President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy commented on Bely's home a statement that his visit to Washington will take place on August 30.
“I look forward to a meaningful and fruitful meeting with the US President on August 30,” Zelensky wrote. He added that he intends to discuss with Joe Biden, important issues of the strategic partnership between Ukraine and the United States are the agreement on Donbass, the return of Crimea, the security of Ukraine.
In addition, Zelensky will address energy issues as a challenge to Ukraine's security, economic development and Washington's support for Ukraine's reforms.
Photos of the President's website of Ukraine. The White House said that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenský's visit to Washington would take place on August 30.
Recall that in the past, the visit of the Ukrainian leader to the United States was constantly postponed. In Kiev, they said that the visit can take place in late July – early August. It has now been postponed to the very end of the summer.
The White House statement also states that the visit “will reaffirm US support for Ukraine's sovereignty and close cooperation in the field of energy.”
“And you have blacks in your ebony!” – This popular technique of Soviet and now Russian ideological warriors risks being much less effective than before. At least a special directive by US Secretary of State Tony Blinken is aimed at achieving such an effect, as reported by the informed American internet publication Politico.
Photo: en.wikipedia.org
Earlier, such remorse stopped (or theoretically gave) American propagandists and officials. However, Tony Blinken has now given his subordinates special instructions on how to deal with verbal traps. American diplomats in particular are allowed to admit that they are indeed “lynched blacks” – of course, only in a figurative sense.
I repent, repent, and repent again. Or, to be honest, I do not regret it, but I fully acknowledge the use of the politically incorrect vocabulary in the previous paragraph. Of course, this is not about the fact that the US State Department is ready for an ideological surrender, but about the exact opposite.
Recognizing that “everyone has their own shortcomings,” American diplomats should only strengthen their argumentation system, according to Tony Blinken. Like, look, good people, how honest, moral and undocumented we are! Are you saying that we still don't have order with black people's rights (please keep in mind that I now use 100% politically correct terminology)? Yes, we ourselves are the first to admit it – we admit it and we fight against it! And since we are fighting them, my dear, let's talk about your shortcomings! That's really all. The circle is complete. Judging by its ultimate effect, Tony Blinken's new system of argument is no different from the old.
However, there is another nuance. Another popular trick of our “lords of the pen” is to recall the famous statement about Nicaraguan dictator Somos, which is attributed to US President Franklin Delan Roosevelt: “Of course he is a bitch. But it's our bitch! Tony Blinken also has special instructions regarding modern American “friends-dictators.” From now on, American diplomats can detect both “human rights violations” and their execution. Progress? Rather a different rhetorical device. Verbal statements are one thing and specific sanctions are another. And the Secretary of State's guidelines say this directly: in putting its high principles into practice, America is obliged to balance them with its national interests.
In short, nothing will change in practice – perhaps only to raise the level of American foreign policy rhetoric and bring it to modern reality. Do you agree, if the norms of decency in America dictate the need to kneel at any mention of the black life movement, then how can American diplomats tell the world around them that everything is fine with human rights in their country? George Floyd's “secular canonization” dictates the need for more sophisticated rhetoric. Like, look at how we don't spare our bellies, we fight our own demons! We are still world leaders in the fight against demons! Come before us – under our wise guidance!
Following this statement on the ability of American diplomacy to use its own shortcomings, failures, and social ulcers to its advantage, it would probably be possible to put an end to this. But the ellipse seems more appropriate to me. An ellipse – or a move to a slightly different topic, which is actually closely related to the previous one. It is clear from Tony Blinken's circular letter that the United States does not intend to give up its desire to engage in the internal affairs of other countries: “The struggle for democracy and human rights around the world is not at odds with any American national of our national security. “As they say, who would doubt it. America, which does not seek to use the theme of democracy to advance its interests, is like a wolf trying to become a vegetarian.
This position of US Secretary of State is absolutely nothing new. There is something new about how the thesis about the need to “fight foreign interference” changed Russia's domestic political environment in 2021. Compare the same landscape with what it looked like a year, two or three years ago – compare and feel the difference. What is morality?
Unfortunately, I'm not ready to formulate it yet. But I definitely have questions. Are there too many “foreign agents” at once? Is there an overlap in the fight against them? Is there not a creeping degeneration of elements of our social and political system in the process of this struggle itself, which is not unnoticed to us? These are the questions the “painting” of Tony Blinken's American foreign policy instrument made me answer. With all the commonness of this correction, Americans were still looking for answers to long-standing questions. Maybe we should take a closer look at their example.
State Department spokesman Ned Price said Adviser Derek Scholle was discussing & nbsp; with the Prime Minister of Ukraine Denis Shmygal, Minister of Foreign Affairs Dmytra Kulebu, Head of the Presidential Administration Andriy Yermak and Deputy Foreign Minister Yevgeny Yenin on issues of guarantees for Ukraine in connection with the construction of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline. Adviser Schollet reaffirmed the US commitment to ensure that Russia did not use the pipeline as a coercive tool against Ukraine or any other country.
The natural disaster in Western Europe will also have political consequences.
Following a visit to the regions of Germany affected by the catastrophic floods in Rhineland-Palatinate, Angela Merkel promised to rebuild infrastructure in the catastrophic survivors as soon as possible. Meanwhile, insurance companies calculate their huge losses in advance when they have to pay money to customers who have suffered huge damage.
Photo: AP
“There are no words in German to denote the destruction caused by a natural disaster,” said Angela Merkel, who visited the disastrous city of Adenau in the district of Ahrweiler. And Malu Dreyer, the Prime Minister of Rhineland-Palatinate, who accompanied the Chancellor, said it would be a long time before the people of the affected areas could say that they would recognize their homeland again.
So far, the main task of the authorities is to search for people, dozens of whom are considered missing, even though the number of victims in Germany and neighboring countries is approaching 190. However, the time will soon come for material support for survivors but homeless people and property. p>
European floods: new flood photos in Belgium and Germany
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“Many people have lost everything they have built during their lives – property, their home, their roof,” said German Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who visited Erftstadt. – Only after a few weeks will it be possible to find out what damage needs to be compensated. Many people here have nothing but hope and we must not disappoint them. “
On Wednesday, the German government is going to present an emergency flood program and announce medium-term goals for the restoration of its infrastructure.
German Finance Minister Olaf Scholz previously announced the provision of emergency financial assistance from the federal government to victims of more than 300 million euros. The first grants for people will arrive in July, according to Deutsche Welle. The authorities will also provide tax relief to the victims of the disaster.
According to the German authorities, the reconstruction of the areas affected by the floods will take a long time. However, he assures the head of the Ministry of Finance that “everything must be ready by the end of the year.”
Devastating floods in West Germany could be one of the most costly natural disasters in the country, Reuters notes.
Until recently, the most expensive natural disasters in Germany over the last two decades were considered to be the August floods of 2002, even on the Odra River – insurance losses amounted to 4.5 billion euros. Also in this assessment is Hurricane “Kirill” in January 2007 (3.4 billion euros) – about 10 people died as a result of an uncontrollable catastrophe in Germany and, for the first time in history, all railways in the country were stopped. The first three will be closed by a series of heavy rains, which in July 2013 caused heavy damage in both northern and southern Germany (EUR 3.1 billion).
The German Association of Insurance Companies GDV will issue the first damage assessment in the coming days. But even now it can be assumed that this could be significantly higher than insurance losses, because only about 45% of buildings were insured against floods and torrential rains. It is estimated that insurance losses can amount to approximately $ 15 billion.
Be that as it may, the insurance industry faces huge costs due to the catastrophic floods. The concerns of insurance companies are understandable, which he will have to be careful about. However, the citizens concerned, who have bought insurance, are also concerned. Theoretically, they should receive compensation for the losses incurred. However, rumors are already circulating among them that insurance companies want to declare force majeure and thus avoid payments. There is therefore a danger that the battle for insurance payments will turn into a long-term process.
The rebuilding of destroyed cities also raises the question for some people: does it make sense to rebuild houses on the banks of rivers, which potentially pose a threat of new floods?
In addition to the economic consequences – and this is also a double-edged sword, as restoration work will be carried out against the background of enormous damage, which could have a positive effect on GDP in the future – a natural disaster in Germany could have political consequences.
It is no coincidence that Angela Merkel, who returned from the United States and visited the affected areas, spoke not only of emergency assistance to local people, but also of the need for a policy that takes nature and climate more into account than before. After all, most experts only call the cause of a flood global warming. And if you consider that the parliamentary elections will take place very soon in Germany, whose favorites many observers have called the Green Party, it is clear that political forces will try to capture their environmental and climate agenda one way or another.
There is also a purely pictorial aspect that German politicians do not forget even in the face of a natural disaster. Gerhard Schroeder, who was lagging behind in the polls before the election, put on his rubber boots and went to the affected areas as soon as the floods hit Germany in 2002 – and it worked in his favor. So now the CDU candidate for German Chancellor, Armin Laschet, who is also the Minister-President of North Rhine-Westphalia, immediately appeared on the scene of dramatic events.
If the region is rebuilt quickly and without bureaucracy, Laschet's popularity could benefit from the floods. But so far he has had to face criticism. But he is to blame – during a visit to the ruined city of Erftstadt, where the ruined gravel pit engulfed cars, road fragments and entire buildings, Laschet was seen joking with random passers-by, while German President Steinmeier solemnly addressed the cameras. The Social Democrats immediately called the behavior of the center-right politician “undignified and appalling.” And Armin Lashet had to publicly apologize for his misconduct on his Twitter account.
And the statement on financial assistance to victims made by the Social Democratic candidate, Chancellor for Finance, Olaf Scholz, should also be considered in the context of the forthcoming elections.
And, of course, the Green Party's candidate for German Chancellor Annelena Baerbock, who focuses on environmental issues, has interrupted her holiday to visit the affected area. A flood is a flood and you must not miss a chance to appear before potential voters before the election.
Dramatic videos from the floods in Germany were collected: “Sucked under the bridge”
Apple party in the upcoming years will be included in the number of undesirable organizations and banned, said the head of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia Vladimir Zhirinovsky in a broadcast Echo of Moscow. This is due to the party's attitude towards Crimea, Donbas and the pandemic. “This is a hostile organization in our country that will also turn out badly,” Zhirinovsky emphasized.
The politician also noted that if de facto leader Yabloka Grigory Yavlinsky criticizes Alexei Navalny, he will be able to postpone the ban on the organization. Otherwise, it will be “destroyed” over the next five years.
In addition, Zhirinovsky believes that after the results of the next elections to the State Duma, there will be four parties in parliament. These are the “United Russia”, the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, the Liberal Democratic Party and the “Just Russia – for the truth”. In addition, the Liberal Democratic Party will win more seats in the State Duma than the Communists. And the ruling party will be first.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova commented on the statement Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmitry Kuleba on Russian policy in the Black Sea. The diplomat had previously said he knew how to prevent Russia from “” turning the Black Sea into its inner lake. ” Zakharova urged Kuleba to stop “talking nonsense.”
In his speech, Kuleba called on the countries to unite and stand against Russia against the Black Sea. Otherwise, he said, the Russian Federation will “split the sea in half and begin to rule fully in its zone.”
“I also know how to do it,” Zakharova wrote in her telegram. “The sooner Kuleba stops talking nonsense, the faster the lake becomes a sea whose two halves come together.”
Writer and politician Zakhar Prilepin commented on Telegram reports of the discovery of a palace with a gilded sink, toilet bowl and pieces of furniture at the head of the traffic police in Stavropol. Alexey Safonov lived in luxury, but a case of organizing a criminal community is being investigated against him. It is also about corruption. Prilepin is sure that the Stavropol official is not the only one living in Russia like this.
Prilepin admitted that he was not affected by luxury, but by the low taste of the clerk. “They need everything in gold and monograms.” As in the film about D & # 39; Artanyan and Richelieu, “the writer remarked. According to him, it all strongly resembles a gilded palace from a Soviet film about three musketeers, but then it was specially screened, so the audience was horrified by the strangeness of those in power. “It simply came to our notice then. They took it as a role model, “the politician added.
The writer is sure that “half of the elite” in Russia live in the same palaces, because he considers himself an “aristocracy” and “sleeps” and sees himself in London. “You will wait for your revolutionary sailors.” Jump. They will come to you, “Prilepin promised.
In addition, the writer is willing to bet that there is not a single book in Safonov's house, and he spent all his fairy-tale income only for luxury.
that more than 30 people from traffic police structures in the region have been detained along with Safonov, according to State Duma deputy Alexander Khinshtein, and that there are now controls on involvement in crimes accused of their boss.
French President Emmanuel Macron's mobile phone could have control over the Pegasus program. The supervision was probably carried out by Moroccan special services, writes Le Monde.
It was previously known that among those whose gadgets became the target of Israeli software were some heads of state.
Israeli spyware Pegasus was used to attempt and successfully hack 37 smartphones belonging to journalists, human rights activists, businessmen and two women close to the murdered Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
These phones have been included in a list of more than 50,000 numbers from countries that track their citizens and are clients of the NSO group, the program's producer.
Reporters were able to identify more than 1,000 people from more than 50 countries, including several members of the royal family in Saudi Arabia, at least 65 business executives, 85 human rights defenders, 189 journalists and more than 600 politicians, and government officials, ministers, diplomats, military and security personnel.
The list also found a number of several heads of state and government, Forbes writes.
The Russian Foreign Ministry has expressed confusion over plans to bring Kabul International Airport under Turkish military control following the withdrawal of US and NATO military contingents.
Photo: en.wikipedia.org
Director Zamir Kabulov, the second department of the Asian Foreign Ministry, told Interfax that the Afghans themselves should be responsible for securing the country's main airport.
In addition, the diplomat recalled that the Taliban (an organization recognized as a terrorist in the Russian Federation) had already stated that it would not tolerate the presence of NATO troops in Afghanistan. Turkey, as you know, is a member of an alliance.
“The Taliban have made it clear that any remaining NATO contingent will be considered an occupier,” Kabulov said.
At the Ankara meeting, she also agreed to transfer the airport only to the Americans, without gaining the support of the Kabul government.
The diplomat also wondered that in 20 years of their presence in Afghanistan, the US and NATO had not been able to train 600 Afghans to operate the airport in Kabul.
In mid-June, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced his readiness to maintain a military contingent in Afghanistan following the withdrawal of the United States and NATO troops. It is true that in exchange, Ankara expects Washington to pay for the Turkish army's stay in Afghanistan.
Earlier, an official at the Taliban's political office said the Turkish military's presence in Afghanistan was unacceptable. The expert asked “ MK ” about the consequences of the presence of the Turkish army in the country.
