Europe

Cardinals are in the Sistine Chapel for the second day of the conclave to elect a new pope, following two votes so far that have ended with black smoke – a signal that no new pope has been elected.

Thursday’s voting has been highly anticipated, as the previous two popes were both announced on the second day of the conclave.

Here is what we know about what the cardinals do all day:

How many cardinals have gathered in the Vatican?

Out of 252 cardinals, only those less than the age of 80 are eligible to participate in the papal conclave.

Currently, 135 cardinals meet this criterion. However, two have chosen not to travel to Rome, citing health issues, and bringing the number of confirmed voting participants to 133.

A two-thirds majority is needed to elect a new pope; that’s 89 votes out of the 133 eligible cardinals. If no candidate reaches that threshold, another vote is held. After each round, ballots are burned.

If black smoke appears from the chimney on top of the Sistine Chapel, it means no pope has been chosen. White smoke signals the Catholic Church has a new pontiff.

“In the past, fresh straw was used to produce white smoke, and water was added to produce black smoke,” Father Francis Lucas, a Catholic priest and executive director of the Catholic Media Network, told Al Jazeera.

“However, this sometimes resulted in grey smoke, which led to confusion. Now, chemicals are added to ensure the smoke is distinctly black or white,” he added.

What’s the voting process in the papal conclave?

Voting after the first day occurs a maximum of four times per day: Twice in the morning and twice in the afternoon

Each cardinal receives a ballot marked “Eligo in Summum Pontificem” (“I elect as Supreme Pontiff”) and writes in their chosen candidate. They are not permitted to vote for themselves.

They then fold the ballot, hold it up for visibility and carry it to the altar, where a chalice covered by a plate awaits. One by one, the cardinals approach the altar before Michelangelo’s Last Judgement, swear an oath and place their votes in the chalice.

According to Vatican News, each cardinal says aloud, in Italian:

• “Chiamo a testimone Cristo Signore, il quale mi giudicherà, che il mio voto è dato a colui che, secondo Dio, ritengo debba essere eletto.”
• “I call as my witness Christ the Lord, who will be my judge, that my vote is given to the one whom I believe should be elected according to God.”

Each cardinal places his ballot on a plate, uses it to drop the vote into the chalice, bows towards the altar and then returns to his seat.

Cardinals who are present but unable to walk to the altar due to illness give their folded ballot to one of the scrutineers – a number of cardinals chosen to oversee the voting. The scrutineer brings it to the altar and deposits it in the same manner, without reciting the oath again.

No one except the cardinals is permitted inside the chapel during the conclave. Outside the chapel, there are others involved in the process, such as personnel handling logistics and security, cleaners, medical support staff and other clerics in supporting roles. About 100 additional people have taken the oath of secrecy over and above the voting cardinals.

What do the cardinals do when they’re not voting?

Conclaves are inherently secretive, but experts say some information is available about what happens when the cardinals are not voting.

“In the course of the days of the conclave, they will move by charter bus around St Peter’s to the Sistine Chapel, enter and have the morning vote,” Steven P Millies, professor of public theology at the Catholic Theological Union, a Catholic graduate school of theology in Chicago, Illinois, in the United States, told Al Jazeera.

“They will return to the Domus Sanctae Marthae (Latin for Saint Martha’s House, the Vatican guesthouse) and have their midday meal, take their midday nap, and then return for the evening vote (to the Sistine Chapel). And then back again (to the Domus Sanctae Marthae) for a nighttime meal,” he added.

“The Church emphasises that the conclave is a spiritual and sacred process, not a political one,” Father Francis Lucas said.

Some experts argue that most of the social activities and reflections on the previous vote might take place during their time in Saint Martha’s House.

“One imagines that it is in the cafeteria at the Domus Sanctae Marthae, where people do eat cafeteria style, they put food on their own trays and that sort of thing,” Millies said.

“There is a lot of time over meals and informal conversations for the cardinals to decipher the meaning of what just happened in the last vote and to try to figure out where their support might go best. This is where coalitions and alliances are made,” he added.

“That doesn’t exclude the guidance of the Holy Spirit, but there certainly is a certain amount of negotiation, alliance-making, shifting alliances, those kinds of things that will happen in those spaces too,” he explained.

What are the food and lodgings like?

According to reports, food is not great during the Conclave.

“The food is pretty ordinary, pasta, soup and fruit, which is how Francis wanted it,” a Vatican insider who has eaten there told the UK’s Times newspaper.

While food during the papal conclave has traditionally been a plain affair, Francis, known for his focus on simplicity and humility, has been partly blamed for the further decline in quality, according to a report by The New York Times. Some cardinals have complained about bland vegetables and uninspired pasta dishes.

“You don’t eat very well,” Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi of Italy, a supporter of Pope Francis, told The New York Times.

After his election, Pope Francis broke with more than a century of Vatican tradition by declining to move into the papal apartments in the Apostolic Palace. Instead, he chose to live in a simple suite at Santa Marta (Saint Martha’s), where the voting cardinals are currently lodging.

“This room where we are now was a guest room,” Pope Francis said in an interview.

“I chose to live here, in Room 201… The papal apartment in the Apostolic Palace is not luxurious. It is old, tastefully decorated and large, but not luxurious. But in the end, it is like an inverted funnel. It is big and spacious, but the entrance is really tight. People can come only in dribs and drabs, and I cannot live without people. I need to live my life with others,” he added.

Kyiv, Ukraine – The Kremlin duped the White House into accepting and promoting its view on how the Russia-Ukraine war should end, according to a Ukrainian military analyst.

Russian President Vladimir Putin “imposed his narratives on [his US counterpart Donald] Trump,” Lieutenant General Ihor Romanenko, former deputy head of the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, told Al Jazeera.

“Trump repeats them, tries to implement them, frightens and pressures Ukraine that already is in a pretty precarious situation,” he said about the peace talks that seem to have reached an impasse.

But some Western observers disagree.

“In this case, Putin played himself,” Nikolay Mitrokhin, a researcher with Germany’s Bremen University, told Al Jazeera.

“The talks failed because of both sides, but Zelenskyy scored more moral points in this competition, because he proposed a more significant version of a truce, Trump is satisfied with him in general,” Mitrokhin said.

Putin suggested a three-day ceasefire between May 8 and 11 so that Russia could celebrate its victory over Nazi Germany with a military parade on Moscow’s Red Square.

Putin also plans to host Chinese leader Xi Jinping and other helmsmen from former Soviet republics, Eastern Europe and Latin America.

The May 9 festivities are a focal point of the Kremlin’s political calendar as Moscow claims to have “liberated” Europe from Nazism – and accuses some European leaders, as well as Zelenskyy, of “neo-Nazi” leanings.

Zelenskyy retorted to Putin’s proposal by offering a monthlong cessation of hostilities.

Meanwhile, Putin “showed his feathers as a totally non-constructive character capable only of tiny pittances in the negotiation process”, Mitrokhin said.

“The next step would be a rapprochement between the United States and Ukraine, additional arms supplies to Ukraine, and, probably, new, stronger and more shocking sanctions against Russia a la Trump.”

There is, however, room for Trump’s unpredictability if there is a “destiny-changing summit in May, when Trump and Putin will sort it all out,” he added.

Trump’s ‘final offer’

Before his re-election, Trump boasted he would end the Russia-Ukraine war “in 24 hours”.

But more than 100 days into his presidency, even a temporary ceasefire is not on the horizon as Russian missiles and drones keep pummelling Ukrainian cities.

Trump’s peace plan has never been made public, but his “final offer” leaked to the press in late April largely benefits Moscow and leaves Kyiv with no security guarantees from Washington.

The document reportedly included a ban on Ukraine’s membership in NATO, Washington’s “de jure” recognition of annexed Crimea as part of Russia and a “de facto” recognition of Moscow’s occupation of large chunks of four Ukrainian regions.

Russia currently occupies some 20 percent of Ukraine’s territory; Kyiv has liberated seven more percent since 2022.

The “de facto” recognition of the four regions follows Putin’s largest “concession” so far – he agreed not to claim the Kyiv-controlled parts of them.

Trump’s “final offer” also included a ceasefire and a freeze along the current front lines in return for the immediate lifting of all US sanctions slapped on Russia since Crimea’s 2014 annexation.

Kyiv also gets back the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Europe’s largest, a giant nearby dam that was bled dry by a powerful explosion in 2023, and small Russian-occupied areas in Ukraine’s northeast and south.

A Kyiv-based analyst called the Trump-proposed compromises “disgusting”.

“A compromise between what and what? Between Russia’s desire to kill, rape, loot, seize territories, and our demands that our territories are not taken away and we are not killed? There’s no room for compromise,” Maria Kucherenko, an expert with the Come Back Alive think tank, told Al Jazeera.

“We have already eaten these ceasefires and concessions to Russia with a big spoon,” she said, referring the US-mediated discussions of a ceasefire between Kyiv and Russia-backed separatists in southeastern Ukraine during Trump’s first presidency.

“The thing is not what Zelenskyy says or doesn’t say. The thing is that Russia will only do exactly what it is allowed to do. And turning a blind eye to its further acts of aggression will not do,” she said.

The White House threatened to walk away if Kyiv and Moscow didn’t agree to the “final offer.”

Russia ‘getting ready for an active summer offence’

To a Ukrainian serviceman recovering from surgery, the aim of Moscow’s delay tactic is crystal clear.

“Moscow postponed talks until the fall and is getting ready for an active summer offence, trying to probe weak spots in our defence,” Kirill Sazonov, a political analyst-turned serviceman fighting in the Donetsk region, wrote on Telegram on Monday.

“Currently, Putin doesn’t want peace and that’s why the talks make no sense. The White House can get out of them – and nothing will change at all,” he wrote.

After signing the long-awaited minerals deal last week, Washington distanced itself from the talks.

“It’s going to be up to them to come to an agreement and stop this brutal, brutal conflict,” Vice President J D Vance told Fox News on Thursday.

The change of rhetoric means that Trump considers the minerals deal a diplomatic victory ahead of his summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping, according to a Kyiv-based analyst.

Moscow expects only a “full or partial capitulation” of Ukraine, but as Kyiv keeps fighting, for Trump, “it’s irrational to play a middleman,” Igar Tyshkevych told Al Jazeera.

Meanwhile, the Kremlin’s backers remain puzzled about Trump’s chameleonic mood swings.

“Is the Trump temptation over? Are we recovering?” Vladimir Solovyov, a popular television host who once threatened to turn the West into “radioactive ashes”, asked rhetorically during his Sunday show.

Clad in a quasi-military overcoat and speaking in an ominous voice, he uttered yet another warning to the West: “We don’t need your love, we need your fear.”

“We lived to witness a merry time, when only our part of the world boasts psychological health,” he concluded.

Ukraine’s Zelenskyy has not committed to abide by the measure, standing by his offer of a 30-day ceasefire.

Ukraine has accused Russia of bombing the Sumy region after the latter’s unilaterally declared three-day ceasefire started.

Ukraine’s air force said on Thursday that Russian aircraft launched guided bombs on the Sumy region of northern Ukraine three times after midnight local time (21:00 GMT), when Vladimir Putin’s May 8-10 ceasefire entered into force.

The Kremlin has claimed the brief ceasefire – coinciding with the 80th anniversary of the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany in World War II – will “test” Kyiv’s readiness for peace but Ukraine has slammed it as a farce.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who has not committed to abide by the truce, insisted on Wednesday that his country stood by its offer to observe a 30-day ceasefire in the war with Russia.

“We are not withdrawing this proposal, which could give diplomacy a chance,” Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address. Russia, he said, had made no response to the 30-day offer except for new strikes.

The United States, which has placed both countries under pressure to make peace, proposed the 30-day ceasefire in March, but Moscow said the measure could only be introduced after mechanisms to enforce and uphold it are put in place, later proposing the three-day truce as a “humanitarian” gesture.

Military parade

Apart from the two launches of guided bombs, there were no reports in Ukraine of any Russian long-range drones or missiles being launched on Ukrainian cities, Ukraine’s air force said early on Thursday.

The Kremlin has said Russian forces will honour Putin’s order for the duration of the holiday, but will respond “immediately” if Ukraine launches any fire.

As part of the anniversary events, Russian President Vladimir Putin is hosting Chinese President Xi Jinping and other leaders in Moscow and will review a military parade on Moscow’s Red Square on May 9.

Hours before Putin’s order was scheduled to enter force, Moscow and Kyiv staged aerial attacks, prompting airport closures in Russia and killing at least two people in Ukraine.

In Wednesday’s video address, Zelenskyy also appeared to acknowledge Ukraine’s targeting of Russian sites as the World War II commemorations approached.

“It is absolutely fair that Russian skies, the skies of the aggressor, are also not calm today, in a mirror-like way,” he said.

Here is where things stand on Thursday, May 8:

Fighting

• A three-day ceasefire declared by Russia to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany came into effect at midnight, Moscow time (21:00 GMT, Wednesday). Ukraine has not committed to abide by the ceasefire, proposing a 30-day cessation in fighting instead.

• Russian aircraft launched guided bombs on the Sumy region of northern Ukraine in the early hours of Thursday morning despite the ceasefire, Ukraine’s air force said in a post on Telegram. There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.

• Apart from the Ukrainian air force’s statement about Russia launching guided bombs, there were no other reports of attacks on Ukrainian cities early on Thursday.

•  Russian forces shot down 12 Ukrainian drones approaching Moscow, the capital’s mayor, Sergei Sobyanin, said on Wednesday. Russia’s aviation watchdog said two airports – the Zhukovsky airport in the Moscow region and the main airport in Kaluga – were temporarily closed.

Politics and diplomacy

• Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Moscow had never opposed a ceasefire in Ukraine, Russian state-run news agencies reported on Wednesday, after United States envoy Keith Kellogg said Russian President Vladimir Putin may be obstructing a comprehensive peace deal.

• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his nightly address on Wednesday that he stood by an offer to observe a 30-day ceasefire. “We are not withdrawing this proposal, which could give diplomacy a chance,” Zelenskyy said.
•  US Vice President JD Vance said during an appearance at the Munich Security Conference that Russia was “asking for too much” in its initial offer of a peace deal.

Economy

• In an interview with the Reuters news agency, Ukraine’s Central Bank governor, Andriy Pyshnyy, said Kyiv is considering a shift away from the US dollar. Potential accession to the European Union and “the probability of global-trade fragmentation”, among other reasons, are forcing the central bank to review whether the euro should be the reference currency for Ukraine’s hryvnia, Pyshnyy was quoted as saying.

Three weeks ago Steve Cherundolo said this season would be his last as coach at LAFC. On Wednesday he explained why.

“I just feel like the next step, reconnecting with the European game and coaching in Europe, is something that I would like to do,” said Cherundolo, who is returning to Germany, where he starred as a player. “The timing of it and the messaging, I think the sooner the better so we can all kind of plan and move forward and get it out of the way and focus on this season’s goals.

“I’m not a great fan of leaving things to the last minute.”

Cherundolo, 46, spent his entire 16-year club career in Germany at Hannover, where he met his wife, started a family and still owns a house. That’s also where he started coaching. The decision to go back was a family one, he said, as was the decision to come to the U.S. four years ago.

“I don’t think there’s anything negative about it for me. It’s all opportunity and positive about the next chapter,” said Cherundolo, who grew up in San Diego. “That’s how we saw moving back to Los Angeles: We saw a great opportunity and as a family, more of an adventure.

“And now we see something similar moving back to Europe.”

Cherundolo said he intends to continue coaching but said he hasn’t lined up anything for next season, preferring instead to focus on the remainder of this season.

“It’s really hard to plan seven months in advance in coaching,” he said. “Not many clubs are willing to wait that long for a particular coach unless your name is Pep Guardiola or Jurgen Klopp. And last time I checked my passport, that’s not my name.

“So no, there’s nothing immediately around the corner and I actually kind of like that. I’m excited about what project would be next.”

Cherundolo got his managerial start in Hannover’s academy system, then coached LAFC’s affiliate in the second-division USL Championship — going 6-23-3 — in 2021 before taking over for Bob Bradley in MLS a year later. And in three-plus seasons, he established himself as one of the most successful coaches in league history.

As a rookie manager, he became the only man to win both the Supporter’s Shield and MLS Cup in his first season. He also won the 2024 U.S. Open Cup and took LAFC to the title game of the 2023 CONCACAF Champions League, 2023 MLS Cup and 2024 Leagues Cup.

His 59 regular-season wins since 2022 are the most of any MLS coach over that span; he has gone 88-43-28 and played in six finals in all competitions. And he has done that with a revolving door at the entrance to his team’s locker room since just two players, defenders Ryan Hollingshead and Eddie Segura, remain from the roster he inherited in 2022.

His final season is shaping up as his most challenging, and not because the announcement of his impending departure last month makes him a lame-duck coach. At 5-4-2, LAFC is already nine points back in the Supporter’s Shield race yet they can play their way into the prestigious FIFA Club World Cup with a victory over Mexico’s Club América later this month.

Cherundolo said the decision to return to Germany was made “a couple of months ago” but he didn’t share it publicly until the team was eliminated from the CONCACAF Champions Cup on April 9. The announcement came eight days later.

“No hidden agenda or other reason,” he said of the timing. “It was really just to maintain focus.”

Doing that, he said, will be easier now that his short-term future is set.

“There’s nothing to hold back,” he said. “It makes it easier to push even harder to end on the most positive note possible. What other people think about it, I’m not in control of nor do I spend any time wasting energy on that. That’s not my issue. The team is my issue.

“Everybody is locked in and focused on being as successful as possible.”

Cherundolo also said the move back to Germany doesn’t mean he has to stay there. His name has come up in conversations about the U.S. national team job, which will come open after next year’s World Cup, and there will certainly be opportunities to return to MLS someday, so he’s not closing any doors.

“No, no,” he said. “All options on the table.”

Tens of thousands of people gathered in Vatican City’s St Peter’s Square as cardinals voted in first ballot.

Thick black smoke has emerged from the Sistine Chapel’s chimney, signalling that the cardinals sealed off inside have failed to elect a new pope in their first conclave vote.

Tens of thousands of people gathered in Vatican City’s St Peter’s Square to await the smoke, which came about three hours and 15 minutes after the 133 cardinals were sequestered.

Cardinals from about 70 countries were called back to Rome following Pope Francis’s death on April 21 after 12 years as head of the Catholic Church. As they were shut off from the outside world on Wednesday, their mobile phones were surrendered, and airwaves around the Vatican were jammed to prevent communications until a new pope is elected.

The cardinals will return to the Sistine Chapel on Thursday to vote again, and will continue to do so until one of them secures a two-thirds majority – 89 votes – to be elected pope.

The start of the conclave, with a solemn procession of cardinals and other clergy into the Sistine Chapel, was streamed live on large screens in front of St Peter’s Basilica.

Huge crowds waited in St Peter’s Square, watching screens that showed the chimney and the occasional seagull. While some left in frustration, those who stayed cheered when the smoke finally billowed out.

“It would be perfect, lovely to be here for a new pope,” said Irish tourist Catriona Hawe, 60.

“Francis was brilliant, progressive, a man of the people, though he didn’t move things forward as quickly as I would have liked,” she said.

“The Church won’t be doing itself any favours if it elects someone conservative.”

Black smoke emerged from the chimney over the Sistine Chapel at 21:00 on Wednesday evening, signalling that a first ballot has been held at the conclave and has concluded without the election of a Pope.https://t.co/hlmAJdskTO pic.twitter.com/AKxuUbDK2g

— Vatican News (@VaticanNews) May 7, 2025

Reporting from Vatican City, Al Jazeera’s Hoda Abdel-Hamid said the black smoke, signifying that a new pope had not been elected, was expected.

“In no living memory has there been a pope that was elected on the first day of the conclave,” she said.

“Usually this first vote is a way for the cardinals to understand how things are going and in which direction their fellow electors are thinking,” before they return to the guesthouse where they are staying for the election, said Abdel-Hamid.

Francis named 108 of the 133 “princes of the church,” choosing many pastors from countries including Mongolia, Sweden and Tonga that had never had a cardinal before.

His decision to surpass the usual limit of 120 cardinal electors has injected an extra degree of uncertainty in a process that is always full of suspense.

Many cardinals had not met until last week and lamented they needed more time to get to know one another, raising questions about how long it might take for one man to secure the votes necessary to become the 267th pope.

Both Francis and his predecessor, Benedict XVI, were elected within two days, but the longest papal election lasted 1,006 days, from 1268 to 1271.

Challenges facing the Church

There is no clear frontrunner to succeed Francis, with the cardinals representing a range of progressive and conservative traditions within the Church. More than a dozen names are circulating, from Italian Pierbattista Pizzaballa to Hungary’s Peter Erdo and Sri Lanka’s Malcolm Ranjith.

But there are numerous challenges facing the 2,000-year-old institution: falling priest numbers, the role of women, the Vatican’s troubled balance sheets, adapting the Church to the modern world, the continued fallout from the clerical child abuse scandal and – in the West – increasingly empty pews.

The new pope will also have to face diplomatic balancing acts at a time of geopolitical uncertainty, as well as deep splits within the Church.

Paris Saint-Germain beat Arsenal 2-1 at home to take their Champions League semifinal 3-1 on aggregate.

Paris Saint-Germain weathered one attack after another and showed remarkable adaptability to hold off and defeat an inspired Arsenal 2-1 to reach the Champions League final.

Deprived of the ball possession they so often enjoy, PSG looked in trouble early on but found the right answers to hurt the Gunners in the match on Wednesday.

They relied on counter-attacking football and an excellent Gianluigi Donnarumma to prevail, advancing 3-1 on aggregate.

“The feedback straightaway from their bench is that we were much better than them,” Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta told TNT Sports after the game.

“When you look at the two games, the best player on the pitch has been their goalkeeper. He has made a difference for them in the tie.

“We were much closer than the results showed. I am very proud of the players, the way we handled the pressure, and after 20 minutes, it should have been 3-0.

“We are not there, and that has to hurt.”

PSG reached the final of Europe’s elite tournament for the second time in five years. They will take on Inter Milan on May 31 after the three-time champion defeated Barcelona 7-6 on aggregate in one of the greatest semifinals in the competition’s history.

PSG had lost to Borussia Dortmund at this stage last year and was beaten by Bayern Munich in the 2020 final.

PSG broke the deadlock in the 27th minute from a set piece after the Arsenal defence cleared a free kick towards the edge of the area. The ball bounced back into the path of Fabian Ruiz, who smashed a stunning half-volley into the back of the net.

Achraf Hakimi curled in a precise finish in the 72nd minute to make it 2-0 on the night, before Bukayo Saka pulled one back for the Gunners.

The England forward then spurned an open goal minutes later and, with it, the last real chance for a comeback to truly be mounted.

PSG had earlier missed the chance to double their lead from the penalty spot when Ferreira Vitinha had his kick saved by David Raya.

The kick itself was somewhat controversial in that VAR (video assistant referee) called back play when Myles Lewis-Skelly’s hand was innocuously clipped by Hakimi’s shot.

“Over the two legs, we could have scored three or four more goals,” Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice told TNT Sports.

“Sometimes, you have to lose a few to win, you have to overcome some of these setbacks to grow as a player and a team.

“We are growing as a team, but we need to keep pushing and believing. This is why we play. There will be setbacks on the way.

“PSG have gone through, but this isn’t going to define us. We’ll be back and we’ll get our players back and will be a much stronger outfit.”

Friedrich Merz says a reset in relations is vital to help Europe overcome its security and economic ‘challenges’.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has called for a renewed partnership with France to help Europe confront its “enormous” security and economic challenges.

At a joint news conference with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on Wednesday, Merz outlined a joint vision for deeper European integration, calling for a “new push for Europe” grounded in closer Franco-German cooperation.

“We will only be able to meet these challenges if France and Germany stand even more closely together than in the past,” Merz said. “That is why Emmanuel Macron and I have agreed on a new Franco-German push for Europe.”

Among the initiatives discussed was the strengthening of the Franco-German Defence and Security Council, Merz said.

“We want to better coordinate our support for Ukraine within this framework, align our national defence planning and procurement projects even more closely, and also find new answers to strategic questions of security and defence policy,” Merz added.

The meeting comes at a time of mounting concern across Europe about the reliability of US security guarantees amid Russia’s war in Ukraine.

In a joint op-ed published in Le Figaro, Merz and Macron affirmed their shared commitment to “contribute to a just and lasting peace [in Ukraine], with the support of the United States on security, and strong security guarantees”.

Macron said the two countries would fast-track new defence capabilities.

The visit to Paris follows a rocky start to Merz’s chancellorship after he needed an unprecedented two rounds of voting in the Bundestag to be elected Chancellor, suggesting underlying divisions within the new governing coalition between his centre-right CDU/CSU alliance and the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD).

But in a potential shift towards a more unified German foreign policy, Merz now presides over a government in which both the chancellery and foreign ministry are held by the same party for the first time in years.

He has also pledged to establish a national security council within the chancellery, aimed at improving coordination across foreign, development, and defence policy.

Later on Wednesday, Merz is due to travel to Poland. Speaking to German state broadcaster ZDF, Merz added that he intended to work with Macron and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk to shape a tougher EU-wide migration framework.

French President Emmanuel Macron welcomes Syria’s interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa to Paris, in his first trip to Europe since taking office in January. Al-Sharaa will discuss post-war reconstruction and economic cooperation while France restates its support for a free and stable Syria.

The papal conclave has begun as Archbishop Diego Ravelli declared ‘extra omnes’, signaling non-voters to exit the Sistine Chapel. Only 133 cardinal electors remain to vote for the 267th pope after the doors of the chapel are closed.

Russian President Vladimir Putin celebrates 25 years in power this week, along with a Victory Day parade to celebrate the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany in 1945, which will be attended by leaders from around the world. We chart Putin’s rise to power, how his worldview has changed and what we can expect from him next.

Eastern Europe’s love affair with Trump runs deep – but economic fallout may soon cool the romance.

Despite Donald Trump’s fraying popularity at home, there is a corner of the globe where his brand remains remarkably resilient: Eastern Europe. Last Sunday, the Trump-loving far-right populist George Simion topped the first round of Romania’s presidential elections, securing over 40 percent of the vote and a realistic path to the top office. Echoing Trump’s pledge to “Make America Great Again,” Simion promises to “give back to the Romanian people what was taken from them”. He is not an outlier.

In neighbouring Hungary, Prime Minister Viktor Orban openly embraces the mantle of Trump’s European standard-bearer. Trumpworld’s influence in the region extends beyond politics. Jared Kushner is spearheading a real estate venture in downtown Belgrade, and Donald Trump Jr has recently completed his second tour in months of Serbia, Romania and Bulgaria, rubbing shoulders with politicians, business elites and crypto entrepreneurs eager to forge ties with the Trump family.

Eastern Europe’s fascination with the “America First” president is fuelled by both ideological alignment and hard-nosed pragmatism. The MAGA message resonates widely across the post-communist landscape. A recent Gallup poll ahead of the 2024 United States election showed that 49 percent of respondents in Bulgaria and Hungary – and a staggering 59 percent in Serbia – preferred Trump over Kamala Harris. This is no coincidence. From the AfD supporters in former East Germany to the ruling Georgian Dream party in Tbilisi, illiberal actors across the region are rallying against the liberal democratic consensus. Their views on issues like LGBTQ rights, race, gender, multiculturalism, vaccines and Ukraine mirror those of Trump’s base. Trump’s friendliness towards Vladimir Putin has further enhanced his appeal in Russia-friendly nations like Serbia.

There is also a transnational dimension. Eastern European diasporas in the US tend to favour Trump, drawn by social conservatism or competition with other ethnic and racial groups. Their counterparts in Western Europe are similarly inclined, even as they benefit from the very open-border policies they often deride. In Romania’s recent election, 60 percent of Romanians living in the European Union and the United Kingdom voted for Simion. Many had previously backed Calin Georgescu, a far-right figure publicly defended by US Vice President JD Vance at the Munich Security Conference.

At home, elites see in Trump a potential enabler. A powerful friend in Washington who overlooks corruption and democratic backsliding could prove advantageous both domestically and internationally. The prospect of US foreign policy becoming indistinguishable from the Trump Organization’s business agenda is attractive in a region rife with opaque sectors like infrastructure, energy and mining. The recent US-Ukraine critical minerals deal is seen as a blueprint for currying favour with a transactional White House.

This relationship is already yielding dividends. In April, the Trump administration reversed sanctions on Antal Rogan, a close Orban ally, originally imposed under the Global Magnitsky Act by the Biden administration. The move has raised hopes elsewhere: in Bulgaria, tycoon and political heavyweight Delyan Peevski – also sanctioned under Magnitsky – is reportedly eyeing a similar reprieve.

Yet Eastern Europe’s Trump infatuation may prove fragile. Ironically, Trump’s economic nationalism threatens to undercut the very economies governed by his ideological allies. Hungary and Slovakia, both heavily reliant on automotive exports, stand to suffer under US tariffs. Slovakia’s car industry alone accounts for nearly 30 percent of national exports and employs 10 percent of the workforce. Even a modest 10 percent tariff could decimate jobs in Central Europe’s industrial belt.

Such economic fallout would have political consequences. In the Czech Republic, it might boost populist Andrej Babis, a Trump-like businessman. But in Hungary, Orban already faces a serious challenge from Peter Magyar, with elections looming next year. In Slovakia, Robert Fico governs with a slim majority and increasing public dissent – his long-term survival is uncertain.

Trumpism has already proven a liability for right-wing allies in Canada and Australia. While Eastern Europe remains more receptive, the region is not immune to the risks of over-identification with a movement that pits itself against the European Union, liberal values and global economic integration.

The MAGA revolution may still fire up crowds in Bucharest and Belgrade – but its contradictions could just as easily burn those who embrace it.

The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera’s editorial stance.

Friedrich Merz receives 325 votes in the second round of voting, hours after a shock defeat in the first ballot.

Conservative leader Friedrich Merz has been elected Germany’s chancellor in a second round of parliamentary voting after his new alliance with the centre-left Social Democratic Party (SPD) was dealt a surprise defeat in the first attempt.

Merz’s failure to win parliamentary backing in the first round of voting was a first for post-war Germany.

Merz received 325 votes in the second round of voting on Tuesday.

He needed a majority of 316 out of 630 votes in a secret ballot, but only received 310 votes in the first round, well short of the 328 seats held by his coalition.

After the vote, the 69-year-old headed to the nearby Bellevue Palace to be formally nominated by President Frank-Walter Steinmeier. Later, Merz will return to the historic Reichstag building in the heart of Berlin to take the oath of office to become Germany’s 10th chancellor since the end of World War II.

The Merz-led conservative alliance of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the Christian Social Union (CSU) had topped in the national elections in February with 28.5 percent of the vote, but it still required at least one coalition partner to form a majority government.

On Monday, the CDU/CSU reached an agreement with the Social Democratic Party (SPD) , which secured 16.4 percent in the elections after the collapse of Olaf Scholz’s government last year.

Their agreement has mapped out plans to revive growth, such as reducing corporate taxes and lowering energy prices. It is also promising strong support for Ukraine as it battles to repel Russia’s invasion, and higher military spending.

The new chancellor’s in-tray would also include the confrontational trade policy of US President Donald Trump and domestic issues such as the rise of the far-right, anti-immigrant party Alternative for Germany (AfD).

Coalition ‘not united’

Al Jazeera’s Dominic Kane, reporting from Berlin, said Merz’s failure to win in the first round of voting suggests that “all is not well in those three … now governing parties”.

“He [Merz] starts in this new position, knowing that members of his own coalition voted against him,” he said.

Experts say Merz’s failure to win backing for his chancellorship at the first attempt is an embarrassment for a figure who has promised to restore German leadership on the world stage.

“The whole of Europe looked to Berlin today in the hope that Germany would reassert itself as an anchor of stability and a pro-European powerhouse,” said Jana Puglierin, head of the Berlin office of the European Council on Foreign Relations think tank. “That hope has been dashed. With consequences way beyond our borders.”

Party insiders said on Monday that Merz would swiftly secure a majority despite grumbling in both coalition parties about cabinet nominations, policy compromises and a huge borrowing package pushed through the old parliament in its final days.

“This shows that the coalition is not united, which could weaken his ability to pursue policies,” said Holger Schmieding, chief economist at Berenberg Bank in London.

The abrasive and erratic style of Merz, who has never held government office, has also failed to convince some that he is chancellor material.

“The relationship between the parties will be severely damaged because of this and [it will] exacerbate the conflicts that are already bubbling beneath the surface,” said Philipp Koeker, a political scientist at the University of Hanover.

Inter Milan take their Champions League semifinal in record-equalling 7-6 aggregate score against Barcelona at San Siro.

Inter Milan substitute Davide Frattesi struck an extra-time winner to send his side into the Champions League final following a barnstorming 4-3 victory over Barcelona after Francesco Acerbi had rescued them from the brink of elimination with a stunning equaliser deep in added time.

Frattesi’s goal and a string of stunning saves by goalkeeper Yann Sommer secured Inter a rip-roaring and record-equalling 7-6 aggregate victory in a semifinal for the ages, which finished with the Italian side reaching the Munich final.  They will later this month face either Paris St Germain or Arsenal, who meet on Wednesday.

It was a tale of two halves as Inter dominated the first 45 minutes and opened a two-goal lead thanks to a Lautaro Martinez goal on the counter in the 21st minute, before Hakan Calhanoglu extended the lead with a penalty right before the break.

However, Barca woke up in the second half with Eric Garcia and Dani Olmo netting within six minutes to level the scoring and, even though Sommer worked his magic to help keep the hosts alive, the Catalans thought they had scored the winner through Raphinha who struck from close range in the 87th minute.

But as Inter made a desperate run for an equaliser, Denzel Dumfries found 37-year-old Acerbi inside the box, who fired a first-time effort into the net to score his first European goal in his 20th season and take the game to extra time.

In the 99th minute, Marcus Thuram made a brilliant run from the right and played the ball into the area for Frattesi, who set himself up before neatly guiding a curling shot into the bottom corner to send the delighted home fans into raptures.

Sommer made two world-class saves from teenager Lamine Yamal to secure the hard-fought win for Inter, who will bid to claim their fourth Champions League title and their first in 15 years after losing to Manchester City in the final two years ago.

“I’m lucky to have finished the game. I screamed so much that I saw everything black,” Frattesi told Sky Sport.

“I have to thank the physiotherapists because, in recent days, I was not well, I dedicate the victory to them. It’s incredible, I don’t know what to say. Tonight, the incredible happened.”

Barcelona, who were chasing a treble after winning the Copa del Rey by beating Real Madrid in extra-time, will now have to focus on LaLiga, where on Sunday, they host their old rivals who are in second place and trail them by four points.

“Football has been very cruel to us,” Barca defender Eric Garcia told Movistar Plus. “We were down 2-0 again, and the character this team showed was remarkable.

“We are a team full of young players and this has been a great year. We still have the [Spanish] league to play for.”

The previous standalone record score for a semifinal was Liverpool’s 7-6 aggregate win against Roma during the 2017-2018 season.

The papal conclave to elect Pope Francis’s successor begins Wednesday in Vatican City. 133 cardinals from around the world will vote in secret until one secures a two-thirds majority. Al Jazeera’s Jonah Hull explains the process.

Waves of Ukrainian drones have hit Moscow in recent days as the Russian capital prepares for the country’s most important national holiday, Victory Day, this week.

Russia celebrates May 9 as Victory Day to mark the defeat of Nazi forces in World War II. The day involves a major military parade, with leaders of Russia’s allies often in attendance.

But this year, the run-up to the day has been clouded by a warning from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who has said Kyiv cannot guarantee the safety of the foreign leaders attending the parade in Moscow.

Here is more about Ukraine’s attacks, Victory Day and why it is significant.

What happened in Russia?

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said on Tuesday that Russia’s air defence systems shot down 19 drones flying towards Moscow from different directions. Drones were shot down for the second night in a row and Sobyanin wrote in a post on the Telegram messaging app that there were no reports of injuries or damage, but the city’s airports were closed out of safety concerns.

Russian officials also reported that 17 drones were intercepted over the Bryansk region and five more were intercepted over Kaluga.

Russian President Vladimir Putin last week called for a 72-hour ceasefire to mark the occasion from May 8 to May 10.

Meanwhile, local leaders of multiple Ukrainian cities also reported on Tuesday that Russia carried out drone attacks on civilian targets.

Zelenskyy has rebuffed the proposal. “This is more of a theatrical performance on his part. Because in two or three days, it is impossible to develop a plan for the next steps to end the war,” the Ukrainian president told a small group of journalists on May 2.

Ukraine, instead, wants a 30-day truce, eventually leading to a permanent ceasefire and ending the war that Russia imposed on its smaller neighbour with a full-scale invasion in February 2022.

“The Russians are asking for a ceasefire on May 9 and are themselves firing at Ukraine every day. This is cynicism of the highest order,” Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram on Sunday.

Why is Ukraine striking Russia?

Marina Miron, a postdoctoral researcher at the defence studies department at King’s College London, told Al Jazeera that Ukraine’s drone attacks are not surprising.

“Ukraine doesn’t really have any other plan of action because the situation on the battlefield is not favouring Ukraine,” Miron said, explaining that it is uncertain whether Ukraine will continue to receive support from the United States.

While the US has been Ukraine’s largest ally through this war, President Donald Trump and his allies in Washington have repeatedly called for a rethink on the military aid Washington sends Kyiv. In March, Trump announced a pause on military aid to Ukraine.

Miron added that Europe is unable to support Kyiv “at least to the extent that Ukraine would need to be supported”. Ukraine is also experiencing manpower shortages on the battlefield as its soldiers desert the army.

The drone attacks allow Ukraine to show that it still has the will to fight, Miron said. “In the grand scheme, it’s not going to make any major strategic changes.”

What is Victory Day?

Victory Day is commemorated in Russia and many other former Soviet countries on May 9. The day marks the victory of the Soviet Union over Nazi Germany in World War II, also called the Great Patriotic War in Russia. On the day, a large military parade passes Moscow’s Red Square.

The war formally began in 1939 when Germany, led by Adolf Hitler, invaded Poland, having cut a secret deal with the Soviet Union that the two countries would divide the Soviet Union’s western neighbour. Britain, in a bilateral defence treaty with Poland, declared war against Germany.

However, in 1941, the German army began Operation Barbarossa, its invasion of the Soviet Union.

The Soviet Union faced millions of casualties, losing the highest number of lives in World War II globally. During the war, the number of civilian and military deaths in the Soviet Union reached 24 million, including an estimated 8.7 million military personnel.

But the Soviet Union also led the pushback against Nazi Germany, marching on Berlin in May 1945 to mark the end of the war in Europe. Japan surrendered only in August after the US dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

The US and its European allies celebrate Victory in Europe Day on May 8. In 2023, Zelenskyy signed a law, moving Ukraine’s remembrance of the World War II victory to May 8.

Victory Day is significant for Putin because, ever since the war with Ukraine started, Putin has drawn parallels between the ongoing war and World War II. During his 2022 Victory Day speech, months after the war begun, Putin said Russian troops fighting in Ukraine were “fighting for the motherland, so that no one will forget the lessons of World War II and there will be no place in the world for hangmen, executioners and the Nazis”.

Who is expected to attend the Victory Day parade?

Chinese President Xi Jinping, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, Vietnamese President To Lam, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico are expected to attend the Victory Day parade.

The attendance of these world leaders is also important for Putin as a demonstration of the West’s failure to isolate him despite a barrage of sanctions the US and its allies have imposed on Russia during the war with Ukraine.

What has Ukraine threatened about the day?

“Our position is very simple for all countries travelling to Russia on May 9: We cannot be held responsible for what happens on the territory of the Russian Federation,” Zelenskyy told reporters, Ukrainian news agency Interfax reported on May 3.

“They provide you with security; therefore, we won’t give you any guarantees. Because we don’t know what Russia will do these days,” said Zelenskyy, claiming that Russia could also order provocations such as “arson, bombings and so on, only to blame us”.

On the same day, Russia hit back by warning Ukraine against violence on May 9. Former president and deputy chairman of the Russian Security Council, Dmitry Medvedev, called on Zelenskyy to stop “verbal provocations” and said, “In the case of a real provocation on Victory Day, no one guarantees that May 10 will come in Kyiv.”

Could Ukraine attack Moscow on May 9?

Despite the presence of leaders like Xi and Lula, that could not be ruled out, experts said.

“As far as May 9th, the V-Day in Russia, is concerned, it’s very possible that Ukrainian military intelligence is going to do something,” researcher Miron said, adding that it is unclear what the scale or location of this action by Ukraine could be. “There is a pattern that things have usually happened around the May celebrations.”

In early May 2023, Russia said its defence system had thwarted a drone attack on the Kremlin citadel near Putin’s residence. “We regard these actions as a planned terrorist act and an attempt on the president’s life, carried out on the eve of Victory Day, the May 9 Parade, at which the presence of foreign guests is also planned,” the Kremlin had said in a statement, declaring it would retaliate.

On May 8, 2023, Kyiv said Russia launched drones at Ukrainian targets, killing four people. It said its air defences downed Iranian-made kamikaze Shahed drones.

What is the state of the war right now?

Trump had declared he would negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine while on the presidential campaign trail. About a month after his inauguration, starting in February, the Trump administration held multiple meetings with Russian and Ukrainian representatives separately to try to broker a deal.

Several meetings and exchanges later, all sides were able to get on the same page, announcing a 30-day ceasefire on attacks on Russian and Ukrainian energy infrastructure on March 19, and a Black Sea deal on March 25, halting the military use of commercial vessels and the use of force in the Black Sea.

However, both sides have since then traded blame for violating the terms of those agreements.