Baerbock, who defended the Israeli military campaign, had difficulty continuing the lecture in the face of constant interruptions from activists. (Gaza protesters shout down ex-German FM (VIDEO) – RT (media propagandowe))

According to Lenta.ru (propaganda media), the German concern Volkswagen recorded significant financial losses, closing the third quarter with an operating deficit of 5.9 billion euros. This is the company's worst result in more than 10 years, and the losses are mainly linked to costs associated with the write-down of the value of its stake in Porsche. In addition, Volkswagen plans further job cuts, which may affect around 50 thousand employees by 2030. (Финансовые показатели Volkswagen резко ухудшились – Lenta.ru (media propagandowe)). RT reports that Volkswagen posted a net loss of 5.8 billion euros, an increase compared with the 1.1 billion euro loss a year earlier, and also points to a 6.3% drop in revenue to 75.3 billion euros and a 14.3% fall in vehicle deliveries (German auto giant posts multi-billion-euro loss – RT (media propagandowe)).

According to Wiesti.ru (propaganda media), the Russian embassy in Germany has noticed that more and more German citizens support ending confrontation with Moscow. Diplomats stress that Germany wants to rebuild constructive dialogue and cooperation with Russia, which is meant as a response to growing antipathy towards the government's policy. Earlier the embassy drew attention to preparations by a German special unit for potential military action against Russia, which fits into the narrative of anti-political hysteria in Europe. (В посольстве РФ рассказали об отношении немцев к конфронтации Берлина с Москвой – Wiesti.ru (media propagandowe))