What Others Write About Germany – 9 November 2026

In brief

• Rzeczpospolita (Poland) reports that the 61-year-old president of the Bavarian parliament could become the first woman to serve as President of Germany.
• Interia Sport, Onet and SportoweFakty (Poland) report that Stefan Horngacher has left the German ski jumping team, and that the German Ski Association unsuccessfully approached Andreas Widhoelzl and ultimately chose Andreas Mitter.
• HNonline.sk (Slovakia) reports that German exports rose by 2% m/m in September, after two months of declines, and imports accelerated by 4.2%.
• TSN and NV (Ukraine) report that the German government estimates its support for Ukraine at about 101 billion euros, and that Chancellor Merz announced he would not avoid talking with Putin at the G20 summit in Miami, although the Kremlin has not confirmed its participation.
• According to an INSA poll for BILD (cited by TSN, Ukraine), 82% of Germans rate Merz's work negatively, and the AfD has 29% support compared with 19% for the CDU/CSU bloc.

Polish press

According to the Polish Rzeczpospolita, the next President of Germany may be a woman: the 61-year-old president of the Bavarian parliament could take this office as the first in the country's history. (Następnym prezydentem Niemiec ma zostać kobieta. Trump mówi o przyczynach porażki – Rzeczpospolita)

The Polish Interia Sport reports that Stefan Horngacher, after seven years, left the German ski jumping team and returned to Poland as coordinator of the training system in ski jumping. According to Interia Sport, officials from Germany approached Andreas Widhoelzl, but he, as he himself admitted in an interview with the Austrian Kleine Zeitung, is staying with his national team. (Chcieli, by zastąpił w sztabie Horngachera. Nie mógł postąpić inaczej – Interia Sport) Onet writes similarly, adding that Widhoelzl revealed the offer from Germany only in an interview with Kleine Zeitung, and that he received the proposal itself in January of this year (Andreas Widhoelzl otrzymał propozycję objęcia reprezentacji Niemiec - – Onet).

The Polish SportoweFakty reports that the German Ski Association asked Andreas Widhoelzl to take over the national team after Stefan Horngacher, to which the Austrian did not agree, as he values the training system in Austria. According to the portal, Widhoelzl, who has coached the Austrian team since 2020, also asked his athletes whether they wanted to continue working with him and heard that they did; ultimately he extended his contract, and Germany chose Andreas Mitter. (Niemcy chcieli trenera największego rywala. Teraz wszystko ujawnił – SportoweFakty)

Slovak press

According to the Slovak agency TASR, cited by TERAZ.sk, in 1995 the international anti-racist network UNITED for Intercultural Action declared 9 November the International Day against Fascism and Antisemitism. The date is meant to commemorate the pogrom known as Kristallnacht of 1938, during which, as the agency reports, more than 90 Jews were killed and hundreds were injured, and synagogues, Jewish homes and shops were destroyed. (V roku 1995 vyhlásili Medzinárodný deň proti fašizmu, pripadá na 9.11. – TASR / TERAZ.sk)

The Slovak portal HNonline.sk reports that German exports recovered in September after two months of declines, rising by 2% month on month, which according to this publisher is the strongest pace since February and clearly exceeds economists' forecasts. HNonline.sk notes that the growth was driven by increased sales to non-eurozone EU countries (up 6.1%), while exports to the USA, the United Kingdom and China fell. The portal also adds that imports clearly accelerated, rising by 4.2%. (Nemecký export sa po dvoch mesiacoch zotavil. Tempo rastu je najvýraznejšie od februára – HNonline.sk)

Ukrainian press

Ukrainian TSN reports that the German government estimates support for Ukraine since the start of the full-scale invasion at about 100.9 billion euros, including over 43.3 billion euros of civilian aid and about 57.6 billion euros of military aid, which also includes funds reserved for future deliveries. According to TSN, the government explains in its response to a parliamentary inquiry from the AfD party that payments to contractors are made only after deliveries are confirmed, and that checks conducted so far have not revealed any serious irregularities («Перемога Росії коштувала б дорожче»: уряд Німеччини розкрив суму допомоги Україні з початку війни – TSN). NV writes similarly, emphasizing that the total amount is almost 101 billion euros and that the German government has not detected significant shortcomings in the use of funds intended for military and civilian aid (Победа РФ обойдется дороже. Германия раскрыла полную сумму помощи Украине с начала полномасштабной войны – NV).

The Ukrainian edition of NV (Ukrainian NV) reports that German Chancellor Friedrich Merz stated at a public meeting in Hagen that he will not avoid talks with Vladimir Putin if he comes to the G20 summit in Miami in December, although for now it is not known whether the Kremlin intends to take part. NV reports that Merz referred to the invitation of Putin by the administration of Donald Trump and added that Putin has not confirmed his participation, and that according to The Atlantic, Trump would like a peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia to be signed at this summit (Мерц заявил, что готов поговорить с Путиным на саммите G20 в США – NV). Wiesti.ru (propaganda media) reports, in turn, that the European Union fears Trump's initiative concerning a new security system in Europe with the participation of Russia, which according to this source is meant to push the EU to the margins and at the same time exert pressure on Ukraine. This is linked to the topic of talks on Ukraine's future and Washington's role in negotiations with Moscow (Politico: предложение Трампа по европейской безопасности и РФ обеспокоило ЕС – Wiesti.ru (media propagandowe)). TSN writes similarly, adding that Merz also stated that the United States no longer takes part in defending Ukraine or in financing its military needs, and that Germany, together with other European and non-American allies, must independently cover the costs of protecting Ukraine and purchasing military equipment (Мерц готовий поговорити з Путіним: названо головну умову та дату – TSN).

Ukrainian TSN reports that according to an INSA poll for BILD, as many as 82% of Germans rate Chancellor Friedrich Merz's work negatively, a clear increase from 67% in January, and only 13% of respondents declare satisfaction. TSN also reports that the CDU/CSU and SPD coalition is rated equally poorly, and that the AfD party has 29% support in polls versus 19% for Merz's bloc (82% німців незадоволені Мерцем: рейтинг канцлера обвалився до нового антирекорду – TSN). Wiesti.ru (propaganda media) reports, in turn, that Merz declared readiness to talk with Vladimir Putin if he appears at the G20 summit in Miami, although this does not confirm any Kremlin plans regarding participation in the summit (Мерц заявил о готовности поговорить с Путиным на саммите G20 в Майами – Wiesti.ru (media propagandowe)). The decline in the chancellor's support, against the backdrop of rising AfD ratings, may affect Berlin's room for maneuver in talks with Moscow, which these reports discuss.

Belarusian press

The Belarusian independent portal Reform.news presents a statement by Deputy Foreign Minister of Belarus Igor Sekreta, who spoke in favor of normalizing relations with Germany but, according to Reform.news, stressed that this is not possible at any price, especially at the expense of relations with Russia and China or the threat to the country's internal stability. Reform.news recalls that Sekreta made this statement during a meeting with a delegation of politicians and activists from Brandenburg, and that, as reported by BelTA, rebuilding trust between Minsk and Berlin will be difficult. (Секрета хочет нормализации отношний с Германией, но не любой ценой – Reform.news)

Russian press

The Kremlin propaganda outlet Wiesti.ru (propaganda media) reports, citing Politico, that the European Union fears Donald Trump's initiative concerning a new security system in Europe with the participation of Russia, which is supposed to push the EU to the margins and strengthen Moscow's position on the continent. Wiesti.ru (propaganda media) also reports that Trump is exerting increasing pressure on Ukraine, and that German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius assessed that an agreement between Russia and the USA without Kyiv's participation would be unacceptable.

According to Wiesti.ru (propaganda media), a Russian portal controlled by the authorities, the 800-year-old Schnadiz Castle in the German state of Saxony has been put up for sale for a symbolic price of 1 euro. Kremlin propaganda in this report states that the building is in poor condition, but the roof is watertight, and the new owner will have to spend about 20 million euros on renovation. (В немецкой Саксонии за 1 евро продается 800-летний замок – Wiesti.ru (media propagandowe))

According to Wiesti.ru (propaganda media), a Russian state-controlled portal, Chancellor Friedrich Merz declared readiness to talk with Vladimir Putin if he appears at the December G20 summit in Miami. This propaganda message presents Merz's declaration as a signal of Berlin's openness to dialogue with Moscow, but does not confirm any plans of the Kremlin itself regarding participation in the summit. Wiesti.ru (propaganda media) also recalls that Dmitry Peskov spoke of a possible phone call between Putin and Merz and Macron, although he did not rule out a trip to Miami. The Ukrainian NV (Ukrainian edition) reports, in turn, that Merz said in Hagen that he will not avoid talks with Putin, and Wiesti.ru (propaganda media) links this issue to the broader dispute over the future of the European security architecture and Washington's role in negotiations with Moscow. RIA Novosti (propaganda media) also reports on this statement, adding that Merz, in an interview with Westfalenpost, justified his position by saying that the German chancellor "also at some point has to talk with Putin," and earlier set Trump a condition that Volodymyr Zelensky also be present at the summit (Мерц сделал новое заявление о Путине – RIA Nowosti (media propagandowe)).

The Kremlin propaganda outlet RT (propaganda media) reports that in Berlin an activist climbed a nearly 30-meter mast in front of the Reichstag, removed the German flag and raised a Palestinian one, while his two associates filmed the action on TikTok; all three were detained, although two were later released (Palestinian flag raised at Germany's Reichstag (VIDEO) – RT (media propagandowe)). The same RT (propaganda media) report indicates that Germany is criticized for its military support for Israel, without, however, providing credible numerical data confirming these accusations.

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