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Russian senate speaker meeting with North Korean leader in Pyongyang

Earlier Valentina Matviyenko said that she would convey Russian President Vladimir Putin’s letter to Kim Jong-un

Russian Federation Council Chairperson Valentina Matviyenko Russian Federation Council press service

Russian Federation Council Chairperson Valentina Matviyenko

© Russian Federation Council press service

PYONGYANG, September 8. /TASS/. Russian Federation Council (the upper house of parliament) Chairperson Valentina Matviyenko is holding a meeting with the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Pyongyang, Chairman of the Federation Council’s Foreign Affairs Committee Konstantin Kosachev said on Saturday.

"She (Matviyenko) is currently meeting Chairman as scheduled," he said.

Earlier Matviyenko said that she would convey Russian President Vladimir Putin’s letter to Kim Jong-un.

The delegation of Russia’s upper house of parliament that arrived in North Korea late on Friday for celebrations marking the 70th anniversary of North Korea’s founding, held meetings with North Korean Supreme People's Assembly Chairman Choe Thae-bok and President of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly Kim Yong Nam earlier on Saturday. According to Kosachev, the North Korean side emphasized at those meetings that Pyongyang is ready to move towards settlement of the Korean Peninsula issue through "political solutions on a mutually acceptable balanced basis.".

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Ukraine’s General Staff admits tense situation along entire frontline

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Russian forces break through Ukrainian defense lines in Kharkov Region — expert

Marochko added that the operation allowed Russian troops to "expand their zone of control" in the area

Biden administration to send $1.25 bln in military assistance to Kiev — AP

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France made several requests to Russia on Ukraine topic through private channels — Lavrov

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NATO considers use of ATACMS missiles in Ukraine reckless, indiscriminate — NYT

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Russia practically eliminates remnants of Ukraine’s Air Force — source

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Mali's army able to improve military potential owing to Russia — envoy

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Russian Guardsmen destroy Ukrainian UAV team in Chernigov Region

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Kazakhstan’s Aktau Airport was aware of oxygen cylinder blast before plane’s crash

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Investigative Committee opens case against US mercenary who invaded Kursk Region

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Osamu Suzuki, who headed Japanese carmaker for 40 years, dies at 94

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Politics discussed on board of ISS, but unlike on Earth crew members mingle — cosmonaut

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Carbon quota diktat tantamount to attempt to limit Russia's progress — Kurchatov Institute

Russia's energy sector, Mikhail Kovalchuk said, is the "greenest" because "everybody uses coal or something else, while Russia burns gas"

Russia says it carried out 38 strikes with high-precision weapons over past week

Russia’s Battlegroup West has repelled 25 Ukrainian counterattacks over the past week, wiping out over 3,080 enemy servicemen and destroying a German-made Leopard tank

No confidence vote, Bundestag's dissolution, early elections: political crisis in Germany

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Finnish president says situation 'under control' after cables damage in Baltic Sea

According to Alexander Stubb, the cables were "significantly damaged"

Plane crash in Kazakhstan claims 38 lives

29 people had been hospitalized

US debt to reach limit in mid-January, authorities to take extraordinary measures — Yellen

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FSB foils series of assassination attempts on senior Russian defense officials

The bombs intended for killing high-placed Russian Defense Ministry officials were disguised as a power bank and a document folder, the FSB press office specified

Train service resumes in Voronezh Region after attack by Ukrainian drones

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Parliament impeaches South Korean acting president

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Finnish police detain oil tanker on suspicion of damaging communication cables

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Relative of former Syrian president detained in Lebanon airport — report

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Pentagon mum on F-16 fighter jet downed in Zaporozhye Region

The US Department of Defense "has no statement or information to provide," a department’s spokesperson said

Russia persuades most states it is essential to address causes of Ukrainian crisis — MFA

"This position was conveyed to the leadership of a number of NATO and EU countries, including Austria, Hungary, Malta, Slovakia, the United States, Turkey, and Germany, as well as the Vatican and Switzerland in direct contacts with them at the highest and highest levels," the commentary says

Astana, Baku to closely cooperate in investigating plane crash in Kazakhstan

According to the statement, Tokayev assured the Azerbaijani president that the Kazakh side would make every effort to ensure a thorough and objective investigation of all circumstances of the incident, and briefed him on the progress of the work of the special state commission tasked with investigating the crash

Ukrainian troops struggling to escape being trapped in Lozovaya in Kharkov region — expert

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Moscow selects targets for strikes on the territory of Ukraine, proceeding solely from threats to Russia, the foreign minister stressed

Russian cancer vaccine to be free of charge — top oncologist

It is planned to launch it in general circulation in early 2025

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CIA station in Kiev targeted in recent Russian attack, military expert reveals

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Slovakia ready to host peace talks on Ukraine — Prime Minister

Robert Fico noted that Bratislava would be ready and hospitable

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Putin forms scientific advisory board under Russian Security Council

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Russian MFA lists nine countries set to become BRICS partners from January 1

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Bild said the German Foreign Ministry commissioned an internal government analysis on defense from ballistic missiles

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Lavrov sees ceasefire in Ukraine as road to nowhere, calls for reliable agreements

The top Russian diplomat pointed out that those accords should first and foremost address the root causes of the Ukraine crisis

Oreshnik missile systems still few, but they are enough — Putin

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Ukraine's national debt reaches record $159.74 bln

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Zelensky defines essence of next summit on Ukraine in four-letter explicit word — Lavrov

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Transnistria must become part of negotiations on Ukraine — Foreign Minister of Moldova

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US believes Ukrainian forces to be pushed out of Kursk Region in few months — Bloomberg

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Almost 37,000 tons of contaminated soil removed from Black Sea beaches

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Houthis report attacking Santa Ursula vessel in Arabian Sea

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Norwegians who refused to rescue sailors from Ursa Major acted like non-humans — senator

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Russia to convene UNSC meeting in January to discuss Ukraine’s crimes against civilians

The report on Ukrainian atrocities in Selidovo will be presented

Kremlin says no comment on 'highly specialized' issue of Finland’s seizure of oil tanker

On December 25, Reuters reported that Finland’s police and border guards have detained an oil tanker, which flies under the flag of the Cook Islands, suspecting that an anchor of the vessel may have damaged the EstLink 2 cable

Houthis say attacked US aircraft carrier in Red Sea, shot down US fighter jet

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Press review: Middle East may host Putin-Trump talks as experts probe Kazakhstan crash

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German president dissolves parliament, schedules early elections for February 23

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Turkish transport ministry’s experts to join AZAL plane crash investigation

"Our delegation will be working in coordination with Azerbaijan’s authorities <...> to explore all aspects of the incident within their competence," Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu said

Europe must be punished, US ignored after hybrid war between West, Russia — Medvedev

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Expert offers to use navy ships to escort tankers after Eagle S incident

Alexander Stepanov believes that NATO intends to lock the Kaliningrad enclave, to lock the Russian trade fleet in Neva estuary and to simultaneously block the Leningrad naval base

Foreign powers seek to provoke mass riots in Syria — source

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Russian MFA denies reports of talks with Baku, Astana on plane crash near Aktau

It also indicated that specialized agencies are investigating the causes of the crash

Azerbaijan Airlines passenger jet returns back to Baku shortly after takeoff

"The passenger aircraft landed at the Heydar Aliyev International Airport at 10:13 a.m. local time [6:13 a.m. GMT]," the statement noted

Press review: Putin outlines Russia's future goals and Tehran faces energy blackout riots

Top stories from the Russian press on Friday, December 20th

Georgian PM sees US sanctions on party founder as reward for protecting national interests

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Russian fighters advance in Volchansk in Kharkov Region, force Volchya River — expert

Andrey Marochko added that Russian servicemen "start preparing the way for further advancement southwest of this locality"

Archaeologists discover fossilized remains of palm-sized cat in China

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Ukraine receives first 100 mcb of LNG from United States

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Bank of Russia raises dollar exchange rate for December 28 to 100.53 rubles

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