Eurotopics.net

An explosion in the pro-Russian separatist area near Donetsk has left more than than 50 Ukrainian prisoners of war from the Azov regiment dead and over 70 injured. Ukraine and Russia are blaming each other for the attack on the prison camp. An independent investigation into what happened has not been possible so far. Commentators see Moscow as the culprit.

A key question in the current campaign for the early elections in Italy is whether the Kremlin had a hand in the collapse of the Draghi government: according to the Italian daily La Stampa, a Russian diplomat met with an advisor to Lega leader Matteo Salvini at the end of May and asked him point-blank whether the party intended to withdraw its ministers from the coalition government. Salvini says the accusations are baseless but the press is alarmed.

Celebrations in the UK, sadness in Germany: in the thrilling final at London's Wembley Stadium, England's "Lionesses" won the European Women's Football Championship 2-1 against the German team. The decisive goal came in extra time. Commentators hope the high-quality games will have positive after-effects.

During her trip to Turkey, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock clearly deviated from the diplomatic customs of her country's previous government: in Istanbul she exchanged blows with her Turkish counterpart Çavuşoğlu over Turkey's actions in northern Syria, human rights and the island dispute with Greece. Her visit to Athens, by contrast, was less confrontational. The press is divided.

After the 2018 murder of Jamal Khashoggi, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman became a persona non grata in the EU amid suspicions that he commissioned the crime. This week, however, the controversial heir to the Saudi throne was received by Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in Athens and French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris. The energy crisis is facilitating his rehabilitation, commentators suspect.