US Warns Germany on Russian Threat, as Anniversary of Berlin Wall’s Fall Nears

The United States is warning a key European ally on growing threats from Russia, as Germany gears up to mark the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is heading to Germany on Wednesday, three decades after the demolition of the wall, to underscore what U.S. officials say is the need for continuing a strengthened transatlantic partnership.FILE – Richard Yu, CEO of the Huawei consumer business group, presents new devices during an event in Munich, Germany, Sept. 19, 2019.In another move seen as counter to U.S. warnings, Germany is not excluding Huawei Technologies, a leading telecom equipment vendor based in Shenzhen, China, from taking part in the rollout of Germany’s 5G networks.”We’ve urged all countries, particularly partners and allies, to carefully assess long-term impact of allowing untrusted vendors to have access to important 5G network infrastructure,” the senior State Department official told VOA on Tuesday.Bruno Kahl, the head of Germany’s foreign intelligence service, recently told legislators that Huawei “cannot be trusted fully.”To address concerns, German Chancellor Angela Merkel insisted on a “no-spy” pact from Huawei as she decided to allow the Chinese telecom company to take part in the rollout.Huawei CEO Ren Zhengfei has said his company would not share confidential user information, denying Beijing controls the company.November marks 30 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall. The wall’s demise brought an end to a divided Berlin, and symbolized the eventual liberation of East Germany, and later the rest of eastern Europe, from Soviet Communist rule.Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is heading to Germany, Nov. 6, 2019, to mark the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.Pompeo, who once served in Germany as a young Army officer, is visiting Grafenwohr, Vilseck, Modlareuth, Leipzig and Berlin to participate in events to commemorate the end of the Cold War.In Leipzig, the chief U.S. diplomat will meet with German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, discussing transatlantic partnership in the face of growing threats from Russia, China, and Iran, according to the State Department.In Berlin, Pompeo is meeting with Chancellor Merkel and other senior officials to discuss areas of mutual cooperation and concern.Pompeo will deliver a speech at Berlin’s iconic Brandenburg Gate “on the continuing imperative to defend free nations and free peoples,” said the State Department.
…