President Donald Trump has revealed plans to build a completely new missile defence system for the US by the end of his term of office, with 25 billion US dollars having been earmarked as start-up funding for the project. The shield, modelled on Israel's Iron Dome, is expected to cost around 175 billion dollars in total. However the US's territory is around 440 times larger than Israel's. Criticism rains down in the media.

The ruling party Fidesz has presented a draft law which would further restrict the activities of many NGOs and media outlets. The legislation empowers the government to blacklist NGOs and companies financed from abroad. Such organisations would be required to seek permission from the tax authorities to receive foreign funding, and NGOs would also face bureaucratic hurdles that make it almost impossible for them to collect private domestic donations.

Although pro-European centrist forces won elections in Romania, Portugal and Poland last Sunday, right-wing populist movements made considerable advances. European commentators examine the reasons and propose ways to stop this trend.

After a two-hour phone call with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, US President Donald Trump announced that peace talks aimed at ending Russia's war against Ukraine could begin immediately. Putin explained that Moscow wanted to end the hostilities, but that it was still necessary to determine the most effective ways to move towards peace. Europe's press greets the news with a large dose of scepticism.

The EU has adopted its 17th package of sanctions against Russia. The new measures mainly target the country's shadow fleet, which Moscow has been using to circumvent previous sanctions and continue its lucrative oil trade. The number of ships banned from entering EU ports has been increased by 189 to a total of 342 tankers.

Sportswear brand Adidas has triggered controversy with a drone display that showed a giant trainer flying over Athens. "It looked like the shoe was kicking Acropolis", Culture Minister Lina Mendoni said, insisting that the ancient temple complex should not be used for advertising purposes. However it later emerged that the drones had been launched from an adjacent area owned by the state, which had charged a fee of just 380 euros for the privilege.