Eurotopics.net

Almost ten months after Russia's invasion of Ukraine began, neither a diplomatic solution nor a clear military outcome to the conflict is in sight. Observers examine how the war is affecting the mood and attitude of people in Russia.

The US is apparently planning to deliver Patriot air defence systems to Ukraine. A decision to this effect could be made public this week, US officials have informed Reuters. So far Kyiv's allies had been reluctant to make such deliveries, and Poland's plan to pass on German Patriot systems to Ukraine had been blocked by Berlin. Europe's press discusses the potential impact of these deliveries.

The ECB has followed the lead of the US Federal Reserve and the Bank of England and raised its key interest rate by another 0.5 percentage points in a bid to curb inflation. The hike was lower than the previous one but ECB chief Christine Lagarde announced further increases for next year. The inflation rate in the Eurozone dropped slightly in November from 10.6 to 10 percent.

Slovakia's conservative-populist minority government has been toppled by a vote of no confidence. The motion came from the liberal SaS party, which until September was itself part of the governing coalition. Its criticism was mainly directed at Finance Minister Igor Matovič, who it claimed was abusing his office to carry out acts of revenge against political opponents. The national press voices satisfaction with the outcome.

Tens of thousands of people have gathered in Istanbul to protest over the conviction of their mayor. Ekrem İmamoğlu of the opposition CHP party was sentenced to two and a half years in prison on Wednesday for allegedly insulting the country's Supreme Election Council. Even if the opposition is now united on the streets, it faces a difficult decision, commentators point out.