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The acceleration of talks on the formation of a government in Germany, the condemnation of the British government on the management of the pandemic in its first phase, the possibility of the return of D. Trump in 2024 are some of the key topics of the international press.
For the Ukraine-EU summit: The President of the Commission and the President of the European Council of the 23rd EU-Ukraine Summit are today in Kiev and will meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Of course, what the EU wants to discuss are the necessary reforms and in particular anti-corruption measures. These two elements are the basic preconditions for the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement, signed in 2017. But despite Zelensky’s strenuous efforts, no significant progress has been made, Politico comments, adding that Brussels would like Kiev accelerates the reform of the functioning of the Constitutional Court, but also the functioning of a special prosecutor against corruption. But what Ukraine wants to discuss is only energy. An EU official said the committee was “ready to work with Ukraine” to allay Kiev’s concerns, but the elephant in the room was none other than Nord Stream 2. Ukraine was outraged by the move to Germany to move forward. with the pipeline, because the gas supply to Russia will bypass Ukraine. A European Council official said EU leaders would discuss “gas supply problems”, including measures to increase Ukraine’s supply in the event of a shortage. At the same time, the EU plans to send a military mission to Ukraine as a “queue” for the mission last month following a request from Ukraine for “professional military training” . The issue will be taken up by the Political Security Committee next month. The EU appears ready to encourage cooperation on cybersecurity and hybrid threats.
Meanwhile, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emanuel Macron yesterday had separate telephone conversations with the Ukrainian and Russian presidents over the dispute in eastern Ukraine, and the German government announced that the four foreign ministers are expected to meet. The two Western European leaders first met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky about the implementation of the Minsk Agreements, aimed at a peaceful settlement of the conflict in eastern Ukraine, then with Vladimir Putin , urging him to make efforts to “the interlocutors agreed to ask their foreign ministers to meet soon for this purpose,” said the German government.
In Great Britain: The verdict of two UK management committees against the first half coronavirus pandemic dominates the headlines.
The Times notes that the government made “big mistakes” especially when it did not decide early enough on the lockdown and that the “group of wise men”, that is to say ministers and scientists, in was responsible.
The Financial Times called the results “damning”, noting that the UK administration was fatal and led to a strategy similar to “collective immunity” – despite the country having “some of the best scientists in the world. world”.
The Guardian focuses on “fatal” as an approach and conclusion and speaks of the “British exception”. The newspaper reports that these factors have led to an excessive number of deaths.
Under the headline “Deadly Delays”, the Daily Mirror estimates that more than 20,000 lives would have been saved if Boris Johnson had decided to shut down a week earlier in March 2020.
Meanwhile, a storm of reactions has sparked in Britain Boris Johnson’s decision to “escape” for a short vacation to Marbella, Spain, at a time when the country faces a growing crisis. of the supply chain. The British Prime Minister has reportedly stayed with his wife and son since last Friday in a 25,000 yen-per-week villa on Spain’s sunny coast – Downing Street refused to confirm yesterday that the villa was owned by the minister. Jacques Goldsmith of the Tories, or to clarify whether Johnson is paying for the holidays, has vigorously defended the UK Prime Minister’s right to a vacation even at this point, insisting he continues to coordinate the work of the government.
In Germany: By the end of this week, the Social Democrats (SPD), Greens and Liberals (FDP) could vote on opening negotiations to form a government coalition. However, this is the objective of the exploratory talks which began on Monday morning and will continue on a daily basis. Yesterday’s meeting lasted 10 hours and today until noon, as the Social Democrats’ candidate, Olaf Solz, will have to travel to Washington, to participate in a series of meetings of finance ministers. Exploratory talks during his absence will continue, but in a narrower circle. On Thursday, it is likely that the leadership of each party will discuss the interim results of the talks. Delegations from the three parties, including Mr Soltz, will meet on Friday to consider whether the exploratory talks should continue or whether they can enter the next phase, namely negotiations for the formation of a government.
Olaf Solz in Washington to attend the meeting of the International Monetary Fund. At present, he remains Germany’s finance minister. All the participants in the meeting, however, expect to receive him as the next Chancellor of Germany. Olaf Solz is no stranger to many heads of government. Some maintain close relations with him, but some wonder about the course of his foreign policy. After all, as Handelsblatt writes, “there will be no grace period for the new governmentâ€. One need only look at the headlines of the last few days to realize how serious the situation is: Polish government flirting with leaving the EU, gas prices soar, Russia can turn the tap on and off and China seeks to supplant German industry in the world market. The Middle East is not calm. And the Americans pull away and turn their attention to the Indo-Pacific.
In Italy: The Italian Prime Minister, Mario Draghi, met yesterday at noon the general secretary of the Cgil union, Maurizio Lantini, in order to express his support, after the violent attack by the neo-fascists who took part in the anti-vaccination campaign at Stampa . At the entrance to Cgil’s offices in central Rome, Draghi gave Ladini a hug and unionized workers cheered. “The past must not return,” said the head of the Cgil, referring to the fascist attacks on the union 99 years ago, when the dictatorship of Benito Mussolini was imposed.
In the USA: Donald Trump hinted in a speech in Iowa that he intended to run for president again. The rally of his supporters in the state capital on Saturday was the last presence of the 75-year-old former president in key states. Trump has criticized incumbent President Joe Biden and reiterated his baseless claims that he was “stolen” in last year’s election, according to the Guardian. Iowa is the first state to select the Republican presidential candidate in 2024. Everyone hopes they will do well in this state which, as the first, since it votes in February 2024, gives the tone for the other qualifying elections. Analysts of course note that no one can get the support Trump continues to have. He used his speech to criticize Biden’s $ 5,000 billion spending and program plans. – for which he is seeking congressional support – comparing the measures to Republican Senator Mitch McConnell’s decision last week to agree with Democrats to raise the US national debt ceiling. The goal is to undermine more moderate Republican leaders and to pave the way for those who support Trump’s agenda. One of those who won Trump’s backing on Saturday was 88-year-old Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley, who was nominated by the former president for an eighth term in the midterm elections for the Congress, which will be held in November next year. There has been no official confirmation that Trump will be anointed in 2024. Analysts say he will wait to see how Grassley and the other candidates he supports in Congress, local parliaments and governors. , before making his final decision.
Alexandra Voudouri
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