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.
At their first summit since Brexit five years ago, the leaders of the European Union and the United Kingdom on Monday signed an agreement which paves the way for closer cooperation. The deal foresees intensified collaboration above all in the areas of defence, security and trade. What does the press have to say?
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.
Following airstrikes last week, the Israeli military announced on Saturday that it has launched a new ground offensive in the Gaza Strip. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had previously announced the intention of conquering and permanently occupying the area. According to Palestinian sources, dozens of people are being killed in the attacks every day.
The mayor of Bucharest, Nicușor Dan, has won the presidential election in Romania. The pro-European liberal-conservative secured roughly 54 percent of the vote in Sunday's run-off, overtaking George Simion of the far-right AUR party, who came second with 46 percent. Commentators analyse the results and future challenges.
Prime Minister Luís Montenegro's centre-right Aliança Democrática has won Sunday's snap parliamentary election in Portugal. The right-wing populist Chega party, which was in a neck-and-neck race for second place with the Socialist Party that governed Portugal with an absolute majority just over a year ago, made significant gains. The Portuguese press takes stock.
The Austrian singer JJ has won this year's Eurovision Song Contest in Basel with his song Wasted Love. Once again, heated discussions and disruptive actions took place during the competition due to Israel's participation. Israel was represented by Yuval Raphael, a survivor of the Hamas terrorist attack on 7 October 2023. She came second thanks to enormous backing in the audience vote.
The Liberal candidate Rafał Trzaskowski has won the first round of the presidential election in Poland with 31.4 percent of the vote, giving him a narrow lead against right-wing conservative candidate Karol Nawrocki (29.5 percent). The two will now face each other in the run-off on 1 June. The right-wing populist Sławomir Mentzen came third with 14.8 percent, followed by far-right candidate Grzegorz Braun with 6.3 percent.
