I amIn the fight for Sweden to join NATO, Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has rejected his country’s fast-track accession. “I wonder if there is any urgency that would force us to confirm Sweden’s candidacy,” Orban told parliament in Budapest on Monday. “I cannot identify such a situation.”
Orban said Sweden’s security was “in no way” threatened. The head of government also called on Stockholm to end its “disparaging” policy and regular reporting on Hungary’s violations of the rule of law.
Hungary has the right to “first demand respect from Sweden” before “preparing a positive decision” regarding its NATO membership, Orban said.
Viktor Orbán at the Budapest Parliament on Monday
They are: AFP/ATTILA KISBENEDEK
Budapest’s criticism of Sweden has intensified in recent weeks after the release of a 2019 video shown in schools that spoke of Hungary’s “democratic collapse”. In a letter, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto accused his Swedish counterpart of spreading “serious accusations and false information” in schools.
In response to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, Sweden decided to join NATO, as did its neighbor Finland. Although Finland has now been accepted into the defense alliance, Sweden’s entry has so far failed due to vetoes by Hungary and Turkey.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan agreed to lift his veto, but insisted his country’s ratification would not take place before October.
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07:59 am – Injured in another drone strike in southern Ukraine
Two people were injured in Russian drone strikes in the Odesa region, not far from the border with EU country Romania. “There were attacks on the port infrastructure in Ishmael county,” Odesa military governor Ole Kiper said after the overnight attacks. The injured were lorry drivers. One person was treated at the scene and the second was taken to hospital with a serious hand injury. According to Kipper, warehouses and nearly 30 trucks were damaged. Six carriages were completely gutted.
A total of 38 kamikaze drones were launched by Russia into Ukraine overnight from the Crimean peninsula, which has been occupied since 2014, the Ukrainian Air Force said this morning. 26 of them were shot down.
05:49 am – Moscow reports new drone strikes in Kursk border region
According to official reports, Russian air defense intercepted a total of four Ukrainian drone strikes in the Kursk region near the Ukrainian border on Monday evening. Two drones were destroyed around 10:30 p.m. local time (9:30 p.m. CEST) and two more half an hour later, the Russian Defense Ministry in Moscow said in a Telegram. The information could not be independently verified.
The regional capital Kursk was already hit by drones on Sunday. One reportedly struck a building of the FSB, the Russian domestic secret service, and the second hit an oil refinery, media in Kiev reported, citing Ukrainian military intelligence. The Kursk region officially reported that the drone caused minor damage to the roof of an administrative building.
Moscow has repeatedly reported Ukrainian drone strikes in recent weeks. However, these are proportionate to Russia’s massive attacks against its neighbor in its 19-month war of aggression.
02:35 am – Special forces kill Russian Black Sea Fleet admiral
Russian Black Sea Fleet Admiral Viktor Sokolov was killed last week in a missile attack on the naval headquarters in Sevastopol, Ukrainian special forces say. “In the attack on the headquarters of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, 34 officers, including the commander of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, were killed. 105 occupants were injured.
The headquarters cannot be restored,” the Ukrainian special forces said in a telegram on Monday. After the attack, the Russian Defense Ministry declared one soldier missing. The Russian Defense Ministry has not yet responded to Reuters’ inquiries about the Ukrainian report.
12:03 am – Zelensky after getting Abrams: More military aid work
After handing over the first U.S. Abrams tanks, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed hope for more long-desired military aid. “We are working on getting all the other military capabilities we need, including F-16 fighter jets, anti-aircraft systems and long-range weapons,” Zelensky said in his evening video address on Monday. “More systems than we currently have to cover our entire national territory. need,” said Zelensky.
Ukraine expects, among other things, Taurus cruise missiles from Germany. However, there has been no confirmation from Berlin so far. In addition, Zelensky said that the production of weapons and anti-aircraft defenses is important for his country.
Earlier in the day, the head of state announced that the first Abrams tanks had arrived in Ukraine. In total, the US has announced that it will hand over 31 battle tanks to the country attacked by Russia. Zelensky said the tanks were a “significant reinforcement” for Ukraine.
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