CND Press Digest: Thursday 8th June 2023

War In Ukraine/NATO

• South Korea’s President Yoon will attend next month’s NATO summit in Lithuania, prompting speculation that another round of trilateral talks between Seoul, Japan and the US will take place.
• That’s as France is apparently against NATO opening a liaison office in Japan, with Emmanuel Macron reportedly opposed to the idea. The French leader apparently feels the scope of the Alliance should focus on the North Atlantic.
• A former NATO chief has suggested that some NATO members may be willing to put troops on the ground in Ukraine if the bloc, including the US, doesn’t give tangible security guarantees to Ukraine at next month’s summit.
• Ben Wallace may be hoping that his bullish role as UK Defence Secretary may guarantee a new job as NATO General-Secretary – but he has some competition! Support is growing for Danish PM Mette Frederiksen, with several European countries favouring her to take the top NATO job. Her selection would make Frederiksen the first woman to lead NATO in its 75-year history.
• In its efforts to join NATO, Sweden has extradited to Turkey Mehmet Kokulu, a Kurdish of the PKK. Turkey has blocked Sweden from joining over its apparent harbouring of people Ankara deem as terrorists or terrorist sympathisers.  
• The Daily Mail, i newspaper, and updated its briefing on the security risks of the Zaporizhzhia NPP reflecting the recent collapse of the Nova Kakhovka dam.
• Hamish De Bretton-Gordon writes in The Telegraph that the collapse of the dam is a turning point in war in Ukraine - and calls on the West to act before Russia uses unconventional methods in fighting the war – ie. the weaponisation of the ZNPP.
• The UK said Wednesday that it will give £750,000 in funding to the IAEA to help its work supporting nuclear safety in Ukraine. 

AUKUS

• The Guardian reports that in March, former Aussie PM Paul Keating wrote an email to the cabinet of Antony Albanese denouncing the AUKUS pact. The email was apparently a heads up two hours before Keating condemned the deal in front of the National Press Club in Canberra.

UK Nuclear Energy

• EDF has warned that Hinkley Point C faces even more delays and cost overruns.

Nuclear Energy

• The Daily Mail reports on concerns over electricity supplies in Germany since the country ditched nuclear power.
• A look at Russia’s floating small modular reactor (SMR) plant in the far east.  

Fukushima

• It’s world oceans day and NFLA takes a look at what the development means.

Best,

Pádraig McCarrick

Press and Communications Officer

Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament