The war continues, and Russia is keen to keep hold of Crimea and to take Kherson and other occupied regions. They do not want the West interfering, yet the US and NATO have made it clear that they will support Ukraine until the end.
The only outcome to ensure world peace (or as much as we can hope for) is for Ukraine to win, retain their land and liberate occupied regions, for Russians to be tried for war crimes, and the International alliances to strengthen their policies to ensure that aggressor states do not have loopholes to protect them
Day 185 (27 August)
Hungary has made a deal with Russia to build two new nuclear reactors to expand the Paks nuclear plant. Work will allegedly begin in the next few weeks which means that this has been planned for quite a while. The project will cost €12.5 billion and will be ready by 2030. Financing appears to be mainly from Russia, which means if a war does break out, then Hungary as a NATO member is compromised as they are doing business with the enemy.
The Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Peter Szijjarto made the announcement on Facebook.
This is the very opposite of Europe moving away from their dependence on Russia for energy supplies, where Hungary is effectively giving them new business and supporting them. Some might consider this move as Hungary supporting the war against Ukraine, despite being a member of NATO and the EU, both bodies that expect their members to agree to the official position stated.
I have always stated my reservations about Hungary who have appeared to support Russia but also want the perks of the EU funding, and NATO protection. I believe it is time for the EU to impose sanctions against them because they are not adhering to the EU collective guidelines. Many anticipated that Hungary would not impose sanctions against Russia due to Orban’s friendship with Putin. Orban has stated that his only priority is to the Hungarians and to ensure that they have cheap and accessible energy supplies. The Visegrad group should throw Hungary out for the time being as it makes a mockery of what they stand for.
In Zaporizhzhia, nine Ukrainian law enforcement officer have been found to be working for the Russian occupiers which violates Article 111 of the Ukrainian Criminal Code. The officers in Tokmak and Melitopol have carried out duties as instructed by the Russians, effectively working for them, which is seen as treasonous. While we may understand that these actions may have carried out under duress, we also know some have switched sides to save themselves or for money.
The Russians have made a feeble excuse to back out of the Zaporizhzhia IAEA inspection that was to be carried out by the UN next week. After 4 weeks, the Russians have objected to the clause:
Ukraine’s competent authorities shield ensure control in such facilities.
The Russians blamed Ukraine and their ‘protectors; (supporters such as the US, France, Canada, and the UK) for the outcome, even though it was they who made the only objection. The agreement was supposed to strengthen the nuclear non-proliferation treaty (NPT), as in countries with nuclear weapons will seek to disarm them, but it appears that Russia simply doesn’t wish to negotiate or agree to anything unless it is on their terms alone
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This comes as no surprise, as Russia often agrees to talks to bide their time and then pulls out or disagrees with something that doesn’t actually exist or for no discernible reason.
The US State Department has confirmed that an American citizen has died while fighting in Ukraine.
The battle for Crimea continues, with Ukraine making advances to liberate Crimea, while reports claim that Russia is moving military equipment to the region via train. Eye witnesses have seen trains loaded with howitzers and armoured vehicles leaving Taman railway station which goes to the illegal Kerch bridge that joins Russia to Crimea.
In occupied Kherson (Novopetrivka and Olhyne), Ukrainian troops continue to move in on the Russian troops by destroying an air defence station— Russian weapons were destroyed and Russian troops were killed.
This is a war, where soldiers will be killed and that’s why occupied regions must be evacuated so that civilians aren’t in the way and become casualties of war. Hopefully people will understand that, because by remaining in their homes they make themselves a liability, and make the job of the Ukrainian army much harder having to protect them while fighting the Russians.