Klingbeil in Washington for talks with Bessent – DW – 08/04/2025

German Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil (SPD) is in Washington on Monday for talks with his US counterpart Scott Bessent, a week after the EU agreed with the United States on a 15% tariff for most European goods.

The pair are expected to discuss issues related to trade while also maintaining and expanding the transatlantic partnership, the Ministry of Finance said ahead of the trip.

Klingbeil will also meet with World Bank President Ajay Banga and civil society actors to discuss issues of global security and sustainable growth.

The premier of Bavaria, Markus Söder, said it is time to reduce the benefits for Ukrainian refugees in Germany.

Söder is in favor of offering Ukrainians lower benefits under the Asylum Seekers Benefits Act, as opposed to the citizen’s allowance, which is currently in place.

In an interview with German broadcaster ZDF, Söder said he is in favor of reducing benefits for certain Ukrainian refugees.

Söder said there should be “no more citizen’s allowance for all those who have come from Ukraine.”

The citizen’s allowance in Germany is a state welfare benefit given to those with little or no income to ensure a minimum standard of living.

Around one in six Germans say they would join the military in the event of a conflict or a call to arms, a new survey revealed on Monday.

Conducted by the research institute Forsa for the RND media group, the poll recorded that 16% of participants said they would “definitely” fight, while another 22% said they would “probably” do so.

However, 59% said they would “probably not” or definitely not be willing to defend Germany in the event of an attack. Among women, that reluctance is 72%.

More than one in four respondents (27%) said they considered a military attack on Germany within the next five years to be very or somewhat likely.

Meanwhile, 59% of respondents said they felt it was likely that Germany would have to provide military assistance to another NATO member.

Around 1,000 citizens took part in the survey which was carried out on July 28 and July 29, amid heightened debate regarding Germany’s defense preparation and increased spending in this area.

According to Forsa, the results carry a margin of error of plus or minus three percentage points.

In May, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said that Berlin accepts in principle the demand from the United States that NATO member states increase defense spending to 5% of GDP.

Currently, Germany spends around 2% of its GDP on defense.

Guten Tag from the DW newsroom.

German Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil is in Washington for talks with his US counterpart Scott Bessent.

Elsewhere, Markus Söder has called for an end to the citizen’s allowance for Ukrainian refugees in Germany, preferring to offer lower benefits under the Asylum Seekers Benefits Act.

A  survey of around 1,000 German citizens has been conducted, amid heightened discussion over the country’s defense readiness.

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