Eurotopics.net

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has signed a decree giving a Ukrainian army unit the honorary title "Heroes of the UPA". However, in Poland the nationalist Ukrainska Povstanska Armiia (UPA) or Ukrainian Insurgent Army is notorious for the mass murder of civilians during WW II. Polish President Karol Nawrocki and his predecessor Lech Wałęsa are now calling for Zelensky to be stripped of the Order of the White Eagle, Poland's highest state honour, which he was awarded in 2023. Can the rift be bridged?

Germany's bid for a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council for 2027 and 2028 has failed. In the secret ballot held in the General Assembly, Portugal and Austria secured the necessary two-thirds majorities with 134 and 131 votes respectively while only 104 states voted in favour of Germany's bid, which is customarily submitted every eight years. The media examine the reasons for this defeat.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has proposed direct, face-to-face talks to end the war to Russian President Vladimir Putin. In an open letter published online he said that the meeting should take place in a neutral third country such as Switzerland, for example. President Putin has said he would agree to a deal based on his talks with US President Donald Trump in Alaska.

The far-right party Freedom and Direct Democracy (SPD), a junior partner in the Czech coalition government led by Czech parliamentary speaker Tomio Okamura, has been fined by a Prague court for displaying election posters deemed to incite hatred. The judge ruled that the posters had stirred up hatred against refugees. Commentators debate the pros and cons of the judgement.

The French-Iranian artist Marjane Satrapi has died in Paris at the age of 56. She gained global renown for her autobiographical graphic novel Persepolis. In 2025 she was offered France's highest award, the Legion of Honour, but refused it. Satrapi was highly critical of France's refusal to grant visas to young Iranian dissidents and artists. The press pays tribute to the artist and her work.