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Germany to Send Soldiers to Fortify Poland Border

A border guard officer stands guard at the Polish-Belarusian border, in Polowce, Poland. (AP file photo)
A border guard officer stands guard at the Polish-Belarusian border, in Polowce, Poland. (AP file photo)
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Germany to Send Soldiers to Fortify Poland Border

A border guard officer stands guard at the Polish-Belarusian border, in Polowce, Poland. (AP file photo)
A border guard officer stands guard at the Polish-Belarusian border, in Polowce, Poland. (AP file photo)

Germany has said it will send a group of soldiers to Poland to help with a project to fortify the country's eastern border as worries mount about the threat from Russia.

Poland, a strong supporter of Ukraine in its fight against Moscow, announced plans in May last year to bolster a long stretch of its border that includes Belarus and the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad.

The main task of the German soldiers in Poland will be "engineering activities," a spokesman for the defense ministry in Berlin said late Friday.

This could include "constructing fortifications, digging trenches, laying barbed wire, or erecting tank barriers," he said.

"The support provided by German soldiers as part of (the operation) is limited to these engineering activities."

The spokesman did not specify the exact number of troops involved, saying only it would be a "mid-range two-digit number".

They are expected to participate in the project from the second quarter of 2026 until the end of 2027.

The spokesman stressed that parliamentary approval was not needed for the deployment as "there is no immediate danger to the soldiers from military conflicts".

Except for certain exceptional cases, the German parliament has to approve the deployment of the country's armed forces overseas.

Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Warsaw has staunchly backed Kyiv and been a transit route for arms being supplied by Ukraine's Western allies.

Warsaw has also modernized its army and hiked defense spending.

Germany is Ukraine's second-biggest supplier of military aid after the United States and has sent Kyiv a huge quantity of equipment ranging from air defence systems to armored vehicles.

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World

Israel Not Seeking Endless War with Iran, Foreign Minister Says

10 March 2026, Israel, Jerusalem: Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, attends a joint press conference with his German counterpart Johann Wadephul, at the Foreign Ministry in Tel Aviv. (dpa)
10 March 2026, Israel, Jerusalem: Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, attends a joint press conference with his German counterpart Johann Wadephul, at the Foreign Ministry in Tel Aviv. (dpa)
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Israel Not Seeking Endless War with Iran, Foreign Minister Says

10 March 2026, Israel, Jerusalem: Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, attends a joint press conference with his German counterpart Johann Wadephul, at the Foreign Ministry in Tel Aviv. (dpa)
10 March 2026, Israel, Jerusalem: Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, attends a joint press conference with his German counterpart Johann Wadephul, at the Foreign Ministry in Tel Aviv. (dpa)

Israel is not seeking an endless war with Iran and will coordinate with the United States on when to end the fighting, Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said on Tuesday, declining to publicly state a timeline for when the conflict could end.

The US-Israeli war with Iran, now in its 11th day, has engulfed the Middle East, with Iranian strikes hitting neighboring states, including the United Arab Emirates, ‌and Israel fighting ‌Hezbollah in Lebanon as well as striking Iran.

"We ‌will ⁠continue until the ⁠minute that we and our partners think that is appropriate to stop," Saar told journalists in Jerusalem alongside his German counterpart.

"We are not looking for an endless war," he said.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said earlier in Berlin that there was growing concern in Europe over the war and there appeared to be no plan to bring ⁠it to an end.

"We want to remove, for ‌the long-term, existential threats from Iran to ‌Israel," Saar said in response to a Reuters question on what victory ‌would look like to the government.

He described Iran's newly appointed ‌supreme leader Mojtaba Khamanei - son of Ali Khamenei who was killed by the Israeli military on the first day of the war - as an extremist.

Israel has said it aims to eliminate Iran's clerical rule by destroying ‌its nuclear and ballistic missile programs and creating conditions for Iranians to overthrow their rulers.

Saar said there ⁠was an ⁠opportunity to create conditions for Iranians to "regain their freedom," while acknowledging that it may not happen during the war and could come afterward.

"We must not miss this opportunity with partial results."

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, the first senior foreign official to publicly visit Israel since the war began, said he was confident Israel and Washington were open to a diplomatic solution that could lead to an end to the war.

But any such solution would need to include agreements with Iran on its nuclear and missile programs, as well as its support for regional militias, terms that Wadephul said Tehran had made clear that it was not currently prepared to accept.

World

Putin Urges ‘De-Escalation’ in Call with Iranian President

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, center left, and Russian President Vladimir Putin, center right, arrive at a ceremony following their talks at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, on Jan. 17, 2025. (Vyacheslav Prokofyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File)
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, center left, and Russian President Vladimir Putin, center right, arrive at a ceremony following their talks at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, on Jan. 17, 2025. (Vyacheslav Prokofyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File)
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Putin Urges ‘De-Escalation’ in Call with Iranian President

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, center left, and Russian President Vladimir Putin, center right, arrive at a ceremony following their talks at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, on Jan. 17, 2025. (Vyacheslav Prokofyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File)
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, center left, and Russian President Vladimir Putin, center right, arrive at a ceremony following their talks at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, on Jan. 17, 2025. (Vyacheslav Prokofyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File)

Russian President Vladimir Putin called for de-escalation in the Iran conflict during a phone call on Tuesday with his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian, the Kremlin said.

"The President of Russia reaffirmed his principled position in favor of a speedy de-escalation of the conflict and for it to be resolved through political means," the Kremlin said in its readout of the call.

"Pezeshkian thanked Russia for its support, particularly for providing humanitarian aid to Iran," the Kremlin added, confirming Moscow has sent assistance to its ally Tehran.

World

Britain Working with Allies to Support Shipping through Strait of Hormuz

This handout satellite image taken by 2026 Planet Labs PBC shows damage at the military harbour in Iran's southern port of Bandar Abbas along the Strait of Hormuz on March 4, 2026. (Photo by 2026 Planet Labs PBC / AFP)
This handout satellite image taken by 2026 Planet Labs PBC shows damage at the military harbour in Iran's southern port of Bandar Abbas along the Strait of Hormuz on March 4, 2026. (Photo by 2026 Planet Labs PBC / AFP)
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Britain Working with Allies to Support Shipping through Strait of Hormuz

This handout satellite image taken by 2026 Planet Labs PBC shows damage at the military harbour in Iran's southern port of Bandar Abbas along the Strait of Hormuz on March 4, 2026. (Photo by 2026 Planet Labs PBC / AFP)
This handout satellite image taken by 2026 Planet Labs PBC shows damage at the military harbour in Iran's southern port of Bandar Abbas along the Strait of Hormuz on March 4, 2026. (Photo by 2026 Planet Labs PBC / AFP)

Britain is working with allies on a range of options to support commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz in the face of Iranian threats, Prime Minister Keir Starmer's spokesperson said on Tuesday as the US-Israeli war with Iran roils oil prices.

US President Donald Trump has said the war could end "soon" but also said the US could escalate its attacks if Iran sought to block tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. After speaking to the leaders of Germany and Italy late on Monday, Downing Street said in a readout that they agreed on the "vital importance of freedom of navigation" through the Strait and "agreed to work closely together in the coming days in the face of Iranian threats."

"We're working with our allies on a range of options to support commercial shipping through the Strait as the threat picture develops," the spokesperson told reporters when asked about the readout.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said on Tuesday they would not let any oil out of the Middle East until US and Israeli attacks cease. Starmer's spokesperson said Energy Secretary Ed Miliband had spoken to oil majors BP and Shell in the last few days, adding that the safety of their vessels was their primary concern.

He added that finance minister Rachel Reeves had liaised with Lloyd's of London to ensure there was "appropriate insurance cover available to operators" including cover for war, revolution and terrorism.

After meeting Reeves on Monday, the chairman of Lloyd's, Charles Roxburgh, said the insurance marketplace would work with Britain, the US and international partners on a "comprehensive response to the situation."

"In my meeting with (Reeves), I reiterated Lloyd’s confidence in our marine insurance market, which has remained open and continues to support international trade and shipping during this period of heightened risk," he said.