23 Jul, 2024 17:02

Iskander strike targets foreign instructors in Ukraine (VIDEO)

The strike destroyed a temporary deployment point housing Western instructors and mercenaries, the Russian Defense Ministry has reported

A missile strike has destroyed a temporary deployment point housing Western instructors and mercenaries, the Russian Defense Ministry reported.

The Russian Defense Ministry has shared a video apparently showing a missile strike on a temporary deployment center near the city of Kharkov in Ukraine that supposedly housed Western “instructors and mercenaries.”

Some 50 foreigners are said to have been killed in the ballistic missile strike, which was conducted using an Iskander-M system, the ministry said, noting that the facility was located in Dergachi, a town in Kharkov region.

The strike comes asMoscow has repeatedly warnedthat any foreign military personneloperating in Ukraine are considered legitimate targetsfor Russian strikes and would be relentlessly eliminated.

Last month, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov reiterated the threat as France hinted at officially sending its soldiers to Ukraine.“The fact is that any instructors who are involved in training the military of the Ukrainian regime do not have any immunity,” Peskov told reporters at the time, noting that “it doesn’t matter whether they are French or not.”

Earlier this month, Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) declassified a report in which an agent claimed the French army was “concerned about the increased number of Frenchmen killed in the Ukrainian theater of military operation.”

Moscow’s forces had reported destroying another temporary deployment center for foreign fighters in Kharkov in January,killingwhat Paris reportedlyestimated to be “dozens” of French citizens.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has also recently stated thatWestern military trainers have “long been present” in Ukraine “under the guise of mercenaries” and has emphasized that they represent a legitimate target for Russia’s armed forces.

https://www.rt.com/russia/601555-ukraine-strike-foreign-instructors/

23 Jul, 2024 17:22

EU state issues €6.5bn ultimatum to Ukraine

Hungary is moving to punish Kiev for its blockade of oil deliveries from Russia

Budapest will block funds the European Union has earmarked for Ukraine until Kiev resumes the transit of Russian crude oil to Hungary and Slovakia, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto has said.

Ukraine stopped the flow of oil through the Druzhba pipeline last week, citing its sanctions against Russian energy giant Lukoil, thus depriving the two EU members of an estimated 30-40% of their needs.

“As long as this issue is not resolved by Ukraine, everyone should forget about the payment of the €6.5 billion of the European Peace Facility compensation for arms transfers,” Szijjarto announced on Tuesday.

“Ukraine’s decision to not allow Lukoil to transit oil supplies through Ukraine poses a fundamental threat to the security of energy supplies to Hungary and Slovakia,” Szijjarto said, describing Kiev’s move as “unacceptable and incomprehensible,” as well as incompatible with its aspirations to join the EU.

Szijjarto also reminded the EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell that Hungary – along with Slovakia and Poland – came to Ukraine’s aid in early July, sending enough electricity to stabilize Kiev’s energy system.Hungary supplied 42% of Ukraine’s electricity in June, Szijjarto noted.

According to unconfirmed reports from Ukrainian local media, Ukraine stopped receiving electricity from Slovakia and Romania as of midnight on Tuesday.

Kiev has had to resort to imports after Russian air and missile strikes disabled most of its domestic generation capabilities. Moscow has described the strikes as reprisal for Ukrainian attacks on Russian civilian infrastructure.

Poland has already protested Hungary’s move, saying that it would deprive Warsaw of €2 billion it needs to modernize its armed forces. “This is a huge disappointment for me,” Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski has said.

Kiev’s official explanation for embargoing oil deliveries was that Lukoil revenue could be used to support the Russian military.One Ukrainian lawmaker, however, suggested to Politico that the blockade has a secondary purpose, to pressure Hungary into changing its policy on arming Kiev.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has long refused to send Ukraine any weapons, train any Ukrainian troops, or allow the use of Hungarian territory for EU or NATO arms shipments, insisting that Kiev should sue for peace with Moscow as soon as possible.

https://www.rt.com/news/601553-hungary-ukraine-eu-funding/

23 Jul, 2024 13:34

Netanyahu requests meeting with Trump – Politico

The Israeli prime minister is in Washington to meet with President Joe Biden and deliver a speech to the US Congress

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has requested a meeting with Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump while on an official visit to Washington this week, Politico reported on Monday, citing sources familiar with the discussions.

The Israeli leader is expected to meet with President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and other top US officials during his trip. He is also scheduled to deliver a speech in front of Congress on Wednesday, addressing the ongoing war in Gaza. According to Politico’s sources,Netanyahu’s team has also been in contact with Trump, attempting to schedule a face-to-face meeting, potentially in Florida.

Trump, who has become increasingly critical of the Israeli prime minister in recent years, has not yet agreed to the meeting but has not rejected it outright either, the outlet reported. While the former president has been a staunch supporter of Israel, he had a falling-out with Netanyahu after the Israeli leader congratulated Biden on winning the 2020 US election.

Trump has also been critical of Netanyahu’s handling of the situation in Gaza and the failure of Israeli intelligence on October 7, when Hamas militants launched an attack on Israeli territories, killing over 1,200 people and taking several hundred hostage.

Last week, Trump even threatened the Israeli leadership over its failure to return US hostages from Gaza, stating during the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee that “they better be back before I assume office, or you will be paying a very big price.” (He wasn't threatening Israel, he was warning Hamas and Iran, this is real BS there. Politico seems to want to create a division between US and Israel.)

The Biden administration has been a staunch supporter of Netanyahu throughout the conflict. However, Washington paused a delivery of 3,500 bombs to Israel in early May amid calls for West Jerusalem to scale back its assault on the densely-populated city of Rafah in southern Gaza.

Netanyahu described the move as “inconceivable” and publicly criticized Washington for “withholding weapons and ammunition to Israel.”

https://www.rt.com/news/601548-netanyahu-requests-trump-meeting

BOOOM!!!🔥🔥🔥 RIGHT ON TARGET!!!🎯

0:41

https://rumble.com/embed/v55q34a/?pub=4