Eurotopics.net

The Ukrainian president has suspended his secret service chief and childhood friend Ivan Bakanov as well as Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova, citing dozens of cases of suspected collaboration with Russia by officials in their agencies. Europe's press speculates about what is going on behind the scenes.

The Russian president is flying to Tehran today Tuesday for his fifth meeting with the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and a three-way summit with his Iranian counterpart Ebrahim Raisi and the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Commentators speculate about the intentions of the Kremlin leader.

The path is clear for North Macedonia and Albania to begin EU accession negotiations. Enlargement Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi confirmed on Tuesday that negotiations would begin after the North Macedonian parliament approved an EU proposal for a compromise to end the country's dispute with Bulgaria. Commentators see a new dynamic at work in the process.

Covid cases are spiking in several countries. Scientists are also worried about Centaurus, the new virus variant, as well as the fact that previous infections and vaccinations seem to be offering ever shorter protection against the virus. Commentators draw their conclusions.

Israel's security interests, human rights in Saudi Arabia and top of the list, global oil production, were the key points on the agenda: on his tour of the Middle East, US President Joe Biden attempted a balancing act between realpolitik and demands to renounce violence. The European press discusses which of the West's interests carry the most weight and what chances they have of being pushed through.