In today’s newsletter: The far-right AfD may have come second, but at 20% they have been held off by the performance of mainstream parties, with the CDU leader Friedrich Merz on course to be the new chancellor

Good morning. Germany’s elections always matter far beyond the country’s borders – but yesterday’s vote could be the most important in a generation.

After decades as the stable linchpin of European liberal democracy, Germany has found itself sucked into the same crises that are erupting all over the continent – over its economy, attitudes to immigration and the war in Ukraine. And after the shocking interventions of JD Vance and Elon Musk in favour of the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party, the election became a symbol of a wider struggle for ideological supremacy – and posed a serious question over whether the centre can hold across the continent.

Ukraine | Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said he is not willing to cave in to intense pressure from the Trump administration to sign a $500bn minerals deal – adding that that he was ready to quit as president if it meant “peace for Ukraine” or membership of Nato.

Catholicism | Pope Francis, who is battling pneumonia and a complex lung infection, remains in a critical condition, the Vatican has said. Archbishop Rino Fisichella, a senior Vatican official, told participants at a mass in St Peter’s Basilica on Sunday morning they should make their prayers for Francis “stronger and more intense”.

Afghanistan | The Taliban have arrested a British couple in their 70s for “teaching mothers parenting with children”. Peter Reynolds, 79, and his wife, Barbie, 75, have been running projects in schools in Afghanistan for 18 years.

Farming | Hospitals, schools and prisons are to be urged to buy more British food, as part of a government push to heal a rift with farmers over changes to inheritance tax. The environment secretary, Steve Reed, will set a target of sourcing at least half of public sector food from farms with the highest welfare standards, which should benefit British producers.

Green economy | The net zero sector is growing three times faster than the overall UK economy, analysis has found, providing high-wage jobs across the country while cutting climate-heating emissions and increasing energy security. 22,000 net zero businesses generated £83bn in gross value added last year.