International
Borrell calls for a meeting of ministers in Brussels and not in Budapest in protest of Orbán’s tour
The head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, decided on Monday to convene the EU foreign and defense ministers in Brussels in Brussels at the end of August, instead of the one planned in Budapest, to show the EU’s rejection of the tour of the Hungarian Prime Minister, Viktor Orbán through Russia, China and the United States.
“We must send a signal, even if it is symbolic,” Borrell said at a press conference, about the boycott that some EU countries are willing to carry out against the rotating presidency of the European Union that Hungary holds this semester.
However, “I reject the word ‘boycott,” said the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs, given that “the meeting will be held and Hungary will participate in it” will be held wherever it is held.
But he did consider that Orbán’s interviews with Russian President Vladimir Putin; Chinese President XI Jinping and former US President and re-election candidate Donald Trump should have “consequences,” so he considered it “appropriate” that the August meeting be held in Brussels and not in Budapest.
The EU foreign ministers, who today held their last meeting in the EU capital before the August break, discussed the possibility of meeting again in Ukraine at the end of August, instead of in Budapest, but Hungary opposed it, so the proposal did not go ahead, due to the lack of unity required.
The spokesman for the Hungarian Government, Zoltan Kovac, said that Hungary faces an “aggressive and warring hysteria for its ‘peace mission’” and called the discussion about whether to oppose the informal meeting in Budapest as “childish.”
Kovac pointed out that Hungary is “prepared” to hold the meeting in its country, “but it is also willing to attend if it is held in Brussels,” as he wrote in a message on his official account on social network X.
“There is no hysteria, we are just telling the truth,” said Borrell, who assured that “the only one who is in favor of the war is Putin, who wants the participation and surrender of Ukraine as preconditions for any conversation (of peace) and any ceasefire.”
The possibility of torpedoing the Hungarian presidency, however, does not convince the Twenty-seven equally, since the Spanish Foreign Minister, José Manuel Albares, said that “Spain does not support boycotts within the EU,” although he will see “meeting by meeting, according to the content of the agenda,” who sends to the meetings.
Also the Luxembourg Foreign Minister, Xavier Bettel, assured that it “does not make sense” to act in this way, that they have defended Poland, the Baltic countries, Sweden and Denmark.
Beyond this issue, Borrell defended the need for EU countries to support the reconstruction of Ukraine’s electricity grid, damaged by Russian bombings, given that “Putin wants to bring darkness and cold to Ukraine.”
In this sense, the European Investment Bank, whose president, the Spanish Nadia Calviño, attended the meeting with the ministers, today announced new loans worth 450 million euros for the reconstruction of hydroelectric plants and the electricity grid damaged by the Russian bombings.
Kovac also announced that Hungary and Slovakia conveyed their disagreement over Ukraine’s decision to partially ban the passage of Russian gas through their territory, which is affecting those EU countries.
International
Meta Says Russia Seeks to Ban WhatsApp for Defending Secure Communication
U.S. tech giant Meta, the parent company of WhatsApp, said that Russia is seeking to ban the messaging app because it “challenges government attempts to violate people’s right to secure communication.”
Russian authorities have encouraged citizens to switch to state-backed applications, and in August they already blocked WhatsApp’s calling feature.
On Friday, the communications regulator Roskomnadzor claimed that the platform was being used to “organize and carry out terrorist acts in the country, recruit perpetrators, and facilitate fraud and other crimes.”
“If the messaging service does not comply with Russian law, it will be completely blocked,” the regulator warned.
WhatsApp remains one of Russia’s most widely used messaging services, alongside Telegram.
Moscow is pressuring both platforms to grant authorities access to user data upon request for investigations into fraud and activities the government labels as “terrorist.”
Human rights advocates fear the demand could be used to target critics of the Kremlin, President Vladimir Putin, or the war in Ukraine.
International
Archbishop Wenski criticizes Trump’s deportation policies, calls for stronger push for reform
The Archbishop of Miami, Thomas Wenski, has called for increased pressure on the U.S. Congress to advance comprehensive immigration reform and criticized President Donald Trump’s mass deportation policies, arguing that they “do nothing to help.”
“We need to apply more pressure on Congress so lawmakers can make the necessary changes. It is also important for the Administration to listen to our voice. We do not want to be anyone’s enemy—we are Americans,” Wenski said in an interview with EFE.
The religious leader, who heads one of the dioceses with the largest Latino and Haitian populations in the United States, issued a call to defend the rights of migrants. He also emphasized that the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has maintained a strong and public stance in favor of migrants for decades.
International
Trump relaunches diplomatic push to finalize U.S.-Backed peace plan for Ukraine War
U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that his diplomatic team will resume meetings with delegations from Russia and Ukraine in an effort to pressure both sides to accept the peace plan proposed by Washington to end the war in Ukraine.
As part of this new round of talks, U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff will travel to Moscow to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Meanwhile, Army Secretary Dan Driscoll will hold discussions with Ukrainian representatives to narrow differences on the remaining points of the agreement.
Trump also confirmed his intention to meet personally with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and with Putin, though he emphasized that such meetings will only take place “when the agreement is fully finalized or in its final stage.”
The president claimed that his administration has made “tremendous progress” toward resolving the conflict and reiterated that the war “never would have started” if he had been in the White House at the onset of the crisis.
The U.S.-backed peace plan consists of 28 points and has been revised following feedback from both sides. According to Trump, only “a few points of disagreement” remain under active discussion.
One of the most controversial aspects of the proposal is the suggestion that Ukraine cede parts of the Donbas region to Russia and limit the size of its armed forces. Kyiv is working closely with Washington to soften these clauses in search of an arrangement that does not compromise its sovereignty or security.
With this diplomatic push, Trump aims to solidify his role as the main mediator in the conflict and steer the war toward a political resolution after years of devastation, humanitarian crisis, and rising global geopolitical tensions.
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