Steffen Gassel

Diplomatic correspondent @sternde magazine of Germany. @SOAS @UiB @nannenschule, usual caveats

[Steffen Gassel @steffengassel]

Tallinn/Estonia earlier this evening. Rain? What rain? 10K+ on stage at Laulupidu (Tallinn Song Festival) for opening choral "Dawn" (conductor: Raul Talmar). Amazing atmosphere. Soundtrack of our time this, too. 🫶🇪🇪

[Larisa Brown @larisamlbrown]

The situation inside the MoD is so bad that Britain is second bottom in a Nato league table that ranks member states based on the extent to which they are meeting their rearmament promises.
The UK is currently 31 out of 32 countries on a list — which may be published by the end of the month — detailing how each country is progressing in hitting the alliance’s capability requirements. The only country below the UK is understood to be Iceland, which does not have a military.
https://t.co/9ElwHkYPL6

[Barak Ravid @BarakRavid]

🚨🚨More quotes from my phone call with president Trump: “The Iranian strikes didn’t hurt anybody. Hopefully Israel is not going to retaliate. If Bibi strikes them back it’s just gonna keep going like the last 47 years, or the last 3000 years"
🚨🚨Trump added: "We are very close to a final deal with Iran. It is going to be a good deal. I don’t want it to blow up because of what is happening now"
🚨🚨Trump stressed: "I am going to call Bibi right now and tell him not to retaliate. Each of them had their fun. Israel had its strike and Iran had its strike. We don't need another one"

[Yaroslav Trofimov @yarotrof]

These Ukrainian strikes on the Russian Baltic Fleet have limited impact on the war inside Ukraine, but do have a significant impact on Russia’s ability to threaten the Baltic states and other EU/NATO members on the Baltic Sea, including Poland.

[Steffen Gassel @steffengassel]

"If Trump does not turn out to be the opportunity the Russians thought he would be, they don't have another plan". This, from Sir Alex Younger (who just passed away), came mere days bef Trump slammed Selenskyj in the Oval Office in Feb 25. – Now look back& check who had it right.

[Nicholas Drummond @nicholadrummond]

This is the best summary of the current geopolitical situation I have seen. Sir Alex Younger was head of MI6 between 2014 and 2020. Really worth watching.

[Liz Webster @LizWebsterSBF]

Former MI6 chief Sir Alex Younger on Brexit: “Putin would have been absolutely delighted by our decision.”

“So would Xi. France has effectively eclipsed us. Brexit has marginalised us.” Most striking of all: “Just nobody mentions the UK.”

Very sad that Sir Alex Younger, chief of the Secret Intelligence Service, born on July 4, 1963, died of pancreatic cancer on June 2, 2026, aged 62

[Steffen Gassel @steffengassel]

"Determined to go down fighting, he even gave his cancer a name: Putin."

[S Sebag Montefiore @simonmontefiore]

So sad to see this. Death of the great Sir Alex Younger, longest-serving M16 director in recent times, consummate secret agent & master of espionage & disguise who was also the classic paragon of British service sense substance and style. Extremely charming intelligent urbane, I was lucky to know a bit and fascinating to talk to him about Russian and Middle East intelligence matters - we were lucky he came often to @clivedenlitfest.
The last lines of his obituary say much about him:

"Determined to go down fighting, he even gave his cancer a name: Putin."

https://t.co/WMXNpQ3dRy

[Yaroslav Trofimov @yarotrof]

Alternative für Putin.

[Steffen Gassel @steffengassel]

Besondere Pointe: Eine deutsche GV-Präsidentin verkündet die Klatsche für Deutschland. Man darf sich heute ruhig auch fragen: Hätte das Abstimmungsergebnis in New York mit @HelgaMSchmid als Präsidentin der Vollversammlung möglicherweise anders ausgesehen?
https://t.co/IT6mTrqdiE

[Shashank Joshi @shashj]

Very sorry to see that Sir Alex Younger has died of cancer, aged just 62. Younger's wife 'was shocked that he had never told his mother he was a spy, and so he did. “Yes, darling, so was I,” his mother replied.' https://t.co/6sfVIqBqpF

[Steffen Gassel @steffengassel]

👀

[Qalaat Al Mudiq @QalaatAlMudiq]

The hunt for Assad's Regime war criminals is about to begin in Europe.

After a Swedish investigation identified at least 15 former Regime fighters quietly living in the country with residence permits, #Damascus announced it will open its archives to help track them.

Documents, witnesses and evidence will be made available to European investigators pursuing former Regime elements accused of war crimes.

https://t.co/i9xNuntquk

[Steffen Gassel @steffengassel]

@Andric1961 https://t.co/IqwFKqO94W

[Veit Medick @vmedick]

Oh. @ntvde

[Yaroslav Trofimov @yarotrof]

The showroom of Chinese 🇨🇳 electric car maker Zeekr in Kyiv was among the “strategic targets” of Russia’s missile barrage overnight.

[Steffen Gassel @steffengassel]

@lindseyhilsum @barbaraslavin1 It‘s Jabal Amil

[Gregg Carlstrom @glcarlstrom]

"Nearly 1m, about a fifth of Lebanon's population, remain displaced more than a month and a half after the ceasefire that nominally halted the conflict. For Lebanon's leaders and its people, the vast displacement has begun to look less like a temporary emergency than something more permanent." https://t.co/LE9Gd1O10h

[Hiba Nasr @HibaNasr]

‼️ @BarakRavid is reporting that Nabih Berri advisor Ali Hamdan told him that the Lebanese Speaker told the Trump administration on Sunday that Hezbollah is ready for a full and immediate ceasefire with Israel and pledged to guarantee its implementation .

[Steffen Gassel @steffengassel]

👀

[Sharon Idan | שרון עידן @sharonidan]

אומר לי מקור אמין מאד מתוך נתב״ג: מה שקורה בשדה מטורף. לא ראיתי דבר כזה 35 שנה. הצבא האמריקני פה לפחות חצי שנה קדימה. יבטלו פה אלפי טיסות לאנשים בשבועות הקרובים. כל הקווים כל היעדים. המקום היחיד שעוד נותר בכדי לצאת קצת ולהתאוורר הוא בסיס ענק, וכזה כדי להישאר הרבה זמן.
תתכוננו.

[Lindsey Hilsum @lindseyhilsum]

Total gridlock in #Beirut as familes flee Dahieh under Israeli threat of bombing. Some leaving for the fourth time in 18 months.

[Barak Ravid @BarakRavid]

עמוס הראל כותב: "אנשים רבים מדי בתקשורת הישראלית לא למדו דבר ולא שכחו דבר. כל מה שנדרש אתמול היה פרסום תמונה אחת – דגלי ישראל וחטיבת גולני מתנופפים מעל מבצר הבופור בדרום לבנון – כדי להדחיק לחלוטין את הדיון ההכרחי במצב המלחמה הנוכחית שם. במקום להעלות את סימני השאלה הנדרשים בדבר האסטרטגיה המפוקפקת של המערכה הנוכחית בצפון, ובאשר להעדר המענה הטקטי לאיום רחפני הנפץ מופעלי הסיב האופטי שחיזבאללה משגר עשרות מהם מדי יום, קיבלנו השתפכות נוסטלגית סביב החזרה המרגשת לאתרים היסטוריים"
https://t.co/FiK6AI74Vq

[Stephan Bischoff 🇪🇺🇺🇦 @stephanbischoff]

Während die ganzen „Mehr-Diplomatie“-Darsteller (👀 @Ralf_Stegner @JohannesVarwick oder Rolf Mützenich) geschwiegen haben, als unsere Diplomaten vom
Kreml bedroht wurden, zeigen diese hier ganz großartig ihren Mut und ihr Engagement für wahren Frieden in Europa. Danke dafür!