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Russia, Sierra Leone sign agreement on visa waiver for holders of diplomatic passports

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Sierra Leone grateful to Russia for humanitarian aid, supplies of Sputnik V — top diplomat

MOSCOW, May 17./TASS/. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Sierra Leone’s top diplomat David Francis signed in Moscow on Monday an inter-state agreement on visa-free trips for the holders of diplomatic and service passports.

"We also spoke today about the expedience of signing several other documents, work on which continues for now," Lavrov told a news conference after talks with David Francis.

Russian stock market indices mixed on Thursday — market data

The MOEX Russia Index lost 0.24% to 2,753.07 points

Washington's main concert complex to be renamed in honor of Trump and Kennedy

According to White House Spokesperson Karoline Leavitt, the board of governors of the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts decided "to rename the Kennedy Center to the Trump-Kennedy Center because of the unbelievable work US President Donald Trump has done over the last year in saving the building"

Bank of Russia lowers dollar rate to 80.03 rubles for December 19

The official euro rate was raised by 10 kopecks to 94.2524 rubles

Venezuela is Russia’s ally, Moscow, Caracas are in constant contact — Kremlin

Dmitry Peskov recalled that Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Venezuelan counterpart Nicolas Maduro spoke on the phone on December 11

Desertion in Ukrainian armed forces grows — Russian intelligence chief

"In contrast to the Ukrainian side, the Russian army is continuously advancing, liberating several villages and cities each week." Sergey Naryshkin stated

Bank of Russia refrains from naming foreign banks it plans to sue

The regulator said that it is too early to speak about any assessments

Fico highlights need for compromise at European Council

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico repeatedly said that he would refuse to vote for any support for Ukraine's military needs at the summit

FACTBOX: Oreshnik ballistic missile

According to the Russian president, the combat testing of the Oreshnik missile system was conducted in response to an attack by US-made and British-made long-range missiles on Russian territory

Drug trafficking serious threat to SCO countries

Tajik President Emomali Rakhmon notes much is done to combat drug threat, admits it's not enough

Russia’s Safonov makes football goalkeeping history in French PSG FIFA championship win

The final match of the 2025 FIFA Intercontinental Cup between Paris Saint-Germain football club from France and Brazilian Flamengo FC was played at the 45,000-seat capacity Ahmad bin Ali Stadium

ECB will not support loan mechanism for Ukraine breaching EU laws — Lagarde

Article 123 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union prevents the ECB from printing money explicitly to finance government spending

Russia says shoots down three bogeys over sea in Sevastopol

Earlier, an air alert was announced in the city

EU fixated on idea of stealing Russia's money to continue war in Ukraine — Kremlin

"It feels as if they can think about only one thing: how to find money to continue the war," Dmitry Peskov noted

Further funding for Ukraine risks prolonging conflict with Russia, Hungarian PM warns

Viktor Orban also pointed out that the idea of a Russian asset seizure was dead because talks on the issue "have stalled"

Russia to boost fertilizer output by 3% to 65 mln tons in 2025

Russian Association of Fertilizer Producers President Andrey Guryev noted that by this figure Russia has surpassed the United States, India, and Canada and has firmly held second place globally behind China for several years

Zelensky admits Biden told him Ukraine would not be brought in to NATO before conflict

Vladimir Zelensky noted that he repeatedly raised the issue with the White House, becoming a kind of running joke among US officials

Netanyahu approves record gas deal with Egypt under US pressure — Axios

According to the source, the Trump administration has been pressing Natanyahu for several weeks to approve the deal

Former French officer slams EU sanctions on its own citizens as 'Brussels dictatorship'

According to Xavier Moreau, imposing sanctions on a French citizen without a trial is unacceptable

Hostile forces seeking to push Russia from global arena – Putin

"They are still afraid of our nuclear potential because Russia is a strong irritant," he said

Russia’s Safonov makes history for PSG in FIFA championship win

The Russian national team’s goalkeeper is the first one in history to save four penalties in a row in a match at a FIFA tournament

Lukashenko says he is ‘outgoing’ president

According to the Belarusian leader, he wants to establish good relations between Minsk and Washington

Western military presence in Ukraine in any format unacceptable for Russia — MFA

Maria Zakharova stated that such pseudo-peacekeepers would become legitimate targets for the Russian army

EU summit communique makes no mention of Russian assets, meeting continues

The European Council press service has not yet provided journalists with even an approximate ending time for the first day’s discussions

Russia, Africa working to increase number of intergovernmental commissions

19 such commissions are already operational

Russia welcomes election of Chile's new president — diplomat

Maria Zakharova added that Russia and Chile have been linked by decades of friendship, solidarity, and cooperation

Cessna 550 business jet crashes in US with victims — TV

The crash killed people, but their number and identities have not yet been disclosed

Ukrainian soldiers’ morale collapses after corruption scandal — SVR

According to the report, an increasing number of newly mobilized troops are deserting their positions, unwilling to risk

Apparel production in Russia to grow by 24% in 2025 — Ministry of Industry

The Ministry is developing the industry development strategy by 2030 for further growth of the light industry, Mikhail Yurin said

Russia-UK relations head south after Putin's Munich speech in 2007 — foreign intel chief

According to Sergey Naryshkin, it has been a gradual process

Russia’s Intelligence Service likens declared unity of West to chimera

"It is based not on the common core interests of the peoples of these countries, but on the megalomania and exclusivity of their elites," Sergey Naryshkin, Director of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service, said

Continuation of conflict in Ukraine extremely dangerous — Belarusian president

The Belarusian leader commented on rumors that the end of the conflict in Ukraine is disadvantageous to him and the military-political leadership of the republic

Europe should consider Putin's words on placing Oreshnik missile on combat duty — expert

Military-Political Analysis Bureau head Alexander Mikhailov emphasized that the tactical and technical characteristics of the Oreshnik missile allow the Russian army to launch a strike targeting any spot in Europe

Russian stock market indices mixed on Thursday — market data

The MOEX Russia Index lost 0.24% to 2,753.07 points

Russian-speaking association carries general elections in Latvia

According to CEC information, 28.95 percent of the electorate voted for the Centre of Accord, while the Reform Party was backed by 20.43 percent

Putin, Erdogan discuss situation in Syria, incident with plane

Putin and Erdogan also discussed future personal contacts

Russia advances in Donbass while West plays shell games — Ukrainian opposition politician

Viktor Medvedchuk also noted that Russian President Vladimir Putin has made it abundantly clear that the desire for war in this situation does not come from Russia

Putin receives random but curated questions from Russians for Q&A session — Kremlin

According to Dmitry Peskov, to date, more than 2,100,000 questions have come in via different channels

West tries to twist international law where Ukraine is concerned — Lavrov

According to the Russian top diplomat, the West, especially the Europeans, want to continue their neocolonial policy, "aimed at living at the expense of others, as it has been for the last 500 years"

US aware that continued conflict will end in Ukraine's defeat — intelligence chief

According to Sergey Naryshkin, the US administration has begun seeking compromise solutions and they were identified and articulated in what is known as the Trump peace plan

Russian authorities hope for good harvest next year — PM Mishustin

The Russian Prime Minister said the government also expects an increase in the use of domestically bred seeds, which is a critically important factor in ensuring the country’s food security

US actions in Venezuela display Washington's neocolonial approach — Russia’s UN envoy

"Starting with false pretexts of combatting drug trafficking and terrorism, Washington has already moved on to open threats of military aggression and seizure of the territory and natural resources of a sovereign state," Vasily Nebenzya said

Georgia's Labor party says accession to NATO detrimental for Georgia.

This position stands at variance with the stance mainained by most other opposition forces, which have NATO membership among their guidelines

EU replaced its ‘strategic defeat’ mantra with ‘maximum damage’ — Naryshkin

"They no longer prioritize ‘strategic defeat,’ because they have already realized that it will be impossible, so they want to deal maximum damage to Russia instead," director of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service said

Japanese companies confirm interest in Sakhalin-2 project

Russia gradually returning to world sports — Kremlin

Dmitry Peskov emphasized that "this is a welcome process that can only be supported"

West supplies arms to terrorists in North Caucasus — Putin

The President noted that the West liked to speak the language of force with Russia

Special customs regime will make Hainan a development leader — expert

Deputy Director of the Swedish Belt and Road Institute noted that the launch of such a regime shows a firm commitment to expanding openness

Avangard hypersonic missiles replace Rubezh ICBMs in Russia’s armament plan through 2027

Russia’s Avangard strategic silo-based hypersonic missile complex has been included in the state armament plan through 2027 instead of Rubezh intercontinental ballistic missiles

Four US planes spotted again near Venezuela's maritime border — dispatchers

"At least four carrier-based aircraft, namely Boeing F/A-18E Super Hornet fighter-bombers, are over neutral waters in the immediate vicinity of the Venezuelan border," the source said

US Treasury removes six entities, two individuals from anti-Russian sanctions

The sanctions will no longer apply to Russian citizen Dmitry Bugayenko and Finnish citizen Evgenia Dremova

Ukrainian drone attack on tanker in Rostov-on-Don port cause casualties — authorities

No oil has been split

Kremlin gets set to be briefed by US on talks with Ukraine, EU

According to Dmitry Peskov, the Russian side is working on arranging contacts with American counterparts

EU countries spend increasingly more for militarization — Russian intelligence chief

This is manifested not merely in statements but also in specific decisions, in budgets approved and in financial resources spent, Sergey Naryshkin noted

Russia does not deny anyone right to security, but insists on NATO not expanding — Putin

It was publicly stated that there would be no NATO expansion to the east and the West "couldn't care less" about these promises, the Russian leader noted

EU diplomats do not rule out retaliation against Ukrainian elites by angry mob — SVR

The Russian Foreign Intelligence Service said that the Mindich-Zelensky case is undermining Ukraine

Lukashenko says he cannot be president forever

Alexander Lukashenko named himself "a departing president"

Whole world, save for Europe, condemns US actions in Caribbean — Lavrov

The Russian foreign minister underscored that "all other countries have clearly expressed their positions"

Zelensky cannot withdraw troops from Donbass due to nationalist resistance — opposition

Viktor Medvedchuk noted that Western media outlets consistently report significant pressure from Washington on Kiev and Europe regarding this issue

Belarus will not completely relocate its factories — Lukashenko

According to the President, agreements on localizing the production of Belarusian tractors and trucks in Vietnam are being implemented

West can simply steal countries’ gold and foreign exchange reserves — Lukashenko

The Belarusian leader that the country held a record level of gold and foreign exchange reserves at present and suggested rethinking the strategy for managing international reserve assets

Press review: Trump seeks to pressure Moscow as EU desperate to find funds for Ukraine

Top stories from the Russian press on Thursday, December 18th

Russian military doing everything to celebrate Victory in peace — Kremlin

Dmitry Peskov noted that "the Kiev regime continues to demonstrate its true nature"

UK introduced sanctions against Russian oil producers

In total, restrictions affected 24 legal entities and individuals, including companies from Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and the UAE

EU leaders looking for ways to finance Ukraine, but Hungary will not support them — Orban

"There is a huge possibility that no matter what kind of aid they would want to provide to Ukraine, Hungary will stay away from it," he said

Karin Kneissl: Zelensky Has No Chance Left

Belarusian economy remains stable despite sanctions — Lukashenko

The Belarusian president specified that the debt burden is declining, gold and foreign exchange reserves are at a historical high, and confidence in the national currency has deservedly increased

Corruption scandal fallout, threat to Ukrainian elites — Russia’s SVR statements

According to the intelligence service, the corruption scandal in Ukraine has resulted in "a sharp decline in the morale of Ukrainian troops on the frontlines"

INTERVIEW: Ukraine can return to normalcy when Nazism snuffed out — intel chief

Sergey Naryshkin said "the Ukrainian people must find the strength and will to eliminate the neo-Nazi plague"

EU elites put stake on anti-Russian policy — Russian intelligence chief

Sergey Naryshkin noted that leaders of certain European countries are "in a dangerous situation"

Inevitable Ukrainian surrender to make peace talk much easier — SVR

According to Sergey Naryshkin, no one will be able to prevent the peaceful settlement of the Ukrainian conflict after that

Kiev and Europe try to disown compromises of Trump plan, Naryshkin says

"We have seen that in recent weeks both the Kiev regime and its European patrons, contrary to common sense, have been trying to disown those, in my opinion, sound, fair compromises proposed in the so-called Trump peace plan," Director of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service said

New US security strategy rightly America first — Russian intel chief

Sergey Naryshkin noted that "there are clear tendencies toward isolationism, which US President Donald Trump and US Vice President JD Vance do not hide"

Russian troops strike Ukrainian army’s energy infrastructure over past day

According to the latest figures, Kiev loses 1,405 troops along engagement line in past day

Belgian PM announces plans to push forward work to finance Ukraine

Bart De Wever reiterated his opposition to the seizure of Russia's assets, adding, however, that he supported a permanent asset freeze in Belgium’s jurisdiction, allowing reinvestment profits to be used to fund Kiev

NATO plans confrontation with Russia by 2030 — top defense official

"We are not the ones making threats; we are the ones being threatened," Russian Defense Minister Andrey Belousov stressed

Russian troops destroy 67 foreign mercenaries in battles for Yunakovka — defense source

According to the source, they were mostly Colombian nationals

Ukraine’s unused gas in 2013 may cause fines of almost ten billion dollars

Ukraine’s incomplete receipt of gas in 2013 may cause fines of almost ten billion dollars

Maduro vows full effort to protect Venezuela’s sovereignty under any circumstances

The Venezuelan president stated that the United States is seeking a regime change in the Bolivarian Republic "to impose a puppet government that will turn the country with its natural resources into a colony"

Russian forces thwart Ukrainian troops attempt to approach liberated Kupyansk

Airborne observation posts and mobile air defense teams ensured combat safety of the self-propelled guns

Tucker Carlson believes Trump may declare war on Venezuela

The journalist added that he does not know whether the announcement "will actually happen"

Gold futures record high on Comex again — market data

The precious metal price gained 0.92% to $4,401.9 per Troy ounce

Euro democracy in US crosshairs, meddling threat in Russian elections: Lavrov statements

The Russian foreign minister said that the US had sent a strong signal to Europe criticizing the democracy "that is practiced in Europe"

IN BRIEF: Resuming nuclear tests, NATO threat: what Russia's military chief of staff said

The North Atlantic Alliance, under the pretext of a so-called Russian military threat, has "significantly increased" its military presence near Russia’s borders

Russia’s international reserves down $0.5 bln over week to $741 bln

As of December 5, the volume of reserves amounted to $741.5 bln

Ex-MMA fighter Monson says it took him some time to become Putin’s supporter

"I think there is nobody neither in the United States nor anywhere in the world who can say he does not love Russia or puts Russia first," Jeff Monson added

Lukoil left Ghasha concession in the UAE in November — mass media

The Russian company transferred its 10% participation interest to ADNOC

Russia ready to restore intergovernmental trade commission with Slovakia

Minister of Science and Higher Education Valery Falkov heads the commission from the Russian side, Maria Zakharova noted

Russia hopes Serbia stands by national interests, not West's lies — SVR chief

"We will not interfere and will respect whatever choice they make," Sergey Naryshkin added

EU leaders upset about late start to Brussels summit — media

According to Politico, the delay was caused after European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa held an impromptu meeting with a farmers’ association

FACTBOX: S-500 Anti-Aircraft Missile System

The system is being developed with the capability to be operational for the next 25 years

Intelligence services remain ‘almost sole’ link between Russia, Europe — SVR

Responding to a question about whether the Russian side observes more common sense in the approaches of European countries’ intelligence services than in the activities of their politicians, Sergey Naryshkin noted that "the approaches of intelligence services generally align with the policies of their states"

IN BRIEF: What is known about situation around frozen Russian assets

Four EU officials said that a key point in the discussion was the idea of excluding Hungary and Slovakia from the general debt repayment scheme, as both countries oppose further aid to Ukraine

UK 'co-running war' in Ukraine — former French military officer

When asked about the presence of Western servicemen in the area of the Russian special military operation, Xavier Moreau emphasized that there are "many British" in Ukraine

Anti-drone systems of Rosel holding protect Russia’s infrastructure — Rostec

The state corporation noted that the integrated defense of facilities is based on the principles of long-range detection, identification, tracking, and suppression of enemy drones

US relations thaw proving difficult — Russian diplomat

Maria Zakharova stressed that Russia's principled position, firmly based on the protection of national interests, respect for traditions, and a sustained readiness for pragmatic dialogue, constitutes the only correct approach

Fatalities from Ukrainian drone attacks reported in Russia’s Rostov-on-Don, Bataisk

Two crew were killed and three others on board a vessel sustained injuries in a drone attack in Rostov-on-Don

Kremlin warns about consequences for masterminds, perpetrators of Russian asset seizure

"Those who made decisions collectively, those who made decisions individually and those who put them into practice will all bear responsibility," Dmitry Peskov said

Beijing vows decisive response to $11 bln US arms sale to Taiwan

"The US side has announced a large-scale plan to sell advanced weapons to Taiwan, which seriously violates the One China principle and provisions of three joint communiques," Guo Jiakun said

Russian intel chief reveals recent extended call with MI6 director

Sergey Naryshkin said the phone conversation was held "just a few days ago"

Trump says US wants back oil rights allegedly taken by Venezuela

"They took all of our oil from not that long ago", US President said

Russian defense technologies unmatched by Western military-industrial complex — expert

Alexander Stepanov noted that established industrial production would make it possible to make tens and even hundreds of items per year to provide strategic coverage for all critical areas and facilities in the Russian border regions