Israel Welcomes German Leader as Ally against Antisemitism

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier receives a gift after taking part in a wreath-laying ceremony commemorating the six million Jews killed by the Nazis in the Holocaust, at Yad Vashem World Holocaust Remembrance Center, in Jerusalem. (Reuters)
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier receives a gift after taking part in a wreath-laying ceremony commemorating the six million Jews killed by the Nazis in the Holocaust, at Yad Vashem World Holocaust Remembrance Center, in Jerusalem. (Reuters)
TT
20

Israel Welcomes German Leader as Ally against Antisemitism

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier receives a gift after taking part in a wreath-laying ceremony commemorating the six million Jews killed by the Nazis in the Holocaust, at Yad Vashem World Holocaust Remembrance Center, in Jerusalem. (Reuters)
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier receives a gift after taking part in a wreath-laying ceremony commemorating the six million Jews killed by the Nazis in the Holocaust, at Yad Vashem World Holocaust Remembrance Center, in Jerusalem. (Reuters)

Israel’s president warmly welcomed his German counterpart on Thursday, praising him as an ally in combating antisemitism.

Reuven Rivlin said that Germany has been Israel’s “strong partner in the uncompromising fight against antisemitism” and has stood with Israel against “the forces of terror who seek to wipe us off the map.”

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier also met with Israel’s new Prime Minister Naftali Bennett in Jerusalem. The prime minister’s office said in a statement that the two discussed Iran’s nuclear program, and that Bennett restated Israel’s determination to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.

Steinmeier was expected to reiterate Germany’s strong support for Israel, according to The Associated Press.

Nazi Germany and its collaborators murdered 6 million European Jews in the Holocaust. Germany’s postwar leaders have repeatedly apologized for the Nazi atrocities and it has paid hundreds of millions of dollars in reparations to Jewish victims. Israel and Germany have developed close ties in recent years.

During a solemn visit to Israel’s Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial, Steinmeier said the “unspeakable suffering” caused in Germany’s name “fills us with pain and shame.”

“We will keep the memory of this alive for the sake of those who were murdered and for the sake of future generations,” he said.

Germany launched a new initiative with the United States last week to stem an alarming rise in antisemitism and Holocaust denial around the world.

The US-Germany Holocaust Dialogue seeks to reverse the trend, which gained traction during the coronavirus pandemic amid a surge in political populism across Europe and the US.

The dialogue creates a way to develop educational and messaging tools to teach youth and others about the crimes of the Nazis and their collaborators.



Zelenskiy: Ukraine Offering Fast, Constructive Accord with US on Security, Investments

US Special Envoy to Ukraine and Russia Keith Kellogg shakes hands with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine, February 20, 2025. REUTERS/Thomas Peter
US Special Envoy to Ukraine and Russia Keith Kellogg shakes hands with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine, February 20, 2025. REUTERS/Thomas Peter
TT
20

Zelenskiy: Ukraine Offering Fast, Constructive Accord with US on Security, Investments

US Special Envoy to Ukraine and Russia Keith Kellogg shakes hands with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine, February 20, 2025. REUTERS/Thomas Peter
US Special Envoy to Ukraine and Russia Keith Kellogg shakes hands with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine, February 20, 2025. REUTERS/Thomas Peter

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Thursday that Ukraine was ready to work quickly and tirelessly to produce a strong and useful agreement on investments and security with the United States.
Zelenskiy said on media site X that he had a "good discussion" with Keith Kellogg, the US envoy for Ukraine and Russia.
The meeting took place a day after Zelenskiy and US President Donald Trump exchanged barbs as US-Russian talks got underway on ending the three-year-old war
pitting Kyiv against Moscow. Ukraine was not invited to the talks.
"We must and can ensure that peace is strong and lasting—so that Russia can never return with war," Zelenskiy wrote.
"Ukraine is ready for a strong, effective investment and security agreement with the President of the United States. We have proposed the fastest and most constructive way to achieve results. Our team is ready to work 24/7."
According to Reuters, Zelenskiy said his discussion with Kellogg was focused on the battlefield situation, the security guarantees that Ukraine is seeking and the return of prisoners of war.
"It’s important for us—and for the entire free world—that American strength is felt," he wrote.