DE🇩🇪Germany
- For the first time, the EU extended anti-Russia sanctions by a year at once. Instead of the usual six-month cycle, the Union extended sanctions against Russia by twelve months; Bulgaria, however, is announcing a veto. Welt ↗Luxemburger Wort ↗
- After the end of the FCAS project, Germany wants to build a fighter jet with Spain. Madrid was described as the “forgotten third partner” of the collapsed Franco-German-Spanish program. FAZ ↗
- Study: the richest one percent causes environmental damage worth trillions. n-tv ↗
PL🇵🇱Poland
- Poland has stopped the delivery of MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine. General Roman Polko summed it up with the words “business is business.” Rzeczpospolita ↗
- Zelenskyy held talks with Tusk, with the dispute over the UPA in the background. The meeting ahead of the conference in Gdańsk was overshadowed by a historical controversy over the Ukrainian Insurgent Army. Rzeczpospolita ↗
- A poll on stripping Zelenskyy of the Order of the White Eagle has divided Poles. Onet ↗
- Boom in Ukrainian companies: more than 100,000 sole proprietorships since 2022. Rzeczpospolita ↗
HU🇭🇺Hungary
- Sulyok signed a limit on the prime minister’s term, closing Orbán’s path back. President Tamás Sulyok signed a constitutional amendment introducing an eight-year cap for the prime minister and ordered its publication in the collection of laws — effectively blocking Viktor Orbán’s return. He admitted that the limit is “almost unique in Europe and in the world,” but the constitution does not prohibit such a restriction. Meanwhile, Sulyok’s submission to the Constitutional Court was withdrawn from Monday’s agenda by court chairman Péter Polt after seven judges recused themselves for bias. Telex ↗Portfolio ↗
- Krekó: the operators of Orbán’s system will not be able to excuse themselves by saying “I was following orders.” The political scientist warns officials against future accountability. HVG ↗
- The government is scrapping the protected fuel price; parliament will decide next week. Népszava ↗
- The prosecutor’s office has launched an investigation into the MOL–New Europe Foundation in subsidy scandals. 24.hu ↗
AT🇦🇹Austria
- Israel and Hezbollah agreed on a ceasefire that came into effect in the afternoon. The ceasefire tied to a US-Iranian memorandum began around 15:00 CEST, but Lebanon was not a direct party to it, and both sides soon accused each other of violations (Israel reports more than 80 strikes). Just before that, an Israeli strike on Hezbollah killed 18 civilians according to Lebanese media, and Israel acknowledged four fallen soldiers; far-right minister Ben Gvir demanded that “all of Lebanon burn.” Die Presse ↗ANSA ↗\n- UN: last year, more than 14,000 children were killed or maimed in armed conflicts. Die Presse ↗
- Meloni is building her own “firewall.” An analysis of how the Italian prime minister is maneuvering between the far right and Brussels. Der Standard ↗
- The Pentagon is requesting $80 billion for the Iran war and other spending. Die Presse ↗
UA🇺🇦Ukraine
- Macron and Merz criticized Costa at the EU summit over secret contacts with the Kremlin. According to Politico, the French president and the German chancellor reproached European Council President António Costa for trying to establish his own communication channel with Moscow — an issue that overshadowed the Brussels summit. Censor.NET ↗\n- Russia attacked two civilian vessels under foreign flags in the Black Sea with drones — one crew member was killed and others were injured. Censor.NET ↗
- Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar boasted that he had the mention of fast-track accession “removed” from the EU summit decision on Ukraine. Ukrainska Pravda ↗
- European intelligence services: the Russian economy is in critical condition. Ukrainska Pravda ↗
FR🇫🇷France
- Heat wave: 53 departments under orange alert, temperatures up to 38 °C. Schools are adjusting operations. Libération ↗
- Macron said he was amazed by Kyiv’s “astonishing” capacity to produce drones. 20 Minutes ↗
- The EU is still hesitating over how to respond to the surge in Chinese imports. BFM TV ↗
- Mediapart on the “hidden agenda” of 2030 Winter Olympics chief Edgar Grospiron. Mediapart ↗
IT🇮🇹Italy
- Meloni accused Trump of lying; Tajani cancelled his trip to the US. After Trump said on the sidelines of the G7 that the Italian prime minister had “begged” him for a joint photo, Meloni responded with a video: “Neither I nor Italy ever beg for anything.” Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani cancelled a planned trip to Washington in protest; President Sergio Mattarella backed the prime minister. La Repubblica ↗Il Sole 24 Ore ↗\n- Kyiv’s toughest attack on Moscow: “oil rained down,” panic among residents. Zelenskyy said: “if Ukraine burns, Russia will burn too.” Corriere della Sera ↗
- Hydra trial: wiretaps of a Brothers of Italy (FdI) politician published. A prosecutor in Milan says that “the mafia in Lombardy is not silent — it kills and threatens.” Il Fatto Quotidiano ↗
- Scientists in Padua discovered the disease that took Maria Callas’s voice — it was not stress, but dermatomyositis. Corriere della Sera ↗
CH🇨🇭Switzerland
- The helmet of an F-35 fighter pilot costs half a million dollars — how is that possible? SRF ↗
- The “Swedish Pelicot case”: a man received more than four years for abusing his drugged wife. NZZ ↗
- Cassis and Parmelin want to cut 100 million from development aid. Tages-Anzeiger ↗
ES🇪🇸Spain
- The Strait of Hormuz is reopening. Maritime security authorities declared the strait open and lowered the risk level to “moderate”; shipping traffic is at its highest since April after US-Iran talks were postponed. El País ↗\n- Ecuador: two teenage hired killers (aged 15 and 16) killed a gang leader directly at the airport. President Noboa deployed 13,000 soldiers. El Mundo ↗
- PP and Vox in Andalusia are negotiating a four-year budget agreement. ABC ↗
BE🇧🇪Belgium
- Gas paradox: Belgium consumed more Russian gas last year than before the war in Ukraine. The country is a major hub for re-exporting liquefied gas. Het Laatste Nieuws ↗
- The expansion of flexi-jobs to all sectors has been approved — it takes effect on July 1. De Standaard ↗
PT🇵🇹Portugal
- Fires: 23 municipalities in five districts at the highest danger level. RTP ↗
- A neo-Nazi group planned to throw a grenade into Prime Minister Montenegro’s house. Observador ↗
- Ebola: the number of cases rose by almost 40% in a week, with more than 200 dead. RTP ↗
GB🇬🇧United Kingdom
- Andy Burnham won the Makerfield by-election by a landslide and opened the way to challenge Prime Minister Keir Starmer for the Labour leadership; according to the Financial Times, the result should also worry Nigel Farage. Daily Mail ↗
- Starmer refuses to step down in favor of Burnham. According to the Financial Times, the prime minister refused to make way and said he would contest any fight for the Labour leadership. Financial Times ↗\n- Vance turned to Israeli allies: “Wake up and face reality.” He told critics of the deal with Iran that he would not attack “the only powerful ally he had left.” Daily Mail ↗
- BBC: the true death toll of the US-Israeli war against Iran may never be known. BBC News ↗
🌍 Other countries
- 🇷🇴 Romanian government crisis: according to the Serbian daily Danas, President Nicușor Dan is trying to stabilize the country through “dubious maneuvers and absurd alliances”; the Supreme Court is deciding today whether Călin Georgescu and Horațiu Potra will go on trial in the attempted coup case. Danas ↗Pro TV ↗
- 🇦🇱 Albania: already the twentieth city is protesting against Prime Minister Rama under the slogan “Rama to prison”; the European Parliament approved an amendment to protect the Vjosa-Narta delta. Balkanweb ↗
- 🇷🇸 Serbia: a delegation from the ruling SNS received a “cold shower” in Strasbourg at a meeting with MEPs. Nova ↗
- 🇹🇷 Turkey: Ankara cites a Greek “admission of a war of attrition” in the Aegean Sea — “Turkey is breaking the chain.” Milliyet ↗
- 🇧🇬 Bulgaria: the US has opened a trade investigation against Germany, while the EU is opening a dispute over a new trillion-euro budget. Dnevnik ↗
🔁 Cross-country themes
- US-Iran talks in Switzerland cancelled at the last minute (Vance did not travel) — 🇩🇪 DE · 🇫🇷 FR · 🇮🇹 IT · 🇪🇸 ES · 🇨🇭 CH · 🇦🇹 AT · 🇵🇱 PL · 🇬🇧 UK · 🇮🇪 IE · 🇳🇱 NL · 🇵🇹 PT · 🇷🇴 RO · 🇧🇬 BG · 🇸🇪 SE (more than 15 countries) — read our separate analysis →
- Andy Burnham won Makerfield → challenge to Starmer for the Labour leadership — 🇬🇧 UK · 🇮🇪 IE · 🇩🇪 DE · 🇮🇹 IT · 🇪🇸 ES · 🇵🇱 PL · 🇵🇹 PT · 🇬🇷 GR · 🇸🇮 SI · 🇧🇬 BG · 🇱🇺 LU
- EU extended anti-Russia sanctions by 12 months, Bulgaria threatens veto — 🇩🇪 DE · 🇦🇹 AT · 🇱🇺 LU · 🇧🇬 BG
- Israel struck Hezbollah in Lebanon (15–16 dead) despite the agreement with Iran — 🇦🇹 AT · 🇮🇹 IT · 🇳🇴 NO · 🇸🇪 SE · 🇹🇷 TR · 🇵🇹 PT
- Heat wave across Europe (orange/red alert, up to 40 °C) — 🇫🇷 FR · 🇪🇸 ES · 🇩🇪 DE · 🇵🇱 PL · 🇧🇪 BE · 🇳🇱 NL · 🇵🇹 PT · 🇨🇭 CH · 🇮🇹 IT
- Cuba approved the biggest economic reform in decades — 🇩🇪 DE · 🇨🇭 CH · 🇲🇰 MK · 🇷🇸 RS
🔭 Under the Radar — What SK and CZ Media Are Likely to Miss
- Gas paradox: Belgium burned more Russian gas last year than before the war. Through the terminal in Zeebrugge, the country functions as a re-export hub for Russian liquefied gas — a sanctions loophole that is being kept quiet in Central Europe. Het Laatste Nieuws ↗
- Poland stopped MiGs for Ukraine — “business is business.” Beneath the surface of solidarity, Polish-Ukrainian tension is growing: the dispute over the memory of the UPA and a poll on stripping Zelenskyy of the Order of the White Eagle. Rzeczpospolita ↗Rzeczpospolita ↗
- Cuba is launching the biggest market reform in decades. Communist Havana is opening up the economy — while also insisting that “socialism must endure.” n-tv ↗
