Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras’ telephone call with German Chancellor Angela Merkel has drawn the interest of the international press. Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung’s article states that Tsipras “begged Merkel for money over the phone.” The article speculates as to whether Athens’ money has already run out, while it also focuses on Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis’ negative reception by other Eurozone finance ministers at Riga, Latvia, on Friday.

German newspapers Der Zeit and Die Welt describe the situation that Greece is in as “more than dramatic”. The articles in these two publications point out that the two leaders agreed to keep in regular contact in the hope that this could help in the finding of a mutually beneficial solution. Die Zeit points out that polls show that most Greeks are in favor of a solution where their country would continue to remain in the euro.

As the Greek crisis escalates, the two German newspapers believe that a Plan B is no longer taboo. They speculate that Plan B may even include a Grexit, though they underline that this was not discussed at Riga on Friday.

Der Zeit refers to Varoufakis, stating that there are thoughts that he may no longer be of use to Athens with talk of his replacement.

German magazine Spiegel makes online reference to the talk between the Greek and German leader that it sees as an extension to the previous week’s contact that the two leaders had on the sidelines of the European leaders’ summit. Merkel had stated that a catastrophic default for Greece should be avoided. The article underlines, however, that Athens must implement the reforms it has committed to.

An article by Bloomberg states that “Greece’s day of reckoning inches closer as payments loom.” The article points to the struggle Greece faces in order to amass cash to pay pensioners and employees this week.