Unity talks: Abbas, Palestinian factions meet in Egypt despite boycotts

RT | July 29, 2023

Conditions for negotiations to end the Ukrainian conflict will only worsen, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto predicted in Budapest on Friday. The two sides, he believes, wouldnt be in a better position for talks than now.

At present, Moscow is prepared to seek a diplomatic solution to the crisis, according to Russian President Vladimir Putin, while Kiev and its backers, including the US and NATO, are still refusing to enter such talks.

There will be no better conditions for peace negotiations than the present, Szijjarto told journalists on Friday following his meeting with the Turkish foreign minister, Hakan Fidan. Yesterdays conditions were better than todays, and tomorrows conditions will be worse than todays, the Hungarian minister added.

Budapest still believes that there is no [military] solution for the conflict, Szijjarto said.

Hungary has emerged as one of the most active advocates of a negotiated solution to the ongoing conflict.

Hungarian officials, including Szijjarto and Prime Minister Viktor Orban, have repeatedly called for a ceasefire and peace deal in Ukraine, and have criticized the EU for sending arms to Kiev. Budapest has also been adamant that anti-Russia sanctions hurt Europe more than they hurt Moscow. In June, Orban told German tabloid Bild that a Ukrainian victory on the battlefield is impossible.

This week the prime minister also said that Kiev had virtually run out of strength and the only thing keeping Ukraine alive was Western financial assistance.

Moscow has repeatedly signaled that it is ready for peace talks with Ukraine. It has also blamed Kiev for the lack of progress in diplomacy, citing a decree signed last year by President Vladimir Zelensky that prohibits talks for as long as Russias Putin remains in power.

Last month the Ukrainian leader reiterated his stance, that talks with Moscow could only start after Russian forces withdraw from all Ukrainian territory within its 1991 borders, including Crimea. Russia has rejected such demands as unrealistic.

Speaking at the Russia-Africa summit in St. Petersburg on Friday, Putin said that the ongoing conflict is rooted in threats posed to Russias security by NATO. Washington and its allies reject negotiations on the issues of assuring equal security, he added.

Food Insecurity in Africa and the Politics of NATO Expansion

Russian Federation President Vladimir Putin said he was suspending Moscows participation in the Black Sea grain deal

By Abayomi Azikiwe, Editor, Pan-African News Wire

Thursday July 20, 2023

Geostrategic Analysis

United Nations affiliated humanitarian and development agencies are reporting that many countries across the African continent are experiencing food insecurity.

This phenomenon is related to at least three major factors: the sanctions imposed on the Russian Federation led by the United States, the United Kingdom and the European Union (EU); an inflationary spiral triggered by the impact of the pandemic; along with the worsening aspects of climate change.

The Russian special military operation in Ukraine has prompted the western countries to attempt a complete economic blockade of Moscow. Having failed to cripple the Russian economy during the first few months after the intervention on February 24, 2022, the administration of President Joe Biden has been unable to articulate a clear path to victory in Ukraine.

Parallel efforts by the U.S. State Department center around exerting political and economic pressure on AU member-states. The continental organization subscribes to a Nonaligned foreign policy which has been developing since the Bandung Conference of 1955 through the founding of a formal organization in Belgrade, Yugoslavia during 1961.

Since the majority of African governments have not responded enthusiastically to the calls by Biden to condemn Russia and join in the sanctions-regime, the White House and Congress have threatened to tighten their grip over the national economies in Africa. The Republic of South Africa has been accused by the U.S. ambassador in Pretoria of shipping arms to Russia.

Meanwhile, the Black Sea grain deal which was suggested by the AU delegation that met Putin in Sochi during July 2022 and finalized with the assistance of Turkiye President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, provided the potential for the reopening of trade in agricultural commodities pro...

Press Review: Putin's Memo to Africa Stresses Peace, Progress and US Stoking Asia Tensions

Top stories from the Russian press on Tuesday, July 25th

MOSCOW, July 25. /TASS/. Putin stresses peace, progress in pre-summit missive to African nations; US submarine port calls raising tensions in East Asia at South Koreas expense; and Kiev rescheduling its promised military victory to next summer. These stories topped Tuesdays newspaper headlines across Russia.

Vedomosti: Putin stresses peace, progress, future success in missive to African nations

Russian President Vladimir Putin penned an article titled "Russia and Africa: Joining Efforts for Peace, Progress and a Successful Future" on the eve of the Russia-Africa Summit, set to take place in St. Petersburg on July 27-28, which has been published on the Kremlin website and in foreign media outlets. In his missive, the president highlighted the Soviet Unions legacy of assisting Africas development, expressed support for the sovereignty of African nations and emphasized that Moscow was strongly committed to the notion of "African solutions to African problems," Vedomosti writes.

A considerable part of the article is dedicated to recent developments surrounding the now-defunct Black Sea grain deal. Putin stressed that the Istanbul agreements of July 2022 had failed to produce any specific results. He also pointed out that, despite sanctions, Russia would continue working to supply African nations with grain, food and fertilizer, and would also continue to strengthen ties both with individual countries and regional organizations, including the African Union.

Diplomatic sources told Vedomosti that Putin had mentioned the African Union for a reason, namely that the summit agenda may focus not only on contacts with the leaders of specific African countries but also with members of organizations representing the African continent as a whole.

The African Union, a powerful international organization bringing together 55 nations, is an important platform for resolving pro...

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• On July 24, a U.S. logistical convoy was targeted by IED attack in the Babil province;
• On July 24, a Turkish serviceman was killed in northern Iraq during the Operation Claw Lock, according to the Turkish MOD;
• Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani and PUK leader Bafel Talabani met in Baghdad.

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• Military Situation In Iraq On July 22, 2023 (Map Update)
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