Eurotopics.net

Israel and Hamas are accusing each other of violating the ceasefire which began on October 10. Both sides have reported attacks and deaths. The Israeli military announced on Sunday evening that it would cease its strikes but warned that there would be a vigorous response to further violations. While some commentators are pessimistic, others see a silver lining to the weekend's fighting.

Northern Cyprus is poised for a change of government: in presidential elections on Sunday, Tufan Erhürman, an opposition politician belonging to the social democratic Republican Turkish Party (CTP), won a clear victory against the current president of the unrecognised republic, Ersin Tatar, who is close to Turkish President Erdoğan. Erhürman wants a rapprochement with the EU and a resumption of negotiations over the Cyprus issue.

Around seven million people went out to protest against Donald Trump in more than 800 cities across the US on Saturday. They accuse the US president of having an authoritarian style of government. The demonstrations under the slogan "No Kings" were for the most part peaceful. Commentators look at the causes of the protests and their potential impact.

In the run-up to today's meeting with Ukrainian President Voldymyr Zelensky in Washington, US President Donald Trump made a surprise phone call to Russian President Putin yesterday. According to Trump, the two leaders have agreed to meet in person in Budapest. Commentators debate what this could mean for the efforts to end the war in Ukraine and deliveries of US Tomahawk cruise missiles.

In view of the threat posed by Russia, the European Union is undertaking steps to improve its security situation: the Defence Readiness Roadmap 2030, a detailed plan to coordinate measures such as drone and air defence and military mobility among member states, was unveiled in Brussels on Thursday. According to Foreign Affairs Representative Kaja Kallas, the plan is to be implemented in close cooperation with Nato. Opinions are divided on the issue.