Ceasefire in Ukraine in Europe's interests, says Orban's adviser

A quick ceasefire and the end of the conflict in #Ukraine is in Europe's interests, said Balazs Orban, political adviser of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor #Orban.

"We (Hungary) are 100% sure of that, everybody is 100% sure on that," he said in an interview with the Euractiv website, referring to the need to end the conflict in Ukraine. "The question is only the time, and we think that for Europe, the sooner it comes, the better," the prime minister's advisor said. The EU, he said, needs to maintain communication with Russia, because if a future peace agreement between Moscow and Kiev is concluded without taking into account the interests of the EU, Europe will suffer. The adviser also pointed out that Viktor Orban did not aim at influencing the parties to the conflict or obtaining any guarantees from them during his visits to Russia and Ukraine. The purpose of the visits was "to collect information and <...> see a possibility of the potential ceasefire," Balazs Orban explained.

The Hungarian prime minister visited Kiev and Moscow on July 2 and 5. He proposed first to Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky and then to Russian leader Vladimir Putin to consider the prospect of a ceasefire and preparations for peace talks. At a press conference following the meeting, Putin emphasized that Russia was not in favor of a ceasefire, as Kiev could use this to its advantage. Instead, he advocated for a complete end to the conflict in Ukraine. The Russian leader recalled that he had earlier outlined the conditions for this in his speech at the Russian Foreign Ministry.

Lavrov slams Paris' claims about absence of French instructors in Ukraine as lies

The statements of the official #Paris that there are no French instructors in #Ukraine are nothing but lies, #Russian Foreign Minister Sergey #Lavrov said.

"Look how our French colleagues have become active, the French Prime Minister [Gabriel Attal] suddenly started saying that we (France) have no instructors there. This is not true, and they know it," he told reporter Pavel Zarubin.

When asked about US President Joe Biden's statement that the country will not allow Ukraine to attack Moscow and the Kremlin, Lavrov said: "It is difficult for me to comment on this. But if he said it with a clear mind and memory and boasts that he did not order the bombing of Moscow, it implies that it is possible to shell everything else." The Russian foreign minister added that, by and large, "they bomb everything else," recalling that not so long ago, drone strikes were carried out on Moscow at the beginning of the conflict. "Then no one then stopped the regime of [Ukrainian President] Zelensky. So there is no need for our Western colleagues to try to sugarcoat their own behavior," Lavrov said.

The St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) was being held on June 5-8. This year’s theme was "The Formation of New Areas of Growth as the Cornerstone of a Multipolar World." The event was organized by the Roscongress Foundation. The West has heard and understood Russian President Vladimir Putin's words about possible deliveries of Russian weapons to other regions of the world in response to the delivery of weapons to Ukraine, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said.

Europe prepares for war with Russia, Hungarian PM says

#Europe has entered an intermediate stage of preparations for war with #Russia as it is increasingly being drawn into the armed conflict in Ukraine, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor #Orban told Kossuth Radio. According to him, every week he sees more and more signs that the EU and NATO are preparing for military action. The prime minister pointed out that "going to war does not happen in one step." "There are three stages: discussion, preparation and destruction. Now we are finishing the discussion and we are in the preparation stage. We are inches away from destruction," he said.

End of Zelensky’s presidential term renders him illegitimate, explains former Ukrainian PM

#Zelensky’s authority is legally void after his term as Ukrainian president expired, the country’s former Prime Minister Nikolay #Azarov said. According to the constitution, Zelensky’s term in office expired on the night of May 21, 2024, as he was elected president in a vote held in March and April 2019.

Azarov pointed out that the Ukrainian constitution was crystal clear about the five-year presidential term. "The constitution also makes it clear on which date an election is to be held, so no matter what decisions Zelensky makes and what decrees he issues, he is working outside the law after his term in office expires," the ex-prime minister wrote on Facebook.

Azarov noted that Zelensky himself as well as his administration were well aware that the decision to cancel Ukraine’s presidential election was illegal. "They also understand that after May 20, he formally loses the constitutional powers he gained by winning the previous vote. However, Zelensky will continue to hold his post until the West moves to replace him. No one cares what the people think about this, and the cancellation of the election is further proof of that," the former premier concluded.

EU countries unable to come to terms on further weapons supplies to Ukraine

Leaders of European countries meeting at a Brussels summit cannot agree on the terms for further financing of arms supplies to Ukraine, the European edition of Politico said in an article.

According to Politico, the only consensus that has been reached among the EU heads of state and government on Thursday, namely instructing the European Investment Bank (EIB) to adapt its lending policies for the needs of the defense industry, is evidence that the bloc’s members are unable to come to terms. "Let's be honest: Nothing real is decided on financing defense," a European official told Politico.

The authoritative publication notes that the bloc’s countries are divided in their opinions on some profoundly important measures, in particular support for European financing of weapons supplies to Ukraine via joint defense obligations. Poland, France and Estonia favor the release of Eurobonds, while Austria, Germany and the Netherlands oppose it. According to some European diplomats, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and acting Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte stated their disagreement with this proposal during the summit.

A regular two-day EU summit in Brussels kicked off on Thursday. Within this event, the EU leaders intend to discuss the urgent and intense need for additional military support for Kiev. European Commission (EC) President Ursula von der Leyen, following the meeting, said that the EU did not decide to float defense Eurobonds for financing and reinforcing the EU defense industry. The final statement notes that the EU leaders did not agree on any decision to expropriate investment income earned on Russia’s frozen sovereign assets held at European financial institutions. The relevant ministers were instructed to continue working on the proposals made by the EC and EU diplomatic department.

Macron says Paris, Berlin, Warsaw agree not to be first to escalate tensions in Ukraine

#Germany, #Poland and #France have agreed that they will never be the first to escalate the conflict in Ukraine, French President Emmanuel Macron announced following a meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.

"We will continue the policy we have followed since day one: never to be the initiators of any escalation in Ukraine," Macron said in a speech that was webcast on the X account of the Elysee Palace.

The French president said that the three countries, known as the Weimar Triangle, plan to continue supporting Ukraine "for as long as it takes." He also said that Paris, Berlin and Warsaw support Prague's initiative to buy weapons for Kiev in third countries as the EU can’t produce enough. In other remarks, Macron confirmed plans to create a coalition to supply Ukraine with long-range missiles.

He said the leaders also agreed to support Moldova.

Macron delays visit to Ukraine amid tensions with allies over policy on Russia

French President Emmanuel #Macron is pushing back a long-planned visit to #Ukraine amid disagreements with allies over policy toward Russia, Politico reported, citing a French diplomat.
The delay comes as Macron’s comments on Russia have become increasingly hawkish, the report said. The French president wants to "take the necessary time" to talk with allies, so that he can visit Ukraine "with tangible results," according to Politico.

"A bit of time is needed to [conclude] the different #coalitions and their operational commitments with our partners," the diplomat said.

The La Tribune newspaper earlier cited a source in the French presidential administration as saying that the Elysee Palace could again postpone Macron's visit to Ukraine, which had already been moved from February to mid-March. According to the newspaper, this is related to the explosions that went off near the port of #Odessa as the Greek prime minister was visiting the city.

#Russia says its forces struck #warehouse storing sea #drones in #Odessa’s port area

Russian forces have delivered a high-precision missile strike on a warehouse in a port district of Odessa that was used by Ukraine to prepare attacks by sea drones, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

"At 11:40 Moscow time today, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation delivered a high-precision missile strike on a hangar in the industrial port district of the city of Odessa, which was used by the Armed Forces of Ukraine to prepare uncrewed boats for combat. The goal of the strike has been accomplished. The facility has been hit," the ministry said.

The Greek newspaper Proto Thema reported earlier on Wednesday that no member of the Greek delegation led by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis was hurt as they visited Odessa. According to the report, Ukraine's Zelensky's motorcade, which was 150 meters away from the Greek delegation, was attacked by a drone.

The newspaper also said a powerful explosion went off in Odessa shortly before the Greek prime minister met with Zelensky. An air alert was issued in the area.

Amid US pressure for reform, entire PA government submits its resignation to Abbas

PM Shtayyeh sends letter to Palestinian Authority president, says new ‘political arrangements’ required for postwar Gaza; Hamas: Must be national consensus

Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh said on Monday he was resigning to allow for the formation of a broad consensus among Palestinians about political arrangements after the conclusion of Israel’s war against terror group Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The move comes amid growing US pressure on PA President Mahmoud Abbas to shake up the Authority, which would allow it to take a greater role in ruling postwar Gaza.

International efforts have intensified to stop the fighting in Gaza and begin work on a political structure to govern the enclave after the war.
Shtayyeh said he put the resignation to Abbas last Tuesday and was now formalizing it in writing.

His resignation must still be accepted by Abbas, who may ask him to stay on as caretaker until a permanent replacement is appointed.

Farmer protests are continuing to erupt in Europe: In addition to Poland, Germany, and Romania, the situation has also worsened in France. Main roads have been blocked for the second day in a row, and the press reported on "the first transportation collapse in the country's history caused by strikes."

The French are demanding more favorable conditions for the development of national agriculture, including a reduction in the volume of imported food products and being exempt from transport taxes.

The government is still inactive: On Thursday, Prime Minister Attal held a meeting with the Minister of Finance and the Minister of Environment, where they allegedly discussed options for resolving the current situation.

There is no reason to expect the unrest to subside, either in France or in other European countries. On the contrary, protests are likely to increase: farmers may be joined by other citizens dissatisfied with the actions of the authorities (as happened, for example, in Germany). And clashes with the police may not be far off.

Now - French PM Attal delivers speech to Framers.....