BERLIN (Reuters) - German opposition leader Friedrich Merz, tipped to become the next chancellor, said on Thursday he wanted to win back the lost trust of key allies and ensure Berlin is more assertive on the global stage in a speech laying out his foreign policy plans.

Friedrich Merz, the leading candidate for the chancellery in Germany's upcoming election, said a leaked briefing by Germany's ambassador to the United States heavily criticising Donald Trump was damaging to the German government's reputation.

Merz, whose centre-right bloc currently tops the polls, is toughening his stance on migration ahead of federal elections next month. View on euronews

Germany’s opposition leader has vowed to bar people from entering the country without proper papers and to step up deportations if he is elected as chancellor next month.

German opposition leader Friedrich Merz, tipped to become chancellor in next month's election, said on Tuesday U.S. President Donald Trump could prove an interesting partner for Europe provided the region had a strong common negotiating position.

After years in which Germany's Chancellor Olaf Scholz has been accused of treading lightly on European and world stages, conservative election front-runner Friedrich Merz has vowed a bold return to international affairs.

KYIV (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Wednesday that he met with German opposition leader Friedrich Merz, just weeks before a federal election in Germany.

Latest YouGov poll shows Friedrich Merz's conservative CDU/CSU bloc commanding 28% of voter support, leading Chancellor Scholz's Social Democrats by 9 percentage points - Anadolu Ajansı

Mr Merz argued the need “to negotiate with the American side from a position of strength”. Read more at straitstimes.com.

Merz, favorite to become Germany’s next chancellor, said he wants peace in Ukraine, but not at the cost of offering up Ukrainian sovereignty to imperialistic Russia

A British court sentenced teen Axel Rudakubana to a record 52 years in prison, minus time served, for murdering three young girls in a frenzied stabbing attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport in July.