Hungary wants to continue to benefit from exemptions from sanctions allowing it to obtain Russian gas. The country led by Viktor Orbán has announced that it is in negotiations with Gazprom to have gas delivered in 2025.
According to French Minister of the Armed Forces Sébastien Lecornu, French military aid to Ukraine will exceed two billion euros in 2024, but will not reach the three billion mentioned at the start of the year.
Hundreds of organizations received bomb threats Monday, forcing some public buildings to evacuate. These threats probably come following a journalistic investigation by the media Radio Free Europe into the employment of young Ukrainians by the Russian intelligence services to burn the cars of members of the army.
We take stock of the events that have marked recent hours.
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Hungary talks with Gazprom for gas deliveries in 2025
The Hungarian government and Russian state energy giant Gazprom are in negotiations to conclude a contract providing for additional gas deliveries to Hungary in 2025, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto was quoted as saying by Russian news agency RIA on Tuesday. .
Gazprom announced last week that it had signed a memorandum of understanding with Budapest for a possible increase in Russian gas sales. The group did not provide details.
The head of Hungarian diplomacy also announced that Budapest would veto any European Union sanctions against Moscow if the exemptions allowing Hungary to obtain Russian gas are revoked. “Usually sanctions are reviewed every six months. And as long as the sanctions (targeting Russia) are in place, these exemptions must remain applicable, because otherwise we will veto the sanctions,” he said.
More than 2 billion euros in French aid to Ukraine in 2024
French military aid to Ukraine will exceed two billion euros in 2024, in particular thanks to the use of interest from frozen Russian assets, but will not reach the maximum of three billion envisaged in a security agreement concluded with kyiv, said Armed Forces Minister Sébastien Lecornu on Monday.
“It was politically decided at the beginning of 2024 that this aid could go up to three billion euros. In fact, we will be above two billion euros, but not three billion euros,” announced the minister to the deputies of the Defense Committee.
France had guaranteed its support for Ukraine in a bilateral security agreement concluded on February 16 between Paris and kyiv. French military aid reached 1.7 billion euros in 2022 and 2.1 billion in 2023, according to Paris.
Ukrainian organizations threatened after journalistic investigation
Hundreds of Ukrainian schools, businesses, embassies and media outlets received bomb threats by email on Monday, leading to the evacuation of public buildings. These threats appear linked to an investigation carried out by the media Radio Free Europe, showing how Russian intelligence services recruited young Ukrainians, including minors, to burn the vehicles of members of the army and leaders of conscription centers.
“I have placed several explosive devices in your building, and it will explode soon,” said the message received by the Ukrainian media The Kyiv Independent, also targeted by these threats.
Radio Free Europe reports that Ukrainian national police officers inspected their premises, without finding any trace of an explosive device. The threatening messages included the names of the three journalists who carried out the investigation, Iryna Sysak, Valeria Yegoshyna and Yulia Khymerik. “We will not be intimidated and we will support our journalists who will continue to inform the Ukrainian public without fear or favor,” reacted Stephen Capus, president of Radio Free Europe.
Ballistic missiles to Russia: “unjustified” sanctions according to Iran
The European Union announced on Monday that it had decided to take sanctions against Iran, accused of delivering ballistic missiles to Russia in its war against Ukraine. The United Kingdom, for its part, announced sanctions against several leaders of the Iranian army after the missile attack launched by Iran against Israel on October 1.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei on Tuesday rejected the sanctions, calling them“unjustified and contrary to international law”.
“He also emphasized Iran’s inalienable right to defense and military cooperation with other countries, including Russia,” Iranian official news agency IRNA reported.
