Brian Iselin’s Post

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's recent visit to Moscow to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin has been widely criticized and determined to violate multiple EU treaties. The legal service of the European Union concluded that Orbán’s actions breached specific treaty provisions, particularly those designed to ensure member states conduct their foreign policy activities in a spirit of loyalty and mutual solidarity, and prohibiting measures that could jeopardize the EU's objectives. Here are the key treaties and provisions Orbán violated: Article 4(3) of the Treaty on European Union (TEU): This article emphasizes the principle of sincere cooperation, requiring member states to support the Union's objectives and refrain from actions that could undermine those objectives. Orbán's independent negotiations with Putin are seen as actions that could jeopardize the EU's unified stance on the Ukraine conflict and its broader foreign policy goals. Article 24(3) of the Treaty on European Union (TEU): This article mandates that member states must coordinate their foreign policy within the EU framework and conduct it in a spirit of mutual solidarity. Orbán’s solo engagement with Russia undermines this coordination and solidarity, particularly given the EU's collective condemnation of Russia's actions in Ukraine. Article 21(1) of the Treaty on European Union (TEU): This article outlines the principles guiding the EU's external action, including democracy, the rule of law, and respect for human rights. By engaging with Russia independently and suggesting a ceasefire without addressing the aggression and violations by Russia, Orbán's actions contradict these guiding principles. Orbán's visit, occurring during Hungary’s presidency of the Council of the EU, has drawn criticism from several EU leaders. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and the EU's top diplomat Josep Borrell both emphasized that Orbán does not represent the EU's position, and his actions do not align with the EU's policy of supporting Ukraine and condemning Russian aggression. The visit also sparked backlash from member states, which stressed the need for unity and collective action within the EU to address the conflict in Ukraine and support its sovereignty. For more detailed information, you can refer to the articles from Politico, DW, and Devdiscourse. European Parliament, European Commission Council of the European Union how long we play games with a Trojan Horse?

🌍 **ENLARGEMENT / Ukraine's accession negotiations with the EU officially open** 🇺🇦🇪🇺 On June 25 in Luxembourg, **the EU accession negotiations with Ukraine** were officially launched. As a reminder, Ukraine applied for EU membership in February 2022, a few days after the Russian invasion, and obtained candidate country status in June 2022. In December 2023, EU leaders decided that accession negotiations with the country could begin. 🔍 **Screening process** The **screening process** will now start and will last several months. Olivér Várhelyi, European Commissioner for Enlargement, said: "The process will allow us to identify the issues to be addressed during the negotiations and the areas where preparation needs to be intensified." ⚠️ **Preparation and Obstacles** This preparation time will also help to bypass the obstacle posed by the **Hungarian Presidency of the Council of the EU** (second half of 2024). Hungary has announced that "the question of opening chapters (of accession negotiations) will not be addressed at all" during its presidency. #Ukraine #EU #Accession #Negotiations #Europe #Enlargement #Politics #International

The secret annex to the recently released Russian Foreign Policy Concept highlights why Russia 🇷🇺 should utilize all the tools of disinformation, cyber intrusions, and election interference to cause political turmoil in the nations of the Euro-Atlantic world. The ultimate goal? Eroding the cohesion of the Western bloc.

🗣️#NewPublication📚 The latest in our #TEPSAbriefs series 👉 Mathilde Tomine Eriksdatter Giske (University of Oslo & Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI)) analyses the limits and opportunities of current enlargement policies for the Eastern candidates ➡️ https://lnkd.in/eCJRegvn "The decision by Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia to apply for European Union (EU) membership following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, resulted in the Union providing all three states the status of candidates. The question then is how the accession of these states is to be achieved, and what the limits and opportunities of the EU enlargement policy are."

An individual initiative that leads nowhere except to make headlines. That said, PM Orban is most probably right when saying that the EU will be left away when a peace or cease-fire deal will be reached. Secret or discrete diplomacy could be more effective than restoring openly communication channels while President Putin has again said that there is nothing to negotiate. #ukraine #russia #europe #eu #europeanunion

US trying to spread tentacles into all CIS regions, Commonwealth states see this — Lavrov "They are trying to undermine the agreements on stabilization in the Caucasus, particularly in the South Caucasus," the top Russian diplomat said MINSK, April 12/ All delegations attending the meeting of the CIS Council of Foreign Ministers in Minsk acknowledged that they see what the United States and its satellites are doing in the common space of the Commonwealth of Independent States, trying to spread their tentacles in the region, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said. Replying to a question about whether the meddling of external forces in the affairs of the CIS member countries was discussed, Lavrov told a news conference: "Yes, it was discussed at the narrow format meeting." "Sergey Nikolayevich [Lebedev] has just mentioned it. Everyone understands everything perfectly well: the US and its satellites are trying to intrude into all regions of our common space," he said. "They are trying to undermine the agreements on stabilization in the Caucasus, particularly in the South Caucasus. They do not want to allow the implementation of agreements that were reached between Armenia and Azerbaijan with Russia's assistance. They are also trying to infiltrate into Central Asia in the most active way," Lavrov went on to say. "They are creating various formats that are openly aimed against the Russian Federation. It is publicly stated: we need to ensure the real sovereignty of the countries in the post-Soviet space, to ensure that they get out of the shadow of the Russian Federation. The same policy is being pursued with regard to Moldova, and in many other places," he said. Meanwhile, Russia's partners remain committed to the principles of cooperation within the CIS post-Soviet bloc, Lavrov stressed. "Under huge pressure [from the West], our allies, our strategic partners, remain committed to all the basic principles on which cooperation within the CIS, within the CSTO, within the Eurasian Economic Union, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization rests," Lavrov said. The Russian Foreign Minister expressed confidence that strategically the West's policy is doomed. #business #finance #financialservices

Re-electing von der Leyen tragic for Western Europe, Russian diplomat says According to Maria Zakharova, von der Leyen is a "committed supporter of maximizing US control over the European continent" MOSCOW, July 24/ Re-electing Ursula von der Leyen to the post of European Commission (EC) president has become a tragic episode in the history of Western Europe, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said. The diplomat noted that the Russian mission at the EU has already commented on "this tragic page in the Western European history." "To summarize, I can say that, unfortunately, indeed it is simply not possible to expect anything good for the stability and well-being of the residents of EU member states, moreover, for democracy and freedom, including the issue of security in that part of the world, as a result of Ursula von der Leyen’s confrontational attitude," Zakharova stressed. According to the diplomat, von der Leyen is a "committed supporter of maximizing US control over the European continent." "She is also the main mouthpiece of Russophobic policy currently conducted by the European Union. This includes calls to invest increasingly more in the spheres of defense and security in the EU, in the creation of the so-called defense union which presumes its even deeper subjugation to NATO in the future and support for the Nazi regime on Bankovaya (Ukraine’s presidential administration - TASS). The resolution of all these problems, apparently, takes a toll on the EU with quite murky prospects at that," she added. On April 18, the European Parliament elected von der Leyen as European Commission president for the second term. She garnered 401 out of 720 votes. During the session, both the right-and left-wing opposition criticized her for not fulfilling her obligations during the first term, destroying the European economy and not taking measures against poverty. #business #finance #financialservices

#publicationalert After carefully following #Russia's Prez Putin's two-country Asia tour namely to Viet Nam and DPRK, spanning over a week; I write for Firstpost, assessing the implications of the visit for the South China Sea island countries, Russia's and US's allies, and whether or not this hints at the revival of Cold War 2.0. I opine, "...Russia seeks to further destabilise the US in its extended neighborhood. From Russia’s perspective, the #USA used Ukraine to threaten Putin by bringing #NATO to its doorstep. Now, Russia is aiming to threaten the US and its allies by supporting #China, #Vietnam and #NorthKorea. This shakes up the balance of power in the region...." Furthermore, who will be paying the actual price in this entire power play? I write, "..Sadly, the downside of being an ally of any major power is suffering the blow back of the entire ordeal. With or without realising, be it countries like #Ukraine, Vietnam, North Korea, or even the #Philippines, #Taiwan (Republic of China) and South Korea for that matter, end up bearing the brunt of this extended #ColdWar 2.0 proxy war.... Three major powers, Russia, China and the US will be using these littoral and island nations as mere pawns to fuel their great-power ambitions..." Many such points make this piece an interesting read! Comments welcome :) #southchinasea #ninedashline #opinionpiece #vladimirputin

The text of the following statement was released by the G7 foreign ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States of America and the High Representative of the European Union: Begin Text

Have you seen the latest newsletter from #EUvsDisinfo? Many points are covered, focusing on the recent #UN General Assembly and Summit of the Future. Here, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov leveraged the UN platform to disseminate #disinformation, employing historical revisionism and creating false equivalencies. This aligns with the Kremlin’s broader strategy to counteract unfavourable narratives about its aggression in #Ukraine. For a deeper dive into this issue, check out the full article at  EUvsDisinfo https://lnkd.in/eVetARSM