Eurotopics.net

Gestures of compassion and solidarity: many have been impressed by the reaction of New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to the terror attack on two mosques in Christchurch. Commentators see Ardern as a ray of hope but stress that the Arab world must also take steps against Islamophobia.

The Ukrainians will elect a new president on 31 March. Comedian Volodymyr Zelensky is leading the polls, ahead of current president Petro Poroshenko and former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko. A second round of voting seems likely. Commentators explain what challenges the new head of state will face.

Donald Trump is saying that Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report has exonerated him. It came to the conclusion that there was no criminal collusion between Trump or his election campaign team and Russian agencies. But the report is less clear on the question of whether the president obstructed justice. Journalists examine the consequences for the US election campaign and politics in Moscow.

Italy wants to be the first G-7 state to take part in Beijing's "New Silk Road" project. The two sides signed a corresponding memorandum of understanding on Saturday in Rome. Commentators criticise the Italian government for the move, but also point out that others will call the shots on future relations between China and the EU anyway.