Comment: Orban is one European leader that clearly sees there is an uptick in, or a quickening of, processes that could lead to more military conflict engagements in Europe, and trying to oppose it.
For more on the uptick, see also: Russia reacts to UK MPs applauding Ukrainian neo-Nazis.

At the moment several countries have signed bilateral agreement with Ukraine. This might be a step to allow for military engagement in Ukraine, and outside it, even without NATO being involved, just as Hungary would like it.

Doing a search for «Agreement on security cooperation and long-term support between Ukraine» on the page of the President of Ukraine gave 26 results. Going through these, without directly linking, below is a list of countries that already have concluded bilateral agreements with Ukraine and excluding mere talks about it.

1) UK: 12 January 2024 - 16:57 Agreement on Security Co-operation between the United Kingdom of Great Britain & Northern Ireland and Ukraine
2) Germany:16 February 2024 - 14:16 Agreement on security cooperation and long-term support between Ukraine and the Federal Republic of Germany
3) France: 16 February 2024 - 22:15 Agreement on security cooperation between Ukraine and France
4) Denmark: 23 February 2024 14:38 Agreement on security cooperation and long-term support between Ukraine and Denmark
5) Canada: 24 February 2024 - 17:05 Agreement on security cooperation between Ukraine And Canada
6) Italy: 24 February 2024 - 17:58 Agreement on security cooperation between Ukraine and Italy
7) The Netherlands: 1 March 2024 - 17:07 Agreement on security cooperation between Ukraine and the Netherlands
8) Finland: 3 April 2024 - 14:17 Agreement on security cooperation and long-term support between Ukraine and the Republic of Finland
9) Latvia: 11 April 2024 - 14:30 Agreement between Ukraine and the Republic of Latvia on long-term support and security commitments

The background for these agreements is explained on the page of the Estonian Embassy in Kiev
Posted on: 09.02.2024 "Estonia reaffirms its long-term support to Ukraine and begins signing a bilateral agreement"

Estonia affirmed its readiness to sign a bilateral agreement between Estonia and Ukraine as a follow-up to the G7's Vilnius Declaration signed last summer in support of Ukraine. "More than 30 countries have now joined the G7's Vilnius Declaration from last summer and are signing bilateral agreements. The agreement between Estonia and Ukraine covers all the areas where we are supporting Ukraine and shows our long-term commitment to continuing this support," the undersecretary explained.

The impression is that so far only intentions have been signed between Estonia and Ukraine, but it is possible that the signing of some bilateral agreements are not made public beyond the strictly necessary, or that they are signed at the level of declarations and promises, but do not progress beyond that. In the case of Estonia for instance, there is the above document expressing "readiness to sign a bilateral agreement" but so far no result when searching for the agreement. The same is the case for Romania, who fielded the largest foreign army for Hitler during WWII.
The Polish Centre for Eastern Studies published a short analysis of the then recently concluded agreement between Ukraine and the UK. They say:

The first country to start negotiations with Kyiv was the US, the UK being the second. Subsequently, 24 countries have announced their readiness to join the G7 framework. These include, among others, the Baltic and Nordic countries, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria and Romania, as well as the Benelux countries, Spain and Portugal. Negotiations with Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands, the US, Canada, Japan, Lithuania and Romania are underway.

The provisions of the agreement entitled "cooperation in the event of future armed attack do not obligate the UK government to become directly involved in repelling Russian aggression on Kyiv's side.

There is no obligation, but that does not mean they will not choose to do so. It is on the level of ambiguity that Emmanuel Macron has talked about.

Comment: Over the past few years various world leaders and institutions have been sounding the alarm that a time will come where the normal functioning of life will be significantly disrupted, and we certainly do appear to be reaching an all encompassing crescendo:

• Russia begins 'non-strategic' nuclear weapons drills
• Europe is wargaming a food crisis - Bloomberg
• Ground-up chicken waste and excreta fed to cattle may be behind bird flu outbreak in US cows
• Vatican preparing 'guidelines' for 'apparitions', 'other supernatural phenomena'

Comment: Israel continues to thumb its nose at the world, secure in the backing of the U.S.

Comment: Scam-arama! The beauty of 'phony climate change': There are no boundaries, markers nor pronouncements to signal the end of a fake crisis. It is truly unlimited cover...a perpetual cash cow. Who wins? The donors...every time.

Comment: Word spats come in all shapes and sizes - some closer to the truth than others.

Comment: If the threat works it is leverage, one way or another:

Kobakhidze did not name the EU commissioner who made what he said was a "threat," but later on May 23 EU Enlargement Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi said he spoke with the Georgian prime minister by phone about the "foreign agent" bill and Kobakhidze took his comments out of context in his summary of the call.

He emphasized that he was still urging the Georgian authorities not to adopt the law and that he continues "to support Georgians working toward a European future."

Over the past few weeks, tens of thousands of Georgians have taken to the streets to protest the "foreign agent" law, amid fears it could be used to restrict civil society and free media. Under the proposed law, media outlets and NGOs that get more than 20 percent of their money from outside the country would have to register as "pursuing the interests of a foreign power."

In his statement accusing the commissioner of threatening him, the Georgian prime minister said that "several high-ranking foreign politicians are not hesitating to use open blackmail against the Georgian people and their elected government."

In recent weeks, the EU and the United States have linked their relations with Georgia to the passing of the law.

In a May 15 statement, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell and Varhelyi said that "the adoption of this law negatively impacts Georgia's progress on the EU path."

A bill that expected to be unveiled this week by U.S. lawmakers is aimed at convincing Georgia's government to repeal the contentious law. Under the proposed Mobilizing and Enhancing Georgia's Options for Building Accountability, Resilience, and Independence (MEGOBARI) Act, the United States would give Georgia more economic aid, lower trade barriers, and grant more access to U.S. visas if the law were to be repealed.

But if the "foreign agent" bill becomes law, the MEGOBARI Act would require the U.S. administration to impose sanctions on Georgian officials responsible for the legislation.

Comment: Considering the recent assassination attempts and threats as well as a litany of other alarming incidents targeting the multipolar alliance - most of which have occurred in just in the last few weeks, including another coup attempt in Turkey - in these turbulent times, this policy change is understandable:

• Saudi king hospitalised for 2nd time, follows rumours of assassination attempt on prince
• 'You're next': Man arrested for threatening Serbia's President Vucic on social media
• Slovakian government suspects gunman who attempted to assassinate PM Robert Fico 'was not working alone
• Iranian president confirmed dead in helicopter crash
• DR Congo military thwarts 'attempted coup', claims American mercenaries arrested
• Turkey thwarts ANOTHER coup attempt, Interior Minister vows justice after 'plot against president Erdogan'
• Georgian parliamentary committee approves 'foreign influence' bill
• EU official explains Georgian PM death threat warning

Comment: Who should we believe
See also:
Georgia does not want to become second Ukraine - PM Has a comment with excerpts from other articles, including the background for the statements in this article from European Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement Oliver Varhelyi.
Georgia fight against US subversion and its implications worldwide
Georgia accuses NATO countries of trying to orchestrate coup
Georgia accuses Washington of trying to spark 'two revolutions'

Comment:
1) From the same source:

23 May, 2024 20:53
UK MPs applaud Ukrainian neo-Nazis (PHOTOS)
[...]

Fedosiuk, Serbov and Vernygora also posed with former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who famously visited Kiev in April 2022 to torpedo any possibility of a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia.

Johnson was photographed with the trio while holding an Azov banner featuring the Wolfsangel symbol once used by the Waffen-SS Division Das Reich and several Wehrmacht units during WWII.

A video making the rounds on social media shows Johnson speaking at a reception for the Azov militants, urging the British government to give Ukraine whatever it wants - money, missiles, and air defenses.

"The single best investment that we can make in the defense of the whole Euro-Atlantic area is supporting Ukrainian heroes," Johnson is recorded as saying. Former British Defense Minister Ben Wallace was also present at the event.

2) Listen to how Johnson pronounces: "The single best investment..." and not only that, he recommends strikes from Ukraine into Russia using western supplied weapons, and data.


Western critics may ask if a strong reaction to a symbol used long ago is justified, but apart from what the articles says, note also the similarity of intention between those that fought for a German "Lebensraum" during WWII and what happens now, considering the history that led to WWII, see for instance this article: Flashback Stalin 'planned to send a million troops to stop Hitler if Britain and France agreed pact'

What Johnson said echoes statements published in The Sun on May 15:

HITTING Russian heartlands, more troops and a steady flow of Western weapons are key to Ukraine winning the war against Putin, a former British general has said.

Sir Richard Barrons told The Sun's World at War show that there are three major ways Kyiv can decisively defeat Moscow's forces in the "next year".

3) See also statements from the Etonian PM, where one wonders if she functions as spokeswoman for NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.
NATO countries already training troops in Ukraine - Estonian PM
NATO state's PM calls for breakup of Russia
Or the attempts to open up other fronts:
Georgia does not want to become second Ukraine - PM

We want transparency... we don't want to leave muddy water in this country, because a 'Georgian Maidan' could lead our country to very serious consequences, to its 'Ukrainization'. We cannot agree with this," Kobakhidze stated on Georgian Channel 1.

Some people want muddy water here; we don't want it. Some people want Maidan here; we don't want Maidan. Some people want a second front [against Russia]. We don't want a second front.

The prime minister stressed that the new law would help ensure that foreign influence is regulated and kept in check, and "the transparency of NGOs is one of the main levers that will allow us to do this."

4) Add to the above a heading from the Russian website, Pravda: Britain has stopped hiding NATO instructors in Ukraine which in part relies on an article from May 21 published in the British Tabloid, The Sun: BATTLE READY Brit hero soldier who has trained 14,000 Ukrainian troops to pummel Putin lifts lid on his secret frontline base. When reading you will see that this guy is a volunteer, not a NATO instructor officially. From this narrow perspective it could be claimed by the Western censors, as it probably will be, apart from the website being banned in the EU, that this is not true, but using a figure of speech, the veneer covering the reality is very thin indeed. Here are excerpts from The Sun article:

Never before seen video of Sun man Paul Sims lifts the lid on the camp's operations, just a few miles from the frontline in Kharkiv.
[...]
He meets the heroic Brit soldier, Dan Ridley, who set up the Trident Defense Initiative over two years ago.
[...]
But by the end of this week, Dan, 28, and his team of instructors at Trident Defense Initiative (TDI), will have trained over 14,000 Ukrainian soldiers since the start of the war.
[...]
At a secret frontline base where Brits and US have trained 14,000 troops
[...]
There is a step change in the air - or as Dan puts it: "It feels like Russia's getting its s*** together."
[..]
The Sun was yesterday given exclusive access to the British-run HQ which is located just a few miles from the frontline in Ukraine's second largest city of Kharkiv.
[...]
Heroic Dan, originally of Croydon, south London, does not court the limelight.

He doesn't have a TikTok account, is not all over social media and questions the motives of others who are now long gone from the frontline.
[...]

He was originally a private for four years in the 2nd Battalion of The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment.

After leaving the Armed Forces he travelled to Ukraine and joined the country's marines
[...]

"You don't get paid doing this. We get no funding from the government.

"I met the Ukrainian ministry of defence, I met the generals, I've met everyone. I knew they would never fund it.

"We now have private direct donors from America and I've got a good budget now.

"Not enough, but better than I've ever had. We get to build places like this as a result.

"I've been working with the heads of the region and the military commanders here for two years straight now.

"I submit numbers and the courses open and they send soldiers by order."
[...]

But he is also keen to point out that he is not offering basic training for squaddies.

He says: "We're offering them combat preparation as opposed to training.

"Training can take six months to a year, making them into a soldier.

"Combat preparation is done over a much smaller time-scale and it's to prepare people directly for combat instead of drills and locker inspections.

"The soldiers we see have already been through their basic training and have been at their units for a few months.
[...]
Former US Marine Noah is among the instructors. We meet him digging a shallow shell scrape, known in the US as a Ranger Grave.

He says: "I never got to do anything as a marine because I joined up during peacetime.

"All I did was train, so I decided to come over here.

"I'm training with the guys first to understand the reality of how things are, but probably in the next month or so I'll join a Ukrainian unit.

"I've got other western friends - Canadians, Americans, Brits - who are fighting and I know them personally.

"I figured this would be a good place to learn the reality of what guys are dealing with and get a better perspective."

As a comment to the above, during the WWII, Waffe-SS had ethnic groups fighting with them. For details, see the Wiki for Waffen-SS Divisions. From this perspective, one should be open to the possibility that there besides the above Canadians, Americans, Brits, are other embedded groups, notably Polish, German and French.

In the Pravda article, there is:

Apparently, this base in the Kharkiv region is not the only one in Ukraine, and there are dozens of landfills [former now bombed out bases?]. And everywhere volunteer instructors are former military personnel from Western countries. The growing number of publications and materials about them says one thing: no one is particularly hiding their presence anymore, while politicians are not ambiguously hinting.

"NATO is helping as much as possible today. Without NATO's help, Ukraine would not have been able to defend itself for so long. Well, there are a few troops there, that is, soldiers. There are few soldiers there: observers, engineers," Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said.

The article ends:

Ukraine does not have enough soldiers to hold the front line. At the same time, the number of publications about mercenaries in the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Western press is also growing. All this says only one thing - it is no longer possible to hide your [their] presence, and society needs to be carefully prepared for official statements.

The article has a video that includes clips from The Sun article, the statement from Donald Tusk, images of Macron, and statements from Ukrainian POW. It is all in Russian, but can still serve as documentation for some of the quotes and claims made in the article.

This comment was long, but without collecting the drip feeding from both sides, it can be difficult to see there is any water.

Comment: See also:

• Putin warns Moscow terror attack mastermind: 'We will get them'
• Link between Crocus terrorists & Ukraine found - Russian Investigative Committee
• An alternative Crocus City Hall terrorist attack hypothesis
• Moscow terror attack planned and paid for by Kiev - MEP
• Ukrainian bar mocks deadly Moscow concert hall attack
• Moscow slams 'mother of all fakes'
• Alastair Crooke: The Crocus concert hall atrocity: No going back