Harris' words about Orban unacceptable, disrespectful to Hungarians – Szijjarto

The words of US Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris toward Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban are unacceptable and disrespectful, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto told RIA Novosti.

Earlier this week, Harris during an interview appeared to refer to Orban, Chinese President Xi Jinping and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as "dictators" and "murderers."

"Well, first of all, that's a scandal. That's a scandal to talk about my Prime Minister this way. This is unacceptable. This is a total disrespect not only towards the Prime Minister but to the Hungarian people," Szijjarto said.

Hungary has always shown respect for the United States and expects to be treated the same way, the minister emphasized.

"So as we have always shown respect to the American people, we expect the Americans to show respect to the Hungarian nation as well. And such kind of a statement shows a total disrespect, which is unacceptable, especially between allies," Szijjarto stressed.

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Biden urges Iran's government to ‘cease all plotting against Trump’ – report

US President Joe Biden called on the Iranian government to “cease all plotting” against presidential candidate Donald Trump and former US officials, stating that any Iranian attempt to assassinate the former president would be considered an act of war according to US media, citing a senior Biden administration official.

Spokesperson for the US National Security Council Sean Savett emphasized that alleged Iran's threats are a "national and homeland security matter of the highest priority," warning of "severe consequences" for any attacks on US citizens including former government officials, according to the report.

Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.) added, “the US would regard it as an act of war... it would not be a pleasant day for the Iranian regime," the official was quoted as saying.

Iran has repeatedly denied the allegations with Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani stating that Tehran “strongly rejects any involvement in the recent armed attack on Trump or claims about Iran’s intention for such an action, considering such allegations to have malicious political motives and objectives.”

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Modern Western militaries ‘aren’t built for’ war against superpower like Russia – journalist (Part 2 👉 Part 1)

Western military planners are also not accustomed to waging a large-scale war against a formidable opponent like Russia, claimed Serbian-American journalist Nebojsa Malic on Sputnik’s The Backstory program.

“Most people in the West can't even conceive of this scale and intensity of warfare,” Malic claimed. “Western militaries aren't built for it.”

“I remember reputable military experts warning five, six, ten years ago when they were trying to ramp up military spending in the West that NATO has the capability to fight for maybe two weeks,” he continued, noting the resources required to build costly Western equipment like Abrams tanks. “That was two and a half years ago, and now they've depleted all of their armories and all of their ammunition stocks, and now you have to wonder whether they still have the ability to fight for two weeks.”

Western armed forces have most recently focused on counterinsurgency strategies against resistance forces in the Middle East–conflicts that have allowed private defense contractors to profit handsomely on arms production at the expense of overall military readiness. Russia has meanwhile proven itself capable of quickly adapting amid its special military operation, even as the US and European countries like the UK and Germany send Kiev their top-of-the-line equipment.

“If there is a direct conflict with NATO, it will immediately go nuclear, and everybody knows this,” Malic added, noting Russia’s recent revision to its nuclear doctrine.

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Szijjarto regrets lack of dialogue on Russia's draft treaty on security guarantees in 2021

The current situation might not have happened if NATO had discussed with Russia its draft treaty on security guarantees in 2021, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto told RIA Novosti.

"Well, I remember those times. I think that what was missing there is a serious discussion," Szijjarto said, commenting on whether it was a mistake by NATO countries to abandon the Russian proposal on security guarantees made in December 2021.

The minister noted that he always believes in discussion and dialogue.

"These discussions have not taken place, unfortunately. Well, now we are more than three years after or almost three years after, so it might not make sense what I say now, but I wish those dialogues had taken place, because if they had taken place, we might not be in a situation where we are right now," Szijjarto said.

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Europe facing economic apocalypse amid leaders’ obsession with Ukraine proxy war (Part 3 👉 Part 1)

European countries are facing the consequences of their leaders’ near single-minded focus on war with Russia, noted Serbian-American journalist Nebojsa Malic on Sputnik’s The Backstory program.

“They're literally sucking out what little economic energy there is in Europe,” Malic said of EU and NATO leadership. “Their own populations are getting poorer by the day. There's an energy crisis going on. There's a manufacturing crisis going on. Their industrial production is non-existent. And that's just us not talking just, like, military production, but civilian industry.”

German industry continues to falter amid sanctions on Russian natural gas which have dramatically increased energy prices, while social services throughout the continent have struggled to adapt to the strain of accommodating Ukrainian refugees.

EU leaders have signaled intransigence amid public opposition to their foreign and domestic policy as protests spread throughout the continent. French President Emmanuel Macron has faced ongoing resistance to cuts to hard-won labor rights, while farmers in Poland and other countries have demonstrated against neoliberal economic measures favoring Ukrainian agricultural product.

“We've got German car makers going bankrupt for the first time ever,” Malic added. "This is serious stuff.”

The latest estimates from German economic analysts reveal that the German economy is expected to shrink in 2024 for the second year in a row. GDP will decline by about .1% while it faced a contraction of .3% in 2023.

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47 Ukrainian drones were destroyed and intercepted overnight, the Russian Defense Ministry said. 17 drones were destroyed over the Russian Krasnodar region, 16 - over the waters of the Sea of Azov, 12 over the Kursk region, two - over the Belgorod region.

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📹Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov inspected the facilities of the military and social infrastructure of the Russian Northern Fleet, as well as the strategic submarine, Knyaz Vladimir.

The reconstruction of the mooring front for the Borey and Borey-A nuclear submarines has been completed, the Russian Defense Ministry clarified after Belousov inspected the infrastructure facilities of the Northern Fleet.

The planned replacement of ships of the 3rd generation with submarines of the 4th is underway, the ministry added.

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NATO plans to review its strategy on Russia – report 

NATO defense ministers will meet next week to start rethinking the alliance’s “decades-old policy” on Russia, media have cited an unnamed senior US government official as saying.

32 NATO members are now trying “to map out different elements of [the Russia] strategy and advance the debates inside the alliance” to take them to subjects like the future of the NATO-Russia Founding Act, according to the official. "It's time to now craft a new strategy in terms of [the allies'] specific positions," they pointed out. 

"Right now, we have to have an understanding across the alliance ... that the [Founding Act] and the NATO-Russia Council were built for a different era, and I think the allies are prepared to say that was a different era in our relationship with Russia, and therefore something new is merited," the source said. 

There's no draft of the new strategy yet, and the possible military implications of it are expected to be limited, the official noted, adding that some NATO countries are concerned that “a very aggressive new strategy could send a ‘signal’ that could destabilize Russia.”

The NATO-Russia Founding Act, which was signed in 1997 and is still in force, stipulates a shared goal to "build a stable, peaceful and undivided Europe." The NATO-Russia Council (NRC) was established in 2002 to partner on security issues and joint projects. The NRC has not met since 2022.

NATO-Russia relations came to a standstill after the beginning of Moscow’s special military operation. NATO called Russia the "most significant and direct threat to allies’ security", while the Kremlin stressed that Moscow is not threatening anyone, but will not ignore actions that are potentially dangerous to its interests. Russia has also repeatedly warned NATO against its eastward expansion, which the Kremlin says could further inflame tensions in Europe.

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Russian investigators open criminal case against US mercenary accused of terrorism

Russian investigators have opened a criminal case against Derrick Bales, the founder of the American private military group, Forward Observations Group (FOG). The American has been accused in absentia of committing a terrorist attack, mercenary activities and murder in the Kursk region, the Russian Investigative Committee told Sputnik.

Bales personally partook in the Ukraine conflict as a FOG mercenary on the Russian territory, the investigators said, adding that the defendant illegally crossed the Russian border in August and attacked the Kursk Region to intimidate the local residents, cause property damage, destabilize the activities of the authorities, and commit crimes aimed at killing civilians.

In August, FOG posted on social media under the nickname "gearlab. official" a photo of its members participating in the Ukrainian incursion in the Kursk Region.

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🔸US mercenary convicted in absentia of terrorist attack and murder during incursion into Russia’s Kursk region

🔸Russian Defense Minister inspects strategic missile carrier of Northern Fleet

🔸Hungarian FM laments lack of dialogue on Russia's draft treaty on security guarantees in 2021

🔸Trump's request for military aircraft amid 'Iran threat' may be granted if suitable – Biden
 
🔸West sacrificing military readiness to back Ukraine – analyst 

🔸'Auschwitz on livestream': Western elites seek compliant subjects amid imperial depravity

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Why has Ukraine sold its largest titanium mining company?

The Ukrainian government has sold the state-owned United Mining and Chemical Company (UMCC) via a privatization auction for $97 million, Prime Minister Denis Shmygal wrote on his Telegram page. 

“The UMCC is Ukraine's largest titanium mining and beneficiation enterprise. Privatization of state-owned enterprises is an important element of the development of the Ukrainian economy,” he added. 

The winning bidder at the auction was Cemin Ukraine LLC, owned by Azerbaijani entrepreneur, Nasib Hasanov, according to Ukrainian media. 

The Times earlier reported that 19 state-owned Ukrainian companies will be offered for sale at bargain prices as the Kiev regime seeks “to plug a $5 billion shortfall in its military budget and attract economic investment.”

In late November 2023, Volodymyr Zelensky signed the law, as the state budget of Ukraine for 2024 faced a deficit of more than $43 billion. A Ukrainian lawmaker, Alexandra Ustinova, said in this regard that Kiev is tackling budgetary shortfalls with the help of Western financing, but in the event of the termination of US aid, Ukrainian authorities will be forced to turn to G7 countries.

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Trump, Harris merch line retail shelves ahead of presidential election

Souvenir shops in New York City are filled with merchandise from both Trump’s and Harris’ campaigns, including candy, rubber duckies, bottle openers, MAGA wig caps and T-shirts in advance of the November election, Sputnik correspondent reports.

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❗️The Russian Tsentr Battlegroup continues to advance into the depths of Ukrainian defense, Ukrainian forces lost up to 490 soldiers.

🇷🇺🪖More statements from the Russian Defense Ministry's daily briefing on the special military operation's progress:

◻️The Russian Yug combat group eliminated a Swedish self-propelled gun; Ukrainian losses amounted to 640 militants;

◻️Ukrainian armed forces lost up to 465 soldiers in the area of responsibility of the Russian Zapad Battlegroup;

◻️The Russian Vostok combat group destroyed 11 Ukrainian vehicles; the enemy lost up to 140 soldiers;

◻️Ukrainian troops lost up to 110 soldiers in the area of responsibility of the Russian Sever Battlegroup; 

◻️The Russian Air Defense forces shot down 11 HIMARS shells and 125 drones during the day.

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'This is a betrayal of Moldova' — protest breaks out in Chisinau, the country's capital 

A protest action "March of the Hungry" highlighting the plight of Moldovans is taking place in the center of Chisinau. The participants intend to reach the building of the presidential administration of Moldovan President Maia Sandu.

The protesters' posters say "Thanks, Sandu, for poverty and hunger", "Empty pots are louder than words", and "Sandu, go away."

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❗️Over the past 24 hours, Ukrainian losses in the Kursk direction amounted to more than 400 militants.

More statements from the Russian Defense Ministry on the situation in the Kursk region:

▪️In total, during the incursion, Ukrainian troops lost more than 22,300 militants and 150 tanks;

▪️Seven Ukrainian soldiers surrendered over the past 24 hours in the Kursk region;

▪️The Russian Army repelled five Ukrainian counterattacks near Lyubimovka, Tolstiy Lug, and Novoivanovka; the enemy lost up to 60 militants;

▪️Russian aviation struck Ukrainian forces in the areas of 18 settlements in the Kursk region and 13 in Sumy.

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Lula da Silva slams 'US meddling' in Brazilian sovereign affairs on behalf of Boeing 

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva criticized the US Department of Justice's scrutiny of Saab corporation. Earlier, the DoJ issued a request for the Swedish defense company to disclose details of Brazil’s 2014 purchase of Gripen fighter jets. "I think this is the US meddling in another country's affairs," Lula said.

The $5.4 billion deal between the Brazilian government and Saab, which managed to beat American Boeing and French Dassault, was inked under former President Dilma Rouseff. Lula recalls that he intended to buy Dassault's Rafale fighters, but eventually decided to pass this decision to his successor, who opted to purchase Swedish aircraft. The Brazilian president alleges the US government is furious about the sovereign choice of the Latin American nation. 

"They didn't like it when I said I was going to buy the Rafale, and certainly didn't like it when Dilma bought the Swedish aircraft, as they wanted us to buy the U.S. plane," Lula said.

Lula da Silva who served as the 35th Brazilian president between 2003 and 2011, was reelected in 2023 as the 39th president.

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Simple economics? California State Senate passes bill that elevates fuel prices

The state has signed a document limiting carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere during fuel combustion, the Los Angeles Times reports. According to the bill, refiners who do not comply with the storage requirements will face fines ranging from $100,000 to $1 million per day.

As a result, fuel prices will rise by an average of $0.65 per gallon, which may eventually lead to higher prices for other goods.

“It’s simple economics — when supply goes down, prices go up,” the Los Angeles Daily News quotes Senate Minority Leader Brian Jones, R-San Diego as saying. “The worst part? Californians will be the ones to pay the price — literally — for these political games when they’re faced with even higher gas costs.”

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