After Sunday's elections to the German Bundestag, the leader of the CDU, Friedrich Merz, is widely expected to initiate coalition talks with the SPD. Together, the two parties hold a majority in the new parliament. Europe's media take a look at what this could mean for Germany's role on the continent.

Today is the third anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. To mark the anniversary, the highest EU representatives and several Western leaders are visiting Kyiv. Together with host Volodymyr Zelensky they will discuss how to respond to the turnaround in US foreign policy initiated by US President Donald Trump and how to support Ukraine against the advancing Russian troops.

Germany will elect a new government in a snap federal election this Sunday. The latest polls put the CDU/CSU in the lead at around 30 percent, followed by the right-wing populist AfD with 20 percent. Chancellor Olaf Scholz's SPD and the Greens are trailing behind with 16 and 13 to 14 percent, respectively. The Left Party (6 to 8 percent), Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance and the FDP (both at 4 to 5 percent) all stand a fair chance of securing seats in the Bundestag. What's at stake for Germany and Europe here?

French President Emmanuel Macron will visit Washington on Monday to talk about Ukraine with US President Donald Trump. In the run-up to the meeting Macron has said he wants to convince Trump to work more closely with Europe to achieve peace in Ukraine and to warn him not to be taken in by Kremlin boss Vladimir Putin. The European press takes a closer look.

US President Trump has slammed his Ukrainian counterpart and put him under immense pressure. As "a dictator without elections" Volodymyr Zelensky "better move fast or he is not going to have a country left", Trump warned. His attacks come after his call with kremlin boss Putin and the meeting between the US secretary of state and Russian foreign minister in Riyadh. Most commentators in Europe's press reject the accusations in style and content.

At a Ukraine summit on Monday in Paris, the leaders of seven EU countries as well as the UK, the EU and Nato had hoped to agree on a common European position on ending the Ukraine war ahead of the Russia-US meeting in Riyadh. Since then, discussions have focused on the question of deploying European peacekeeping troops to Ukraine. Commentators examine the stance of individual countries and Europe as a whole.