Eurotopics.net

A 21-year-old Russian soldier has been sentenced to life in prison in the first war crimes trial since the war in Ukraine began. He confessed to shooting an unarmed 62-year-old civilian under pressure from his superior as they were trying to retreat and escape back to Russia in a stolen car in the first days of the war. His lawyer has said he will appeal the judgment. Europe's press takes stock of the trial from different perspectives.

A few days after taking office, the new Hungarian President Katalin Novák visited Romania and met mainly Hungarian-speaking representatives there. While in Transylvania she posted on Facebook that she wanted to represent all Hungarians - whether they lived in Hungary or outside its borders. This elicited an annoyed response from Bucharest - which commentators, however, don't take entirely seriously.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has accused Greece of hostile behaviour towards Turkey. On a state visit to the US last week, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis recommended that the US restrict its arms sales to Turkey, prompting an indignant response from Ankara. The Greek press looks for ways forward.

Under an agreement reached between the Spanish government and the trade unions after several weeks of negotiations with the Ministry of Finance, 29,578 positions are to be filled in Spain's General State Administration in 2022, 15,880 for free entry and 9,591 for internal promotion. The national press is impressed.

As the war in Ukraine drags on, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is increasingly moving in the direction of negotiations: in an interview on the weekend he said that ultimately the war could only be ended through diplomacy. At the same time Italy presented a multi-stage peace plan to the UN. How acceptable would a compromise solution be?

Although there are no signs of an end to Russia's war against Ukraine for the time being, people are already talking about how to rebuild the country. In Britain, the US, and also the EU there are discussions about whether it would be possible to use Russian capital assets that have been frozen due to sanctions. Other ideas are circulating in Europe's media.