Switzerland will host a Ukraine peace conference at the Bürgenstock Resort above Lake Lucerne in mid-June. Russia has not been invited, China has cancelled its participation for the time being, and Kyiv accusing Beijing and Moscow of putting pressure on other countries to prevent them from attending. Europe's press debates the opportunities and dangers of the summit and any future peace negotiations.

US President Joe Biden has presented a new plan for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip involving the release of hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from occupied areas in Gaza. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, however, is insisting on the goal of destroying Hamas's military capabilities. Tens of thousands of people in Israel have demonstrated in favour of the plan being accepted.

A growing number of Nato states are granting Ukraine more freedom in how it deploys Western weapons. Deliveries from Poland, Canada and Finland are no longer subject to conditions, and last week the US lifted its ban on the use of US weapons to attack targets on Russian territory, albeit only for the region around Kharkiv. Germany then followed suit. How will this affect the course of the war?

In the trial over hush money payments to a porn actor, the jury has unanimously found Donald Trump guilty on all charges. The sentence is to be handed down on 11 July - just a few days before the Republicans plan to nominate Trump as their presidential candidate for the second time. But even if the former president has to go to prison, he will still be able to run for office.

With just a week to go before the elections to the European Parliament from 6-9 June, commentators in European media focus on key issues and developments - and look at aspects that have received too little attention in the election campaign so far.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's Fidesz party is focusing its entire campaign for the European elections on the war in Ukraine, stressing that while the majority of European countries are for war, the Hungarian government is for peace and is calling for the war to be ended as soon as possible, including a halt to Western arms supplies. Independent Hungarian media take a closer look at this strategy.

From 6 to 9 June voters from the 27 EU member states will elect a new European Parliament. Commentators stress the importance of the elections in view of an anticipated shift to the right and call for for an election campaign that resonates more with citizens and gets them to go out and vote.

Moscow is short of cash. The Russian Ministry of Finance has now presented the main points of a planned tax reform. It includes an income tax hike for high earners, with the maximum rate going up from 15 to 22 percent, and an increase in corporate tax rate from 20 to 25 percent. There will also be no more exemptions for VAT. Is the reform the "adjustment for fairness" it claims to be?

Harmony was the name of the game during Emmanuel Macron's three-day visit to Germany this week. In Dresden the French president emphasised the importance of defending democracy and Europe and at a meeting with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier the strong ties between the two countries were emphasised. The clear differences in stance between German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Macron on issues such as Ukraine were dismissed as trivial. Commentators discuss to what extent this is true.

The UN Security Council will decide on a resolution calling for an immediate end to Israel's Rafah offensive today. The International Court of Justice had previously passed a ruling which many interpret as a call on Israel to stop its offensive. Commentators are divided over the implications.

Just over a week before the European Parliament elections on 9 June, the polls predict a significant increase in votes for right-wing populist and far-right parties of the ID (Identity and Democracy) Group. Together with the ECR (European Conservatives and Reformists), which also includes the Fratelli d'Italia, they could win over a fifth of the seats. Commentators discuss the possible repercussions.

Just over six months after the parliamentary elections in the Netherlands, right-wing populist Geert Wilders (PVV) and his partner parties VVD, BBB and NSC have presented a prime minister for their governing coalition: the secretary general of the Ministry of Justice Dick Schoof, who has no political affiliation, and has also headed the country's intelligence service and immigration authority, among other things. What to make of this choice?