https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/putin-betting-eu-unity-on-ukraine-to-fracture:-eu-borrell

Putin betting EU unity on Ukraine to fracture: EU Borrell

Russia's President Vladimir Putin is betting the shared EU response to the war in Ukraine will fracture when the soaring prices hit the wallets of the European voters, EU's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell warned Tuesday.

Borrell said in an interview with AFP that Putin sees "the weariness of the Europeans and the reluctance of their citizens to bear the consequences of support for Ukraine".

"We will have to endure, spread the costs within the EU," Borrell said, warning that keeping the 27 member states united was a task to be carried out "day by day".

Borrell will be hosting meetings of EU foreign and defense ministers in Prague next week, hoping to strengthen what has so far been a noticeably united diplomatic front against Russia.

The EU member states have agreed on a series of sanctions packages targeting Russia and sectors of the economy, including key oil exports. However, energy prices and inflation are now soaring and several member states, including Germany, face the prospect of deep recessions.

Borrell: Must give Ukraine support that goes beyond supplying weapons

Some are reluctant to take further measures that would have bad impacts on their own economies out of fear that voters' support for Ukraine might not survive winter power cuts and soaring gas bills.

Borrell has to maintain the united front and will propose an EU military training mission for Ukrainian forces, like the one backed by Britain and Canada.

"We must give Ukraine support that goes beyond supplying weapons. Faced with someone who refuses to stop the war, we must be able to resist," he said.

But he knows that making the EU nations all happy will not be easy.

"The member states are masters of their foreign policy. We must ensure that their interests reach a common point. We are always in compromise mode," Borrell said.

Borrell: We must continue pressure through sanctions, reconstitute the Ukrainian forces

Europe is a big market and trading bloc, and the EU economic sanctions can hit opponents hard, but decisions on sanctions must be taken by unanimous consent. This means that one single member, such as Russia's ally Hungary, can delay or derail joint measures. Also, if a pro-Ukrainian coalition such as Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia, Poland, and Finland want to ban Russian visitors, they would need the support of more cautious members.

"We seek a European solution in the first place because it is the most sustainable and legally correct," Lithuanian foreign minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said Tuesday, adding, "If we don't reach one, we do not rule out the possibility of looking for a regional solution."

Germany's Chancellor Olaf Scholz had reservations about a visa ban, and Borrell was cautious, suggesting targeted bans on the pro-Putin elite.

"I believe that to ban all Russians from entry into Europe, always and whatever the motive, is not a good idea. We have to be more selective, but of course, to the oligarchs, nothing," he said.

"Vladimir Putin remains inflexible. We must continue the pressure through the sanctions and reconstitute the Ukrainian forces," Borrell said.

"The war is taking a new turn. The Ukrainians have gone on the offensive."

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/ex-senator:-us-on-the-brink-of-war-over-ukraine-taiwan-behav

Ex-senator: US on the brink of war over Ukraine, Taiwan behavior

Former Virginia State Senator Richard Black told Sputnik that elements within the US government have put the world on the edge of war due to reckless policy decisions with respect to the situations in Ukraine and Taiwan.

"There are elements of the American government that are quite irresponsible right now. And they do reckless things. They're doing them in Ukraine, and they're doing them with Taiwan. And they're being recklessly provocative," Black said.

"When a nation like the United States is reckless, when they gamble that they can do something that's provocative, then they depend on the sound judgment of the other country… and that's a very dangerous thing to do, because either side can make mistakes."

Black added that he shares former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger's concerns that the US is on the edge of war with Russia and China over issues "we partly created ourselves," without any idea where this is going to end or even where it is supposed to lead to, while simultaneously gambling with the lives of American citizens by relying on the other side not miscalculating.

Kissinger even pointed out that there is no choice but to take Russian President Vladimir Putin’s security concerns seriously, pointing out that it was a mistake for NATO to signal to Ukraine that it might eventually join the military alliance.

Pelosi trip a 'needless provocation'

US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi made her trip to Taiwan to undermine Washington's delicate One China policy, which the US has pursued since the presidency of Richard Nixon. Pelosi in August became the highest-ranking US official to visit Taiwan in 25 years. China condemned Pelosi's trip, which it regarded as a gesture of support for separatism, and launched large-scale military exercises in the vicinity of the island.

"It was not well received by the people of the United States," Black commented, as he found it "shameful" because Pelosi's trip was also meant to offend the people of China.

"So I hope that that type of thing will be a thing of the past and we can draw back from all of these needless provocations against the Chinese people."

"Over the next few years after China and the United States started working together, the United States recognized that there was one China and that the government was in Beijing. And we worked through the United Nations at the time," Black said.

"So we were recognizing that Beijing was a legitimate government of all of China. But at the same time, it was very delicate because Taiwan had very strong support by many conservatives in the United States. So, President Nixon had to balance those concerns that people didn't want Taiwan to be invaded or something," he said.

"There was kind of an understanding that developed that someday China would exert full sovereignty over Taiwan. But it wasn't urgent… China was very patient, and as long as they had that general understanding."

"The US started back some several years ago, running naval ships frequently through the Straits of Taiwan. And you know, I don't think China would have a problem with a naval vessel going through there from time to time. But when we started doing it very publicly as part of military maneuvers and things, it naturally bothers China," he said.

"Speaker Nancy Pelosi is coming to the end of her time as speaker. We have elections coming up in November. That will almost certainly shift control of the House of Representatives to the Republicans. My guess is that there will be a major shift of power to the Republicans," Black said.

"I suspect that her visit was prompted by personal motives. I don't know that for a fact. But I think she looks and she realizes she is going to leave office. And so you noticed she also went to Kiev, she met with [Ukrainian President Volodymyr] Zelenskyy. And so she seems to be trying to do whatever she can to provoke tensions both with Russia and China," he added.

Beijing considers Taiwan an unalienable part of its sovereign territory and opposes any official contact between the island and other countries. The US has been supporting pro-independence forces in Taiwan and selling weapons to the island.

Beijing has repeatedly said the One China principle is a political foundation of China-US relations and that violations by Washington of its own obligations have been jeopardizing cooperation between the two countries, threatening peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.

The dark web of US weapons sent to Ukraine

Former Virginia State Senator Black brought up the matter of US arms supply to Ukraine while much of its funding for it will likely end up in Swiss bank accounts.

Part 1

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The US announced its most recent aid package of $3 billion in security aid for Ukraine on Wednesday. "The United States had no justification for pouring arms into Ukraine or for getting involved," Black said.

"It’s just an immense amount of money. Some of it will be in bank accounts owned by Ukrainian oligarchs. Some of it will be in bank accounts owned by the sons and the relatives of some US senators who will profit very handsomely," Black said.

Citing a CBS News report, he said a mere 30% of US weapons sent to Ukraine are actually making it to the front lines.

Moscow has repeatedly denounced the continuous flow of weapons to Ukraine from its Western allies, saying that it adds fuel to the fire. In April, Russia sent a note to NATO member states, condemning their military assistance to Ukraine. In July, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said foreign weapons supplied by the West to Ukraine ended up in illegal markets, not only in Europe but also in the war-torn Middle East.

Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov noted that any cargo containing weapons for Ukraine will become a legitimate target for Russia.

In addition to the recent financial aid, the latest US security package includes six additional NASAMS and munitions, laser-guided rocket systems, 245,000 artillery shells, and 65,000 mortar rounds.

Black concluded that the recklessness of this war is difficult to comprehend, with weapons going "all over the place," adding that the US had no justification for recklessly pouring weapons into Ukraine and US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi had no right to visit Taiwan to challenge Washington's delicate One-China policy.

Part 2 - End

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/africans-take-uk-to-court-over-abuses-committed-during-colon

Africans take UK to court over abuses committed during colonial era

Several Kenyan activists are suing the United Kingdom over abuses committed during the British empire's colonial era, raising a case against the country in the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) on Tuesday.

The plaintiffs, Africans forced off their land in the Kenyan Rift Valley, are saying London violated the European Convention of Human Rights through the abuses it committed in Africa during its colonial rule of the continent.

The UK is a signatory to the European Convention of Human Rights, and the plaintiffs' lawyers are saying it violated the accord by consistently ignoring complaints raised by the victims of the brutal British colonial rule.

"The UK government has ducked and dived, and sadly avoided every possible avenue of redress," Joel Kimutai Bosek, a lawyer representing the Kipsigis and Talai peoples, said. "We have no choice but to proceed to court for our clients so that history can be righted."

The British Empire, the world's biggest colonial empire, ruled Kenya between the late 19th century and 1962 while having a chokehold on the majority of the African continent, among various other regions of the world.

The peoples living in the Rift Valley were uprooted from their land in the early 1900s. One of the areas they were forced off of, the one surrounding Kericho, the biggest town in the Valley, is a key region used to grow tea, which is then farmed by multinational corporations to this day.

"Today, some of the world's most prosperous tea companies, like Unilever, Williamson Tea, Finlay's, and Lipton occupy and farm these lands and continue to use them to generate considerable profits," the plaintiffs said in a statement.

The indigenous peoples of the region are not only deprived of their land but are also robbed of the potential profits they could be making from the fertile lands.

Previously, the Kipsigis and Talai took their cause to the UN, where a special investigative panel expressed "serious concern" last year over London failing to take any part of the blame and accountability or even issue an apology for the abuses committed during its colonial era.

The complaint sent to the UN was signed by more than 100,000 people that directly suffered from the colonial rule and those people's descendants. They were demanding an apology and reparations for their land being ceded to white colonial settlers.

Kericho County outgoing governor Paul Chepkwony highly lauded the plaintiffs' filing of their case with the ECHR, saying it was a "historic day" for the whole region.

"We have taken all reasonable and dignified steps. But the UK Government has given us the cold shoulder… we hope for those who have suffered for too long that their dignity will be restored," Chepkwony said.

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https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/london-hopes-west-aid-turns-ukraine-into-threat-for-russia:

London hopes West 'aid' turns Ukraine into threat for Russia: UK Amb

UK Ambassador to Ukraine, Melinda Simmons, claimed on Thursday that the West's aid to Ukraine is able to not only change the future of the country but also create a threat to Russia.

Simmons told the RBC Ukraine news agency that if Ukraine is well armed, then it can change the current situation and potentially become a deterrent to Russia's future ambitions, adding that she believes that the conflict in Ukraine will be long.

According to the UK Ambassador, the West needs to supply enough weapons to Ukraine so that it can strategically change the situation in the long term, noting that the exact amount of aid is a "nonbinary" issue.

Less than one-third of UN member states joined the anti-Russian statement on the situation in Ukraine, announced on Wednesday at the headquarters of the organization.

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova said that it showed that most UN countries did not support Kiev's anti-Russian statement, as the world is beginning to understand the scale of the crisis caused by the actions of the West in and around Ukraine.

This comes as UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson arrived Wednesday in Ukraine and met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, where Johnson announced the UK’s next major package of military aid to Ukraine, including unmanned surveillance and anti-tank loitering munitions.

Touching on the ongoing situation, Johnson claimed that Ukraine "can and will win this war."

In a tweet, Downing Street announced that "the UK is providing the Armed Forces of Ukraine with a £54 million package of 2,000 state-of-the-art drones and loitering munitions."

It is noteworthy that in April, Russia sent a diplomatic note to all countries on the issue of arms supplies to Ukraine, and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov noted that any cargo containing weapons for Ukraine will become a legitimate target for Russia.

On June 30, the British government announced that the UK will provide another £1 billion ($1.2 billion) of military support to Ukraine against the backdrop of NATO's claims of Russia being Western security's biggest "direct threat".

According to the government, the money will go to boosting Ukraine's military strength, including air defense systems, unmanned aerial vehicles, new electronic warfare equipment, and thousands of pieces of equipment.

In May, the UK said it will be providing £1.3 billion ($1.6 billion) in military support to Ukraine, taking the total British military aid to £3.8 billion ($4.6 billion) this year.

In April, Johnson pledged to supply his Ukrainian ally Zelensky with more military equipment, namely 120 armored vehicles and an additional $500 million in World Bank loans.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/egypt-ignoring-tensions-with-israel:-haaretz

Egypt ignoring tensions with 'Israel': Haaretz

There was barely any mention of the tensions between "Tel Aviv" and Cairo in Egyptian media, with no official nor unofficial comments from Egypt in other media, Haaretz said on Thursday. Consequently, they had to do with reports from "Israel" and quotes from [Security] Minister Benny Gantz.

The Israeli outlet called this a "positive sign" that indicates that Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi was seeking to contain the tensions between the two parties for "Tel Aviv" to "owe him one," the Israeli outlet said.

Contrary to requests made by Cairo, the Israeli occupation assassinated two senior Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) members in the Gaza Strip earlier in the month and refused to liberate Palestinian detainees Bassem Al-Saadi and Khalil Awawdeh despite pledges to do so. The Israeli occupation also downed an Egyptian UAV over Sinai in June, sparking heavy tensions between the two.

Haaretz said every time Cairo is asked to mediate between the Palestinian Resistance and the Israeli occupation, its diplomatic abilities are "put to the test."

"Whether it means promises to invest in Gaza, issuing more work permits, making it easier for construction material and other goods to enter Gaza, or releasing prisoners."

Egypt has an "exclusive franchise" for mediating between the Israeli occupation and the Palestinian resistance factions in the Gaza Strip, but its "monopoly" is exercised under the supervision of other Arab countries subjected to domestic pressures relating to the Palestinian cause, the outlet explained.

The Arab countries in question, Haaretz said, are Jordan, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Morocco, and, "to some extent, Saudi Arabia."

"This new, broad web of relationships doesn’t allow Israel to ignore the warnings and requests of friendly Arab countries, even if they limit its military and economic freedom of action in those places, and especially in Gaza," it stressed.

An important aspect of Egypt is preserving its status in the US' eyes as a country that largely contributes to ceasefires and the resolution of conflicts, as it ameliorates Cairo's chances of obtaining loans from the US.

Cairo's efforts to receive aid and buy certain American weaponry are met with opposition due to its severe violations of human rights. Its pursuit of loans from the IMF is also blocked due to the same reasons. The US has already frozen a portion of Egypt's American aid due to its violations of human rights.

"Cairo's response is that it's embroiled in a tough fight against terrorism, investing money in reconstructing Gaza and mediating between Israel and Palestinian groups in Gaza," Haaretz said.

Egypt played a key role in brokering a ceasefire in light of the latest round of Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip and the Resistance's retaliation, as it mediated talks between "Tel Aviv" and the PIJ.

The head of the political department in the Islamic Jihad Movement, Muhammad Al-Hindi, said that "a formula for the Egyptian declaration of the truce agreement has been reached, and it includes Egypt's commitment to work for the release of the two prisoners, Khalil Awawdeh and Bassam Al-Saadi."

In turn, political and military affairs writer, Ahmed Abdel-Rahman, confirmed to Al Mayadeen that "the truce was delayed because the enemy renounced implementing the demands," warning that they should be cautious "because the Israeli enemy is treacherous."

The Israeli occupation began on August 5 aggression on the Gaza Strip, and Al-Quds Brigades announced that Tayseer Al-Jaabari, a military commander in the northern Gaza Strip, had been martyred.

Consequently, Al-Quds Brigades launched an operation in response to the Israeli occupation's aggression on the Gaza Strip, by launching salvoes of rockets toward the occupied Palestinian territories.

The latest death toll shows that around 49 Palestinians were martyred and 311 others were wounded.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/zelensky:-we-will-be-returning-crimea-by-any-means

Zelensky: We will be returning Crimea by any means

Ukraine's President, Volodymyr Zelensky, has stated that the country will return to "Russian-occupied Crimea" in whatever way it sees fit, without consulting with other countries, Ukrinform reported.

"We will be returning Crimea by any means because this is our territory. We will decide on our own, without consulting with any other country in the world," Zelensky said.

"We know what we are doing. We know where military facilities or warehouses are located in the temporarily occupied territories. The Ukrainian military can work there according to the plan," he added.

Commenting on whether Crimea can return to Ukraine's control politically and diplomatically or with military assistance, Zelensky stated: "We do not choose which way we will put an end to this issue."

Elsewhere in his remarks, Zelensky claimed that the situation was different last year.

US approves Ukraine strikes on Crimea - reports

Kiev was behind the explosions that have lately taken place in Crimea, including one at Saki airbase that destroyed several Russian aircraft, a Ukrainian government document obtained by CNN said on Wednesday.

Ukrainian officials are yet to publicly admit to Kiev's involvement in explosions that rocked Crimea last week. However, Defense Minister Oleski Reznikov told Voice of America on Wednesday that Ukraine still has striking territories taken over by the Russians using weapons given to Kiev by the United States.

Russia said the incident was an accident, though many are suggesting that what happened was an attack. However, the United States was quick to claim that it had not given Ukraine anything that would allow its forces to strike that far into Russian territories despite all the munition and weapons it gave Kiev.