Germany

BERLIN (AP) — Yan Skvyrskyi talks on the phone to his mother in Ukraine at least 12 times a day, spends sleepless nights worrying about her but fears it may be too dangerous to help her flee the war-torn country right now.

“We are all very nervous and we try to do everything we can to get our families out,” Skvyrskyi told The Associated Press. “There are these sirens from morning till night, reminding people to go to the bunkers. They live 24/7 under stress and fear.”

BERLIN (AP) — The organization that handles claims on behalf of Jews who suffered under the Nazis said Wednesday that Germany has agreed to extend another $720 million (647 million euros) to provide home care and supportive services for frail and vulnerable Holocaust survivors.

The New York-based Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany, also referred to as the Claims Conference, said the money will be distributed to more than 300 social welfare organizations globally.

BERLIN (AP) — Germany is removing all countries currently on its list of “high-risk areas” as part of a rethink of its coronavirus travel rules that will take effect on Thursday.

The country’s disease control center, the Robert Koch Institute, said that from now on Germany’s list will only include places where high infection rates are linked to variants of COVID-19 that are more virulent than the currently dominant omicron variant, which in many cases leads to relatively mild illness.

BERLIN (AP) — German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Sunday that Germany is committing 100 billion euros to a special fund for its armed forces, raising its defense spending above 2 percent of GDP.

“It’s clear we need to invest significantly more in the security of our country, in order to protect our freedom and our democracy,” Scholz told a special session of the Bundestag in Berlin Sunday morning.

KIEV, February 24. /TASS/: The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has launched the evacuation of embassy personnel from Moscow, the ministry said in a statement on Thursday.

"The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has recalled Ukraine’s Charge d’Affaires in Russia, Vasily Pokotilo, for consultations and launched the evacuation of the Ukrainian embassy in Moscow," the statement reads.

The ministry stressed that "Ukraine’s consular facilities in Russia continue to operate normally."

BERLIN, February 24. /TASS/: Vice Chancellor of Germany, Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action Robert Habeck said that he does not see any prospects for launching the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline.

Feb 23 (Reuters) - The Biden administration is expected to announce on Wednesday it will allow sanctions to move forward on Nord Stream 2 AG, the company in charge of building Russia's Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, CNN reported, citing U.S. officials.

Such an action would be part of U.S.-imposed penalties against Russia for President Vladimir Putin's recognition of separatist territories in eastern Ukraine as independent.

MUNICH (AP) — Acknowledging “the real possibility of war,” Vice President Kamala Harris wrapped up a weekend of outreach to European allies with a push to bolster the West’s resolve in confronting Moscow with crippling sanctions as increasingly dire signs suggest Russia’s Vladimir Putin plans to order an invasion of Ukraine.

MUNICH, Germany, Feb. 20 (Xinhua) -- German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock on Saturday warned against guessing or assuming Russia's decisions on Ukraine, after the United States warned of an imminent invasion.

"We do not know yet if an attack has been decided on," said the minister on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.

"My urgent appeal to all is that we look closely at the facts on the ground," Baerbock said, warning against the risk of "targeted disinformation."

MUNICH (AP) — The European Union’s foreign policy chief said Sunday that he’s deeply concerned about tensions in Bosnia and has appealed to leaders there to avoid the breakup of the Balkan country.

“The situation in Bosnia is more worrying than ever. It was never easy, but now the centrifugal tendencies are really very worrying,” Josep Borrell, the EU’s high representative for foreign policy, said at an annual security conference in Munich.