France, the UK and Ukraine signed a declaration of intent in Paris on Tuesday to send a European multinational force to Ukraine. At the 'coalition of the willing' meeting, US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff also pledged to support Ukraine's security. Reactions in the press range from hope to scepticism.
Protests broke out in Iran at the end of December, and the regime is taking a hard line against demonstrators: according to activists at least 35 people have died and around 1,200 have been arrested. There have also been deaths among the defenders of the regime. Initiated by angry traders in Tehran, the protests have now engulfed more than half the country.
After initial steps last year, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer now plans concrete measures to bring the UK closer to the EU: new laws harmonising British regulations with those of the EU in many areas are to be introduced in 2026. The British press debates whether watering down Brexit is a good idea for the UK.
Filip Turek of the Motorists' Party, who was a candidate for the post of Czech Minister of Environmental Affairs, will not be joining the government after all. Turek has been accused of racism, homophobia and sexism due to various statements he has made in the past. On Wednesday, during a New Year's dinner in Prague with Prime Minister Andrej Babiš, President Petr Pavel refused to appoint Turek to a ministerial post.
After US President Donald Trump reiterated his threats to take over Greenland, several European leaders have voiced opposition to the move. "It is for Denmark and Greenland, and them only, to decide on matters concerning Denmark and Greenland," reads a joint statement by Germany, France, Italy, Poland, Spain, the UK and Denmark. Commentators discuss how Europe can respond.
The Slovakian parliament passed a new law in December that makes criticism of the Beneš decrees a criminal offence. In the post-war period, these decrees led to the expatriation and expropriation of the German and Hungarian minorities in Czechoslovakia. In Hungary, there have been protests against the law, but only by the opposition, while Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has remained silent on the issue.
Following the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro by the United States, his former deputy Delcy Rodríguez has been sworn in as interim president in the parliament in Caracas. Rodríguez condemned the "kidnapping" of Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, only to declare her willingness to cooperate with Washington shortly afterwards.
An arson attack on Saturday has left tens of thousands of households in south-west Berlin without electricity, heat or hot meals. A far-left activist group called the Vulkangruppe (Volcano Group) has claimed responsibility, saying its aim was 'to cut off the power feeding the powerful'. The power supply is expected to be restored gradually today. What does the attack say about the state of the country?
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, who has been taken prisoner by the US, has stated in a New York court that he remains the legitimate president of his country and that he was "kidnapped". The 63-year-old rejected accusations that he abused his office and promoted drug trafficking. European commentators focus on the question of whether the US operation was legitimate.
Volodymyr Zelensky has appointed Kyrylo Budanov, the former head of the military intelligence service HUR, as the new Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine. He succeeds Andriy Yermak, who was forced to step down from this key position in Ukrainian politics in December amid a major corruption scandal. What prompted the appointment of the popular lieutenant general?
