Eurotopics.net

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen wants to use frozen Russian assets for the reconstruction of Ukraine, as envisaged in 2022. A plan on how Russia can be held financially accountable in this way will be presented before the summer break, she announced on Wednesday. Commentators discuss whether the measure is sensible and fair.

Greece will hold another general election on Sunday. The conservative Nea Dimokratia of Kyriakos Mitsotakis won the elections on 21 May by a large margin but failed to achieve an absolute majority in parliament. In this election a new electoral law will apply that grants the winner a bonus of up to 50 seats in parliament.

While Ukraine is reporting territorial gains in the south, Russia continues to attack Ukrainian targets and negotiations seem a long way off. Previous peace proposals, for example from China, have met with little response - also because they envisage ceding territory to Russia, which Ukraine rejects. Now signals from Moscow indicate an increased interest in negotiations. Commentators discuss the stakes.