RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE

Russia strikes Ukrainian military-industrial sites, air bases over week

Russian forces delivered 39 strikes by precision weapons and attack unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) against Ukrainian military-industrial sites and air bases over the past week in the special military operation in Ukraine, Russia’s Defense Ministry reported on Friday.

"On July 6-12, the Russian Armed Forces delivered 39 combined strikes by air-launched and seaborne long-range precision weapons and attack unmanned aerial vehicles, hitting enemy air bases, Ukrainian military-industrial enterprises and their energy facilities, military hardware assembly workshops and warehouses storing naval drones and strike UAVs. The goals of the strikes were achieved. All the designated targets were destroyed," the ministry said in a statement.

Russia’s Battlegroup North inflicts 1,800 casualties on Ukrainian army over week

Russia’s Battlegroup North improved its frontline positions and inflicted roughly 1,800 casualties on Ukrainian troops in its area of responsibility over the week, the ministry reported.

"During the week, Battlegroup North units improved their forward edge positions and inflicted damage on manpower and equipment of four Ukrainian army formations, a marine infantry brigade and three territorial defense brigades. They repelled 26 counterattacks by enemy assault groups," the ministry said.

The Ukrainian army’s losses in that frontline area over the week amounted to 1,800 personnel, two tanks, four armored combat vehicles, 22 motor vehicles, 34 field artillery guns, including eight US-made M777 howitzers, and three electronic warfare stations, it specified.

Russia’s Battlegroup West inflicts 3,440 casualties on Ukrainian army over week

Russia’s Battlegroup West improved its tactical position and inflicted roughly 3,440 casualties on Ukrainian troops in its area of responsibility over the week, the ministry reported.

"Battlegroup West units improved their tactical position as a result of successful operations and inflicted casualties on formations of four mechanized brigades, a tank brigade, an assault brigade and an airmobile brigade of the Ukrainian army and also three territorial defense brigades. They repelled three counterattacks by enemy assault groups," the ministry said.

The Ukrainian army’s losses in that frontline area over the week amounted to "3,440 personnel, five tanks, 14 armored combat vehicles, among them two US-made M113 armored personnel carriers, 47 motor vehicles and 32 field artillery guns," it specified.

In addition, Russian troops destroyed 14 field ammunition depots of the Ukrainian army, it said.

Russia’s Battlegroup South inflicts 4,380 casualties on Ukrainian army over week

Russia’s Battlegroup South inflicted roughly 4,380 casualties on Ukrainian troops in its area of responsibility over the week, the ministry reported.

"Battlegroup South units inflicted damage on manpower and equipment of five mechanized brigades, a motorized infantry brigade, an assault brigade, a mountain assault brigade and two air assault brigades of the Ukrainian army. They repulsed six counterattacks by enemy assault groups," the ministry said.

The Ukrainian army’s losses in that frontline area over the week amounted to 4,380 personnel, three tanks, four armored combat vehicles, 90 motor vehicles and 59 field artillery guns, including 27 Western-made weapons, it specified.

Russian troops also destroyed nine electronic warfare stations and 29 field ammunition depots of the Ukrainian army, the ministry said.

WESTERN PERSPECTIVE

Six killed, 13 hurt in Russian attacks on Ukraine's Donetsk region, officials say

Russian attacks killed at least six people and injured 13 in Ukraine's eastern frontline Donetsk region on Friday, regional prosecutors said.

A Russian missile landed near an administrative building and a bus stop in the town of Myrnohrad, northwest of the Russian-held city of Donetsk, killing four people and injuring 10.

Donetsk region Governor Vadym Filashkin posted images from the impact sites showing badly damaged building facades and a bus with shattered windows. There was also a burnt car that appeared to have been thrown to the side by a blast.

A separate attack on an unnamed enterprise in the town of Kostiantynivka, northwest of Bakhmut, seized by Russian forces last year after months of battles, killed two civilians and injured three.

Another attack, on the town of Lyman, further north, injured seven people.

Reuters could not independently confirm the accounts. Donetsk region, which Russian troops partially occupy, regularly comes under Russian shelling and air strikes.

Moscow denies targeting civilians or civilian infrastructure in its invasion of Ukraine, although thousands of people have been killed.

Tass/Reuters

Milk, corn, gopher, Texas rat, and Western hognose snakes are some of the most common snake species in the US. In other parts of the world like China, however, the non-native reptiles are illegal due to their potential to become invasive species. Unfortunately, this has also created a highly lucrative trade on the exotic pet black market. But despite this, it’s unclear just how much potential profits would drive someone to stuff 104 live snakes into their trousers.

That’s what an unnamed man recently attempted after stating he had “nothing to declare” while traveling from Hong Kong into mainland China. As The Washington Post noted on July 11, Chinese authorities announced the arrest after apprehending the alleged smuggler at the Futian Port—one of the busiest land crossings in the world.

According to a Chinese Customs statement from July 9, officers recently discovered six drawstring canvas bags sealed with tape and shoved into the suspect’s pants pockets containing “a number of colorful and various living snakes.”

Despite the statement’s headline auto-translated to “Western Poison,” it’s worth noting none of the five species are actually venomous. But just because they aren’t poisonous doesn’t mean they don’t pose a legitimate threat to the region. Exotic critters often accidentally become invasive species and cause problems for local communities, disrupting already delicate food chains and ecosystems.

The US is no stranger to such issues. Burmese ball pythons, for example, have inundated the Florida Everglades ever since pet owners began releasing them into the wild in the 1980s. South American nutria continue to decimate vegetation across Louisiana, California, and throughout the Atlantic coast, as well.

There’s also public health to consider. China banned the transport, trade, and poaching of wild animals in January 2020 during the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic—a prohibition that currently remains in effect. Meanwhile, the Biosafety Law of the People’s Republic of China forbids the introduction of any foreign species without official approval.

The recent snake-laden traveler is only one of the most recent in a long line of similar situations, especially since China initiated its three-year crackdown campaign on wildlife smuggling in 2023. Customs officers discovered one woman hiding 15 snakes and four giant Amazonian centipedes in her clothes, and another attempting to sneak five snakeswithin her tank top over the past year. Chinese law states smugglers such as the recent snake-laden traveler can face fines as large as 50,000 yuan (nearly $7,000) along with potential additional criminal charges.

China is far from the only nation combating wildlife smuggling. In 2022, US officials caught a man attempting to enter the country with 52 lizards and snakes in his clothes.

Popsci

Once upon a time, in the bustling markets and humble kitchens of Nigeria, there were two steadfast friends: Garri and Beans. These culinary comrades, adored by the masses and cherished by the destitute, provided solace in times of need. They were the loyal sentinels of the supper table, the reliable pillars of the pantry, the unassuming saviours of countless Nigerian stomachs. Alas, how times have changed. Our once-faithful friends have turned into avaricious adversaries, leaving us to ponder the cruel ironies of life.

In an era where loyalty should be more than just a marketing slogan, Garri, the ever-affordable carbohydrate king, has staged a coup. Once the darling of the downtrodden, Garri has decided to climb the social ladder, no doubt influenced by the ostentatious display of riches in Nollywood films. Gone are the days when a humble handful of this cassava flour could sustain a family. Today, even the meager morsels of Garri come with a hefty price tag, prompting us to wonder if it has developed a taste for the finer things in life – truffle-infused Eba, perhaps?

Then we have Beans, the protein-packed stalwart that once swore to "hold the stomach for longer, for cheaper." Our trusty legume, once the Robin Hood of the Nigerian diet, now dances to the tune of N5,000 per ‘kongo.’ What has caused this treacherous transformation? Perhaps Beans has been fraternizing with the bourgeoisie, sipping champagne in fancy restaurants while reminiscing about the days when it was a humble hero of the masses. It seems Beans has forgotten its roots – quite literally – and now revels in its newfound status as a luxury item.

Let us not forget the plight of Nigeria’s indigent students and casual labourers, those valiant souls who once relied on Garri and Beans to see them through the day. With a minimum wage that can barely stretch to buy six measures of Beans, not nearly enough to feed a family of pigeons, let alone hardworking Nigerians, one must wonder: what next? Shall we expect water to demand royalties, or air to start charging rent? The very idea is laughable, yet here we are, betrayed by our oldest allies.

Oh, Garri and Beans, how could you turn your backs on us in our darkest hour? Nigeria is enduring the harshest economic crisis in a generation, a time when true friends should stand by us, not abandon us for the allure of inflated prices and elitist status. You were our comfort in times of despair, our sustenance in times of scarcity. Now, you mock us with your unattainable cost, leaving us to fend for ourselves in a country where even the simplest sustenance is beyond reach.

In the grand theater of Nigeria’s economic tragedy, Garri and Beans have taken on new roles – no longer the heroes, but the villains. They have joined the ranks of the untrustworthy and unreliable, leaving us to seek out new allies in our quest for survival. Perhaps, one day, they will remember their true purpose and return to the side of the poor and needy. Until then, we bid them a sardonic farewell and brace ourselves for the next act in this unfolding drama.

A new report from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has revealed that Nigerian public officials received bribes amounting to N721 billion in 2023. The report, titled “Corruption in Nigeria: Patterns and Trends,” states that this sum is equivalent to about 0.35 percent of Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

The findings are based on a survey conducted in collaboration with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. The survey revealed that the average cash bribe paid in 2023 was N8,284, an increase from N5,754 in 2019. However, when adjusted for inflation, the real value of the average bribe decreased by 29 percent compared to 2019.

"Overall, it is estimated that approximately N721 billion (US$1.26 billion) was paid in cash bribes to public officials in Nigeria in 2023, corresponding to 0.35 percent of the entire GDP of Nigeria," the report stated.

Corruption was identified as the fourth most pressing issue in Nigeria in 2023, following the cost of living, insecurity, and unemployment. Confidence in the government’s anti-corruption efforts has declined significantly, with only less than a third of citizens in 2023 believing in the effectiveness of these efforts, compared to over half in 2019.

The survey found that 56 percent of Nigerians interacted with a public official in 2023, down from 63 percent in 2019. Despite this reduction, bribery remains widespread, with an average of 5.1 bribes paid per bribe payer, totaling approximately 87 million bribes nationwide. This is a decrease from the 117 million bribes estimated in 2019.

Bribery was more prevalent in rural areas, where residents paid an average of 5.8 bribes compared to 4.5 in urban areas. Over 95 percent of bribes in 2023 were paid in monetary form, either cash or money transfer. Public officials were more likely to demand bribes, though private sector actors such as doctors in private hospitals also saw an increase in bribery requests from 6 percent in 2019 to 14 percent in 2023.

The report also highlighted a growing trend of Nigerians refusing to pay bribes. In 2023, 70 percent of those asked to pay a bribe refused at least once, with the highest refusal rates in the North-West zone at 76 percent. All regions recorded refusal rates above 60 percent, indicating a rising resistance to corruption among Nigerians.

Additionally, fewer citizens in 2023 viewed bribery requests as acceptable to expedite administrative procedures, with the percentage dropping from 29 percent in 2019 to 23 percent. The report noted that fewer citizens suffered negative consequences after refusing bribe requests in 2023, suggesting increased empowerment to confront corrupt officials.

Between 2020 and 2023, nepotism and bribery were rampant in public sector recruitment, with over 60 percent of public sector workers hired through these means. Specifically, 27 percent of successful candidates admitted to using bribery, 13 percent to nepotism, and 19 percent to both. In contrast, 40 percent of candidates claimed to have secured their positions without resorting to such means.

The report emphasized that the selection process used to recruit public officials plays a crucial role in shaping the culture of integrity in the civil service. It highlighted that the use of bribery was notably lower when the recruitment process included formal assessments. Among candidates who underwent written tests or oral interviews, 41 percent used unethical means, compared to 53 percent among those who were not formally assessed.

In summary, the 2023 NBS report underscores the pervasive nature of bribery and corruption in Nigeria, the decline in public trust in anti-corruption efforts, and the need for more stringent measures to promote transparency and integrity in both public and private sectors.

Nigeria's oil regulator has struck a deal with producers to allow sales of crude to domestic refiners at market prices, ending a supply dispute that had strained relations with international oil companies.

Nigeria relies on imports for most of its fuel needs due to inadequate refining capacity, although a 650,000 barrel-a-day refinery built by Africa's richest man Aliko Dangote and operational since February, should make it self-sufficient and able to export.

An agreement on Wednesday follows complaints from the Dangote Refinery that oil majors were hindering local crude purchases by demanding excessive premiums or saying they had no available supplies.

The regulator Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) said in a statement it could not allow pricing to impede domestic refining.

"We will never allow price strangulation to disincentivise our domestic refining capacity optimisation," NUPRC's chief Gbenga Komolafe said following talks with oil companies grouped under the Oil Producers Trade Section (OPTS).

He said the regulator would work to ensure there was no "crude supply profiteering," although he also said it did not condone any loss-making in oil production.

To ensure transparency, Komolafe requested monthly cargo price quotes on crude oil supply and delivery from both producers and refiners and said it was up to the regulator to balance upstream development with a sustainable domestic energy supply chain.

In March, the NUPRC chief met with oil producers and refiners to addressrefineries' lack of access to locally produced crude oil.

The OPTS had no immediate comment.

Reuters

The supreme court has ruled that the federal government should henceforth pay allocations directly to local government councils from the federation account.

Delivering judgment in the suit on Thursday, a seven-member panel of justices held that state governments have continued to abuse their powers by retaining and using the funds meant for LGAs.

The apex court also ordered the federal government to withhold allocations of LGs governed by unelected officials appointed by the governor.

Emmanuel Agim, who read the lead judgment, said states are mandated to ensure that their local government councils are democratically elected, ⁠and that governors cannot use their powers to dissolve democratically elected local government councils.

“The amount standing to the credit of local government councils must be paid by the federation to the local government councils and not by any other person or body,” the judge said.

“The said amount must be paid to local government councils that are democratically elected.

“An order of injunction is hereby granted restraining the defendants from collecting funds belonging to the local government councils when no democratically elected local government councils are in place.

“An order that henceforth no state government should be paid monies standing to the credit of the local government councils.

“An order for immediate enforcement and compliance with these orders by the state governments and successive governments henceforth.”

BACKGROUND

In May, the federal government filed a suit at the supreme court against governors of the 36 states.

In the suit marked SC/CV/343/2024, the federal government asked for full autonomy for the country’s 774 local governments.

In the suit filed by Lateef Fagbemi, attorney-general of the federation (AGF) and minister of justice, the federal government also requested the supreme court to authorise the direct transfer of funds from the federation account to local governments — in accordance with the constitution.

The suit was hinged on 27 grounds.

“That the constitution of Nigeria recognizes federal, states and local governments as three tiers of government and that the three recognized tiers of government draw funds for their operation and functioning from the federation account created by the constitution,” the originating summons had read.

“That all efforts to make the governors comply with the dictates of the 1999 Constitution in terms of putting in place a democratically elected local government system, has not yielded any result and that to continue to disburse funds from the federation account to governors for non-existing democratically elected local governments is to undermine the sanctity of the 1999 constitution.”

The federal government had asked the apex court to invoke sections 1, 4, 5, 7 and 14 of the constitution to declare that the governors and state houses of assembly are under obligation to ensure democratically elected systems at the third tier.

The Cable

The Adamawa State Government has filed a lawsuit against the federal government at the Supreme Court concerning the distribution of revenue from the federation account.

Humwashi Wonosikou, the chief press secretary to Governor Ahmadu Fintiri, announced on Thursday that the state seeks an interpretation of Section 162 (1), (2), and (3) of the Constitution regarding the allocation of funds from the federation account.

Adamawa State contends that all revenue in the federation account must be distributed among all levels of government without any deductions, except those permitted by law.

"The president must adhere strictly to the Constitution in managing and distributing revenue," the statement reads. "All collected revenue, except those exempted by the Constitution, must be deposited into the federation account for equitable distribution to all tiers of government. The federal government lacks the discretion to withhold or deduct revenue for any purpose not expressly permitted by the Constitution."

The state further asserts that any deductions or withholdings made without constitutional backing are unconstitutional. "The federal government’s discretion to manage revenue is limited to only what is expressly permitted by the Constitution."

Adamawa is also seeking a strict interpretation of the Constitution to ensure that revenue distribution is "conducted in a transparent and constitutional manner, without arbitrary deductions or withholdings by the federal government."

On July 11, the Supreme Court ruled that the federal government must pay allocations directly to local government councils from the federation account. A seven-member panel of justices found that state governments have been abusing their powers by retaining and using funds meant for LGAs.

The apex court also ordered the federal government to withhold allocations from LGs governed by unelected officials appointed by governors.

Kenyan President William Ruto on Thursday fired his entire cabinet apart from the foreign minister, bowing to pressure from nationwide protests that have created the biggest crisis of his two-year presidency.

The youth-led protests against planned tax hikes started off peacefully but turned violent, killing at least 39 people in clashes with the police last month. Some demonstrators briefly stormed parliament, before Ruto abandoned the new taxes.

"I will immediately engage in extensive consultations across different sectors and political formations and other Kenyans, both in public and private, with the aim of setting up a broad-based government," Ruto said in a televised address to the nation, adding that he would announce additional measures later.

He also dismissed the attorney general but said the office of the deputy president was not affected.

The sweeping cabinet changes were what Kenyans have been asking for, veteran anti-corruption activist John Githongo told Reuters.

"Let us see what happens now if the new ministers deal with big issues around corruption and just the arrogance and excess of his administration and the fact that a lot of Kenyans died during the demonstrations," he said. "Hopefully this should temporarily calm things."

Ruto has been caught between the demands of lenders such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to cut deficits and a hard-pressed population reeling from rising cost of living.

Last week he proposed spending cuts and additional borrowing in roughly equal measure to fill the nearly $2.7 billion budget hole caused by the withdrawal of the tax hikes.

Analysts have said the tax rollback means Kenya is likely to miss IMF targets although the government does not have debts that are due.

The budget deficit is now projected at 4.6% of gross domestic product in the fiscal year that started on July 1.

Ojango Omondi, a community activist from the Social Justice Centres Working Group in Nairobi, said dismissing so many cabinet ministers was a "move towards justice", but activists would want to see who Ruto appoints in their place.

"It's one thing to dismiss, the second is to ensure that the people that will be chosen in the cabinet are accountable to the constitution and the rule of law," Omondi said.

Reuters

Israel bombards Gaza City in one of the fiercest weeks of war, killing 26

Israel rained bombs on Gaza City during a week that residents described as comparable to the fiercest battle of the war, while a Palestinian Islamic Jihad official on Thursday said a new round of peace talks ended with no agreements yet.

Israel has been bombarding the Gaza Strip for 10 months in a war that has laid waste to the territory and killed more than 38,000 Palestinians, according to medical authorities in Gaza.

On Thursday, Israeli airstrikes killed at least six people in Gaza City and 19 in the rest of the Gaza Strip, according to Palestinian authorities. The civil emergency service said the bodies of at least 30 Palestinians killed in the previous three days also laid scattered on unreachable roads in Gaza City.

The latest round of peace talks ended with no agreements, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Palestinian militant group Hamas of making demands that contradicted a framework deal brokered by Washington. Netanyahu did not say what those demands were.

In a statement, the Palestinian Islamist militant group said mediators had yet to provide it with updates on the state of the talks since it made concessions last week in response to a U.S.-backed Israeli peace offer.

Washington is pushing for a peace deal at talks in Egypt and Qatar to end the Gaza war, now in its 10th month. The head of Israel's Shin Bet intelligence agency was headed to Cairo to pursue the negotiations, Netanyahu's office said.

In Washington, White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said many details still need to be hammered out to secure a deal.

In its statement on Thursday, Hamas accused Israel of "stalling to buy time to foil this round of negotiations, as it has done in previous rounds", all of which have ended in failure since a week-long truce in November.

As peace talks dragged on, Gaza City residents endured a fierce night of bombing.

Home to more than a quarter of Gaza's residents before the war, Gaza City was largely razed to the ground in late 2023, but hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have returned to homes in the ruins. Israel has once again ordered them out, though it is unclear where residents can go safely. Israel controls most of Gaza's borders.

Many say they will not leave.

"We will die but not leave to the south. We have tolerated starvation and bombs for nine months and we are ready to die as martyrs here," said Mohammad Ali, 30, reached by text message.

Ali, whose family has relocated several times within the city, said they had been running short of food, water and medicine.

"The occupation (Israel) bombs Gaza City as if the war was restarting. We hope there will be a ceasefire soon, but if not then is God's will."

The Israeli army told Gaza City residents on Wednesday to use two "safe routes" to head south. Some posted a hashtag on social media: "We are not leaving".

Asked by Reuters to comment on its operations in Gaza City, the Israeli military said in a statement its forces were working to dismantle Hamas capabilities, and that it "follows international law and takes feasible precautions to mitigate civilian harm." It said the same was not true of Hamas.

Critics have accused Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians, which Israel denies. It characterizes its actions as self-defense, though the International Court of Justice ordered Israel in January to take action to prevent acts of genocide.

Israel launched its assault on the Gaza Strip last year after Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and capturing more than 250 hostages according to Israeli tallies.

An Israeli military report on Thursday acknowledged that it had failed to protect the citizens of one of the worst hit communities, Kibbutz Be'eri, where more than 100 people were killed.

PALESTINIAN CIVILIANS CALL FOR WAR TO END

The negotiations in Qatar and Egypt follow important concessions last week from Hamas, which accepted that a truce could begin and some hostages be released without Israel first agreeing to end the war.

Just east of Gaza City in the Shejaia suburb, residents were returning on foot to a desolate moonscape of destroyed buildings after Israeli forces withdrew following a two-week offensive.

The territory's main cemetery had been bulldozed by the army. People wheeled supplies on the back of bicycles across rubble-strewn tracks, passing the remains of burnt-out and blasted Israeli armoured vehicles.

"We have returned to Shejaia after 15 days. You can see the destruction. They spared nothing, even trees, there was a lot of greenery in this area. What is the guilt of stones and trees? And what is my guilt as a civilian?" resident Hatem Tayeh told Reuters in the ruins.

"There are bodies of civilian people. What is the guilt of the civilian? Who are you fighting?"

Reuters

WESTERN PERSPECTIVE

Ukraine urges NATO to lift restrictions on targeting Russia

Ukraine on Thursday urged NATO allies to lift restrictions on its use of long-range weapons against targets in Russia, saying that would be "game-changer" in its war with Moscow, while China slammed NATO criticism of its support for Russia as biased and malicious.

NATO members issued a declaration in support of Ukraine at a summit in Washington on Wednesday, promising additional aid and pledging to back its "irreversible path" to NATO membership.

"At this summit we are turning a corner and putting in place the foundations for Ukraine to prevail," NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told a news conference after a three-day meeting in Washington of the 32 NATO states.

"Today, we send a strong message of unity and resolve to Moscow that violence and intimidation do not pay, and that Ukraine can count on NATO now for the long haul."

Near the end of the summit on Thursday, U.S. President Joe Biden mistakenly referred to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy as "President Putin," before correcting himself, in a mix up likely to add fuel to calls for him to quit the 2024 presidential race.

In a press conference shortly after, Biden made another verbal slip, referring to Vice President Kamala Harris as "Vice President Trump."

Zelenskiy earlier called on allies to preserve their unified support of Ukraine and said new aid had to be delivered quickly.

"If we want to win, if we want to prevail, to save our country and to defend it, we need to lift all the limitations," he said.

Zelenskiy's cabinet chief Andryi Yermak told a public forum Russia had no restrictions on its use of weapons and it would be "a real game-changer" if Ukraine's allies could lift all limits on the use of those they supply to Ukraine.

NATO members have taken different approaches to how Ukraine can use weapons they donate. Some have made clear Kyiv can use them to strike targets deep inside Russia while the United States has taken a narrower approach, allowing its weapons to be used only just inside Russia's border against targets supporting Russian military operations in Ukraine.

Biden told the press conference the United States had allowed Zelenskiy to use American weapons in a limited way within Russia's borders.

"If he had the ability to strike Moscow, strike the Kremlin, would that make sense? It wouldn't," he added.

Biden said he and U.S. military and intelligence officials were making decisions on "a day-to-day basis on how far they should go in. That's a logical thing to do."

The United States and its allies have used this week's summit to try to project unity in the face of what they see as a rising threat to Europe from Russia and China.

However, NATO member Hungary said ahead of a meeting of NATO members with partners from the so-called Indo-Pacific Four - Australia, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea - that it does not want NATO to become an "anti-China" bloc, and will not support it doing so.

Hungary's Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto also told Hungarian state television that Ukraine's admission to the military alliance would weaken unity in the group.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban irked other NATO members with surprise visits to Kyiv, Moscow and Beijing in the past two weeks on a self-styled "peace mission". He and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump will meet on Thursday at the latter's Florida home, according to three people with knowledge of the matter.

Orban's meeting in Moscow with Russian President Vladimir Putin in particular angered some fellow NATO allies, who said the trip handed legitimacy to Putin's claims to Ukrainian territory seized since Russia's 2022 invasion.

Biden's national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, told a public forum he would not speculate on whether Orban's trip to Moscow was coordinated with Trump, Biden's rival in the November U.S. election, but said the Ukrainians had grave misgivings about any effort to negotiate a peace deal without them.

"So whatever adventurism is being undertaken without Ukraine's consent or support is not something that's consistent with our policy, the foreign policy of the United States," he said.

ANGRY WORDS FROM CHINA

Wednesday's NATO declaration included sharp words about China, calling it "a decisive enabler" of Russia's war in Ukraine, and said Beijing continues to pose systemic challenges to Europe and to security.

China's Foreign Ministry said the declaration was biased and "sowing discord" and its mission to the European Union described it as being "full of Cold War mentality and belligerent rhetoric, and China-related content full of provocations, lies, incitement and smears."

At the news conference, Stoltenberg recalled language in the declaration by saying that "China cannot continue to fuel the largest military conflict in Europe without this impacting Beijing's interests and reputation."

China has repeatedly lashed out at NATO criticisms and has warned against its expansion into the Indo-Pacific.

Japan, South Korea, New Zealand and Australia have forged stronger ties with NATO amid rising concerns over China's pressure on rival claimants in disputed waters in the region and on democratic Taiwan, the global hub of cutting-edge chip production, which Beijing claims as its own.

PROJECTING UNITY

Fears that the U.S. presidential election could yield a sharp change in Washington's support for Ukraine and NATO have loomed over the Washington meetings.

On Wednesday, Trump, who has questioned the value of NATO in the past and pressed congressional Republicans to stall military aid for Ukraine before later reversing course, claimed Ukraine would not have been attacked had he been president. He cited his "good relationship with President Putin."

Biden's uneven performance in a June 27 debate against Trump and low public approval ratings have raised fresh doubts about his mental fitness to stand again, with 13 Democratic members of Congress and one Democratic senator calling for him to step aside.

Zelenskiy met both Republican and Democratic lawmakers in Washington on Wednesday. He is keen to cement ties with U.S. lawmakers on both sides of the political aisle in the event that Trump is reelected.

A NATO declaration said the allies would provide at least 40 billion euros ($43 billion) in military aid to Ukraine within the next year, although they stopped short of the multi-year commitment Stoltenberg had sought.

RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE

Either NATO or Ukraine must go – Medvedev

NATO’s declaration that Ukraine’s eventual membership of the US-led military bloc is “irreversible” means that either the nation or the alliance – and preferably both – should disappear, former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev has said.

A joint statement adopted by the leaders of NATO states during a summit in Washington this week expressed support for Ukraine’s “right to choose its own security arrangements,” and declared that it is on an “irreversible path to full Euro-Atlantic integration, including NATO membership.”

Russia has consistently said that Ukraine’s accession to NATO would cross a ‘red line’. It cited the expansion of the bloc in Europe as one of the key triggers of the current hostilities with Kiev.

“The conclusion is obvious. We have to do everything to make sure that the ‘irreversible path of Ukraine’ towards NATO ends with either the disappearance of Ukraine, or the disappearance of NATO. Better, both,”Medvedev said on Thursday.

The wording of the joint statement, according to media reports, was intended to appease Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky, who has claimed that his nation deserves to be fast-tracked into NATO in gratitude for fighting to supposedly “defend” the West from Russia. But member states, including the US, have made it clear that Ukraine will not be able to join them as a full participant while the conflict remains unresolved.

Kiev has signed numerous bilateral security agreements with Western nations in recent months in lieu of guarantees provided for under the NATO Treaty. The most recent pact was finalized with Luxembourg this week.

Medvedev, who currently serves as deputy chair of the Russian Security Council, previously called for caution in the event that Kiev made a U-turn and accepted Russia’s conditions for a negotiated peace.

He argued that such a deal, which would include Kiev’s renunciation of its NATO aspirations, could lead to a new coup in Ukraine and an even more radical government eventually seizing power.

In that scenario, he said, hostilities would resume and Ukraine’s statehood would be lost for good. But “the enemies of Russia will not go anywhere” and will “gather strength for a new attempt to destroy our country,”Medvedev predicted.

Reuters/RT