North Korea ready to discuss transit of Russian gas to South Korea — Lavrov

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

At the same time, Christian Stocker stated that Austria is set to remain committed to the principle of neutrality

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

Domenico Gallo advocates for an immediate halt to weapons supplies to Ukraine and a rejection of plans to send foreign troops

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

According to the Chief Executive Officer of Russian Direct Investment Fund, "collapse begins"

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

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

The leaders of European countries said that security guarantees for Kiev should involve the creation of "a European-led ‘multinational force’ made up from contributions from willing nations

"Europe no longer plays any role in the world at all," the former Austrian Foreign Minister noted

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

"Interpol red notices have been issued for the men suspected of committing acts of sabotage in Garwolin County" Polish Interior Minister Marcin Kierwinski said

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

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

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

According to John Mark Dougan, European leaders "cannot have anybody telling the truth about stolen funds that came from taxpayers"

The embassy expressed gratitude to the Iranian side for its assistance in resolving the situation

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

According to John Mark Dougan, "this is not just some minor corruption; this is billions of US dollars in stolen taxpayer money from citizens of the United States and Europe"

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

According to the media outlet, the ambassadors only moved further away from reaching an agreement

Ukrainian media outlets reported earlier that the exposure of a large-scale corruption scheme in Ukraine’s energy sector might be followed by similar probes into the involvement of top officials in corruption schemes in the defense sector

According to the source, the aircraft are carrier-based

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

According to The Financial Times, Ukraine's economy will be more impacted by the refusal to transfer expropriated Russian assets than Europe will be by the geopolitical and reputational damage

"We hope that common sense will prevail and will proceed from this in our actions," a high-ranking Russian foreign ministry official said

Viktor Orban noted that the European Commission’s proposal ran counter not only to EU laws but also to Hungary’s Constitution

Russia started the transition to a long-term and comprehensive nature of planning interaction with partners, Defense Minister Andrey Belousov said

The first round of negotiations between the US and Ukrainian delegations took place in Berlin on December 14

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

Viktor Orban stated that Hungary "won the battle ahead of the EU summit"

According to Foreign Minister Yvan Gil Pinto, the rejection of the US imperial ambitions in the Caribbean is growing in the world

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

The statement noted that the relevant proposal was submitted by the party but did not receive the support of a majority of deputies

"I think the Russian and US leaders’ statements leave no room for doubt," Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Dmitry Lyubinsky said

On December 8, Luna said the US government should stop supporting Ukraine because of Kiev’s actions against the Ukrainian Orthodox Church

According to the publication, after Washington proposed its 28-point plan for settling the Ukrainian crisis in November, Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever and other European leaders "have faced pressure from US officials"

Earlier, an air alert was announced in the city

As a result of active combat operations, assault groups of the 36th Brigade advanced along the western bank, taking under control a 2-kilometer sector along the front and up to a kilometer in depth

Viktor Orban said that if this issue is put to a vote, it will not be able to gain the support of a sufficient majority

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"

"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

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

According to Kirill Dmitriev, it remains unclear why the UK and EU nations cannot tackle issues such as mass migration and the rise in migrant crime

On December 15, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said that since February 2022 Germany has provided €40 billion in military assistance to Ukraine and another €36 billion in civilian aid

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

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

The collective security system of the Union States requires improvement, the Russian president stressed

Ultimately, the lawmakers arrived at a compromise

Fitch's decision may be related to the agency's desire to reduce its own risks, deputy head of the specialized department of financial markets infrastructure at the HSE Andrey Stolyarov said

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

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

According to Yury Slyusar, the attack caused fire to two single-family houses

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

A female college student with 10 kilograms of an improvised explosive device was arrested

No oil has been split

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

The Republican-majority House voted 216 to 210 against this resolution

Russia’s Defense Ministry reported that the Ukrainian army lost roughly 235 troops, two tanks and three armored combat vehicles in the responsibility area of the Battlegroup East

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

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

According to the newspaper, the scientist was found with gunshot wounds at his Brooklyn home on Monday

"It is much easier to spend other’s money than one’s own," Tino Chrupalla, co-chair of Alternative for Germany (AfD) party noted

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

The Russian president noted that Russia’s strategic nuclear forces will continue to play a key role in deterring aggression and maintaining the global balance of power

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

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

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

According to the Israeli prime minister, the deal envisages large-scale investments in the gas infrastructure

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

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

Head of the Bureau of Military-Political Analysis Alexander Mikhailov emphasized that the S-500 functions as a sophisticated space defense system

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"

The aircraft crews practiced flights on the specified course over terrain without landmarks

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

According to the news outlet, this is the second announcement of arms sales to Taiwan by the Donald Trump administration since his return to power

Viktor Medvedchuk said that "Washington is unwilling to risk, especially for Vladimir Zelensky, whom many US officials have certainly come to despise"

The president noted that nothing that was created in the post-war period worked in relations with the West

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

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

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

Four anonymous EU officials told the newspaper that the key issue raised during the discussions was a plan to remove Hungary and Slovakia from the joint debt scheme

The Russian president reiterated that it was the destructive forces in Ukraine, with the support of the West

The official number of killed Ukrainian soldiers has not been disclosed, but deputies and military personnel regularly complain about a shortage of personnel

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

The Republican-majority House voted 213 to 211 against this resolution

Alexander Dudchak explained that such plans effectively transform the entire territory of former Ukraine into a strategic military base under external control

The new measures could be unveiled as early as this week

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"

According to Viktor Orban, Moscow responded that "a decisive response will follow, based on all mechanisms of international law"

Alexander Stepanov emphasized that strikes on Venezuela are most likely to be carried out remotely, with a ground operation being highly unlikely

According to the Russian defense minister, the threat of an incursion into the Belgorod, Kursk, and Bryansk regions has been reduced with the creation of a buffer zone in the Ukrainian border regions

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

The escalation of threats of the use of force against Venezuela is aimed at "changing the regime, seize oil and other strategic resources of the republic," the defense ministry stressed

Russia is convinced that steps to de-escalate the situation and find solutions to existing problems and differences, with respect for international legal norms, are needed

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

The Russian president thanked the Defense Ministry for keeping Russia strong on the battlefield

The ceremony took place at the Defense Ministry

According to the source, they were mostly Colombian nationals