European Union

Russia and Ukraine should negotiate an end to their conflict to avoid the war spilling over into Belarus, President Alexander Lukashenko, a key ally of Vladimir Putin, said in an interview with Russian state television.

Negotiators were to meet in the Qatari capital Doha again on Friday (16 August) in an effort to hammer out a Gaza ceasefire agreement as Israel continued to slam targets in the Palestinian enclave.

Ukraine has chalked up a string of victories more than a week since blindsiding Russia with a lightning cross-border assault, but the risks are piling up as its troops make plans to hold territory and Russia recovers its footing.

The presidents of Brazil and Colombia called Thursday (15 August) for fresh elections in Venezuela -- a proposal quickly rejected by the opposition, who slammed the strongman for blocking a "political transition."

For many European countries, summer poses a growing number of threats, including wildfires, droughts and record heatwaves. In Greece, Athens' suburbs are facing wildfires for the first time, while in Spain some regions are on red alert for extreme heat. The EU has announced it is investing an additional 600 million euros in its Civil Protection Pool fund. Commentators discuss what action should be taken.

Negotiations aimed at preventing the situation in the Middle East from escalating further begin today in Doha. Officially the aim is a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, but observers hope that a deal will also be struck to dissuade Iran from carrying out its plans for revenge. European media analyse the conditions under which the negotiations are taking place.

According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukrainian troops continue to advance into the Russian border region of Kursk and more Russian soldiers have been captured. Russian authorities have said that around 120,000 people have fled or been evacuated from the area. European commentators discuss reactions and potential consequences.

Germany's prosecutor general forwarded an arrest warrant for one of three Ukrainians suspected of blowing up the Nord Stream gas pipeline to the Polish authorities in June, as reports in the media have now revealed. What are the implications for Berlin's relations with Kyiv?