Vladimir Solovyov, a Russian state TV host and key ally to Russian President Vladimir Putin, said Moscow could "erase" Germany "off the face of the earth" during a recent broadcast. Newsweek reached out to the German embassy for comment via email on Thursday.

And despite decades of integration under the European Union, who speaks for Europe – or what the bloc desires to be – is perhaps less clear now than at any point in recent years. Internal cleavages over immigration,

Decades after the unification of Germany, the rise of extremist parties has divided the country once again, leaving the left-leaning capital surrounded by a sea of far-right supporters. The (AfD), a far-right party that has called for the “remigration” of millions of asylum seekers and advocates for reopening ties with Vladimir Putin’s Russia,

Dmitry Medvedev, Russia's former president and prime minister, said the vice president "told the truth" on his trip to Europe.

From left, activists wearing masks of German far-right chancellor candidate Alice Weidel, Elon Musk, President Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin and Vice President JD Vance protest the U.S. and Russia’s support for the German far-right AfD party at Brandenburg Gate in Berlin.

A carnival float depicts Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy using a love hammer on Russia's President Vladimir Putin at the presentation of this year's satirical carnival floats for the Rose Monday

From left, Activists wearing masks of AfD top candidate for Chancellor Alice Weidel, Elon Musk, US President Donald Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin and US Vice President JD Vance, protest

Vance criticises Europe on free speech and migration Germany's Pistorius calls Vance's comments 'unacceptable' Clash shows divisions between Washington and Europe Talks on Ukraine eclipsed by argument MUNICH,

Vladimir Solovyov, a Russian state TV host and key ally to Russian President Vladimir Putin, said Moscow could "erase" Germany "off the face of the earth" during a recent broadcast. Newsweek reached out to the German embassy for comment via email on Thursday.

European leaders are weary of Donald Trump’s push to secure a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia, with the EU’s top diplomat saying that Vladimir Putin “doesn’t really want

The far-right Alternative for Germany wants to have a bigger say in foreign policy. It is relying on its contacts within the Trump administration in the US to help it exert pressure on the government in Germany.

Friedrich Merz — the leader of the victorious Christian Democratic Union-Christian Social Union alliance — is a U.S.-loving former lawyer but he may clash with President Donald Trump, as Merz is a fierce defender of Europe and NATO.