Hungary's record loan came amid a record increase in its public debt to 140 billion euros ($152 billion), 73.5% of GDP, and a budget deficit of 6.7% of GDP, while the country has no access to European Union funds due to the conflict with Brussels.
Peace negotiations on the war in Ukraine will be impossible without the participation of Russia and China, Czech President Petr Pavel told CTK in an interview published on July 25.
Russian and Chinese bombers were intercepted in international space by US F-16 and F-35 fighter jets, as well as Canadian CF-18 fighter jets. Support aircraft were also involved in the operation, according to CNN.
"My Chinese colleague clearly said that he agrees that we need not the illusion of peace, but a just and sustainable peace," Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on July 24 during his visit to China.
"There is a clear signal that China supports Ukraine's territorial integrity and sovereignty. It was also confirmed what Chinese leader Xi Jinping told me — that China will not supply weapons to Russia," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba is in China where the topic of how to end Russia's full-scale war has been top of the agenda.
"China has always been firmly committed to promoting a political solution to the crisis," the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement regarding the talks.
During the visit, Kyiv's chief diplomat and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi will discuss Russia's ongoing war against Ukraine, China's role in achieving just and stable peace, and Ukrainian-Chinese relations, Kyiv's Foreign Ministry said on July 22.
Key developments on July 22: * Ukraine hits Russia's Tuapse oil refinery, source confirms * Russia gathering forces in Kharkiv Oblast for fresh attacks, military says * Russia pushing toward Pokrovsk in Donetsk Oblast despite heavy losses, Syrskyi says * Kuleba to visit China on July 23-25 in first visit since February 2022 * Czech
Supplies of semiconductors and other dual-use goods to Russia have fallen by a fifth in 2024, Reuters reported on July 22, citing data from the U.S. Department of Commerce.
During the visit, Kyiv's chief diplomat and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi will discuss Russia's ongoing war against Ukraine, China's role in achieving just and stable peace, and Ukrainian-Chinese relations, the ministry noted.
The United States plans to impose new sanctions against Chinese entities that fuel Russia's war in Ukraine. Chinese banks may also be targeted.
A bipartisan congressional committee urged the White House on July 15 to reveal whether Russia is sharing insights on U.S. weapons used on the front lines in Ukraine with China, Reuters reported.
The news comes days after NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on July 11 said that China is a "decisive enabler" of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Belarus joins the Shanghai Cooperation Organization led by Russia and China, aiming for political legitimacy and developing “anti-sanction measures.” Chinese and Belarusian militaries conduct joint drills near NATO and Ukraine borders. Dictator Alexander Lukashenko releases 18 political prisoners while adding 17 more to the list. Subscribe to the Newsletter Belarus
"We have to make sure that (Chinese President Xi Jinping) understands there's a price to pay for undercutting both the Pacific basin as well as Europe, and it relates to Russia and dealing with Ukraine," U.S. President Joe Biden said during the NATO summit in the U.S. capital.
The day before, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that alliance members agree that China is a "decisive enabler" of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
China as a threat to NATO's interests and security was mentioned in the joint member states' statement, which Stoltenberg called "the first time that all NATO members state this so clearly in an agreed document."
Viktor Orban, whose country took over the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU earlier in the month, called the visit to Beijing a third step in his "peace mission."
The exercises aim to "exchange experience, coordinate Belarusian and Chinese units, and create a foundation for the further development of Belarusian-Chinese relations in the field of joint training of troops," according to the Belarusian Defense Ministry.
China has tightened export controls on military and dual-use products since July 1, the Moscow Times reported on July 5. This has already made it more difficult to deliver Chinese equipment and machinery to Russia, the Moscow Times reported, citing Russian importers.
Before Belarus joined, the organization consisted of nine member states, including China, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.
Chinese President Xi Jinping indicated his support for Russia on the subject of its full-scale war on Ukraine, saying on the sidelines of the summit that China "has always stood on the right side of history."
Russia's reliance on China has developed to the point where Beijing could end a war with one phone call, Finnish President Alexander Stubb said in an interview with Bloomberg.
Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Kazakhstan on July 3 for regional security and defense discussions, according to the Kremlin. He is also set to hold a series of bilateral meetings with leaders from China and Turkey.
Chinese companies are allegedly developing attack drones similar to the Iranian-produced Shahed-type drone to aid Russia in its war against Ukraine, Bloomberg reported on July 2, citing European officials familiar with the matter.
U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres, who skipped Ukraine's peace summit in June, is expected to participate in the event in Astana as well, the U.N. in Kazakhstan reported on X.
Belarus signals willingness for border security talks as Poland mulls full border closure and turns to China for solutions amid intensified migration crisis. The U.S. designates Belarus as State Sponsor of Human Trafficking in a 2024 report, highlighting forced labor, complicity in abduction of Ukrainian children, and worsening migration
June has been a busy month for Russian President Vladimir Putin. In a speech at Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he outlined his terms for peace negotiations with Ukraine and proposed establishing an alternative international security system in collaboration with China. A week later, during a two-day visit to
The European Union’s foreign policy will soon be under new management. While Ursula von der Leyen seems well positioned to carry on as European Commission president, there will be a new president of the European Council and a new foreign policy chief. They will inherit an unenviable agenda that
According to Kommersant's sources, Bank of China will refuse to accept payments from any sanctioned Russian bank starting on June 24.
"The political component will be very important. We have a war in Ukraine, as well as a hybrid attack by Belarus on the Polish border," Polish President Andrzej Duda said before the trip on June 22.
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