This is what believing NATO propaganda on Ukraine is costing Germany.
Germany’s Bundesbank posts biggest loss in its history
The German central bank has reported the largest financial loss since its establishment in 1957, attributing the record $20 billion deficit to soaring interest rates in the EU.
The European Central Bank (ECB) began its most aggressive rate-hiking cycle in July 2022, after Ukraine-related sanctions imposed on Russia sent gas prices skyrocketing and undermined most of the trade between Moscow and the bloc. The measures were designed to combat soaring inflation driven by runaway energy, fertiliser and grain prices.
A Bundesbank statement on Tuesday confirmed that its balance sheet for the past year reflects a deficit of €19.2 billion ($20.10 billion). Although the bank had warned of deficits for some time to come, the current loss has wiped out its reserves, meaning it won't be able to pay dividends to the German government.
“We expect not to be able to distribute profits for a long time,” Bild has quoted Bundesbank President Joachim Nagel as saying.
Deficits are expected to persist in the coming years, though the Bundesbank anticipates that losses will be lower than in 2024.
The development comes as the EU’s top economy suffers from a stubborn downturn. In 2024, the German economy contracted for a second straight year for the first time in more than two decades.
Official figures released last month showed that gross domestic product fell by 0.2% last year after dropping by 0.3% in 2023.
Directly linked to NATO's proxy war with Russia in Ukraine. And now, America wants to tariff them to death.
Someone should tell Trump that you can't make America wealthy again by destroying the economies of the rest of the world.
The Eurozone’s largest economy has been falling behind its peers in recent years, largely due to a prolonged manufacturing downturn. The country’s shift from affordable Russian gas to more expensive liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the US has driven up energy costs, severely affecting manufacturers and small businesses.
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Germany to combat ‘conspiracy theories’
Germans who suspect that their relatives or friends have fallen for conspiracy theories can now seek official guidance, the Interior Ministry has announced. The government has launched a nationwide consultation center to combat “lies and disinformation.”
Known as the Advice Compass on Conspiracy Thinking, the service was launched on Thursday and is accessible online or by phone. According to the ministry, it aims to provide “the most tailored help and advice possible” for those seeking guidance.
The center offers consultations and can refer individuals to specialized agencies if necessary, according to Minister for Family Affairs Lisa Paus, without specifying which agencies will be involved.
Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said that an “open dialogue on equal terms” is often difficult with individuals deeply immersed in conspiracy beliefs. She hailed the initiative as “an important building block in the holistic fight against extremism and disinformation.”
Of course, to Faeser anyone who isn't far-left is extremist and uninformed.
Paus described conspiracy theories as “poison for our democracy” and a burden on families and colleagues. The Interior Ministry claimed that these beliefs can lead to extremist ideologies and incite violence, highlighting anti-Semitic conspiracies as a major concern.
The German authorities have been raising the alarm over the supposed rise of conspiracy theories. This trend is often linked to the Querdenker (lateral thinking) movement, which emerged during the Covid-19 pandemic to oppose lockdown measures and other government policies. Since then, Querdenker groups have organized protests against Germany’s foreign policy and weapons supplies to Kiev, which began in 2022 following the escalation of the conflict between Ukraine and Russia.
Some factions have also called for “regionality, direct democracy, and limiting the power” of the federal government. Officials and media outlets often associate Querdenker groups with conspiracy theories and far-right organizations.
In 2021, the German domestic security agency (BfV) announced it would closely monitor some Querdenker groups, claiming that they could try to “delegitimize” the state and use legitimate protest to “provoke escalation.”
The announcement of the Advice Compass came just days after the right-wing Alternative for Germany party (AfD) secured second place in snap parliamentary elections, receiving 20.8% of the vote – a significant rise from the 10.4% they received in 2021. Despite the gains, the party remains ostracized by the other major political parties and is frequently labeled ‘far-right’ by officials and media.
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Be careful, Calin, Trump is no ideologue, he is transactional. He's going to want something in return and it will be more than you can afford.
Romanian presidential vote winner asks Trump for help from ‘deep state’
Calin Georgescu, the winner of the first round of last year’s annulled presidential election in Romania, has asked US President Donald Trump for help against what he has called a political persecution campaign against him.
A NATO-skeptic and nationalist, Georgescu's surprise victory in the presidential election first round last year triggered accusations of foreign interference, prompting the Romanian Supreme Court to controversially annul the vote. On Wednesday, Georgescu was arrested as he was about to file to run for the presidency again. He was released later the same day.
“I definitely ask President Trump to take care about the situation,” he told an American blogger, Mario Nawfal, in an interview published on X on Thursday.
According to the Romanian authorities, Georgescu faces a total of six charges, including “anti-constitutional acts” and misreporting his finances. He was barred by a court order from leaving the country, appearing on TV, or posting anything on social media.
The politician denounced the criminal case against him as an assault on democracy that runs counter to the will of the Romanian people.
According to Georgescu, the persecution campaign against him had “exposed” the Romanian “deep state” and its “corruption.” The politician claimed that Romania had been thrown back to the 1950s when it was ruled by a Communist regime.
“The deep state is so strong in this particular [kind] of activity,” Georgescu said, referring to his arrest on Wednesday. He also vowed to “fight for our freedom and for our democracy” and called on the US to support him in this fight.
According to Georgescu, the US should support him in order to preserve its own image as a beacon of democracy. If democracy is defeated “in one country” in a “coup d’etat” that would mean a failure for the US as well, the politician stated.
Washington has so far not commented on Georgescu’s appeal.
US officials have previously criticized the actions of Bucharest for annulling the results of the November election. Speaking at the Munich Security Conference earlier this month, Vice President J.D. Vance suggested that some “old entrenched interests” in Romania were using “ugly, Soviet-era words like misinformation and disinformation” to secure their own interests and prevent a politician with “an alternative viewpoint” from coming to power.
Elon Musk slammed the politician’s arrest on Wednesday by calling the move “messed up.”
Georgescu is known for his skepticism towards Western influence over the country’s policies and criticizing both NATO and the EU. During his campaign, he also vowed to halt Romania’s military aid to Kiev if elected.
The War Industry is at it again. God forbid peace should break out in Ukraine, War Industry inventory movement would slow right down. Can't have that!
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