Eurotopics.net

Almost three months have passed since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine. Ukraine has managed to hold its own so far also thanks to Western backing, but it has not been able to gain the upper hand against Putin's troops. Commentators are unhappy with Europe's response to the war.

The British government plans to introduce a law that suspends some of the provisions of the Northern Ireland Protocol agreed with Brussels in 2019. Under the proposed legislation, a fast-track procedure would apply for goods entering Northern Ireland at customs checkpoints between the two islands, and Northern Irish companies would also be able to choose whether to apply British or EU standards. Europe's press is dubious.

The Ukrainian soldiers who refused until the bitter end to give in to the overwhelming force of the Russian troops at the Azovstal steel plant abandoned their posts on 17 May and gave themselves up to the Russians after consulting the Ukrainian leadership, which is hoping for an exchange of prisoners. This means that the strategically important port city of Mariupol has now finally fallen to Russia. Commentators discuss what this means for the war and applaud the soldiers' bravery.