Eurotopics.net

The social democratic PSD has emerged from Romania's parliamentary elections as the strongest party with 22 percent of the vote and could now form a four-way coalition with three other traditional parties. However, three right-wing populist parties together received around 32 percent of the vote. Meanwhile, the Constitutional Court has approved the result of the first round of the presidential election, meaning that the far-right populist Călin Georgescu can compete in Sunday's runoff vote.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has indicated that he would be willing to negotiate a ceasefire under certain conditions. The aim would be to pursue the 'diplomatic' liberation of the territories occupied by Russia and to place the rest of Ukraine under Nato protection, Zelensky explained in an interview. Commentators debate the significance of this statement.

The Georgian government's announcement that it will suspend the EU rapprochement process has triggered widespread protest in Georgia. Tens of thousands took to the streets at the weekend and there were violent clashes with security forces. The protesters are calling for new elections under international supervision - as was already the case after the election at the end of October. The country is once again at a crossroads.

After eight years, rebels are back in the Syrian city of Aleppo. An alliance led by the Islamist militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) swiftly seized control of the city in the north of the country. The HTS is seen as the successor to the Al-Nusra Front, which was aligned with Al-Qaeda. Syria's ruler Bashar al-Assad has already announced a counter-offensive. The latest developments threaten to reignite the civil war.