Eurotopics.net

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is meeting with the leaders of key European countries to try to convince them to take the backstop out of the Brexit deal. On Wednesday Angela Merkel signalled Berlin's willingness to talk about the idea. EU Council President Donald Tusk had, however, responded negatively to a letter from Johnson demanding alternatives to the backstop. Commentators are just as divided as politicians on the issue.

Following the resignation of Italy's Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte there are signs of a coalition being formed between the Democratic party (PD) and their former rival Cinque Stelle. The PD has already set out its terms. Commentators, however, see little prospect of success for such an alliance.

Athens has refused to allow the Iranian supertanker Adrian Darya 1 to enter Greek ports. The ship left Gibraltar on Monday after being detained there for six weeks. The US government suspects the tanker is heading for Syria and has warned Mediterranean countries against supporting Iran. Greece's press explains why Athens had no choice but to turn the vessel away.

French President Emmanuel Macron received Vladimir Putin at his summer residence on Monday. During the meeting he made the case for a new European security architecture into which Russia would be integrated. He also expressed his desire for a revival of the Normandy format after the elections in Ukraine. Commentators ask whether the meeting could mark a turning point.

The Czech Republic this week commemorates the crushing of the Prague Spring by Warsaw Pact troops on 21 August 1968. At the same time it remembers the events of 21 August 1969, when demonstrations marking the first anniversary of the suppression were also quashed, this time by Czechoslovakian police and militias. Czech media take the view that these events still haven't been properly processed by the people.