And we have talked with you a lot about the Energy Impact of the war in ukraine on Western Europe but china also buys some russian energy, has that come up . Russia wants to sell more of its energy. Because russia is trying to pivot from the west to the east, it sees the market in the east, the Energy Market is very attractive. It wants to sell as much gas and oil as it can. The problem that russia has is it is not easy to quickly reorient its energy infrastructure. All of the pipelines that have been built over decades have basically been built going west. So it will take a lot of money and a lot of time and energy to build more pipelines going to china, for example. There is one gas pipeline that already exists to china, there is talk of building another one via mongolia. But this will take a long time. There are a lot of experts here that think despite moscow being very bullish and are saying, well, if we are suffering from all of these western sanctions, we will just sell our energy to the east, that will not be easy. It just sell our energy to the east, that will not be easy. That will not be easy. If that is what russia that will not be easy. If that is what russia is that will not be easy. If that is what russia is hoping that will not be easy. If that is what russia is hoping to that will not be easy. If that is what russia is hoping to do i that will not be easy. If that is l what russia is hoping to do with china, sell energy to china, what was top of the chinese list of priorities . I was top of the chinese list of priorities . Was top of the chinese list of riorities . ~. ,. , priorities . I think for china it is important priorities . I think for china it is important to priorities . I think for china it is important to have priorities . I think for china it is important to have a priorities . I think for china it is important to have a good important to have a good relationship, a close relationship with russia. For some time now, china has seen russia as an important partner. The counterweight, if you like, to the united states. I think partly that is part of the concerns that president xijinping has is part of the concerns that president xi jinping has and what is happening now in ukraine. I think china is concerned that this special Military Operation is weakening russia, it is not going according to russias plan, the kremlins plan at all. Meanwhile in ukraine, a Government Advisor says around 1,000 dead bodies have been found in the recently liberated city of izyum, which had been under Russian Occupation for months. The number of dead in izyum has not been officially announced or independently verified. The city has been heavily damaged by shelling. From kyiv, our correspondent hugo bachega sent this report. This is what the russians left behind in izyum, a key city now back in ukrainian hands. Almost nothing remains untouched by the war. These are the visible scars. What lies beneath, its still not clear. Bodies are being found and allegations of torture are emerging. The horrors of life under occupation. Translation we were | staying in the basements without food and water. Russia was providing humanitarian help and initially i refused to take it. To be honest, i didnt want to take anything from russia, but we had nothing to eat, we had to survive. Ukraine is pressing ahead. It says all invaded territory will be taken back. It knows it wont be easy, but it feels its got the momentum. Here, a show of defiance, a visit by president zelensky with the front line just miles away. His message was as clear as ever. We see that russia has destroyed, but the main thing we are coming but russia is fighting back. Perhaps its no coincidence that this time they attacked the president s hometown. A dam was hit and residents had to evacuate. Ukraines advance in kharkiv has been stunning. Officials say an area larger than devon was recaptured in just a few days. But what happens next . In the south, the situation is said to be more difficult. There, the top prize is the city of kherson. As many as 20,000 Russian Troops are believed to be holding up with limited supplies. After pushing the russians out of the northeast, ukrainians hope to do the same elsewhere. Much will depend on what this man decides to do. President putin today arrived in uzbekistan for talks with regional leaders. At the top of the agenda a meeting with president xi of china. For the kremlin, the visit is designed to show that russia isnt isolated and that western sanctions havent worked, but with his army and the economy in trouble, the world is waiting to see his next move. Hugo bachega, bbc news, kyiv. To hungary, where two significant stories are emerging. First, the news that the European Parliament says the eu member state can no longer be considered a full democracy. A report adopted by a clear majority described it as an electoral autocracy in which elections are regularly held but without respecting basic democratic norms. It said this had happened through deliberate and systematic efforts by the right wing government in budapest. Lets hear from our correspondent nick thorpe on this. Well, as far as viktor 0rbans fidesz government is concerned, its the latest criticism, as they see it, the latest unfair criticism of their rule. Theyve been in powerfor 12 years. Theyre proud of their own. All the changes theyve made to the hungarian constitution, to the hungarian justice system, to the hungarian media and so on. But over those years, the criticism has grown. The number of allies that viktor 0rban and his government have had in brussels, and indeed elsewhere in the eu, has diminished. Now theyve lost their great ally, poland. So hungary. Because of differences over the war in ukraine. So, as far as the government is concerned, this is the latest unfair criticism. But of course, how serious it is is that, financially, this is a real threat to hungary. Its already the last of the eu 27 not to receive the funds its been due under the Covid Recovery plan. And now looking ahead to the budget, now the eu for the first time has tools in its hand to, in the view of meps in brussels and in strasbourg, to punish hungary for what is seen there as backsliding on democracy. So hungary stands to lose a huge amount of money, and that would have a huge effect its already having a negative effect both on the hungarian economy and on the status of the hungarian currency, the forint. So this is very serious. When they won the latest election with a Landslide Majority in april, they appointed a minister, tibor navracsics, whose job is effectively to negotiate with the eu and make sure that hungary does just enough to satisfy the eu in order to get all the funds that that hungary is due in the coming seven years. So this is very serious indeed for the government here in hungary. That report came on the same day as new Abortion Rules came into effect. Pregnant women will have to prove theyve seen a definitive sign of life from the foetus, such as hearing its heartbeat, before requesting a termination. Several doctors and opposition politicians have protested, and human Rights Groups have called it an attempt to traumatise women seeking an abortion. Lets hear from nick on this. Under hungarian law, i think since the year 1953, abortion has been available on demand in hungary up until the 12th week of pregnancy. Nothing has changed on that. But what this new regulation, which just came into force today, means is that from now on, the doctor must, as you say, allow the woman or is instructed to. He has to or she has to tell the woman, allow them to listen, for example, to the foetal heart monitor. So, before confirming their decision to have an abortion, they have to basically be shown evidence that they have a living being inside them, that the foetus is alive. And so the governmentjustifies this and says that it actually will help the woman to make a considered decision. This is, after all, a government, which is very much pro family in their own conception. They see this as a way of really discouraging abortion. Abortion numbers have been going down in the past 12 years since this government came to power. But of course, womens groups, many ordinary women in hungary feel that this is an unnecessary intervention by the state in what should be their own right to choose, that it could further traumatise women whove already taken a very difficult decision to go ahead with an abortion. There are also questions, of course, about how effective it can be that it might be the state really telling doctors what happens in the privacy of their own surgeries, talking to women that theres, actually how can the state actually enforce this . So, many questions being asked about this. The conservative side seeing this as an important step, and many women and many human Rights Groups seeing this as a very retrograde step, very much against womens right to choose. People are afraid that they might seek Backstreet Abortions or even travel to another country in future to have an abortion. The bbc� s nick thorpe in budapest. Two buses carrying migrants were dropped off near the Vice President s residents in washington
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