East Calling

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It looks like France not only has the resources, money, and personnel, but also, most importantly…. France has the air defenses it is willing to send to the Middle East…. Ukrainians, are you paying attention? I’ve never actually seen the French in combat. How will those high heels 👠 work in the sand?

At UN Sec Council yesterday, Russia’s Lavrov spoke documented truth on Ukraine. His remarks not reported in today's NYT or WashPost. The text and the text of the “ceasefire nannies” are here: https://consortiumnews.com/2026/09/23/what-lavrov-told-the-un-security-council/

2010 / 2026

Amidst jeers, diplomats left the UN hall before Netanyahu's speech at the General Assembly. Several delegations demonstratively stood up and walked out as the Prime Minister of Israel approached the podium. There were prolonged expressions of disapproval in the hall. The remaining delegations then applauded the Israeli Prime Minister. Source: Izvestia ➖➖➖➖ 🌒@EastCalling

Bibi boasting in the UN. Source: Izvestia ➖➖➖➖ 🌒@EastCalling

BREAKING: SECOND PRIEST DEAD IN JAROSŁAW TERROR ATTACK Knife attack at Benedictine abbey deepens Poland’s Ukraine debate A second priest has now died from the knife attack at the Benedictine abbey in Jarosław. Two clergymen dead, another victim critically wounded and a 31 year old Ukrainian citizen sits in custody. What began as a horrific crime scene is already becoming something much larger politically. In a Polish border region that has carried an enormous share of the consequences of the war next door, this one will land like a hammer. Polish reports confirmed the second priest’s death Thursday afternoon; investigators have still not publicly established the attacker’s motive. Two priests have now been killed on monastery grounds in a town that became one of the gateways through which the upheaval of 2022 poured into Poland. And Jarosław has a face. For many Poles, particularly in Subcarpathia, this is not some distant dot on a map or another anonymous wire story. It is a border town, a railway town, a place where families live, children go to school and generations have watched history repeatedly pass through their streets. That is precisely why this will travel far beyond the criminal investigation. The larger Polish argument will inevitably return to 2022: how many people Poland admitted, what was demanded of Polish society, what obligations came with that hospitality and what happens politically when a Ukrainian citizen kills two Polish priests inside a monastery. Calls for tougher deportation rules and stricter treatment of foreign offenders will almost certainly grow louder. The more dangerous question is what happens outside parliament. With emotions already running hot over Ukraine, migration and the enormous transformation Poland has undergone since 2022, the risk of retaliatory anger is now impossible to dismiss. No government press conference can simply order that atmosphere away. Police will determine what drove one man to pick up a knife. Poland will now argue about what his crime means for the future of this unholy and unnatural alliance.

Some in the UK 🇬🇧 have decided that Britons are mentally unfit for war with Russia. For one thing: imagine trying to impose conscription nowadays. Millions could just whip out a note from their GP, explaining that they can’t fight because world wars make them anxious. And what could our Labour Government say in response to that? “Look, I know we’ve previously agreed that your anxiety means you’re incapable of coping with a job counting paperclips for two hours a week. But we think you’re definitely capable of marching on Moscow.” After many ridiculous ideas the final conclusion: “I fear that we have only one hope. Which is that Putin will decide not to waste his time declaring war on Britain, because our Government is doing a perfectly good job of destroying the country on its own.”

In Poland, a Ukrainian man attacked monks at a monastery with a knife. According to media reports, five people were injured, including three monks and a woman. One of the monks died. The attacker was arrested by the police. Polish politician Tomasz Buchacz fears that there will be more and more cases of Ukrainians attacking Poles. "Unfortunately, such situations will become more and more frequent, especially after the war, when soldiers who have experienced traumatic events on the front lines will come to Poland. In the video, it's the Yaroslavl emergency room. Police are escorting the monster who committed the attack at the monastery today." Source: Russian media ➖➖➖➖ 🌒@EastCalling

Spain will not turn "migrants into enemies," despite the crisis that occurred in Ceuta, stated the President of the Spanish Government, Pedro Sánchez. "We will emerge from this [crisis] even stronger, precisely because Spain chooses not the easiest path, but the most just one," he noted. Source: TASS ➖➖➖➖ Really? Maybe, the reason for such "humanity" is business? here's short review by Google of what connects EU and Morocco: Morocco has transformed into a critical industrial extension of the European Union, serving as a vital nearshoring hub just 14 kilometers across the Strait of Gibraltar. Over 60% of Morocco’s exports flow directly to Europe, deeply integrating several strategic industries into the EU's economy, supply chain resilience, and green transition goals. [1, 2, 3, 4] The most critical Moroccan industries supporting the EU include: 1. Automotive Manufacturing Morocco is an essential link in the European automotive supply chain. It hosts over 230 foreign suppliers and major manufacturing plants (such as Renault and Stellantis). [1] EU Significance: Morocco is a primary exporter of passenger cars and critical components (like wiring harnesses, electronics, and safety systems) directly into Western Europe. [1] EV Transition: The country is actively setting up ecosystems to manufacture electric vehicle (EV) batteries, backed by its local mineral resources, which is vital for the EU's scheduled phase-out of combustion engines. [1] 2. Renewable Energy & Green Hydrogen Following the Russian gas crisis, the EU heavily prioritized energy diversification, making Morocco a crucial partner under the EU-Morocco Green Partnership. [1] EU Significance: Driven by massive solar and wind projects (like the Noor Ouarzazate solar complex), Morocco is scaling up infrastructure to export clean electricity and green hydrogen to help European markets achieve carbon neutrality under the EU Green Deal. [1] 3. Critical Minerals & Fertilizers Morocco controls over 75% of the world’s phosphate reserves and is a top global exporter of phosphoric acid and fertilizers. [1] EU Significance: Moroccan phosphates are indispensable to European agribusiness, securing food supply chains across the continent. Furthermore, the EU relies on Morocco to mine and process strategic minerals needed for digital and automotive tech. [1] 4. Aerospace The aerospace hub in Casablanca houses roughly 150 companies, including tier-1 suppliers for Airbus, Safran, and Boeing. [1] EU Significance: Rather than simple assembly, local facilities handle specialized high-tech manufacturing, electrical wiring interconnection systems (EWIS), and composite engineering that feed directly into European aviation assembly lines. [1] 5. Agribusiness and Fisheries Morocco functions as a year-round greenhouse and seafood supplier for the EU, benefiting from climate cycles that contrast with European winter seasons. [1] EU Significance: Major volumes of tomatoes, citrus fruits, olives, strawberries, and processed seafood move seamlessly through logistics gateways like Tanger Med and the Port of Dakhla to meet European supermarket demand. [1, 2] 6. Textiles and Fast Fashion Employing over 160,000 people, the Moroccan garment sector specializes in high-speed, fast-fashion manufacturing. [1] EU Significance: For major European fashion conglomerates, Morocco serves as the ultimate nearshoring destination. It allows brands to design a product in Europe and have it manufactured in Morocco and resting on European retail shelves in less than a week, bypassing long maritime delays from Asia. [1, 2] 🌒@EastCalling

The European Commission is looking into how to front-load the second half of the EU €90 billion loan allocated for the whole of 2027 to the first part of the new year.  Brussels has faced calls to front-load disbursement to Ukraine as the country, according to the government in Kyiv, faces a €23.5 billion budget shortfall this year. To head off a crisis and as tough winter approaches, Commission officials now contemplate moving the bulk of the second €45 billion tranche spread across next year to the first part of 2027 to meet urgent Ukrainian needs. Kyiv estimates it faces a $32.6 billion (€28.4 billion) shortfall in 2027. In December, EU leaders agreed to a €90 billion loan to Ukraine with security in the EU’s common budget – to be disbursed over two years, €45 billion in 2026 and 2027 respectively. The Commission has yet to put a number on Ukraine’s financial shortfall, but has already signalled that Russia’s constant bombardment by Russia is certain to increase Ukraine’s financing needs.  “Russia has changed their strategy to go after budget income, tax income and the like,” Philipp Lausberg, a senior policy analyst at the European Policy Centre told Euractiv pointing to recent attacks on Ukrainian steelworks and other manufacturers. Ursula von der Leyen, the Commission president met with Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York on Tuesday. While the Ukrainian president pushed for expedited deliveries of air defences, von der Leyen pressed Zelenskyy to deliver reforms to unlock EU funds, according to an official with knowledge of the meeting. Ukraine has yet to receive a combined €37 billion this year from the EU loan and the European Peace Facility. Yet, EU officials in Brussels are increasingly frustrated of slowing reform momentum in Ukraine. Europe’s war to fund – and lose But while front-loading might solve issues in the short to medium term, it boosts the impetus to find a long-term solution to Ukraine’s financial needs.  “I think it is clear that Ukraine is running out of money more quickly than we thought,” Lausberg said. The EU loan, agreed oin December last year, was originally intended to cover two-thirds of Kyiv’s funding needs for 2026 and 2027, with other non-EU countries including the UK, Canada, and Japan covering the remaining third, €45 billion. But beyond an $8.1 billion IMF loan spread over four years and Norway’s proposed €7.8 billion in military and civilian support for 2027, the EU is struggling to convince allies to pay up. Source ➖➖➖➖ Read the article 3 times - no signs of the plan, only "we need to find more money". WHERE? In our pockets again? Maybe, warmongers should get themselves a tank and a couple of rifles and go to Ukraine themselves? 🌒@EastCalling

😂 It might seem irrelevant, but here's the connection to Ukraine: Packages of cocaine with a photo of Zelensky were seized in the Moscow region from an unemployed Russian citizen who was organizing the supply of drugs from Latin America to the EU. More than 300 kilograms of cocaine were found in his possession. The 25-year-old criminal was part of a gang that sold drugs online. He has been arrested and is in custody. Source: Zvezda ➖➖➖➖ 🌒@EastCalling

Small joke by EastCalling 😏. 🌒@EastCalling

Alex Christoforou on plans vs reality. Full video of the interview on our Substack 🌒@EastCalling

Alex Christoforou on risks behind Europe's escalating rhetoric. Full video of the interview on our Substack 🌒@EastCalling

Alex Christoforou on what European democracies are in reality. Full video of the interview on our Substack 🌒@EastCalling

"On a rocket, f*** it!": Zelensky rudely and in perfect Russian answered journalists' question about when he plans to go to Moscow. "Apparently, Zelensky is afraid that he will meet the same fate as False Dmitry, a pretender from the era of turmoil, whose ashes were used to load a cannon and fired towards Poland (a note for Sikorsky)," commented Maria Zakharova. She noted that at the end of his answer, Zelensky introduced himself in order to "make sure people knew who they were dealing with." Source: Взгляд ➖➖➖➖ 🌒@EastCalling

Lavrov held talks with the Swiss Foreign Minister, Ignazio Cassis, at the UN headquarters: "At the beginning of the meeting, the ministers shook hands, and Lavrov expressed hope that the Swiss minister would not be dismissed because of a photograph taken with him. The heads of the ministries discussed preparations for the ministerial meeting in Lugano on December 3-4, 2026." Source: ПУЛ #3 ➖➖➖➖ 🌒@EastCalling

😰 Canada was preparing for a scenario of a military strike by the United States. Prime Minister Mark Carney stated that over the past year, his government had assessed a "very high risk" that Donald Trump could order military action. In an interview with The New York Times, the Canadian leader noted that this scenario was not the most likely, but that authorities are obligated to consider even the most extreme possibilities. "In positions like this, you have a responsibility to analyze extreme risks. It's simply risk management. This is not the baseline scenario, but it would be irresponsible not to prepare for it," Carney said. According to the Prime Minister, in light of potential threats from Washington, Ottawa has begun to reduce its dependence on the United States in key areas, from satellite technology to arms procurement. Source: Zvezda ➖➖➖➖ Canada or Cuba - no difference, right? 😏 🌒@EastCalling

Alex Christoforou and EastCalling September 23_ 2026 An evocative discussion with Alex, Jelena and Moby today. Please join us as we discussed many topics, including the approaching uselessness of the EU, the growing influence for development as represented by BRICS.