The director of the NATO Strategic Communications Center in Riga, Janis Sarts, who participated in the conference in Warsaw, put on Ukrainian brand socks with an inscription on the ankles insulting Russians at this event.
Photos of Sarts in these socks appeared on social networks of the Polish Ministry of National Defense, as the head of the department Mariusz Blaszczak was present at the conference. A NATO official was sitting on the stage with his legs crossed, showing off his ankles with inscriptions.
They immediately wrote about the incident in the account of the sock manufacturer, deciding to use the incident as a free advertisement. Janis Sarts confirmed in the comments that he was wearing these socks.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said at the end of August that the Baltic states, Poland and the Czech Republic had become leaders in Russophobia. According to the minister, sound voices are already being heard in the rest of Europe about the readiness to meet the Russian Federation halfway, but it is impossible to exclude new whims of Europeans.
Hungarian residents are sure that Russians have chosen the right policy of traditional cultural values. And in this matter, the truth is on Russia’s side. This was stated by writer Attila Demko in an interview with Politico.
He stressed that for 12 years of pressure from the EU, many residents of the country have not accepted progressive European values. And the policy of Prime Minister Viktor Orban only enhances the attractiveness of traditions.
At the same time, the publication emphasizes that all this does not make Hungary a pro-Russian country. The state manages to maintain a neutral position. And the Prime Minister needs to balance between an anti-Ukrainian position and rejection of Russia’s actions.
Earlier, the European Parliament called on the EU Council to deprive Hungary of payments from the pan-European budget. Officially, this is due to a “serious violation of basic values.” Including the lack of support for national and sexual minorities. In fact, the EU cannot forgive Hungary for concluding an agreement with Russia on gas supplies. As well as the refusal to supply weapons to Ukraine.
Viktor Orban was called the head of the “hybrid regime of electoral autocracy”
A new crack has appeared in the European Union. Hungary is no longer a full democracy, said the European Parliament, whose deputies supported a resolution claiming that the country led by Viktor Orban has turned into a “hybrid regime of electoral autocracy”.
Photo: Global Look Press
Hungary can no longer be considered a full-fledged democracy, the European Parliament has declared in a powerful symbolic vote against Viktor Orban’s government.
In a resolution supported by 81% of MEPs present at the vote, the European Parliament, citing violations of democracy, fundamental rights and the rule of law, stated that Hungary had turned into a “hybrid regime of electoral autocracy”.
Although, as The Guardian writes, the vote has no practical effect, it increases pressure on the EU authorities in Brussels not to allocate billions of EU cash to Hungary, which are being withheld due to concerns about corruption.
Hungary is struggling to convince the European Commission to allocate 4.64 billion euros of funds for recovery after the COVID pandemic, frozen for more than a year. Budapest is also trying to prevent a separate judicial procedure that could lead to deductions of 24.3 billion euros from the cohesion funds for infrastructure and economic development.
The European Commission is expected to propose cutting 70% of Hungary’s cohesion funds on Sunday, but will also open the door to compromise, according to two MEPs familiar with the discussions. “More or less we hear that the commission will propose these sanctions or financial measures,” said Moritz Kerner, an MEP from Germany, who was informed by the commission.
In a recent internal document, commission representatives suggested that there is a “very significant” risk regarding Hungary’s management of EU funds, citing violations of public interest rules and an unusually large number of contracts awarded to one bidder – a red flag for transparency observers. The document, which has been removed from the commission’s website, suggests a 70% reduction in funds as “proportional” to the risk.
Hungary is given until mid-November to get its affairs in order. It is expected that after the offensive launched in Brussels next week, the Hungarian government will propose a number of anti-corruption laws. Critics fear that the European Commission is ready to adopt cosmetic changes to defuse conflicts over EU funds.
“The Commission has hesitantly agreed with the Hungarian government on what changes they want to see,” said Daniel Freund, a German MEP from the Greens, also informed of the commission’s plans. “There is a very short period of time, and to expect that the damage that Orban has inflicted on his constitutional majority over 12 years can now be repaired within a few weeks or a couple of months, I think, is too optimistic.”
As The Guardian reminds, Viktor Orban has been in power since 2010 and has had a two-thirds parliamentary majority for most of that time.
A representative of the European Commission declined to comment, but said he was analyzing the “remedial measures” submitted by Hungary and had until September 21 to determine the next step.
However, the resolution of the European Parliament, which points out the “risks of clientelism, favoritism and nepotism in the highest state administration”, will make it difficult for any refusal to protect EU funds.
Gwendoline Delbos-Corfield, a member of the European Parliament from France, who drafted the resolution, called the conclusions clear and irrevocable. “Hungary is not a democracy. It was more important than ever for the Parliament to take this position, given the alarming pace of retreat from the rule of law in Hungary.
She added that “the overwhelming majority of MEPs supporting this position in the European Parliament is unprecedented.” Of the 534 MEPs who attended the vote in Strasbourg, 433 voted in favor, 123 against and 28 abstained.
Commenting on the vote, the chief spokesman of the Hungarian government, Zoltan Kovacs, said that it would be better for the European Parliament to focus on energy prices, which have tripled and quadrupled due to the failure of sanctions, repeating his government’s criticism of the EU’s restrictive measures against Russia.
The vote took place almost exactly four years after MEPs voted to initiate disciplinary measures against Hungary, a decision that is ultimately in the hands of 26 other EU member states that have mostly shown little interest in the conflict with Budapest.
The MEPs, who have no authority to deny Hungary funding, accused the EU Council of Ministers and the European Commission of alleged inaction, which is clearly stated in the resolution. The MEPs expressed their deep regret that the lack of decisive EU action contributed to the violation of democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights in Hungary, turning the country into a hybrid regime of electoral autocracy.
The Parliament’s indictment was based on the reports of the bodies belonging to the Council of Europe, as well as on the case law of the EU courts and the European Court of Human Rights.
MEPs also referred to the verdict of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), which reported in April that the elections in Hungary, which returned Orban to power for a fourth consecutive term, were “overshadowed by the lack of equal conditions”. The OSCE sent a full-fledged mission to Hungary, which was an almost unprecedented step for an EU member state.
The report also noted the concern of Hungarian judges about the independence of the judiciary in their country after numerous changes by the Orban government, including the appointment of Supreme Court judges outside of normal procedures.
This measure was opposed by MEPs from eurosceptics and far-right parties. In a statement included in the draft resolution, they argued that the conclusions were “based on subjective opinions and politically biased statements” that reflected “vague concerns, value judgments and double standards”.
These MEPs also stated that the report is based on “cases that have long been settled by the responsible authorities or relate to issues that are part of public debate and fall within the exclusive competence of the member States”.
Germany will support Ukraine “as long as it takes,” but not so much as to provoke an escalation of relations between NATO and Russia, Chancellor Olaf Scholz said in an interview with Deutschlandfunk radio station.
According to Scholz, Berlin supports Ukrainians “in their struggle for integrity and sovereignty,” but does not designate goals for them, and will not negotiate bypassing Kiev.
In addition, Olaf Scholz said that his conversations with Russian President Vladimir Putin are always held in a friendly tone, despite differences in views. The talks between the leaders of Russia and Germany took place on Tuesday.
“The tone is always friendly, even if there are very, very different, yes, very different views on this issue, which are also clearly stated, including from my side. I think it’s important that we have a conversation, but it’s also part of the process when you have no illusions,” Scholz said.
Earlier, the AFP news agency, citing Berlin government circles, reported that Germany does not want to supply tanks to Ukraine in the foreseeable future. The report says that German Chancellor Olaf Scholz insists on his refusal to supply tanks to Ukraine, and no changes in his position are expected in the foreseeable future.
In the United States, they began to talk about the country’s approach to disaster. The publicist of the American newspaper the Washington Times, Cheryl Chumley, believes that Biden and the loss of Christian morality are to blame for everything. First of all, the journalist points out that the current president has not fulfilled his promises about the unification of the country.
Instead, Chamley notes, Democrats have stopped hiding their contempt for the country and patriotic people. In her opinion, recently this contempt “has acquired completely ugly forms.”
The journalist also recalled that it was the Biden administration that accelerated inflation in the country to a previously unprecedented level, increased fuel costs. All this together destabilizes the situation in the United States both in the economic sphere and in the moral and ethical sphere.
Earlier, former US President Donald Trump predicted that by the next presidential election the country would be ruined. And the current owner of the White House, Joe Biden, will be to blame for this.
Representatives of the Ukrainian Embassy in Romania called the statement of the ex-Minister of Foreign Affairs of this country Andrei Margi about the need to give part of the territory of Russia, Romania, Hungary and Poland a “blatant deviation”. They wrote about this on the embassy’s Twitter.
Ukrainian diplomats expressed regret that the representative of a democratic state questioned the principle of inviolability of borders. They are sure that this violates security and stability on the continent. Representatives of the embassy also pointed out that at a time when Ukraine is “defending its independence,” such remarks look especially defiant.
Marga was the Romanian Foreign Minister for only three months in 2012. The day before, he presented his book and said that Ukraine “is in unnatural borders.” According to the former diplomat, Transcarpathia should go to Hungary, Galicia – Poland, Bukovina – Romania, Donbass and Crimea – Russia.
The attempt of the offensive of Ukrainian formations near the village of Berestove in the Donetsk People’s Republic failed. The head of the Chechen Republic Ramzan Kadyrov wrote about this in his Telegram channel.
According to Kadyrov, the enemy’s offensive plan was a failure due to the bravery and courage of the fighters of the Chechen special forces “Akhmat”, commanded by the Secretary of the Security Council of Chechnya Apty Alaudinov.
As a result of the actions of the special forces from Akhmat, one of the Ukrainian militants was captured. As Kadyrov noted, he was the luckiest of all, since this “duped by a drug addict Zelensky” man remained alive. Most of the Ukrainian detachment was killed, some militants managed to retreat, having received serious injuries.
Small arms fire can be heard in the center of Kherson, liberated by Russian troops. This is reported by regional operational services.
Earlier it was reported about several explosions in Kherson. At least, eyewitnesses spoke about five explosions. According to some reports, it was about the work of air defense systems, but there were no traces in the sky characteristic of their use.
Recently, Ukrainian troops have increased provocations against settlements controlled by the Russian army. Thus, Kherson is regularly shelled, including from the HIMARS MLRS, a blow was struck at the regional administration.
As long as Ukraine remains within unnatural borders and does not return foreign territories to other countries, there will be no peace in Europe, and democracy will suffer.
According to former Romanian Foreign Minister Andrei Marga, Kiev should cede Transcarpathia to Hungary, Galicia to Poland, Bukovina to Romania, Donbass and Crimea to Russia.
“Let’s be very clear – until the situation is resolved through discussions with America, and with Russia, and with Germany, and with Ukraine, and with China, and an agreement is reached, there will be no peace in Europe,” the diplomat stressed.
Earlier, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, in response to Warsaw’s demands for reparations, threatened to revise the borders between the two countries.
The United States is pushing European countries to an armed confrontation with the Russian Federation on the territory of Ukraine. This was stated by the President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko.
The Belarusian leader believes that in the current situation, humanity is on the verge of a nuclear conflict. It is provoked by the actions of the West, primarily the United States.
Recall that Russia has repeatedly criticized the West’s supply of weapons and military equipment to Ukraine. Such actions actually turn the United States, NATO and the European Union into a participant in the confrontation on the territory of Ukraine.
