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Biden, Macron discuss Macron’s meetings with Putin, Zelensky — White House

Leaders also talked about ongoing diplomatic and deterrence efforts in response to Russia’s continued military build-up on Ukraine’s borders, White House statements says

WASHINGTON, February 9. /TASS/. The presidents of the US and France, Joe Biden and Emmanuel Macron, on Wednesday discussed by phone Macron’s recent visits to Russia and Ukraine, the White House said in a statement.

"They discussed President Macron’s recent meetings in Russia and Ukraine," the statement said. "They also talked about ongoing diplomatic and deterrence efforts <...> in response to Russia’s continued military build-up on Ukraine’s borders."

Macron met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Monday and traveled to Kiev on Tuesday, where he held talks with Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky.

Middle East conflict

Eight people killed in Israeli strike on school in Gaza Strip

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Russian missile cruiser Admiral Nakhimov to become world’s strongest warship after upgrade

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Drone attack triggers fire at fuel infrastructure facility in Russia’s Oryol Region

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Ship with sailors from Syria, Egypt sends distress signal in Kerch Strait

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Magnitude 5.3 earthquake rocks South Africa

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PREVIEW: Putin expected to unveil several transport facilities

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Russia set to establish naval logistics base in Sudan

The Russian Navy’s logistics base in Sudan is expected to embrace the coastal, water and mooring areas

Persecution of Orthodox Church to come back to haunt Ukraine — Putin

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Putin agrees 'Russian world' now faces war

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Turkish president calls on West to stop Israel in Syria before it’s too late

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Damage to Portuguese Embassy in Kiev caused by Ukrainian air defense — Russian diplomats

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Kremlin mum on reports about Slovakian prime minister's plans to visit Moscow

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Russia’s international reserves up by $3.8 bln to $618.2 bln over week — Central Bank

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Ukraine to halt Russian gas transit on January 1, 2025 — Ukrainian PM

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Musk believes Germany’s Scholz should step down after car drives into crowd in Magdeburg

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Syria's new authorities appoint Asaad Hassan al-Shibani as foreign minister

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Putin suggests Zelensky may flee abroad, says Russia would take him in

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‘Arkhangelsk, ’ ‘Knyaz Pozharsky’ nuclear submarines to join Russian Navy soon — commander

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Slovak PM to visit Moscow for talks with Putin, Serbian president says

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What is known about Russia’s retaliatory strike on Ukraine after attack on Rostov Region

Kiev Mayor Vitaly Klitschko reported the fires in Solomensky and Shevchenkovsky districts

Three of eight drones that attacked Kazan targeted defense industry facilities — head

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Biden signs bill to fund US government until March 14, 2025

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Moscow lets US media freely work in Russia, despite opposite situation in US, Putin says

The Russian President stressed that, judging by the questions coming from the Western media as well as those who pay their salaries in the US, there is a clear desire to portray Russia as being in bad shape

Putin responds to question about Russia's weakness by quoting Mark Twain

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Yemen’s Houthis announce hypersonic missile strike at military facility near Tel Aviv

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Strike on SBU control center response to Russian general’s assassination, expert says

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Putin challenges West to try to intercept Oreshnik missile in Kiev

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Russian sleeper agents open up about secret trip to 2018 World Cup

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West should consider Putin's words on Oreshnik missile duel — diplomat

Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova emphasized that the rhetoric about "inflicting a strategic defeat on Russia" is firmly rooted in the mentality of the NATO regimes not at all as hypothetical assumptions

Civilian industrial complex supplies Russian army with over 65 types of units — top brass

Russian Defense Minister Andrey Belousov praised the new mechanisms for accelerating the introduction of advanced weapons and equipment developed by the civilian defense industrial complex in the interests of the Russian army

Series of explosions rock central Kiev — eyewitnesses

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

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Russia manages situation in Ukraine, while West in big trouble — US political scientist

According to John Mearsheimer, Russia has become much stronger over the past two to three years because it has managed to become "a truly sovereign country"

Aleppo taken by 350 militants while 30,000 gov’t troops retreated without fight — Putin

The Russian president recalled that no Russian land troops had been deployed to Syria, with Russia having only an airbase and a naval base

BRICS is approaching G20 format, Brazilian foreign minister says

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Russia-US dialogue on Ukraine can be conducted on different platforms — senior diplomat

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Zelensky actually flips the bird to Trump by insulting Putin, Medvedev says

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Novak assumes price of US LNG at least 30-40% higher than of Russian pipeline gas for EU

Russia’s Energy Minister adding that the US LNG is "uncompetitive as of today"

Heat supply cut off in almost 90 houses in Rylsk in wake of Ukrainian attack — official

According to Alexander Khinshtein, repair teams are working at the site

Russian forces control more than half of Chasov Yar in DPR — expert

Andrey Marochko noted that Russian forces had "slightly advanced" in the northern and southern parts of Chasov Yar

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Russia to invite World War II allies to next year’s Victory Day parade

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Putin grants Russian citizenship to Italian opera icon Giancarlo del Monaco

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Four new Russian regions moving toward self-sufficiency at a rapid pace — Putin

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US defense companies capitalize the most on Ukraine conflict — Russia’s UN envoy

Vasily Nebenzya referred to data from the SIPRI which put last year’s revenues from sales of arms by the world’s top 100 largest businesses in the industry at $632 billion

Mother of missing US reporter thanks Putin for promising help in locating her son

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Putin sends greetings on Russia’s Energy Industry Worker’s Day

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IN BRIEF: Magdeburg Christmas market attack kills 11, injuring roughly 80 others

TASS has compiled the key facts behind the deadly attack

Oreshnik’s launch is sudden, undetectable by satellites — analyst

The range of the Oreshnik system is up to 5,500 kilometers

Ukrainian shelling of Russia’s Rylsk damages 12 buildings — governor

Three of them are not subject to restoration, Alexander Khinshtein said

Ukrainian lawmaker slams Zelensky for trying to bribe Slovak PM

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IN BRIEF: What is known about drone attack on residential buildings in Kazan

TASS has gathered the main information about the incident

US confirms strikes on Houthi command posts in Yemen

CENTCOM forces also shot down several Houthi unmanned aerial vehicles and an anti-ship cruise missile over the Red Sea

Proposal to duel with West response to claims of Oreshnik missile vulnerability — Kremlin

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Eight people killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza Strip — TV

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Russia’s Battlegroup South liberates settlement of Ostrovskogo in DPR — Defense Ministry

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Almost 20 drones downed over four Russian regions, Black Sea last night

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Mourhaf Abu Qasra becomes top Syrian defense official in transitional government — TV

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Press review: Who benefits from Russian general's murder as Trump lacks Kremlin strategy

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

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Banks find opportunity to work under sanctions — Central Bank chief

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NATO spies study damage from Oreshnik at Yuzhmash — expert

Alexander Stepanov emphasized that both Kiev and its Western allies are closely scrutinizing the consequences of the strike on the plant

Russia to raise issue of Ukrainian strikes on Rylsk at UNSC meeting on Friday — diplomat

Acting Kursk Region Governor Alexander Khinshtein said earlier that the town of Rylsk, located some 120 kilometers west of Kursk, had come under Ukrainian fire

Baltic states threaten mass deportation of Russians, take lead in Russophobia — statement

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Putin to extend New Year greetings to peoples of several unfriendly countries — Kremlin

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Russian cancer vaccine to be free of charge — top oncologist

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

Putin meets with Federation Council Speaker Matviyenko in Kremlin

The upper chamber of the parliament wrapped up its autumn session

German chancellor exasperated by idea of spending frozen Russian assets to help Kiev

According to the Financial Times, the idea was promoted by the US and UK but resisted by Germany, France and Italy

Airborne troops from Russia’s Battlegroup Dnepr wipe out enemy position in Kherson region

A Russian airborne crew hit the target by firing a 120-mm mortar gun on a Ukrainian temporary position

Arkhangelsk nuclear submarine ready to join Russian Navy — Sevmash Shipyard CEO

Project 885M nuclear-powered submarines carry Oniks and Kalibr-PL cruise missiles as their basic strike weapons

Russia’s first two helicopter carriers to be laid down in Crimea in spring 2020 — sources

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Russia has confidence in its weapons, senior diplomat says

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov also stressed that the recent developments had shown that the US policy of establishing a system of increasingly layered missile defenses was wrong

Russia to retaliate against Ukrainian strikes, just as Putin said — Kremlin

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Trump wants NATO countries to increase defense spending to 5% of GDP — FT

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Civilian manufacturers ramp up drone production to 40,000 units per month

The Russian Defense Ministry has also purchased more than 100,000 units from small design bureaus and civilian manufacturers, the statement said

Response to Ukrainian attack on Russia’s Rylsk to come shortly — Russia’s UN envoy

Vasily Nebenzya warned as he denounced the attack as yet another unambiguous step by the Kiev regime toward escalation

Key rate, inflation and criticism of Central Bank: statements by regulator’s chief

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