EU prosecutors on Wednesday searched offices belonging to the far-right Patriots parliamentary group as part of a graft probe into the bloc’s dissolved predecessor, Identity and Democracy, which brought together several European far-right parties including French presidential candidate Marine Le Pen’s National Rally.

Ukraine and Russia on Wednesday said they are both ready to resume trilateral talks with the United States. The news comes after US envoy Steve Witkoff separately met with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on two consecutive days.

US special envoy Steve Witkoff met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Saint Petersburg on Wednesday after talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Oslo. Putin said during the meeting that Russia had released US citizen Stephen Hubbard, who had been imprisoned for years in Russia after being charged of fighting as a mercenary for Ukraine.

Local authorities on Wednesday banned protests planned in several French cities in the next few days – from Toulon in the south to Le Havre in the north – and also imposed night-time curfews in many of them. Read our blog to see how the day's events unfolded.

Italy announced tougher security measures on Tuesday after weekend riots in Milan left more than 100 police officers injured and shops looted. The government will deploy 500 additional soldiers, impose harsher penalties for violent protesters and hold parents financially responsible for damage caused by minors.