Black Sea nations look to expand economic cooperation — Russian Foreign Ministry

The reason behind this decision is an increase in the operational range of Russian drones, the source said

V for Vendetta’s totalitarian UK felt far-fetched 20 years ago, now "it feels less like fiction and more like a government action plan," Telegram co-founder said

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

The Russian president stressed that Moscow wants to ensure the establishment of a reliable security system in Europe

The Russian leader pointed out that 200 years is not that long a time in the entire scheme of history in Russia

Belarusian President emphasized that if the issue of a peaceful settlement depended solely on US President Donald Trump, then given his current policies the conflict would have ended long ago

The French president believes that "Europeans and Ukrainians, will have to find the right framework to re-engage in this discussion in a proper manner"

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

The Russian leader emphasized that the European Union is trying to do it overtly

The Belarusian leader said that it is too expensive

Belarus is scheduled to hold the presidential election on August 9

Russian Foreign Ministry’s Ambassador at Large Rodion Miroshnik noted that Ukraine will not receive the loan in a lump sum

The head of state added that Russian forces currently control about half of the city

"Brussels did not even notice how absurd the situation had become for the EU," Maria Zakharova stated

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

As the head of state noted, the Russian economy grew by 9.7% over the past three years, which is much higher than in Europe

"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

According to Denis Gonchar, the EU's actions could lead to huge financial losses, damage to the investment climate, and capital flight from Belgium and the EU

Denis Manturov confirmed that the labor mobility agreement was signed during the Russian-Indian summit in New Delhi

The regulator increased rates to 80.72 rubles for the dollar, 94.51 for the euro, and 11.44 rubles for the yuan for December 20-22

The official euro exchange rate was raised by 26 kopecks to 94.512 rubles

Konstantin Kosachev said that Russia is prepared to act for peace, and this is one of the main messages today

The President stressed that Russia was ready to end the conflict in Ukraine, provided its security was guaranteed in the medium and long term

President of Russia’s National Badminton Federation Andrey Antropov was also put on the Mirotvorets database

Issuikai is one of Japan’s biggest far-right organizations

The Russian president explained that when he took a jab at Europeans by calling them "piglets," as the Western media translated the Russian term, he was not referring to anyone specific in Europe, but rather to a "group of people"

As the president stressed, the Russian troops have been assigned a very important task to eliminate the enemy group on the left bank of the Oskol River

The court also deprived him of the right to post information, manage websites and channels using electronic and information and telecommunication networks for four years

The situation along the perimeter of the Gaza Strip has seriously deteriorated again lately

The country’s Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok noted that Slovakia would not act as a guarantor for the EU loan to Ukraine

The Russian president advised that Mark Rutte read the national security strategy of the United States, which is a key player, creator and main sponsor of NATO

The president said that Russian troops in the special operation zone are advancing in all directions, fully seizing the strategic initiative

It will begin at noon Moscow time on Friday

The Russian leader recalled how the report on the liberation of Seversk was presented

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Trump spoke by phone on February 12, discussing such issues as the prospects for a settlement in Ukraine

Earlier, an EU summit concluded with no consensus on the expropriation of Russian assets under the guise of a so-called reparations loan to Kiev despite spending 17 hours in discussion

Marco Rubio commented on the prospects for resolving the Ukrainian crisis

According to the regulator, the economy continues to return to a balanced growth path

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

The MOEX Index lost 0.36%, the RTS Index declined by 1.22%

As of 10:24 a.m. Moscow time, the indices were up by 1.37% at 2,790.77 points and at 1,098.53 points, respectively

The head of state noted that new mechanisms should be introduced to support citizens abroad

Elvira Nabiullina said that it is difficult for her to comment on specific arguments prevailing among EU member-countries that did not approve the confiscation of Russian assets

On July 23, Reuters reported that there were around 2,500 US troops in Iraq

No official details about the US extradition request are available at this point

It will be the first event of the format held on the African soil, the Russian Foreign Ministry said

Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Pankin participated via on-line conference in the ministerial meeting of the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation

Alexander Dudchak pointed out that Washington would probably want to replace Vladimir Zelensky with someone more manageable and willing to quickly respond to instructions from US President Donald Trump

Russia’s Battlegroup East inflicted more than 1,795 casualties on Ukrainian troops and destroyed four enemy tanks and 20 armored combat vehicles in its area of responsibility over the week, the Defense Ministry reported

Over this period, 5,086 trucks were registered, including 1,374 Kamaz

Maria Zakharova said that EU member states decided to further prolong the Ukrainian conflict

By 1:45 p.m. Moscow time, the MOEX and RTS indices were down 0.02% to 2,752.47 points and 1,083.45 points, respectively

In Valery Zaluzhny's words, "the end of the war and the return of around one million of soldiers" will be "another challenge to the state and civil society"

The qualified majority implies that 16 out of the 27 EU member countries, home to over 55% population of the European Union, need to support the move

"The Russian-American dialogue is based on understandings reached in Alaska," the Russian top diplomat stressed

The Kaliningrad Region is separated from mainland Russia by the borders of European Union countries

The Russian top diplomat lambasted the practice of employing unilateral restrictions "in bypassing the UN Security Council"

Speaking at NSATU's Wiesbaden headquarters, Major General Maik Keller said that NATO had dispatched nearly 220,000 tons of military aid to Ukraine in 2025

The Russian president still noted that if Kiev wants to use the elections solely to stop the offensive momentum of Russian troops, then this is the wrong choice

The Russian president explained that now to bring this system to a standard state and reduce water losses to zero it is necessary to spend as much money as it costs to construct and build another water pipeline

Secretary of State Marco Rubio emphasized that "both sides have to give and both sides have to get"

According to Soren Pellmann, the deployment of NATO forces to ensure the security of Ukraine’s airspace would lead to the "further escalation of the situation"

22 of them were destroyed over the Belgorod Region

US President also said that he had brought multibillion-dollar investments for the United States, though it is unclear when the money would start working

The Russian president recalled that the voters were standing in line at polling stations when shelling began

The event lasted 4 hours and 27 minutes, while the combined format was used for the fourth time

Two Russian film directors asked the state to provide almost $19 mln to create a competitor to Western fast food networks

On Friday, Brent oil price dropped below 69 U.S. dollars per barrel

Andrey Bystritsky said that Vladimir Putin’s stance is consistent in emphasizing the principles on which peaceful coexistence can be based

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

The Russian top diplomat noted that Egyptian resorts "have long been a favorite vacation spot for Russians," with 1.5 million people visiting Egypt in 2024

According to its statement, the article "is a collection of propaganda cliches and idle fakes aimed at discrediting Russian servicemen in the eyes of the Malian population, the countries of the Sahel Confederation, and the international community"

The all-time high recorded in 2015 was 3.25 million

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

According to the foreign minister, Cairo "understands perfectly well that a political-diplomatic settlement is only possible with the elimination of the root causes of the conflict"

At the same time, the regulator is considering defending its interests in foreign jurisdictions

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

According to Barak Ravid, the Turkish foreign minister and the Qatari prime minister will also participate in the talks

According to the latest IPC report, at least 1.6 million people, or 77% of the population, including over 100,000 children and 37,000 pregnant and breastfeeding women, are still facing high levels of acute food insecurity in the enclave

"If Ukraine opts for legitimate elections and we are tasked to organize voting for Ukrainian nationals in Russia, we will do everything we can to make this happen," CEC chairwoman Ella Pamfilova stated

Average annual, autumn and spring temperatures continue to rise across all Russian regions, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection says

Two blasts in Makhachkala claimed 11 people and wounded 87 people

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

The Chief Executive Officer of Russian Direct Investment Fund added that Friedrich Merz and Ursula von der Leyen "spent all their political capital, promised results – and delivered a spectacular failure"

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak considers it necessary to approve the comprehensive program for development of equipment, technologies and scientific research in nuclear energy in Russia through 2024 as soon as possible

"In October-November, the current seasonally adjusted price growth slowed to an average rate of 4.6% in annualized terms from 6.6% in 2025 Q3," the regulator said

His lawyer Srdan Aleksic disclosed that the Serbian officer’s grievance is fully identical to the 500 lawsuits, filed by Italian soldiers who were deployed in Kosovo in 1999

According to the Russian defense minister, the regulatory framework for forming military construction units will be developed in 2026

According to the Russian president, the enemy is achieving no success

"The deployment of troops largely depends on the situation, context, and specific tasks," Germany's Social Democratic Party leader Matthias Miersch said

“There is no justification for these sanctions,” Sergei Lavrov said

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

Elvira Nabiullina said that various arguments are being actively discussed by the media

According to the report, in those areas, National Guard units have accomplished more than 8,000 combat and service-related tasks

According to the newspaper, London "will continue to work closely with the G7 and EU on Ukraine financing"

The Russian Defense Ministry announced the liberation of Krasnoarmeysk on December 1

According to the regulator, lending rates slightly decreased and almost fully adjusted to the earlier monetary policy easing

According to Naran Ochir-Goryaev, the Ukrainian troops were primarily targeting young people between 30 and 40 years old

The ultimate goal is to reduce the tax burden in the future, the head of state stressed

The Russian foreign minister stressed that Moscow advocates for "ensuring indivisible security – in an honest manner and on equal terms"