AfD Falls Short of Majority in Saxony-Anhalt; Ukraine Peace Talks Stall

The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party won Sunday's state election in Saxony-Anhalt with 43.8 percent of the vote — more than double its previous result — but failed to secure an outright majority in the 83-seat parliament. The party's lead candidate, Ulrich Siegmund, declared a clear governing mandate and said he would only work with parties willing to back a genuine change of policy. The AfD now holds 39 seats, while the governing CDU collapsed by nearly 20 points to just 17.2 percent. The SPD, Greens and Left each won around nine percent, and the BSW narrowly cleared the five-percent threshold to enter parliament.

EU Strengthens Ties with Greenland

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen visited Greenland on Monday, where she signed a partnership declaration and announced significant EU investment pledges for the autonomous Danish island. «We are family,» von der Leyen wrote on social media. The visit carries particular significance because the United States — under President Donald Trump — has been asserting strategic interest in Greenland, arguing that Denmark cannot protect it from Russia and China. Greenland is autonomous but not an EU member.

US Peace Diplomacy for Ukraine Yields No Breakthrough

US special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner completed their visits to Moscow and Kyiv as part of a fresh American push for peace talks, but both sides have given no clear indication of what proposals were exchanged. Kushner said resuming direct trilateral negotiations could lead to progress, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky described the conversations as «extremely substantive» but acknowledged little concrete had come of them. Zelensky warned that if the war continues into winter — which he said appeared likely — Ukraine would need a «winter package» of additional support. Kyiv is increasingly worried that ammunition shortages in its air-defense systems would leave critical infrastructure exposed to unhindered Russian missile attacks.

Netanyahu Orders Some Settler Outpost Removals

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered the dismantling of some unauthorized settler outposts in the West Bank, reportedly under US pressure. Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, whose party openly supports annexation of the Palestinian territory, confirmed the directive. Israeli media reported the order came after direct US pressure on the government.