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Germany Announces $3 Billion Military Aid Package for Ukraine

(FILES) In this file photo taken on February 20, 2023 an infantry fighting vehicle type Marder of the German Army (Bundeswehr) is pictured at the Armoured Corps Training Centre (Panzertruppenschule) on the sidelines of the visit of the German Defense Minister in Munster, northern Germany. (Photo by FOCKE STRANGMANN / AFP)
(FILES) In this file photo taken on February 20, 2023 an infantry fighting vehicle type Marder of the German Army (Bundeswehr) is pictured at the Armoured Corps Training Centre (Panzertruppenschule) on the sidelines of the visit of the German Defense Minister in Munster, northern Germany. (Photo by FOCKE STRANGMANN / AFP)
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Germany Announces $3 Billion Military Aid Package for Ukraine

(FILES) In this file photo taken on February 20, 2023 an infantry fighting vehicle type Marder of the German Army (Bundeswehr) is pictured at the Armoured Corps Training Centre (Panzertruppenschule) on the sidelines of the visit of the German Defense Minister in Munster, northern Germany. (Photo by FOCKE STRANGMANN / AFP)
(FILES) In this file photo taken on February 20, 2023 an infantry fighting vehicle type Marder of the German Army (Bundeswehr) is pictured at the Armoured Corps Training Centre (Panzertruppenschule) on the sidelines of the visit of the German Defense Minister in Munster, northern Germany. (Photo by FOCKE STRANGMANN / AFP)

Germany will provide Ukraine with additional military aid worth more than 2.7 billion euros ($3 billion), including tanks, anti-aircraft systems and ammunition, the government said Saturday.

The announcement came as preparations were underway in Berlin for a possible first visit to Germany by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy since Russia invaded his country last year.

Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said that Berlin wants to show with the latest package of arms “that Germany is serious in its support” for Ukraine.

“Germany will provide all the help it can, as long as it takes,” The Associated Press quoted him as saying.

While Zelenskyy's visit on Sunday has yet to be officially confirmed, it would be a sign that relations between Ukraine and Germany have improved markedly after a rocky patch.

Kyiv has long been suspicious of Germany's reliance on Russian energy and support for the Nord Stream gas pipelines circumventing Ukraine, defended by then Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Her successor, Olaf Scholz, agreed to phase out Russian energy imports after the invasion but initially hesitated to provide Ukraine with lethal weapons, fearing Germany could be drawn into the conflict.

With Washington, Warsaw and London more overtly supportive of Ukraine's efforts to defend itself, Berlin got the cold diplomatic shoulder from Kyiv.

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier was disinvited from Ukraine last year, prompting annoyance in Germany, which pointed out that it has given considerable financial aid to Kyiv and taken in more than a million Ukrainian refugees. Scholz eventually visited Kyiv with French President Emmanuel Macron and other leaders in June.
Though slow to provide military aid, Germany has since become one of the biggest suppliers of arms to Ukraine, crucially giving the green light for deliveries of modern battle tanks like its own Leopard 1 and 2, along with sophisticated anti-aircraft systems needed to fend off drone and missile attacks.
The new military aid package, first reported by German weekly Der Spiegel, includes 30 Leopard 1 A5 tanks, 20 Marder armored personnel carriers, more than 100 combat vehicles, 18 self-propelled Howitzers, 200 reconnaissance drones, four IRIS-T SLM anti-aircraft systems and other air defense equipment.
The Ukrainian president would be arriving from Rome, where he will meet with Pope Francis and Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni.

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World

Chinese-Pakistani Initiative Seeks to Contain Regional Tension

Chang Hua, the Chinese Ambassador to Saudi Arabia. (Chinese Embassy to Riyadh)
Chang Hua, the Chinese Ambassador to Saudi Arabia. (Chinese Embassy to Riyadh)
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Chinese-Pakistani Initiative Seeks to Contain Regional Tension

Chang Hua, the Chinese Ambassador to Saudi Arabia. (Chinese Embassy to Riyadh)
Chang Hua, the Chinese Ambassador to Saudi Arabia. (Chinese Embassy to Riyadh)

A Chinese diplomat has disclosed that his country is engaged in diplomatic mediation efforts to contain the US-Israeli-Iranian war, in cooperation with Pakistan, through a five-point initiative.

Chang Hua, the Chinese Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, stressed the need for the international community to adhere to an objective and fair stance to contain the escalation, saying the top priority is to achieve peace and promote negotiations.

He explained that his country's foreign minister has held phone calls with his counterparts in the Gulf countries, including Saudi Arabia, as well as Iran, Israel, France, Germany, Egypt, and Türkiye, in addition to visits by Special Envoy Zhai Jun of the Chinese Government on the Middle East Issue to the Gulf countries.

In an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, Hua said that Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, together with Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar, issued a joint five-point initiative aimed at restoring peace and stability in the Gulf and the Middle East region.

He explained that the initiative is based on three main pillars, which include, a ceasefire, the launch of negotiations, and the provision of guarantees, which means an immediate cessation of hostilities.

The diplomat stressed China's willingness to work with Middle Eastern countries to implement the Global Security Initiative, which contributes to restoring stability to the region, promoting security for its peoples, and supporting world peace.

Beijing Stands by Riyadh

Hua pointed out that China and Saudi Arabia have maintained communication and coordination regarding the situation in the region, explaining that Wang held two phone calls with his Saudi counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, while Saudi Arabia was the first stop for the visit of the Chinese Special Envoy.

He also said that Beijing supports the efforts of Riyadh and the Gulf countries to preserve their sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity.

Hua lauded the restraint shown by Saudi Arabia and its endeavor to achieve peace and prevent the expansion of the war, stressing his country's willingness to work with the Kingdom to restore stability in the region.

He also affirmed his country's rejection of any attack targeting the Gulf countries and its opposition to indiscriminate attacks that injure civilians, while supporting the legitimate security concerns of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, including Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia Secures Energy Despite Hormuz Challenges

Hua explained that the war, which has been going on for more than a month, has had major repercussions on regional and world security, affecting the stability of global energy supplies, production chains, and international economic growth.

He affirmed that Saudi Arabia is a major supplier of crude oil to China, pointing to the deepening alignment between the Belt and Road Initiative and Saudi Vision 2030 in recent years, with the strengthening of bilateral cooperation in the field of energy as one of the most important pillars of the strategic partnership between the two countries.

He added that China appreciates Saudi Arabia's positive role in maintaining the balance and stability of the global oil market, explaining that the Strait of Hormuz and its adjacent waters represent a vital corridor for international energy and commodity trade, and that maintaining the security and stability of this region was in the interest of the international community.

He also called on all parties to intensify efforts to reduce escalation and avoid wider disruptions that may affect the security of the global economy and energy supplies.

 

 

World

Israel Says Haifa Residential Building Suffers Direct Hit in Iran Attack

Israeli security forces and rescue teams work amid the rubble of a residential building struck by an Iranian missile in Haifa, Israel, Sunday, April 5, 2026. (AP)
Israeli security forces and rescue teams work amid the rubble of a residential building struck by an Iranian missile in Haifa, Israel, Sunday, April 5, 2026. (AP)
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Israel Says Haifa Residential Building Suffers Direct Hit in Iran Attack

Israeli security forces and rescue teams work amid the rubble of a residential building struck by an Iranian missile in Haifa, Israel, Sunday, April 5, 2026. (AP)
Israeli security forces and rescue teams work amid the rubble of a residential building struck by an Iranian missile in Haifa, Israel, Sunday, April 5, 2026. (AP)

The Israeli military and medics said on Sunday that a missile fired from Iran hit a residential building in the northern city of Haifa, injuring four people.

The building was hit by a "direct impact of a missile", the military told AFP. When asked if it was a missile fired from Iran, it said: "Yes."

The strike occurred minutes after the military warned it had detected a new round of missiles fired from Iran.

In a separate statement, Israel's emergency service, Magen David Adom, said four people were wounded when a seven-storey building sustained a direct hit.

Images and footage published by MDA show smoke rising from the remains of a flattened building in a densely populated area, and stretchers laid on the road by rescuers for casualties.

The injured included an 82-year-old man, MDA said, adding that he was in a "serious condition".

He was "wounded by a heavy object and the blast", the MDA said, adding that the other three suffered shrapnel and blast injuries.

MDA paramedic Shevach Rothenshtrych quoted residents saying that there were casualties trapped under the rubble on the lower floors, and the 82-year-old was rescued after first responders "managed to move large pieces of concrete with our hands".

His colleague Tal Shustak said that when emergency calls were received, "we were dispatched in large forces to the scene and saw extensive destruction, including glass, smoke and concrete scattered across the ground".

World

China Ready to Cooperate With Russia to Ease Middle East Tension, Foreign Minister Says

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov speaks during a joint news conference with Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty following their meeting in Moscow, Russia April 3, 2026. (Pavel Bednyakov/Pool via Reuters)
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov speaks during a joint news conference with Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty following their meeting in Moscow, Russia April 3, 2026. (Pavel Bednyakov/Pool via Reuters)
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China Ready to Cooperate With Russia to Ease Middle East Tension, Foreign Minister Says

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov speaks during a joint news conference with Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty following their meeting in Moscow, Russia April 3, 2026. (Pavel Bednyakov/Pool via Reuters)
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov speaks during a joint news conference with Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty following their meeting in Moscow, Russia April 3, 2026. (Pavel Bednyakov/Pool via Reuters)

China is willing to continue to cooperate with Russia at the UN Security Council and make efforts to cool down the Middle East situation, Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in a phone call on Sunday. 

Wang said the fundamental way to resolve navigation issues in the Strait of Hormuz is to achieve a ‌ceasefire as soon ‌as possible, adding that China has ‌always ⁠advocated political settlement of ⁠hotspot issues through dialogue and negotiation. 

The foreign ministers' call came ahead of a UN Security Council vote next week on a Bahraini resolution to protect commercial shipping in and around the Strait of Hormuz. 

As permanent ⁠UNSC members, China and Russia ‌should "adopt an objective and balanced ‌approach and seek to win greater understanding and ‌support from the international community," Wang told Lavrov, ‌according to a statement from his ministry. 

A Russian Foreign Ministry statement said the ministers discussed ways to achieve a rapid ceasefire and "launch a political-diplomatic dialogue." 

"Satisfaction ‌was expressed at the coincidence in Russia's and China's approaches on most ⁠issues ⁠on the global agenda, including the situation around Iran, related to the unprovoked aggression of the US and Israel against that country," it said. 

China has repeatedly called for a ceasefire in the Gulf region and Middle East, urging an end to the fighting that has run for more than a month and largely closed the Strait of Hormuz, a critical shipping artery for oil and gas.