Eurotopics.net

In 2019 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was charged with bribery, fraud and breach of trust - and of having received luxury gifts to the value of 174,000 euros, including jewellery, cigars and champagne. Now he has claimed that pardoning him would promote the "reconciliation our country so desperately needs", and sent a letter to President Isaac Herzog asking for a pardon.

Last week and again on Monday, tens of thousands took the streets in Bulgaria. The demonstrations, the largest in years, are in protest at the government's draft budget for 2026, which proposes a hike in taxes and social security contributions. Corruption allegations are also in the air. Riots have broken out in Sofia, and demonstrators have clashed with the police.

Zelensky's chief of staff Andriy Yermak has become the next top politician to hand in his resignation in connection with the corruption scandal in the Ukrainian energy sector. Investigators searched his apartment on Friday, but no charges were brought. Observers agree that his resignation was unavoidable but are divided over what the repercussions will be.

Discussions about the future of Ukraine continue in spite of the Witkoff scandal. On Sunday a Ukrainian delegation met US representatives in Florida, and this week US negotiators are flying to Moscow with the West's proposals to end the war. Europe's press points to the factors hindering and propelling the peace process.