US Vice President Vance's controversial Munich Security Conference speech dominated morning coverage, particularly his meeting with AfD's Weidel after criticizing European democracy. Chancellor Scholz delivered a sharp rebuke, asserting German democratic sovereignty, while Vice Chancellor Habeck labeled the US administration's behavior "authoritarian-revolutionary."
Zelenskyy's afternoon address called for a European army and warned against Russian peace negotiations, as Trump endorsed Vance's statements. The political tension overshadowed growing concerns about Mercedes's restructuring and climate impact research.
By evening, the death of the mother and child from Thursday's Islamist attack in Munich shifted focus back to domestic security. Finance Minister Lindner called for deportation agreements with Syria, while additional violence emerged in Austria with a Syrian attacker killing a 14-year-old. Baerbock's evening forum appearance addressed both the Vance controversy and growing war concerns.