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EU should not demonize Orban's peace efforts
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12 Jul 2024, 23:01
Photo: Agencies
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban went on a shuttle diplomacy, visiting Kyiv, Moscow, Beijing and Washington after his country assumed the six-month rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union on July 1.
But his bid to bring an end to the nearly two-and-a-half-year-old Russia-Ukraine conflict by persuading the two sides to agree to a cease-fire, and hold talks to resolve their differences has evoked a hysterical response from the leaders of the European Union and its member states.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on July 5 that "appeasement will not stop Putin" in response to Orban's visit to Moscow. And while Euronews ran an article on Tuesday suggesting that Orban, as leader of EU member state Hungary, should face the consequences for his shuttle diplomacy while Politico.eu ran an article on the same day titled "Viktor Orban goes rogue".
Attacks against Orban's government are nothing new, but the furious response of the EU leaders against Orban's shuttle diplomacy is shocking. Sadly, far more EU leaders lashed out at Orban over the past weeks than condemned Israel's relentless attacks on the Gaza Strip in the last nine months.
The fact that Orban is one of the few EU leaders who can reach out to all sides makes him an ideal candidate for trying to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict. His efforts should be welcome, especially because the United States and NATO have been prolonging the conflict, which could result in more deaths and destruction and risks spreading the war in other regions.
When I asked European Commission spokesman Eric Mamer on Tuesday why the EU is averse to Orban trying to mediate peace between Moscow and Kyiv, he recycled the same answer that the EU has been giving for the past two years: "There is a very simple way to end the conflict … and it is for Russia to stop the war".
This is a very simplistic answer to a very complex issue, and it will not work. Russia has for years been voicing its opposition to NATO's eastward expansion. However, the US and NATO leaders refused to address Russia's concern in their reply letters to Moscow in January 2022. Worse, US President Joe Biden, in a recent interview with ABC, bragged about NATO's expansion.
NATO leaders meeting for their summit in Washington this week reiterated their strategy of supporting and arming Ukraine. Yet they know well that the differences between Russia and Ukraine can be resolved only through dialogue and diplomacy, not on the battlefield.
Perhaps that's why Orban bluntly told German newspaper Bild and TV news channel Welt that "China has a peace plan. America has a war policy. Europe is just copying the American position instead of having its own strategic approach".
Due to its dependence on the US for security, the EU is no longer talking about strategic autonomy, which French President Emmanuel Macron and EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell often stressed a few years ago.
With Ursula von der Leyen likely assuming her second term and Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, a Russia hawk, expected to replace Borrell, there is little hope of the EU pursuing diplomacy to help end the conflict. Which is tragic, because Europe has been and will continue to bear the brunt of the escalating hostilities while the US military-industrial complex reaps the profits of the conflict, a fact acknowledged by senior US officials.
A survey released by New York-based Institute for Global Affairs in June showed that 94 percent of the people in the US and 88 percent in Western Europe want NATO member states to pursue a negotiated settlement to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict, with many people from the US and Western Europe citing the huge loss of lives as the primary reason for seeking a negotiated end to the conflict.
This shows how disconnected US, NATO and EU leaders are from their people and why Orban should be encouraged to continue his peace efforts.
The author is chief of China Daily EU Bureau based in Brussels.
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Ukraine updates: 'Massive drone attack' hits Russian airbase
The governor of the western Russian region of Lipetsk has ordered evacuations after explosions were reported at a nearby airbase. Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces continue operations in Kursk.
Death toll from Russian strike on Donetsk supermarket rises further
The number of dead following a Russian strike on a Ukrainian supermarket in the eastern Donetsk region continues to rise.
"Ten were killed and 35 others were wounded," Ukrainian Interior Minister Igor Klymenko wrote on Telegram, referring to the deadly attack in the town of Kostyantynivka.
The Telegram post showed firefighters responding to the emergency. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy earlier said some victims were stuck under the rubble.
Zelenskyy on supermarket attack: 'There are people under the rubble'
Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelenskyy commented on a Russian attack on a supermarket in the eastern Donetsk region.
"Kostyantynivka, Donetsk region. Russian terrorists hit an ordinary supermarket and a post office," Zelenskyy wrote in a post on X. "A rescue operation is underway, and everything will be done to save them."
Zelenskyy said four people have been killed in the attack and at least 24 have been wounded.
The Ukrainian leader pledged that Russia would be held accountable for the attack.
Russia bringing in more troops to Kursk
The Russian Defense Ministry said it is moving more forces and arms into Kursk, where Ukrainian troops crossed the border and have been pushing into Russian territory.
Russia is bringing reinforcements with "BM-21 Grad multiple rocket launchers, towed artillery guns, tanks transported on trawls, heavy tracked vehicles, Ural and Samaz trucks" into the Sudzhansky District of Kursk, Russian state media reported.
The Ukrainian incursion appeared to catch Russian forces off guard.
A Russian attack on a supermarket in the eastern Ukrainian town of Kostiantynivka killed two people and wounded 17 others, Donetsk Governor Vadym Filashkin said on Telegram, while adding that rescue operations are ongoing.
"Russians shelled the town with cannon artillery and hit a supermarket. This is another targeted attack on a crowded place, another act of terror by the Russians," Fishkin said.
The Donetsk region is at the frontline of the fighting between Ukraine and Russia.
UK military analyst: Much of Kursk 'effectively undefended' amid Ukrainian incursion
DW spoke to UK military analyst Frank Ledwidge regarding Ukrainian incursions into the Kursk region and a Ukrainian drone attack on an air base in Russia's Lipetsk region.
In regards to the Ukraine incursions into Kursk, Ledwidge said the "Ukrainians are taking as much land as they possibly can," adding that while they may not be able to keep control of all the land they capture, they could hold onto some of it.
"Over the next few weeks we will see counterattacks from the Russians and this will be a major combat zone I suspect," Ledwidge said.
"Right now they are doing well," Ledwidge said of Ukrainian efforts in Kursk, because "much of that land is effectively undefended."
Ledwidge said the Kursk region is very important for gas supplies, as it is a conduit into Ukraine.
As for Lipetsk, he said it is home "to the main training base of the Russian aerospace forces." For to this reason, he said Ukraine views Lipetsk as a valid military target.
Russia says it is still fighting Ukrainian incursion into Kursk
The Russian Defense Ministry said its forces are still fighting back against a Ukrainian incursion into the Kursk region for a fourth.
Russian forces "continue to repel an attempted incursion by the Ukrainian armed forces into the territory of the Russian Federation," the Defense Ministry said in a statement. Russia said it has killed Ukrainian troops in villages near the border as fighting persists.
Videos circulated on social media show damaged Russian military vehicles in the Kursk region. Reuters news agency said the location depicted in the footage was the village of Oktyabrskoye.
Ukraine confirms attack on Russian airfield
Ukraine's army confirmed it hit a Russian airfield in the Lipetsk region in an overnight strike that destroyed ammunition warehouses.
"Last night, the Ukrainian Defence Forces attacked the Lipetsk airfield," Ukraine's General Staff said in a post on Telegram, adding it had struck "warehouses with guided aerial bombs and several other facilities."
"Several sources of ignition were recorded, a large fire broke out and multiple detonations were observed," the post said.
It added that Russian Su-34, Su-35, and MiG-31 aircraft were based at the airfield.
Earlier, Russia declared an emergency and ordered evacuations in the region after reporting a "massive" drone strike.
Moscow 'trying to downplay' major Ukrainian advances in Kursk — DW correspondent
DW's correspondent in Ukraine, Nick Connolly, said that Kyiv was remaining "tight-lipped" about its ongoing operations in Kursk.
At the same time, "the Russian governmental side is trying to downplay most of what's going on."
"A few days ago we were speaking about Ukrainian troops being 10, 15 kilometers into Russian territory from the border, now there've been reports and geolocated images of Ukrainian military groups as far as 30 kilometers into Russian territory," Connelly said.
There are reports the Ukrainians are trying to get to the Kursk nuclear power station, which would be very difficult for the Russians to dislodge them from if they can get there, Conolly said.
"It does seem that they have caught the Russians off guard… that it's been pretty easy to get past those Russian defenses, basically driving around them."
Connolly stressed that Ukrainian forces had managed to pull off a pretty successful campaign, even with limited resources, in a move likely to rattle the Kremlin.
"With a relatively limited investment of people and resources they have achieved a lot, definitely politically, they've shown [Russian President] Vladimir Putin up, they’ve shown ordinary Russians that he's unable to secure the border."
He speculated that this success could result in a land swap, with Ukraine gaining some of its occupied territory back.
Connolly said that permission from Western powers to use the weapons they supplied inside Russian territory had been a "game changer" for the Ukrainian military.
Half of Germans fear escalation over US deployment of long-range missiles — survey
Every second German fears that Russia's war in Ukraine will expand if the United States deploys long-range missiles in Germany, news agency DPA reported, citing a recent survey.
In July, Washington and Berlin agreed that US Tomahawk cruise missiles — which could reach deep into Russia, SM-6 air-defense missiles, and the newly developed hypersonic weapons would be stationed in Germany from 2026.
The survey conducted by opinion research institute Civey, on behalf of the Funke Media Group newspapers, revealed that 50% of respondents believed this would lead to an escalation. Another 38% did not believe so while the remaining 12% were undecided.
Nearly half, 47%, of the respondents also expect the deployment to act as a deterrent to Russia while 45% were more skeptical.
Ukraine says it downed 27 Russian drones overnight
Ukraine's air defense systems destroyed 27 drones by Russia overnight, the country's chief of air force said.
Russian forces launched an attack on Ukraine with 27 Shahed unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) from the Primorsko-Akhtarsk region, commander Lieutenant General Mykola Oleshchuk said in a post on Telegram.
"As a result of the anti-air combat, all enemy drones were shot down by mobile fire groups of the Ukrainian Defence Forces, anti-aircraft missile units, and Air Force REB assets in the Kyiv, Poltava, Sumy, Mykolaiv, Kherson, Donetsk, and Dnipropetrovsk regions," he wrote.
Russia's Lipetsk evacuated after 'massive' drone strike
A Russian airbase outside the town of Lipetsk was on fire on Friday morning after authorities reported a "massive attack."
Regional Governor Igor Artamonov said on Telegram that four villages were being evacuated after declaring a state of emergency. Lipetsk city is around 330 kilometers (210 miles) from the Ukrainian border.
The governor first rejected calls on social media for people to leave the area, saying they were "spread by the enemy in order to sow panic."
However, he quickly changed course, issuing evacuation orders for the four villages on the outskirts of Lipetsk city.
"To eliminate the consequences of the detonation of explosive objects, a state of emergency is introduced in Lipetsk municipal district," he said. "Temporary accommodation points and transport are being prepared."
Artamonov later said that the threat level had been lifted, but that at least six people had been killed according to preliminary reports and that explosions had damaged power facilities.
The Russian Defense Ministry said that 75 Ukrainian drones, across various regions including Lipetsk, had been shot down overnight. It was not immediately clear how many drones got through.
Friday's strike comes as Ukrainian forces continue their offensive inside the Russian Kursk province, albeit without direct acknowledgment from Kyiv.
Third suspect arrested in Vienna in Taylor Swift terror plot
A third suspect has been arrested in Vienna over a plot to attack a Taylor Swift concert, Austria's interior minister said on Friday.
The announcement that another teenager was in custody came a day after two arrests had been made in connection with the threat that prompted organizers to cancel a trio of concerts planned for the Austrian capital.
The suspect allegedly swore allegiance to IS
Interior Minister Gerhard Karner said that the latest arrest concerned an 18-year-old. The main suspect was 19, and a 17-year-old has also been detained.
Karner said that the main suspect and the man arrested on Friday had sworn "oaths of allegiance" to the "Islamic State" (IS) terror group.
"He had been in contact with the main perpetrator, but is not directly connected to the attack plans," Karner told the Associated Press. "But, as was found out a few days ago, he took an oath of allegiance specifically to the IS on August 6."
The main perpetrator was also found to have researched bomb-making online and read materials relating to the al-Qaeda terrorist network.
Officials said he had confessed to planning the attack beginning in July and had wanted to "kill as many people as possible outside the concert venue" with explosives and knives.
UK will go ahead with Swift concerts
The cancellation of three shows for Swift's highly lucrative "Eras" tour prompted major disappointment in Vienna.
"I understand very well that those who wanted to experience the concert live are very sad," Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer told reporters Thursday.
"Moms and dads are looking after their daughters and sons, who were full of enthusiasm and anticipation for this concert. But it's also important that in such serious moments as now, it's inevitable that safety comes first."
London Mayor Sadiq Khan said that there is no plan to cancel Swift's upcoming concerts in the UK, though the country has not forgotten a 2017 attack on an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester that left 22 people dead.
Recent Swift concerts in Germany drew massive crowds but also saw the arrest of an alleged stalker of the US pop star.
Nigeria: Police increase presence on 10th day of protests
Thousands of Nigerians have taken to the streets to express frustration over the high cost of living. Protests turned violent last Thursday, with 22 deaths recorded, according to local media.
Nigerians took to the streets for the tenth and final day of protests on Saturday, Nigerian media reported.
Thousands of people have been demonstrating to express frustration over the high cost of living, with protests turning violent last Thursday.
What do we know about the protests on Saturday?
Hundreds of police officers and security personnel were deployed in major cities across Nigeria, the country's Punch daily newspaper reported. It said that police were seen at major bus stops in the country's most populous city, Lagos.
It said that while protests appeared to be dying down in parts of the country, "momentum was sustained" in the northern states of Kano, Kaduna and Bauchi and in the southern state of Rivers.
The government of the southwestern state of Lagos hailed protesters for staying home.
"Your stoppage of the protest today is a crystal clear affirmation of the fact that you know your collective voice has been heard by the government," Lagos state Information Commissioner Gbenga Omotoso was cited by the Nigerian daily newspaper The Guardian as saying.
Meanwhile, Punch reported that organizers threatened to lock down the country as part of a "One Million Man March" planned for Saturday.
Why are people protesting?
Nigeria has been suffering a cost-of-living crisis amid skyrocketing inflation — which reached its highest point in 28 years — and stagnating wages. The protests come after major strikes were able to win some meager gains for the minimum wage.
Protesters have been demanding that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu reduce fuel prices that also shot up after he implemented a partial end to petrol and electricity subsidies, as well as devaluing the local currency.
Security forces have been accused of using excessive force against protesters.
According to the Nigerian newspaper The Guardian, 22 deaths have been recorded and 175 people have been injured in the protests. Police have made 1,154 arrests in connection with demonstrations, the newspaper said.
On Sunday, Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu urged demonstrators to stop protesting and "create room for dialogue."
Ukraine updates: Kyiv blames Moscow for Zaporizhzhia fire
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia started a fire at the nuclear power plant. Moscow said the site had been hit by a Ukrainian drone.
Berlin was not informed of the Kursk operation, the spokesperson says
The German government appeared to be unaware of the details of Ukraine's recent incursion into the Russian region of Kursk, according to comments from a government spokesperson.
"There is contradictory and sometimes intentionally falsified information about the operation that was prepared apparently in great secrecy," Wolfgang Büchner said from Berlin.
"So far it looks like a spatially limited deployment."
The government spokesperson said that the military situation was still in flux "so it would be unclever now to comment publicly on this basis."
He also refused to comment on the reports that German weapons had been used in the recent operation inside of Russia.
Ukrainian deputy energy minister arrested on corruption charges
The Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine said law enforcement officers had detained one of the four deputy energy ministers following a corruption investigation.
The minister, along with several others, was suspected of having organized a plan to smuggle out mining equipment from a state-owned company located in a combat zone in Donetsk.
The group had demanded a bribe of $500,000 (€458,000) to allow the removal of the equipment to go ahead, according to the prosecutors.
They were detained while allegedly receiving a tranche of $100,000.
Rheinmetall to provide tanks for Czech-Ukrainian arms deal
The German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall announced on Monday that it would be providing the Czech Republic with new tanks as part of a deal that will see Prague deliver equipment to Ukrainian forces.
The Czech army will receive 14 Leopard 2A4 main battle tanks and one armored recovery vehicle from the German company. In turn, it will send unspecified military equipment to Ukraine to support its defense against the Russian invasion.
Rheinmetall said the first tank would arrive in the Czech Republic at the end of 2024 with the rest coming in April 2025. The deal, which was signed by German and Czech representatives at the end of July, had a value in the low hundreds of millions of euros, the company said.
Rheinmetall was involved in a similar deal with the Czech Republic in October 2022.
Various former members of the Eastern Bloc that are now part of NATO have delivered old Soviet-era equipment to Ukraine as they require no extra training. In exchange, they have received some of the most cutting-edge military equipment available in Western Europe.
Russia issues evacuation orders in Belgorod
Russian authorities have ordered fresh evacuations in the region of Belgorod, bordering Ukraine.
The decision follows "activity" by Ukrainian forces in the area, regional Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said.
Gladkov said evacuations had begun from the Krasnaya Yaruga district due to "enemy activity on the border" that was a "threat."
"I am sure that our servicemen will do everything to cope with the threat that has arisen," he added. "We are starting to move people who live in the Krasnaya Yaruga district to safer places."
Ukrainian soldiers crossed into Russia's Kursk region last week, apparently catching Russian forces off guard. Moscow has responded by sending more troops and equipment and imposing strict security measures in the border regions of Kursk, Belgorod, and Bryansk.
Moscow and Kyiv trade blame over Zaporizhzhia fire
Russia and Ukraine were holding each other responsible for the fire that broke out at Europe's largest nuclear power plant on Sunday.
Moscow, whose forces are occupying the Zaporizhzhia plant, said that a drone attack had hit one of the cooling towers, Russian state news agency RIA reported without providing evidence.
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Kyiv had intentionally targeted the site in an attempt to sow "nuclear terror." The incident comes days after Ukrainian forces led an incursion into Russia's Kursk region, with troops advancing towards one of its largest nuclear plants.
However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the Russians were to blame, without providing further details, or evidence. Ukraine's Energoatom said Russian "negligence" or arson may have been responsible.
"Currently, the radiation indicators are normal. But as long as Russian terrorists retain control over the nuclear plant, the situation is not and cannot be normal," he said.
The fire broke out around 8 p.m. local time (1700 GMT) on Sunday. Russia's nuclear energy company Rosatom said it had been extinguished by midnight.
Energoatom said a cooling plant and other equipment had been damaged, but the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported no impact on nuclear safety at the site.
Nevertheless, IAEA chief Rafael Grossi demanded "immediate access" to the site to assess the situation and condemned "these reckless attacks [which] endanger nuclear safety at the plant and increase the risk of a nuclear accident."
Denmark's statement on current situation in Bangladesh
Denmark welcomed the appointment of the interim government of Bangladesh under the leadership of Nobel laureate Professor Dr. Muhammad Yunus.
Denmark also has close relations with Bangladesh for more than 50 years.
According to Dan Jørgensen, Minister of Development Cooperation and Global Climate Policy of Denmark, 'We naturally expect the development of Bangladesh. Denmark and the European Union welcome the interim government led by Nobel laureate Dr Muhammad Yunus.'
He said, 'There have been many tragic deaths in Bangladesh during the protests. Everyone's focus should be on good governance, human rights, and democracy, including its impartial investigation.'
'We are encouraging all Bangladeshi citizens to form a government through a peaceful transition with an eye towards democratic elections,' he added.
British Prime Minister congratulated Dr Yunus
The Chief Advisor of the interim government is a Nobel Prize-winning economist. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer sent a letter of warm congratulations to Dr Muhammad Yunus on Wednesday (August 14).
In the letter addressed to Dr Yunus, Keir Starmer said, 'Your leadership is very important in facing various challenges at such an important time in the history of Bangladesh.'
Regarding the bilateral relations between the two countries, the British Prime Minister said that there is a strong relationship between the two countries. The UK values this strong and enduring relationship with Bangladesh.
Expressing grief over the casualties in the anti-discrimination student movement in the letter, he said, 'As friends, we are deeply saddened by the violence and loss of life in Bangladesh in recent weeks. We acknowledge the courage of the students. Who called for a new Bangladesh through peaceful protest.'
Expressing interest in working with Dr Muhammad Yunus, Starmer again said, 'The British government wants to help you restore peace, prosperity and law and order in Bangladesh.'
First German woman set to fly into space with SpaceX
The first German woman is set to fly into space on board a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket along with four other astronauts, the private space exploration company said on Wednesday.
Rabea Rogge was introduced by SpaceX as a "robotics researcher" who studied electrical engineering and information technology at ETH Zurich. For her doctoral thesis, she transferred to the Norwegian University of Science and Technology.
The mission, called Fram2, is going to be the first human spaceflight over the Earth's poles. The company said the flight will take place "no earlier than late 2024."
No German woman has ever been to space, according to the German Aerospace Center (DLR).
Rogge said she felt incredibly honored to be selected to take part in the mission.
"I'm looking forward to being responsible for the research and getting some cool projects off the ground," she said on X.
During the multi-day flight, the team of astronauts will look at the Earth's polar regions and examine purple lights, known as "Steve" and similar to northern lights, at an altitude of 425 to 450 kilometers (264-280 miles).
SpaceX said the mission will also produce the first X-ray images of humans in space.
The upcoming mission is the latest foray by the aerospace industry into private space tourism, which has grown fast in the United States in recent years.
Wealthy bitcoin pioneer Chun Wang has booked the mission and will be taking part in it.
"From mission proposal, planning, trajectory design, to crew selection, everything has been done by the customer," Wang said in a post on X.
Next to Rogge and Wang, the other "international adventurers" are the Norwegian filmmaker Jannicke Mikkelsen and Australian polar explorer Eric Philips.
SpaceX has flown 13 manned missions in the last four years. It carries NASA astronauts to the International Space Station ISS but has also carried out several space tourism missions, including the first in 2021, named Inspiration4. That mission was financed by American billionaire Jared Isaacman.
