Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff has landed in Moscow shortly before the US's deadline for Russia to end its war in Ukraine expires. Details of his agenda are not known at present, but a meeting with Putin has not been ruled out. European commentators speculate on the results of his visit.
Polish President Karol Nawrocki, who was elected at the beginning of June, will be sworn in today. Like his predecessor Andrzej Duda, who was president for ten years, Nawrocki represents national conservative positions. The media concludes that the confrontation between the head of state and Donald Tusk's government will continue.
Just eight months after taking office, Lithuania's Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas has resigned amid allegations of corruption and conflict of interests. Both President Gitanas Nausėda and his coalition partner had urged him to take this step. Finance Minister Rimantas Šadžius has been appointed as acting prime minister.
Israeli media are reporting that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu plans to expand the military operations and take full control of the Gaza Strip. Europe's press debates the latest developments, including a declaration signed by the key Arab states Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan calling for the disarmament and disempowerment of the terrorist group Hamas.
Reports of a large drone entering Lithuania's airspace from Belarus triggered a massive search in Lithuania last week. The unarmed Russian Gerbera drone was eventually found on a military training site deep in Lithuanian territory. During the search the military and government authorities had voiced doubts about whether the reported object was actually a drone and not just a flock of birds or a cloud. The media are scathing in their criticism.
The European Court of Justice has tightened the requirements for authorities in accelerated asylum procedures. In future, the governments of EU countries must disclose which sources their classification of a country as a "safe country of origin" is based on. The court also ruled that for a country to receive this designation its entire population, including groups such as homosexuals, must be deemed to be safe there.