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Sweden: Vattenfall going too slow on developing nuclear reactors?

The Swedish government’s key coalition partner is ratcheting up pressure on
Vattenfall AB to expand nuclear power production and says a separate
company could be formed for that purpose if the state-run utility doesn’t
move fast enough.The strategy of the nationalist Sweden Democrats, whose
support is crucial to the country’s three-party government, stems from
their perception that Vattenfall is dragging its heels over expanding the
fleet of reactors. The utility has said it may take a decade or more to get
new units online.

Bloomberg 13th Oct 2023

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-10-13/swedish-nationalists-mull-new-nuclear-firm-to-rival-vattenfall #nuclear #antinuclear #NuclearFree #NoNukes #NuclearPlants

October 16, 2023 Posted by | politics, Sweden | Leave a comment

France uses teargas on banned pro-Palestinian rally

By Layli Foroudi and Michel Rose, October 13, 20233

PARIS, Oct 12 (Reuters) – French police used teargas and water cannon to break up a banned rally in support of the Palestinian people in Paris on Thursday, as President Emmanuel Macron urged the French to remain united and refrain from bringing the Israel-Hamas conflict home.

Macron’s interior minister had earlier banned pro-Palestinian protests, saying they were “likely to generate disturbances to public order”.

France is home to Europe’s largest Muslim and Jewish communities. The Middle East conflict has often stoked domestic tensions in the past.

“This event is an earthquake for Israel, the Middle East and beyond,” Macron said in a solemn TV address. “Let’s not pursue at home ideological adventures by imitating or projecting.”

“Let’s not add, through illusions or calculations, domestic divides to international divides,” he said. “The shield of unity will protect us from hatred and excesses.”

Macron said the government had acted to boost police protection of Jewish sites, including schools and synagogues, and that there could be no justification for atrocities……………..

BANNED RALLY

Despite the ban, several hundred pro-Palestinian demonstrators gathered in central Paris in separate groups that police forces sought to keep from merging……….

“We live in a country of civil law, a country where we have the right to take a stand and to demonstrate. (It is unfair) to forbid for one side and to authorise for the other,” said Charlotte Vautier, 29, an employee at a non-profit who took part in the rally…………….

Two pro-Palestinian demonstrations in Paris had already been banned on Thursday for fear of outbursts when interior minister Gerald Darmanin told prefects to ban all pro-Palestinian demonstrations across the country…………more https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/france-bans-pro-palestinian-protests-citing-risk-disturbances-public-order-2023-10-12/

October 15, 2023 Posted by | France, politics, secrets,lies and civil liberties | Leave a comment

Skills gap and grid connections key hurdles in UK’s nuclear energy ambitions, says Great British Nuclear chair

Skills gap and grid connections key hurdles in UK’s nuclear energy
ambitions, says Great British Nuclear chair. Simon Bowen, chair of Great
British Nuclear, the organisation tasked with delivering the Government’s
long-term nuclear programme, has cited the skills gap and grid connections
as key issues faced by the nuclear energy sector on its road to achieving
Government targets.

 Yorkshire Post 12th Oct 2023

https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/business/skills-gap-and-grid-connections-key-hurdles-in-uks-nuclear-energy-ambitions-says-great-british-nuclear-chair-4369765 #nuclear #antinuclear #NuclearFree #NoNukes #NuclearPlants

October 15, 2023 Posted by | UK | Leave a comment

US bails on Ukraine…but doesn’t tell Zelensky.

Walt Zlotow, West Suburban Peace Coalition, Glen Ellyn IL 13 Oct 23

In an astonishing statement at a press briefing Wednesday, National Security Department spokesperson John Kirby admitted the US is running out of interest in weaponizing Ukraine for the long term. Since Ukraine is on US life support to continue fighting their lost cause to recapture Crimea, Donbas and join NATO, it’s clear ‘game over’ for Ukraine looms.

“I think in the immediate term, right now, we can continue to support Ukraine – with the authorities in the appropriations we have. But, you know, we’re … certainly running out of runway.”

Kirby then shifted from the runway metaphor to one even starker. “The US administration had the means to support Ukraine in the near term. But you don’t want to be trying to bake in long-term support when you’re at the end of the rope,” And on the Ukraine funding, we’re coming near to the end of the rope.  I mean, today we announced $200 million, and we’ll keep that aid going as long as we can, but it’s not going to be indefinite”

Is Ukraine President Zelensky listening to Kirby’s ominous warning? If he had an iota of understanding of Ukraine’s rapidly deteriorating plight, he’d immediately partner with responsible countries such as Turkey to initiate negotiations with Russia to end the war. He did that 18 months ago, Marcy 31-April 1, 2022, inking a tentative deal with Russia to end the war without losing any territory in Donbas, albeit giving Donbas regional autonomy under Ukraine sovereignty. The agreement would also have ended Ukraine’s self-destructive NATO aspirations.

To sum up: The US provoked the war by championing Ukraine NATO membership and weaponizing their civil war that killed thousands in Donbas. When Russia invaded to prevent both, the US sabotaged every effort to end the war quickly and peaceably, prolonging it with $113 billion in weapons and other aid.   Result? Hundreds of thousands of dead Ukrainians with no chance of victory.

It’s not just the US that is “certainly running out of runway” and “coming near to the end of the rope.” The US is moving on to enabling and supplying the ongoing destruction of Gaza. No more runway and no more rope are much more appropriate to the former comedian staring in ‘Tragedy in Ukraine.’ #Ukraine #nuclear #antinuclear #NuclearFree #NoNukes #NuclearPlants

October 14, 2023 Posted by | politics international, Ukraine, USA | Leave a comment

Nuclear reactor that operated for only 9 years will take many (expensive) decades to decommission .

Complete dismantling of experimental French reactor to proceed.

1WNN, 0 October 2023

EDF has been authorised to begin the third and final phase of the decommissioning of the Brennilis nuclear power plant in the Monts d’Arée in Brittany, France. The plant is a unique 75 MWe gas-cooled heavy water reactor that operated between 1972 and 1981.

The first phase of the plant’s decommissioning – the removal of all fuel and the dewatering of its systems – was completed in 1992. The second phase – the dismantling of equipment and all buildings (with the exception of the reactor building) – was completed in 2005.

On 26 September, EDF obtained the “complete dismantling” decree, signed by the Minister of Energy Transition, which makes it possible to launch the dismantling of the reactor, the cleaning up of the civil engineering, the demolition of the reactor building and the final rehabilitation of the Brennilis site………..

The final deconstruction of Brennilis is a complex operation,” noted Cédric Lewandowski, director of the nuclear and thermal fleet at EDF, on LinkedIn. “Indeed, this prototype, unique in France, using heavy water reactor technology, is contained in a concrete cube measuring 20 metres on each side and 1.5 metres thick. Inside, the equipment to be dismantled is tightly packed into a very cramped space.

“To carry out this work on time and to guarantee the protection of personnel, the EDF Deconstruction and Waste Projects Department (DP2D) is working with its industrial partners on innovative tele-operation and robotics solutions.”

The dismantling of the reactor’s peripheral circuits, entrusted by DP2D to Onet Technologies and Cyclife Engineering, will begin later this year.

October 13, 2023 Posted by | decommission reactor, France | Leave a comment

EU facing ‘huge shortage’ of ammunition – media

Rt.com 11 Oct 23

The Israel-Palestine crisis has increased the strain on Western arming of Ukraine, Foreign Policy magazine has reported

The war between Israel and Palestinian militant movement Hamas will divert Western attention and resources away from Ukraine, meaning more uncertainty for Kiev, Foreign Policy magazine has reported citing anonymous sources.

Ukraine was already experiencing issues with receiving additional weapons and funding for its counteroffensive against Russia, even before the surprise escalation of violence in the Middle East on Saturday. European nations in particular have found their armories and political willpower stretched thin, according to the outlet. 

“We face a huge ammo shortage due to Ukraine,” a German official told the magazine on condition of anonymity.

Kiev has enjoyed unprecedented Western assistance for its military, but its failure to achieve significant gains during the summer counteroffensive and political turmoil in the US appear to have diluted support for its plans. Last month, the US Congress declined to include aid for Ukraine in a 45-day stopgap spending bill under pressure from Republican lawmakers.

Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has attempted to link Israel’s situation with the needs of his own nation. He claimed this week that Ukraine has “clear” intelligence that Russia “is interested in triggering a war in the Middle East” to “undermine world unity” and “destroy freedom in Europe.” He offered no proof of the allegations.

In its report, titled ‘What will Russia do with Gaza chaos?’, Foreign Policy acknowledged there was no sign of Russian involvement in or prior knowledge of the deadly Hamas incursion into Israel.

Russia and Israel have a long-standing amicable relationship, with both sides recognizing each other’s security concerns and the complexities of their respective positions.

Moscow has mocked Zelensky’s attempt to control the narrative regarding the Israel crisis………..

Washington has pledged military support for Israel as it retaliates against Gaza, claiming it can do so without compromising assistance for Ukraine or its global readiness. The White House is reportedly seeking to include Ukraine in an aid package for Israel to push it through Congress.  https://www.rt.com/russia/584538-israel-crisis-ukraine-support/ #Ukraine

October 13, 2023 Posted by | Ukraine, weapons and war | Leave a comment

Are more weapons that USA will send to Ukraine likely to end up in the hands of Hamas ?

Hamas using weapons given to Ukraine – ex-Russian president

RT Mon, 09 Oct 2023

Arms Washington sent to Kiev and left in Afghanistan are about to be “uncontrollably used” around the world, Dmitry Medvedev has warned.

The weapons Kiev’s Western backers have actively supplied to Ukraine have found their way to Hamas militants and are now “being actively used in Israel,” former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev said in a Telegram post on Monday, adding that any future military hardware supplied to Kiev could end up on the black market as well.

It will only get worse from here,” Medvedev warned, predicting that the world should “expect missiles, tanks, and even planes from Kiev on the black market soon.”

His words came amid rumors that Hamas militants that control the Gaza Strip had gotten their hands on some US-made weaponry before their attack on Israel over the weekend. No solid evidence confirming these claims has emerged so far. However, an unverified video circulating online showed a Palestinian militant displaying assorted US-made pieces, including a standard-issue M136 anti-tank grenade launcher, while thanking Ukrainians for the weapons.

According to Medvedev, “corrupt authorities” in Ukraine would not hesitate to trade everything they had received from their backers. “They would steal everything in sight,” the former president claimed, adding that the Western weapons sent to Ukraine would soon fuel conflicts in other parts of the world, just like the trove of weapons the Americans left in Afghanistan during their hasty withdrawal from the country in 2021.

The aforementioned video has already sparked concerns in the US, with Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene saying on Sunday that its origins must be investigated. The congresswoman also claimed on X, formerly known as Twitter, that some of the arms used by the militants might have come from Ukraine or Afghanistan.

Washington has been Kiev’s biggest supplier of military aid since the onset of its conflict with Moscow. The US has poured a total of $46.6 billion into military assistance to Ukraine, including direct weapons and ammunition shipments, as well as grants and loans for weapons and equipment.

Kiev has repeatedly faced accusations of misusing or selling off the weaponry, which it has vehemently denied. On Monday, the Ukrainian military intelligence (GUR) blamed the rumors about weapons supposedly coming from Ukraine to Hamas on Russia………. more https://www.rt.com/russia/584448-hamas-use-weapons-given-ukraine/–#Ukraine

October 13, 2023 Posted by | secrets,lies and civil liberties, Ukraine, weapons and war | Leave a comment

Ukrainians joining Americans in supporting negotiated end to Russo Ukraine war

Walt Zlotow, West Suburban Peace Coalition , Glen Ellyn IL   – 11 Oct 23

Ukrainians are increasingly opposing the Kyiv government’s war goals of retaking Crimea and Donbas. Support for those goals has dropped from 70% to 60% according to a Gallop poll. Ukrainians seeking a diplomatic settlement has risen from 25% to 31% as well. This in spite of tight Kyiv control over media and targeting war dissenters. 

This mirrors dwindling support for more war weapons and no negotiations among American voters. The US also exercises tight, tho subtle control over its media. It doesn’t target war dissenters; just ignores them. 

Most distressing about dwindling support for a lost cause, squandering American treasure while hundreds of thousands in Ukraine die is this: The people are starting to get it; their leaders apparently, never will.

October 13, 2023 Posted by | public opinion, Ukraine | Leave a comment

Court will hear appeal by environmental groups against Sizewell C nuclear power station

Sizewell C power station plans to be heard in court

 https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/sizewell-c-power-station-plans-be-hear-court 9 Oct 23

THE future of the government’s Sizewell C nuclear power station will be decided at a hearing in the Court of Appeal next month, it was revealed today.

On November 1 and 2, judges will hear an appeal by campaign groups against a High Court rejection of a review of the decision by then business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng to allow the development on the Suffolk coast to go ahead.

The development is being opposed by campaign groups Together Against Sizewell C (TASC), Suffolk Coastal Friends of the Earth and Stop Sizewell C.

They said the station’s huge consumption of water for its cooling system will threaten local domestic supplies, and that the project should have included a desalination plant.

TASC launched an appeal for funds and said: “Because of the short time-frame that has been forced on us we have little time to raise the £25,000 needed to cover the costs of our legal team for this appeal stage of the proceedings.” #nuclear #antinuclear #NuclearFree #NoNukes #NuclearPlants

October 12, 2023 Posted by | Legal, UK | Leave a comment

Zelensky pledged not to directly attack nuclear plant in Zaporizhzhia, says IAEA chief

“a number of fragile points apart from the reactors themselves”, including “the spent fuel area which is not fortified” as well as other storage areas holding fresh nuclear fuel.

Rafael Grossi says president personally assured him Ukraine ‘will not directly bomb or shell’ plant in counteroffensive

Dan Sabbagh, Guardian, 11 Oct 23

Rafael Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, says Volodymyr Zelenskiy has promised him that Ukraine will not attack Europe’s biggest nuclear plant as part of its counteroffensive against Russia.

In an interview with the Guardian, the nuclear watchdog chief said he was most concerned about the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant becoming engulfed in fighting between the two sides, but insisted he had obtained a commitment from the Ukrainian president.

“President Zelenskiy has personally assured me that they will not directly bomb or shell it,” Grossi said, although he added that Zelenskiy had told him “all other options are on the table” in terms of taking it back.

That means Ukraine would comply with the first of the five new nuclear safety principles – “do not attack a nuclear power plant” – initially outlined by Grossi at the UN security council at the end of May to avert “a catastrophic accident”.

The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station was captured by Russia in March 2022, the first time any reactor has been captured in war, prompting fears of a fresh incident in the same country where an explosion at Chornobyl spread radioactivity across Europe in 1986.

Grossi said the danger was that “anything can happen at any time” given the prevailing military situation. “I’m often asked, is [the power station] safe now? No. It’s in the middle of a war zone with a counteroffensive,” he said.

He said he believed there “were two main problems”, the most significant of which was “a direct attack, hit” on one of the less secure areas of the plant, while the secondary concern was the maintenance of water cooling, necessary even as the six reactors are in shutdown……….

Grossi said he was particularly concerned by “a number of fragile points apart from the reactors themselves”, including “the spent fuel area which is not fortified” as well as other storage areas holding fresh nuclear fuel.

“The fresh fuel halls, let me remind you, were hit in August 2022,” he added, describing the aftermath of an attack that left holes visible to satellite imagery on the roof of the power station’s key facility.

A few days later, Grossi crossed the frontlines to pay one of three personal visits since the start of the war to the nuclear plant, where he said he saw the damage caused by the attack where “a few metres down, you have the racks containing the fresh fuel”.

Though the damage was likely to have come after a Ukrainian attack, Grossi said he would not say who was responsible. “I don’t have a forensic capacity [to determine who was responsible],” he said. “The Russians would certainly say that [the Ukrainians did it].”

IAEA monitors are permanently based at the nuclear power plant, although last week Greenpeace said their number – at four – was too small and they were unable to provide effective assurances about safety because they had to give a week’s notice of their inspection requests…………..

Russia’s Rosatom nuclear agency has taken over the management of the plant, but has had to rely on a fraction of the prewar Ukrainian staff to keep it operational. Staffing levels plunged from 12,000 before the war to, Grossi said, about 2,000 today, although he added it was “growing again” with more native Russians coming onsite.

Concerns about maintaining water cooling increased sharply after the Nova Kakhovka dam downstream was blown in June, draining the Dnipro reservoir around the plant and leaving its reserve cooling water pond exposed…………………….

Grossi said he regretted how the plant had been used in military brinkmanship between the two sides. “We were not expecting a war with these kind of characteristics,” he said………… https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/oct/10/zelenskiy-promises-not-to-attack-zaporizhzhia-nuclear-plant-says-iaea-chief #nuclear #antinuclear #NuclearFree #NoNukes #NuclearPlants

October 12, 2023 Posted by | safety, Ukraine | Leave a comment

Critics are sceptical over County Council’s ‘nuclear engagement officer role’ funded by the industry

Debate ignites over County Council’s nuclear engagement officer role funded by the industry A step towards transparency or a compromise on impartiality?

By Daniel Jaines Local Democracy Reporter , My Local, Lincolnshire, 10 Oct 23

Lincolnshire County Council’s (LCC) job advert for a Policy and Engagement Officer, a role that will research the nuclear sector, has sparked controversy and concerns regarding impartiality and ethical considerations due to its funding by Nuclear Waste Services (NWS).

The job describes the role as a conduit between the council and the proposed Theddlethorpe Geological Disposal Facility (GDF) in Lincolnshire and comes with a salary of £38,296-£42,503.  The appointee will be tasked with maintaining an overview of the developments proposed by NWS, ensuring senior politicians and officers are briefed and engaged, thereby helping the council in its role as the principal relevant local authority.

This includes providing advice on the potential advantages and disadvantages of the proposed investment.

The officer will be responsible for ensuring that the local community is provided with balanced information and will coordinate with local and national authorities and organisations to manage and distribute the latest information about nuclear industry developments and waste disposal.

The role also involves advocating activities that enable both the council and the area to derive financial benefits from the proposed GDF through investments in critical infrastructure, business and employment supply chains, and community grants.

The advert notes that while the post is fully funded by NWS, it will operate independently of them, and the LCC has adopted a neutral stance on the GDF.

However, the Nuclear Free Local Authorities (NFLA) has expressed concerns, stating that the LCC’s understanding of the sector’s harsh realities is lacking, and that their motivations might be economically driven due to the long-term and uncertain nature of nuclear propositions.

The campaigners believe that LCC, by accepting funding from NWS, may be perceived as aligning itself with NWS or potentially compromising its impartiality in future nuclear-related decisions and policies.

The critics suggest that this funding could be seen as LCC getting “off the fence” and taking a side in the ongoing discussions and debates related to nuclear projects in the region.

Councillor David Blackburn, Chair of the Nuclear Free Local Authorities (NFLA) English Forum, expressed his concerns about the direction in which the LCC is heading: “Whilst this may mean job security for the successful candidate, it must represent insecurity for the residents of Theddlethorpe, Mablethorpe, and Sutton.

“For the first duty listed for the post holder will be to act as ‘the main point of contact between the council and the geological disposal facility which is proposed by Nuclear Waste Services for Theddlethorpe in Lincolnshire’.

“If NWS is indeed providing ‘permanent’ funding then it must remain of the view that, despite the clear local opposition to the proposal, a GDF might go forward for Theddlethorpe in the future. Otherwise, why would they invest?”

The Theddlethorpe site, currently under consideration for a GDF by NWS, has been met with significant opposition from the local community and elected members.

Ken Smith, a Theddlethorpe campaigner, has voiced that accepting funding from NWS suggests a bias on the part of LCC towards the GDF, rather than maintaining neutrality.

“In my view, it is totally unethical,” he said. “It gives NWS a direct line to councillors. They can claim independence as much as they like, but he who pays the piper calls the tune.”

He further emphasised the need for the council to encourage companies developing renewables, given Lincolnshire’s ideal location for such technologies………………….more https://mylocal.co.uk/lincolnshire/feed/120078/debate-ignites-over-county-council-s-nuclear-engagement-officer-role-funded-by-the-industry #nuclear #antinuclear #NuclearFree #NoNukes #NuclearPlants

October 12, 2023 Posted by | spinbuster, UK | Leave a comment

PETITION: Stop calling uranium mined fuels “clean energy”

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/643217?fbclid=IwAR1_7tiGmC563uKs7O-HYt3VBb1t4SATo_cToalJAY7XnNgCnvS4chOEVb0

Scrap the rebranding of nuclear as “clean.” Even the very first step of the fuel cycle, the mining of Uranium is uniquely dirty and dangerous. The extraction of a finite resource which is far from “home grown.”

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero announced in July that “The UK’s nuclear renaissance begins with the launch of Great British Nuclear helping us deliver clean, reliable energy for generations to come.”

Future generations are being dangerously misled about the main product of nuclear power – nuclear waste. This will be just as dangerous to their lives as it is to ours. Using Greenhouse Gas Protocol methodology, the total NDA (Nuclear Decommissioning Authority) group carbon footprint for 2019/20 is 1,046,950 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e)”. We believe much of this is indirectly looking after radioactive wastes at Sellafield………… #nuclear #antinuclear #NuclearFree #NoNukes #NuclearPlants

October 12, 2023 Posted by | opposition to nuclear, UK | Leave a comment

Ukraine admits to conducting 3 commando raids against the city that hosts Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant

Ukraine’s nuclear admission a ‘wake-up call’ to the world – Moscow 

https://www.rt.com/russia/584418-zakharova-budanov-energodar-raids/ 11 Oct 23

Kiev’s top military spy Kirill Budanov confirms launch of three botched assaults to retake Europe’s largest nuclear power plant.

The acknowledgement by Ukraine’s military intelligence chief Kirill Budanov, that three amphibious commando raids had been launched against the city that hosts Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant, must not go unnoticed by the UN or by citizens of NATO states, Russia’s foreign ministry has said.

In an interview with Ukrainian media last week, Budanov and some subordinates described how the country’s military intelligence agency GUR had conducted commando raids on the city of Energodar and that each of these had failed.

The confession should bring people in NATO states “out of their hypnotic trance” in which they were “led to believe [by their governments] that Russia creates nuclear threats,” ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated on Monday.

Zakharova also called for a reaction from the UN, which she said “has been claiming for all these months” that they couldn’t determine the direction from which the nuclear facility was being threatened.

None of Kiev’s three commando operations managed to establish a Ukrainian foothold in Energodar but officials claimed the expeditions gave them valuable experience and contributed to a larger goal of preventing Russia from using the plant to provide electricity to the region. The Zaporozhye station is in a state of partial shutdown, with a single reactor providing power for its own consumption.

The site was the focus of a protracted diplomatic spat between Moscow and Kiev last year. Ukraine claimed that Russia kept heavy weapons at the plant and was attacking Ukrainian forces from it. Moscow denied the accusation and said Kiev’s forces regularly targeted the facility with shelling and drone strikes.

The mutual accusations turned down a notch after UN watchdog the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) deployed a permanent on-site monitoring mission in September 2022. The organization repeatedly declined to assess who was responsible for sporadic incidents involving the facility.

IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi attempted to mediate a Russian-Ukrainian deal to declare the vicinity of the Zaporozhye plant off-limits for hostilities, but did not succeed.

In July, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky claimed that Russia had rigged the site with explosives and could blow it up at any moment, possibly in a false-flag operation. Kiev described the purported plot as part of Moscow’s alleged “nuclear blackmail” of Ukraine and its Western backers.

Russia dismissed the allegations. IAEA monitors reported that territory outside the perimeter of the plant was mined but otherwise could not confirm Zelensky’s claims. The Ukrainian leader cited reports by his intelligence services. #Ukraine

October 12, 2023 Posted by | secrets,lies and civil liberties, Ukraine | Leave a comment

Boss of Sizewell nuclear project calls for “curbing protestors powers’ to block them in the courts

 Nuclear plant developer calls for limits on legal challenges. The
government should seek to accelerate major projects by curbing protestors
powers’ to block them in the courts the boss of Sizewell C says.

 Times (not on the web) 9th Oct 2023 #nuclear #antinuclear #NuclearFree #NoNukes #NuclearPlants

October 12, 2023 Posted by | Legal, UK | Leave a comment

Zelensky fears Israel will distract from Western aid to Kiev

Rt.com 11 Oct 23

The Ukrainian president has visited NATO headquarters, concerned that the flow of Western help could be imperiled

Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has voiced concerns that the security crisis in the Middle East could draw international attention away from his country. He blamed Russia for the Hamas incursion into southern Israel last week.

“If international attention shifts away from Ukraine, one way or another, it will have consequences,” the Ukrainian leader warned in an interview with France 2 on Tuesday.

“The fate of Ukraine depends on the unity of the rest of the world,” he added, expressing hope that Washington would ensure continued assistance…………………………….

On Wednesday, Zelensky made an unannounced visit to NATO headquarters in Brussels, where he reportedly sought reassurances that the Hamas raid and Israel’s retaliation would not distract from attention to Ukraine…………..

Last month, the US Congress declined to allocate money for Ukraine aid in a 45-day stopgap spending bill. The White House reportedly wants to include it in a package meant for Israel to overcome resistance from some lawmakers………

The Pentagon announced its latest $200 million package of assistance to Ukraine on Wednesday.

The Zelensky government has rejected the idea of peace talks with Russia and seeks a military victory with Western help instead. Moscow has argued that the US and its allies are using Ukrainians as “cannon fodder” in a proxy war against Russia.  https://www.rt.com/russia/584640-zelensky-aid-israel-nato/

October 12, 2023 Posted by | Ukraine, weapons and war | Leave a comment