World
EU foreign ministers slam Hungary’s ‘deplorable’ threats on Ukraine
Foreign affairs ministers of the European Union have closed ranks to rebuke Hungary for its continued threats to derail the bloc’s support for Ukraine.
Ahead of a high-stakes EU summit later this week, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has drastically ratcheted up his opposition campaign to prevent the opening of accession negotiations with the war-torn nation, derail a proposed €50-billion special fund in financial support and hinder further provisions of military aid.
All three decisions require unanimity, allowing one single country to paralyse the plans.
“We should refrain from discussing the issue of Ukraine’s EU accession during the December (summit), as there is no unity among member states on this matter,” Orbán said last week after a phone conversation with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez.
Orbán’s increasingly emboldened and defiant attitude has put Brussels on alert, fuelling fears that the political unity forged in the aftermath of Russia’s invasion might be about to collapse, just when American support is deeply stuck in a legislative battle.
In a bid to twist Hungary’s arm and avoid what is shaping to be a calamitous summit, foreign affairs ministers barely minced their words of intense displeasure over Orbán’s filibustering during a meeting in Brussels on Monday.
“The only way I can read the Hungarian position, not just on Ukraine but on many other issues, is that they are against Europe and everything that Europe stands for,” said Lithuania’s Gabrielius Landsbergis, describing the standoff as a “clash of ideologies.”
“If we can get rational and find rational solutions, I won’t go deeper in this, but pragmatic, let’s call them. Maybe this step can be solved. If not, dark times can lie ahead.”
Speaking of a “crucial week for Europe,” his Latvian counterpart, Krišjānis Kariņš, said ministers and leaders had to look at all options available to break the deadlock and ensure accession talks receive the political green light.
“Hungary’s position right now is, shall we say, a challenge,” Kariņš told reporters. “It also underscores the interesting way by which we (make) decisions: by unanimity. Sometimes this is a very good model, and sometimes, as it’s now, we see it can have its downsides.”
Romania’s Luminița Odobescu argued maintaining EU support for Ukraine was of “critical importance” and a “matter of responsibility” and “credibility.”
“We have to show there is no fatigue and the EU can deliver when the security in its immediate neighbourhood is at stake,” Odobescu said.
Estonia’s Margus Tsahkna said Hungary had “no reason” and “no arguments” to block nor the opening of accession talks nor the provision of financial and military support for Ukraine. Doing so, he warned, would be a “bad mistake.”
“I really do hope that at the end of this week, we can say that we’re using this historical window of opportunity of enlargement and that there will be no country who will block it,” Tsahkna said.
‘We can’t show any sign of weakness’
Orbán’s opposition has been often linked to an issue completely unrelated to Russia’s war: the billions in EU funds that Brussels has frozen over rule-of-law concerns.
Since late last year, the European Commission has withheld almost €22 billion in cohesion funds as well as the €10.4 billion that make up Hungary’s recovery and resilience plan.
Budapest introduced in the spring a reform to strengthen judicial independence and curtail political influence over the courts, in line with the “super milestones” that the Commission had imposed.
The overture led the executive to disburse €920 in pre-financing from the recovery and resilience plan and begin preparations to pay out €10 billion from the cohesion funds. But Orbán, who often refers to the dispute as “financial blackmail,” has demanded the release of the entire pot of cash.
“This shouldn’t be a game of bargaining. But of course, in this situation we need to find all channels possible which can aid in finding a solution,” said Finland’s Elina Valtonen, when asked about a possible quid-pro-quo to change Orbán’s mind.
“I’m not worried but the position of Hungary has been very, very deplorable over the course of the past months,” Valtonen said. “There have to be decisions on Ukraine,” she added. “We can’t show any sign of weakness.”
The entreaties have so far fallen on deaf ears.
Speaking to Hungarian media in Brussels, Foreign Affairs Minister Péter Szijjártó insisted his country would opt for a veto.
“Our position is clear: at the moment, the situation is not right, the situation is not ready for the European Union to start accession negotiations. This is not a tactical move on our part, but it is a well-founded position,” the minister said.
Szijjártó denounced as “false” the European Commission’s assessment of Ukraine’s membership application, which concluded Kyiv had met four of the seven pre-conditions for opening negotiations, with some work still to be done in the field of anti-corruption, de-oligarchisation and the rights of minorities.
The minister said the EU should focus on a strategy of “closer cooperation” with Ukraine without entering into the enlargement territory.
“We don’t know the implications of what accession negotiations or accession itself would mean for the European Union,” Szijjártó said. “It would be simply irresponsible to open accession negotiations now, not only from a national point of view but also from the point of view of the European Union.”
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister, Dmytro Kuleba, who travelled to Brussels to take part in Monday’s meeting, tried to counteract the Hungarian narrative, saying Kyiv had done its “homework,” including by changing the legislation on the use of minority languages “in the way Hungary wanted it to be changed.”
Kuleba described the opening of accession talks as “the mother of all decisions” and predicted a negative outcome during the summit would reverberate across Europe.
“I can even not imagine – I don’t even want to talk about the devastating consequences that will occur (should) the Council fail to make this decision. Not only with regard to Ukraine but in a broader sense, on the issue of enlargement as a whole,” Kuleba said.
“The stakes are very high.”
Under the current €18-billion programme of macro-financial assistance, the EU has only one payment left for Ukraine, worth €1.5 billion and scheduled for the end of December. If leaders do not approve a budget top-up, the European Commission will be unable to raise fresh money on the market, bringing the support to an abrupt end.
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World
Israel keeping its ‘eyes open’ for Iranian attacks during Trump transition period, ambassador says
Israel’s U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon tells Fox News Digital that his country is keeping its “eyes open” for any potential aggression from Iran during the Trump transition period, adding it would be a “mistake” for the Islamic Republic to carry out an attack.
The comments come after Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi vowed earlier this week that Iran would retaliate against Israel for the strategic airstrikes it carried out against Tehran on Oct. 26. Araghchi was quoted in Iranian media saying “we have not given up our right to react, and we will react in our time and in the way we see fit.”
“I would advise him not to challenge us. We have already shown our capabilities. We have proved that they are vulnerable. We can actually target any location in Iran. They know that,” Danon told Fox News Digital.
“So I would advise them not to make that mistake. If they think that now, because of the transition period, they can take advantage of it, they are wrong,” he added. “We are keeping our eyes open and we are ready for all scenarios.”
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Danon says he believes one of the most important challenges for the incoming Trump administration will be the way the U.S. deals with Iran.
“Regarding the new administration, I think the most important challenge will be the way you challenge Iran, the aggression, the threat of the Iranian regime. I believe that the U.S. will have to go back to a leading position on this issue,” he told Fox News Digital.
“We are fighting the same enemies, the enemies of the United States of America. When you look at the Iranians, the Houthis, Hezbollah, Hamas, all those bad actors that are coming against Israel… that is the enemy of the United States. So I think every American should support us and understand what we are doing now,” Danon also said.
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Danon spoke as the U.S. vetoed a draft resolution against Israel at the U.N. Security Council on Wednesday.
The resolution, which was overseen by Algeria, sought an “immediate, unconditional and permanent cease-fire” to be imposed on Israel. The resolution did not guarantee the release of the hostages still being held by Hamas within Gaza.
“It was a shameful resolution because… it didn’t have the linkage between the cease-fire and the call [for] the release of the hostages. And I want to thank the United States for taking a strong position and vetoing this resolution,” Danon said. “I think it sent a very clear message that the U.S. stands with its strongest ally with Israel. And, you know, it was shameful, too, to hear the voices of so many ambassadors speaking about a cease-fire but abandoning the 101 hostages. We will not forget them. We will never abandon them. We will continue to fight until we bring all of them back home.”
Fox News’ Benjamin Weinthal contributed to this report.
World
Fact-check: What do we know about Russia’s nuclear arsenal?
Moscow has lowered the bar for using nuclear weapons and fired a missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead into Ukraine, heightening tensions with the West.
Russia’s nuclear arsenal is under fresh scrutiny after an intermediate-range ballistic missile capable of carrying an atomic warhead was fired into Ukrainian territory.
President Vladimir Putin says the unprecedented attack using the so-called “Oreshnik” missile is a direct response to Ukraine’s use of US and UK-made missiles to strike targets deep in Russian territory.
He has also warned that the military facilities of Western countries allowing Ukraine to use their weapons to strike Russia could become targets.
The escalation comes days after the Russian President approved small but significant changes to his country’s nuclear doctrine, which would allow a nuclear response to a conventional, non-nuclear attack on Russian territory.
While Western officials, including US defence secretary Lloyd Austin, have dismissed the notion that Moscow’s use of nuclear weapons is imminent, experts warn that recent developments could increase the possibility of nuclear weapons use.
Here’s what we know about Russia’s inventory of atomic weapons.
How big is Russia’s nuclear arsenal?
Russia holds more nuclear warheads than any other nation at an estimated 5,580, which amounts to 47% of global stockpiles, according to data from the Federation of American Scientists (FAS).
But only an estimated 1,710 of those weapons are deployed, a fraction more than the 1,670 deployed by the US.
Both nations have the necessary nuclear might to destroy each other several times over, and considerably more atomic warheads than the world’s seven other nuclear nations: China, France, India, Israel, North Korea, Pakistan and the United Kingdom.
Of Moscow’s deployed weapons, an estimated 870 are on land-based ballistic missiles, 640 on submarine-launched ballistic missiles, and potentially 200 at heavy bomber bases.
According to FAS, there are no signs Russia is significantly scaling up its nuclear arsenal, but the federation does warn of a potential surge in the future as the country replaces single-warhead missiles with those capable of carrying multiple warheads.
Russia is also steadily modernising its nuclear arsenal.
What could trigger a Russian nuclear response?
Moscow’s previous 2020 doctrine stated that its nuclear weapons could be used in response to an attack using nuclear or other weapons of mass destruction “when the very existence of the state is put under threat.”
Now, the conditions under which a nuclear response could be launched have changed in three crucial ways:
- Russia will consider using nuclear weapons in the case of a strike on its territory using conventional weapons, such as cruise missiles, drones and tactical aircraft.
- It could launch a nuclear attack in response to an aggression by a non-nuclear state acting “with the participation or support of a nuclear state”, as is the case for Ukraine.
- Moscow will also apply the same conditions to an attack on Belarus’ territory, in agreement with President Lukashenko.
Is there a rising nuclear threat?
The size of the world’s nuclear stockpiles has rapidly decreased amid the post-Cold War détente. The Soviet Union had some 40,000 warheads, and the US around 30,000, when stockpiles peaked during the 1960s and 70s.
But FAS warns that while the overall number is still in decline, operational warheads are on the rise once again. More countries are also upgrading their missiles to deploy multiple warheads.
“In nearly all of the nuclear-armed states there are either plans or a significant push to increase nuclear forces,” Hans M. Kristensen, Director of the Nuclear Information Project at the Federation of American Scientists (FAS), said in June this year.
Is the West reacting?
When Putin approved the updated nuclear protocol last week, many Western leaders dismissed it as sabre rattling.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said Germany and its partners would “not be intimidated” and accused Putin of “playing with our fear.”
But since Russia used a hypersonic ballistic missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead in an attack on Dnipro, European leaders have raised the alarm.
“The last few dozen hours have shown that the threat is serious and real when it comes to global conflict,” Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Friday.
According to Dutch media reports, NATO’s secretary-general Mark Rutte is in Florida to urgently meet President-elect Donald Trump, potentially to discuss the recent escalation.
NATO and Ukraine will hold an extraordinary meeting in Brussels next Tuesday to discuss the situation and the possible allied reaction, according to Euronews sources.
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