Ukraine calls for peace and prisoner exchange - situation remains tense!

Ukraine calls for peace and prisoner exchange - situation remains tense!

On June 3, 2025, the political situation in Germany and Europe is tense and dynamic. In Ukraine, the peace talks with Russia are facing challenges, while at the same time asylum policy is becoming more urgent in the federal election campaign. Ukraine recently presented demands for peace to Russia and ended the talks in Istanbul. The two countries have also agreed on a prisoner exchange, which is attracting international attention. As part of its new water strategy, the EU is planning controls and regulations to monitor water consumption sustainably.

The discussion about migration, which has emerged as a central issue in the 2025 federal election campaign, is particularly relevant. After a knife attack in Aschaffenburg, Friedrich Merz from the Union changed his stance on migration and initiated an intensified debate on it. In this context, the Union submitted two proposals and a draft law on migration policy to the Bundestag. A five-point plan for migration was finally adopted with the votes of the Union, FDP and AfD. This shows the divergence in the political approaches of the parties, which position themselves differently on asylum policy in their election programs, as Tagesschau.de reports.

Positions of the parties on migration policy

The positions of the individual parties are diverse and reflect different approaches to migration:

• SPD: Kritisiert die Dauer der Asylverfahren und verspricht, diese auf sechs Monate zu beschleunigen. Zudem plant sie umfassende Migrationsabkommen.
• CDU/CSU: Setzt einen faktischen Aufnahmestopp an der Grenze durch und plant die Aussetzung des Familiennachzugs für subsidiär Schutzberechtigte.
• Bündnis 90/Die Grünen: Setzen sich für das Grundrecht auf Asyl ein, lehnen jedoch die Auslagerung von Asylverfahren ab.
• FDP: Fordert ein Einwanderungsgesetzbuch zur Bündelung aller Regeln und will den „Spurwechsel“ für gut integrierte Asylbewerber ermöglichen.
• AfD: Verfolgt eine remigrationspolitische Agenda mit konsequenten Abschiebungen.
• Die Linke: Lehnt Verschärfungen ab und fordert eine dezentrale Unterbringung der Geflüchteten.

Experts consider the debate about asylum policy to be important for the future formation of coalitions after the election. The Union's agenda also includes possibly outsourcing asylum procedures to third countries, which is met with resistance from the Greens and the Left.

International developments and their influence

While politics in Germany is struggling with migration, international relations are not standing still. US destroyers have been assembled in Rostock for the NATO BALTOPS exercise, and the British Prime Minister is indicating that Great Britain is preparing for war. In addition, US Senator Lindsey Graham is causing a stir as he meets with German politicians to strengthen transatlantic relations. These international dynamics could have a significant impact on the domestic political situation in Germany and on the perception of migration.

The difficulties in asylum policy are accompanied by an overload of the courts, which are confronted with a wave of asylum claims. These challenges are exacerbated by the tense security situation in Europe. The federal government is faced with the task of finding viable solutions in the face of these circumstances, while the population is increasingly critical of refugee policy.

The developments in Ukraine and the increasing Euro-sceptic currents in Great Britain and other countries provide further material for political disputes in Germany. These factors could still influence parties' electoral strategies and have the potential to shape the final political landscape in Germany after the elections.

Neopresse continues to report that the federal government plans to access funds from private accounts to promote social innovation, which is seen as a further step in the current economic uncertainty. Observers are curious to see how the discussion about migration policy and international relations will develop in the coming weeks.