Eurotopics.net

Parliamentary elections will take place in the Czech Republic this Friday and Saturday. Former prime minister Andrej Babiš's populist ANO party has a ten-percentage-point lead against Prime Minister Petr Fiala's liberal-conservative governing coalition in the polls. Commentators observe a tense mood in the country and examine the reasons.

A Paris court has found Nicolas Sarkozy guilty on the charge of criminal conspiracy in a trial over illegal campaign funding and sentenced him to five years in prison. The former president had been charged with having close associates try to secure funding for his 2007 election campaign from former Libyan ruler Muammar al-Gaddafi. Commentators take stock.

There have been several sightings of unidentified drones flying over Danish airports and an airbase this week. Drone sightings on Monday had already crippled airports in Copenhagen and Oslo for several hours. These incidents come after a series of violations of Polish, Romanian and Estonian airspace by Russian drones and jets. The media discuss motives and countermeasures.

US President Donald Trump now believes it would be possible for Ukraine to recapture its territories which are currently occupied by Russia. With the support of Europe and Nato, a return to the original borders as they were at the start of the war is an option, he wrote on Truth Social. Until now, Trump had talked of ceding captured territory to Russia as the way to end the war. Commentators debate motives and consequences.

The Republic of Moldova will hold parliamentary elections on Sunday. The pro-European PAS party led by President Maia Sandu has been at the helm of this country of 2.6 million inhabitants over the past four years. Sandu and her party have warned repeatedly in the election campaign that Russia may try to influence the vote. Commentators see the people of Moldova facing a choice between Europe and Russian paternalism.