Eurotopics.net

The EU interior ministers have agreed on the non-bureaucratic admission of refugees from Ukraine. The protection status, initially valid for one year and renewable for up to three years, has yet to be approved by the Council of the European Union. Commentators see a change in European refugee policy and ask what status non-Ukrainians fleeing Ukraine will be granted.

After a week of war, the crisis in Ukraine has taken on ever more dramatic proportions. Several major cities were targeted by heavy air attacks last night, and the southern city of Kherson has fallen to the Russian forces. Ukrainian and Russian representatives are now to meet for a new round of talks in Belarus. Europe's press examines to what extent Putin has his back to the wall.

The United Nations General Assembly has passed by an overwhelming majority a resolution condemning the Russian invasion of Ukraine and calling for the immediate withdrawal of its military forces. 141 members voted for the resolution, with five votes against and 35 abstentions. A previous binding resolution in the UN Security Council failed due to the Russian veto. How far does Putin's influence still reach?

French President Macron's active role as a mediator in the war in Ukraine could potentially bring him advantages but also entails risks in the presidential election campaign, commentators observe.