Eurotopics.net

The banned Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) has announced that it is disbanding. The move follows a call at the end of February by its imprisoned leader Abdullah Öcalan to lay down its arms. According to the Kurdish news agency ANF, the decision was made a week ago at a party congress in northern Iraq. A look at Europe's press shows why this news is provoking concern as well as relief.

China and the US have agreed to significantly reduce their mutual tariffs in their escalating trade dispute. Following consultations between the two sides in Geneva, US tariffs on Chinese imports will drop to 30 percent and Beijing's levies on US imports will drop to 10 percent as of Wednesday. Prior to the deal the tariffs had been raised to 145 and 125 percent respectively. The new arrangement will initially apply for 90 days. The media weigh in.

In the Romanian presidential run-off election on Sunday, the non-affiliated mayor of Bucharest, Nicușor Dan, is running as an independent candidate against George Simion from the ultra-right AUR party. Simion scored a clear victory in the first round of the election, securing 40 percent of the vote. Tensions are running high in the commentary sections.

Russia's President Putin has ignored calls for an immediate 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine from France, Germany, the UK, Poland and the US and instead proposed direct negotiations between Ukraine and Russia. President Zelensky promptly replied from Kyiv that he was expecting to meet Putin in person in Turkey on Thursday. Europe's press takes stock.