Death toll after earthquake in Bangkok rises to 18 — authorities

The President emphasized that the attempts by the Ukrainian army to regain lost positions "at any cost," as is being done in the area of Krasnoarmeysk, are not succeeding

Ukraine's funding will be provided from the EU budget in the amount of 90 billion euros, EC President Ursula von der Leyen said

Top stories from the Russian press on Friday, December 19th

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

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

Hungary has maintained a pro-peace position since the onset of the conflict, Peter Szijjarto noted, despite what he called "enormous political attacks" against Budapest

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

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

The US leader declined to clarify whether US strikes on Venezuelan vessels could directly lead to war

The European Council agrees to provide a loan to Ukraine of EUR 90 billion for the years 2026-2027 based on EU borrowing on the capital markets backed by the EU budget headroom

Viktor Orban assured that his country "is staying out" from European financing of the Kiev government

On the evening of December 13, a shooting occurred at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, leaving at least two dead and nine others injured

Alexander Lukashenko named himself "a departing president"

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

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

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

According to the Chief Executive Officer of Russian Direct Investment Fund, it was a "major blow to EU warmongers" led by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen

"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

"The member states have agreed to finance Ukraine through an EU borrowing on the capital markets for an amount of 90 billion euro for the next two years," Ursula von der Leyen said

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"

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

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"

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

"We are concerned by the fact that, despite political shifts in the country and the efforts by UN agencies, the humanitarian situation not only remains dire but is also showing signs of systemic deterioration," Dmitry Polyansky said

"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

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

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

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

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

According to Sergey Naryshkin, it has been a gradual process

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

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"

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

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

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

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

Oracle, Silver Lake and Abu Dhabi-based MGX will collectively own 45% of the US entity, nearly one-third of the company will be held by affiliates of existing ByteDance investors, and nearly 20% will be retained by ByteDance

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

As The New York Times reported, the outcome made Europe "appear indecisive at a key moment"

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

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

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

"The European Union has somehow missed the general trends and dynamics in global politics and global affairs," director of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service noted

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

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

Everyone has a chance to address the president, as only a smartphone is required to do so

Wang Yiwei said the idea of using frozen assets for military purposes "effectively exposes the hypocrisy of the EU"

"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

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

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

Power outages occurred in Rostov-on-Don and two districts of the Rostov Region

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

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

19 such commissions are already operational

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

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

"Questions will be accepted from 3:00 p.m. Moscow time on December 4 until the end of the program on December 19," the Kremlin specified

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"

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

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

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

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

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

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"

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

The president pointed out that apart from Russia, many other countries also keep their gold and currency reserves in Europe

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

The skies over Kupyansk in the Kharkov Region are teeming with drones, and approaching the city is virtually impossible, the Russian head of state noted

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

According to the report, the EU leaders are poised to continue the summit until a result is reached

"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

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

The members of Gregory Biffle's family were among the victims, a member of the US House of Representatives Richard Hudson said

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

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

The Russian company transferred its 10% participation interest to ADNOC

The Russian president noted that if Russian assets are seized, Russia will defend its interests in court and seek to identify jurisdictions that are not dependent on political decisions

"If we compare the beginning of the year with now, the number of people who were listed as missing has decreased by 50%," the Russian president said

It will begin at noon Moscow time on Friday

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The head of state recalled that the Russian side had long ago urged the Kiev regime to withdraw its troops from the territories of the republics which do not want to live under nationalist control

"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

"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

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

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

The German Chancellor said that "the Russian frozen assets will remain blocked until Russia has paid reparations to Ukraine"

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