Eurotopics.net

The Russian government has proposed resuming negotiations on a ceasefire in Istanbul on Monday and said it will set out its terms in a memorandum. Meanwhile, at a meeting in Berlin on Wednesday German Chancellor Friedrich Merz assured Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that Germany would provide five billion euros in military aid.

Since he was first sworn in, US President Donald Trump has caused a stir on an almost daily basis with new announcements of extreme measures in politics and the economy. Many of them - including major tariff hikes - have been cancelled or postponed a few days after being announced. Others, such as mass redundancies or deportations, have been put on hold by the courts. Europe's press takes stock of this erratic style of government.

Romania's new president, Nicușor Dan, has held initial consultations with the parties represented in parliament, with particular focus on the country's large budget deficit and the formation of a new government. Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu of the Social Democratic Party resigned after his coalition's presidential candidate, Crin Antonescu, came third in the first round of the elections.

A majority of the French National Assembly has voted to abolish the green zones, or LEZs (low emission zones), which around 40 cities had introduced to improve air quality. Members of the Assembly criticised the ban on heavy and polluting vehicles as anti-social, arguing that low-income earners can't afford low-emission cars. The national press is incensed.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Monday lifted restrictions on Ukraine's use of Western weapons against military targets in Russia, saying that this was necessary for the country to be able to defend itself effectively. With this move Berlin has aligned itself with other allies whose weapons systems have already been approved to this end. However, although it has long-range weapons in the form of Taurus cruise missiles, Germany has refused to deliver them to Kyiv so far.