Just saw the footage of the attack on the missile cruiser Ivanoets. Catastrophic explosion and heavy listing afterwards.
If he got something (like billions more funding released, or even some assurance he is safe from Article 7 and a promise no more funds will be cut) it is depressing. I don't know if leaders are realising the damage they are doing by cowardice, and not facing down these leeches.
The only negative our cautious liberal/democratic leaders like Varadkar etc. seem to consider is the big stink these people will create when they are finally challenged, they don't weigh properly (IMO) the damage done by indulging them again and again, and bowing to blackmail.
He might be getting his covid funds in return too , this was all game to him
The snippet I shared was from a 2020 decision re. EU Funding held from countries whose rule of law was slipping; that, if I'm reading it right, is the pertinent bit that may have persuaded Orbán to stop blocking the Ukraine funding - the promise that the overall EU funding won't be at risk now.
It should mean greater checks and balances no , instead of just sending several billion per year for the next 5 year's it now going to be reviewed yearly and anyone of the 27 can then object or ask to make changes going forward,one of things Orban wanted was the EU to disperse the funds themselves rather than it all going directly to Kiev with no oversight, and it's not as if Ukraine doesn't have access to funds already,
For me the biggest issue there was no plan B and at one point it could have been sent to all 27 countries Parliaments for discussion and voting on first which might not have actually worked out in ukraines favour at all , there should be a Plan A,B,C,D,E at least rather than one and done then what
Ok, so unless I'm mis-reading it looks like Orbán got a concession; that the EU would no longer suspend EU funding in cases where obvious breaches in the rule of law were taken by a member country.
So if I am reading it correctly, that's a bit of a blow to member states' accountability, or guard-rails against exactly the kind of democratic backsliding Orbán is conducting. So great news for the funding, not so great news for future checks & balances. Perhaps the EU has a different angle they can take.
What are the 2020 rule of law conclusions referenced in the compromise?
As part of today’s deal, leaders agreed to state in their summit conclusions that “the European Council recalls its December 2020 conclusions on the application of the conditionality mechanism.”
Why is this relevant for Hungary’s Viktor Orbán?
In 2020, the leaders agreed to create a new mechanism which allow the bloc to suspend EU funding to a member state in a scenario when breaches of the principles of the rule of law affect or seriously risk affecting the sound financial management of the EU budget or the bloc’s protection of the financial interests.
The mechanism was later triggered to suspend part of Hungary’s EU funding.
In the 2020 conclusions, leaders stressed that “the Union budget, including Next Generation EU, must be protected against any kind of fraud, corruption and conflict of interest.”
At the time, they noted that “the application of the conditionality mechanism under the Regulation will be objective, fair, impartial and fact-based, ensuring due process, non discrimination and equal treatment of Member States.”
10 -12 billion military aid over 5 years but thanks to Orban it's now going to be reviewed every year
Oh, that's just beautiful!
Now over to the US. They need to sort it and do the right thing.
Would any of the 50 billion be military aid?
Scum boat. Straight to the bottom of the sea with you.
Seems to be various claims its old video,
This was coming from Ukrainian accounts the same ones are now celebrating it
Eastern Ukraine - Donbas and Luhansk regions contain billions in untapped gas and mineral reserves.
It was rightly totaled. Cost 60 to 70 million$.
A Russian ship took on some sea water.
When the Stop the War coalition start going on non stop about how NATO must stop provoking and threatening Russia then you know the orders are in and the comrades tank engines are revving .
The Russian land this side of the Urals is one of the largest tracts of the most fertile soil in the world, same as the south west of Ukraine.
Deal agreed
And the story that doesn't seem to want to go away Valerii Zaluzhnyi is to sacked this week according to multiple sources now
A formal announcement on the dismissal of Ukraine's top commander could come by the end of the week, according to a report.
"Questions have been swirling over the future of General Valerii Zaluzhnyi, commander-in-chief of Ukraine's armed forces, after several reports emerged this week that he had either been fired or resigned.
One report suggested he had been offered a different role, but refused. The Ukrainian defence ministry itself denied the rumours.
But two sources close to the matter have now told CNN that General Zaluzhnyi was called to a meeting at the president's office on Monday and told he was being dismissed,
Followed by a short statement from the Ukrainians it wasn't true ,
But they wouldn't answer the question what wasn't true, did or General Zaluzhnyi resign or was he sacked
The EU funding for ukraine has cleared today after all objections were dropped and all 27 state's are in agreement....
It's about Time
Yes and no to a certain degree by 2014 we had started to see NATO joint exercises inside Ukraine, the US marines In Particular became regular visitors to train and work alongside newly formed Ukrainian marines ,I know the national guard regularly had units training the Ukrainians along side other NATO countries Germans and the British, but during the initial invasion and occupation in 2014 they were pretty poorly led and equipped, post 2014 the best units operating against the Russians were civilian militia battalions the Azoz and others based off football hooligans at the time ,all the while alot of the senior members of the military were Russian officers, in previous threads at the time you'd see new American equivalent such as hummvee (some not fit purpose) and counter battery radars arrive on a Monday to Ukrainian unit's and by Thursday the Russians would be parading the captured vehicles and radars ,donesk airport was another they got feck all support from the military Leadership at the time, Ukrainians and Russians at times only separated by a concrete wall and sandbags ,they fought to the point the Russian just demolished what was left of airport which entombed Ukrainian soldiers, but not far from the airport the Russians set a artillery fire base in a quarry if I remember correctly, which was used to pound Ukrainian positions,but yet civilians could walk up on the high ground surrounding the positions while the Ukrainian military never went after the positions to knock them out,
it's not knocking them but it years to make effective changes in some cases didn't happen until 2020s invasion for changes to happen,
Actually I'll go back to you ,
Where do think something could likely happen or there's an inherent weakness, there was a similar question the other day ,
I assume this is it "field east "
This is the subtitled version , there are a couple of terrible computer voice english versions , but i do remember listening to it in a normal human voice translation,
If its up a few years i think i may have watched it , but i'll go back and rewatch ..
Google “Evaluation of Russia by Finnish intelligence Colonel” to compliment this post . It gives a riveting account of the background to what Russia is to day, how it is managed , etc, etc. It’s on U tube and is just over an hour long
I hope you're right -
If it happens , it'll happen at an opportune moment for russia ,
Could be after an inter-nato spat , because the poles want Nato to help them fund their new korean weapons systems , while the french are busy in Africa and the brits are struggling to parade their carrier force in asia ,and germany is having a pacifist revival ( they haven't gone away you know )
Sounds like they were in crimea by then ,
I still don't see any attack or any kind invasion of any NATO countries,even against the weakest links in the alliance,NATO troops are already based in and re-enforcing the Baltics to Moldova , even with hybrid warfare I don't see it happening,
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