- The Guardian
- Issue #2110
UKRAINE: Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has led a Ukrainian delegation to Guangzhou, in China, for peace talks. Kuleba announced that Ukraine is willing and prepared to begin negotiations with Russia, while acknowledging China and Brazil’s joint outline of six understandings for a political resolution. Some Chinese experts have stated that Kuleba’s four-day visit to China, the first since the conflict began in 2022, may in part be motivated by uncertainty in Washington, as Biden’s withdrawal and the potential of a Trump re-election pose a risk to Ukraine of abandonment by the US, or pressure to cede sovereignty and territory to ensure a quick resolution. Kuleba has stated that Ukraine greatly appreciates China’s role in encouraging peace negotiations and maintaining international order. Kuleba has further stated that China and Ukraine are friends and expressed support for China’s stance on Taiwan, an indication that the USA’s attempts to conflate the two issues have not been widely accepted. Ukraine has stressed that its readiness to begin talks relies on Russia acting in good faith.
UK: Lockheed Martin has announced plans to develop hypersonic missiles in the UK as part of the militarisation of AUKUS. The UK is set to begin the development before production in the United States. The Mako prototype has been cited as an example of the sorts of missiles which could be developed in the UK, able to reach Mach 5 and be fired from F-35 fighter jets. Tim Cahill, vice president of Missiles and Fire Control at Lockheed Martin, has stated that the AUKUS alliance allows each government to prioritise military spending despite budget constraints. In other words, as Americans get sick of their government’s military spending, the production gets outsourced to their AUKUS ‘partners.’ Since 2023, the UK government has sought to develop a domestic hypersonic missile by 2030.
VIETNAM has held its state funeral for the late General Secretary of the Communist Party Nguyễn Phú Trọng, who served in that position since 2011 after joining the Party in 1968. Leaders from nations such as Cuba have expressed their condolences for Vietnam, with Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel stating that Phú Trọng’s example will continue to inspire and inform the work of the Communist Party and the Vietnamese people.
ARGENTINA: Argentine public sector workers have stepped up the fight against President Javier Milei’s neoliberal attack on the working-class. Secretary General of the Argentine State Workers Association Rodolfo Aguiar has announced that the organisation will be using judicial action and other measures to oppose Milei’s re-introduction of the lowest bracket of income tax. Aguiar noted that Argentina’s tax system serves to benefit large landowners, with Milei’s income tax expansion once again placing further burden on about a million low-income workers. Milei has effectively declared war on the public sector, making massive cuts to public spending and enacting massive privatisations. Unions in the public sector have a history of advancing working-class interests, such as their successful campaign to win progressive reforms for female, transgender, and disabled workers.
VENEZUELA: President Nicolás Maduro has expressed commitment to continuing the goal of socialist transformation and development started under the leadership of Hugo Chávez. Maduro stressed the need to combat bureaucratism and corruption, while also ensuring Venezuela’s sustainable development and the delivery of services and political power to Venezuelans, not corporate oligarchs. The statements come as Venezuela has continued to develop both domestically and on the global stage. For the first time, Venezuela has produced 96 per cent of the food it consumes, as reported by Vice President Delcy Rodríguez. Together with the reduction of inflation and an increase in real incomes, as well as diplomatic advances such as the signing of an energy agreement with Trinidad and Tobago, this milestone demonstrates the ability of Venezuela to develop in spite of the USA’s economic hostility.
