Germany's bid for a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council for 2027 and 2028 has failed. In the secret ballot held in the General Assembly, Portugal and Austria secured the necessary two-thirds majorities with 134 and 131 votes respectively while only 104 states voted in favour of Germany's bid, which is customarily submitted every eight years. The media examine the reasons for this defeat.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has proposed direct, face-to-face talks to end the war to Russian President Vladimir Putin. In an open letter published online he said that the meeting should take place in a neutral third country such as Switzerland, for example. President Putin has said he would agree to a deal based on his talks with US President Donald Trump in Alaska.
The far-right party Freedom and Direct Democracy (SPD), a junior partner in the Czech coalition government led by Czech parliamentary speaker Tomio Okamura, has been fined by a Prague court for displaying election posters deemed to incite hatred. The judge ruled that the posters had stirred up hatred against refugees. Commentators debate the pros and cons of the judgement.
The French-Iranian artist Marjane Satrapi has died in Paris at the age of 56. She gained global renown for her autobiographical graphic novel Persepolis. In 2025 she was offered France's highest award, the Legion of Honour, but refused it. Satrapi was highly critical of France's refusal to grant visas to young Iranian dissidents and artists. The press pays tribute to the artist and her work.
This year's St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (Spief) opened on Wednesday. Shortly beforehand, however, Ukrainian drones set fire to the oil terminal in the port, causing thick plumes of smoke to billow over the city. Commentators examine the significance of the forum – once dubbed the "Russian Davos" – and the impact of Ukraine's attacks on Russia.
The European Union plans to establish deportation centres in non-EU countries. Representatives of the European Parliament and governments have now reached a deal, although it is not yet clear where the hubs would be located. The measure complements the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum, which will take full effect on June 12. The press assesses the plan in terms of feasibility and compatibility with fundamental rights.
The release of police bodycam footage of the death of a student who was stabbed last December has sparked public outrage in the UK. Eighteen-year-old Henry Nowak died from his injuries after the police treated him as the attacker rather than the victim, handcuffing instead of assisting him. The perpetrator, a Sikh, claimed he had been racially assaulted and had acted in self-defence. He has now been sentenced to life imprisonment.
Katri Raik, the long-time mayor of the Estonian border town of Narva, now faces competition. The opposition parties Centre Party and Plan B elected a new mayor from their ranks during a city council meeting on Monday. Centre Party member Jaan Toots has already set up office in City Hall, although the legality of the move remains unclear.
Two months after the Danish elections, a four-party centre-left coalition government has emerged which, however, still falls short of a parliamentary majority. Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen's Social Democrats will work together with the Socialist People's Party, the social-liberal Radikale Venstre, and the Moderates. Frederiksen is now set to begin her third term in office.
Hungary's new prime minister, Péter Magyar, wants to amend the constitution to allow him to remove President Tamás Sulyok from office, whom he accuses of having been too loyal to the former ruling party, Fidesz. The head of state has allowed the deadline for his resignation, set for 31 May, to pass. Under the current constitutional provisions the president is elected by the parliament for a five-year term.
In Turkey, the main opposition party CHP is under intense pressure. At the end of May a court ordered the removal of party leader Özgür Özel on the grounds that his election in 2023 was not in accordance with the rules. Under the ruling, former chairman Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu is to lead the party instead. The judgement has triggered a leadership crisis in the form of an open power struggle between Özel and Kılıçdaroğlu.
Armenia will hold parliamentary elections on 7 June. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is hoping that the vote will bolster his pro-Western course. At the summit of the Eurasian Economic Union in Kazakhstan, which Pashinyan did not attend, Vladimir Putin threatened to suspend economic cooperation with the country. Russia has already imposed import bans on certain Armenian goods.