President Putin has decided on Russia's illegal annexation of the Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Lugansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson. This annexation follows sham referenda and constitutes a dangerous and irresponsible escalation. It is designed as a step to intensify the nuclear threat against the rest of the world.
The European Union unequivocally rejects and condemns these illegal annexations. It will never recognize them, just as it did not recognize the annexation of Crimea in 2014. Once again, the Kremlin is trampling on the UN Charter and the international order.
To the Ukrainian people, I want to say this: the European Union is and will remain resolutely on your side. You are defending the territorial integrity of your country, you are defending the future of your children. And you are defending our common universal values of freedom and dignity.
I also want to send a message to the citizens of the European Union. Ukraine and Ukrainians are under attack, and this attack is also an aggression against our fundamental freedoms and democratic principles. Russia is firing missiles at Ukrainians and Russia has launched an “energy missile” at Europe, targeting the heart of our economic and social system.
The damage is severe. Energy is expensive. Every household in Europe is affected by soaring energy bills and supermarket receipts. And this will have a lasting impact on all of us.
That is why a new Energy Union must be developed now, with a real common strategy. Because there is no alternative, if we want to guarantee security of supply, affordable prices, and the climate transition. Today, all of us, we must understand that we have entered a new world, where many of our points of reference have been turned upside down. We must face this situation with clarity.
Russia has decided on a massive mobilisation to increase its war effort tenfold. We Europeans must also mobilise. Not for war, but rather to preserve peace, to protect our security and to guarantee the future of our children. Citizens, companies, political and social leaders: all of us, everyone has a responsibility to assume, a role to play.
We are strong. We will stick together. The European Union is taking action. The European Union protects and does so with all the necessary means. We will mobilise together. And no one will be left behind. Thank you.
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In a bit of historic irony, powerful oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili has managed to inspire rare unity across Georgia’s cacophonous political scene twice in his life. His money and influence forged the broad-based consolidation of opposition forces that brought him to power in 2012, and now, 12 years and three electoral cycles later, a similar pattern of opposition convergence could send him packing.
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Russian authorities and pro-Kremlin influencers have been spreading false information about alleged Reporters Without Borders (RSF) research into Nazi tendencies within the Ukrainian military, which was featured in a viral video falsely attributed to the BBC. RSF exposes the inner workings of a disinformation campaign designed to justify President Vladimir Putin's war narrative.
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I welcome respected media representatives, professional and honest journalists from places of detention. July 22 is an important day for journalists, mass media and teachers of Azerbaijan. 149 years ago, Hassan Bey Zardabi, the great educator, the most valuable thinker, the founder of our journalism, lit the first light for society to come out of darkness, giving humanity the newspaper “AKINCI.”
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The past day has not clarified the question of why the meeting between Aliyev and Pashinyan in London on July18 broke down. The announcement of the upcoming meeting was made a week ago from Armenian sources, and Baku was silent about the upcoming meeting.
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