Politico: A far-right victory in the Netherlands to become the EU's worst nightmare
Category
Politics
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Politico: A far-right victory in the Netherlands to become the EU's worst nightmare

Geert Wilders
Source:  Politico

The victory in the elections in the Netherlands of the far-right Freedom Party and its leader Geert Wilders may threaten a new split in the EU

What is known about the likely consequences of the victory of Geert Wilders and his party in the elections in the Netherlands

According to the publication journalists, Wilders' promises to hold a referendum on the Netherlands' exit from the EU are particularly frightening.

And although Wilders has softened his anti-Islamic rhetoric in recent weeks, there are no signs that he wants to soften his Euroscepticism after his stunning election victory, the publication said.

According to the authors of the publication, if the Dutch voters cannot be persuaded to follow the British from the EU (polls show that this is unlikely), there are all signs that the government under the leadership of Wilders will still "be a nightmare for Brussels".

Why Brussels should be worried about the victory of the far-right in the Netherlands

Wilders' seat at the EU summit table would change the dynamic with other far-right and nationalist leaders already in office. Suddenly, politics ranging from climate action to EU reform and weapons for Ukraine will become the subject of debate, the article notes.

The authors are convinced that even if Wilders wants to abandon his demand for an EU referendum in exchange for power, his victory will still shake the EU institutions.

And if the centrist parties unite to prevent Wilders from entering — again — later angry Dutch voters will have to pay the price, the authors of the material conclude.

Category
Politics
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"Childish insults". Hungary first reacted to Poland's tough decision

"Childish insults". Hungary first reacted to Poland's tough decision
Source:  online.ua

Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó compared Warsaw's decision not to invite the Hungarian ambassador to events before the start of Poland's presidency of the European Union to "childish insults."

Points of attention

  • Poland's decision did not go unnoticed by official Budapest.
  • The scandal surrounding Marcin Romanowski is growing due to possible misuse of funds at the Polish Justice Foundation.

The conflict in Hungary and Poland is escalating

As mentioned earlier, official Warsaw did not invite the Hungarian ambassador to the event marking the start of Poland's presidency of the Council of the EU.

This decision was made because Budapest granted asylum to Marcin Romanowski, a deputy from the former ruling Polish party Law and Justice, who is a subject of the investigation.

"After the situation with Romanowski, Minister (foreign affairs) Sikorski decided that the Hungarian ambassador is not a welcome guest in the theater today," said Polish Deputy Minister for European Affairs Magdalena Sobkowiak-Czarnecka.

Hungarian government speaker Zoltan Kovacs decided to comment on this situation.

"Pathetic and childish are the only words I can use to describe this decision," the spokesman quoted Peter Szijjártó as saying.

The scandal surrounding Romanovsky — what's important to know

Last summer, the Polish National Security Agency (NSA) detained former Deputy Minister of Justice Marcin Romanowski, who worked for the previous Polish government, in Warsaw.

It is worth noting that he was the Deputy Minister of Justice of Poland from 2019 to 2023, as well as the authorized representative of the then Minister of Justice, Zbigniew Ziobro, for the Justice Foundation since 2018.

The Polish Sejm has approved lifting Romanowski's immunity in connection with the investigation into the Justice Foundation scandal. The National Prosecutor's Office wants to bring 11 charges in the case.

This concerns possible abuse of funds in the Justice Fund, a special fund for supporting victims of crime, subordinate to the Polish Ministry of Justice.

Category
Ukraine
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Ukraine is preparing for a missile attack on Moscow, but there is a nuance

Ukraine cannot rely solely on the help of allies
Source:  The Telegraph

According to American military expert David Axe, Ukraine is currently doing everything possible to provide itself with powerful long-range missiles of its own production that can even attack the Russian capital. Kyiv is pinning its hopes on the promising Trembit missile.

Points of attention

  • Ukraine is doing everything possible to provide itself with powerful long-range missiles that can attack Moscow.
  • “Trembita” is a new Ukrainian missile that can become a symbol of autonomy and firepower.
  • Ukraine has the ability to produce thousands of Trembits even without external budget support.

Ukraine cannot rely solely on the help of allies

According to David Axe, the new Trembita cruise missile could become the greatest symbol of Ukraine's desire for firepower autonomy.

"Awaiting the day when it runs out of American ammunition, Ukraine is preparing to create Trembita and other long-range, deep-attack munitions. There are many of them," the expert writes.

He points out that this rocket is about two meters long and weighs 90 kilograms. It is known that it is launched from a ramp.

What is also important to understand is that it has a simple pulse jet engine, a tubular fuselage, and a square wing. One of the main advantages of the Trembita is its low cost — only $10,000 per unit.

Ukrainian missile “Trembita” (Photo: screenshot)

The main goal is Moscow

As David Axe notes, the Trembita is capable of carrying 18 kilograms of explosives up to 144 km. This is the main caveat, because it is not yet capable of reaching the Russian capital.

Despite this, the developers have already focused on creating a more powerful version that will be able to cover 650 kilometers and be guaranteed to reach Moscow.

This version, which should be ready in about a year, will undoubtedly cost more than $10,000, but it would still potentially be the cheapest deep-strike munition in the world. By comparison, the ATACMS missile, which flies a maximum of 300 km, costs more than $1 million.

We cannot ignore the fact that Ukraine has the ability to field thousands of Trembits even without external budgetary assistance.

According to the expert, the Trembit barrage could be a real shock to the Russian military-industrial complex, but it will not be very effective against underground command bunkers, which the Ukrainian Armed Forces are currently striking with British Storm Shadow missiles.

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