Every Monday, the Research Trainees of the CERESE assess the news of the previous week. You can read their opinions below:

I like the German Chancellor’s, Olaf Scholz, announcement about approving the supply of Leopard 2 battle tanks to Ukraine. Germany announced that on one hand it will send Leopard 2 battle tanks to Ukraine and on the other hand it will allow ally countries which possess the same tanks, such as Poland, to send theirs too. The news came some days after the US announced that they will support Ukraine’s effort against Russia with Abrams battle tanks. It is expected that Ukrainian forces would be able to tackle more efficiently the Russian aggression with those armaments in the months to come.

I like the news that Petr Pavel is leading in the Czech national elections. More specifically, Pavel has a commanding lead as the candidate of the liberal democratic alliance. His programme supports Czech membership of NATO and the European Union, as well as other progressive policies, such as same-sex marriage. This piece of news is positive considering that in recent years the EU has suffered many setbacks in terms of cohesion and faith in its values, and has also seen the emergence of many far-right parties.

I dislike the news that the historical center of Odessa is now in danger status according to UNESCO. The above constitutes one more of the losses and effects of the Russian-Ukrainian war. The latter has been threatening Odessa’s cultural heritage for the eleven months the fighting has lasted, with Russia having bombed the city several times. One example is the partial destruction of the large glass roof and the windows of the Odessa Museum of Fine Arts last July. Nevertheless, these developments allow access to financial and technical assistance.

I dislike the diplomatic dispute triggered by the South Korean President. More specifically, President Yoon Suk-yeol described Iran as the “enemy” of the United Arab Emirates and a threat comparable to North Korea. Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister on Legal Affairs accused Seoul of pursuing an unfriendly approach towards Tehran and noted the issue of the Iranian funds frozen in South Korean banks due to US sanctions. Previously, the two countries had trade relations thanks to the Korean dependence on crude oil but the tension grew after the US sanctions and especially after Iran held a South Korean oil tanker for months in 2021 amid the dispute.