Eurotopics.net

After the incursion of Russian drones in Polish airspace last Wednesday, further incidents on Nato's external border are heightening tensions between Moscow and the Western military alliance. The Polish army has shot down a drone over Warsaw and another drone entered Romania's airspace on Saturday. Russia has denied responsibility for the incidents. European commentators are nevertheless alarmed.

US President Donald Trump has called on Nato countries to step up the economic pressure on Russia, and made new US sanctions contingent on their doing so. All allies must stop buying oil from Russia, Trump demanded on his online platform Truth Social. He also urged Nato countries to impose high tariffs on China as a bloc. Are his demands justified?

In local elections in Germany's most populous state of North Rhine-Westphalia the CDU has maintained its leading position, securing 33.3 percent of the vote. The SPD and Greens suffered losses with 22.1 and 13.5 percent respectively, while with 14.5 percent the AfD almost tripled its share compared to the last local elections. Commentators assess the results of this first test of public opinion since February's federal election.