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European Council agrees to allocate 5 bln euros in additional military aid to Ukraine

According to the statement, The newly established Ukraine Assistance Fund will allow the EU "to further support the evolving needs of the Ukrainian Armed Forces"

BRUSSELS, March 18. /TASS/. Foreign ministers from the 27 European Union member states agreed to boost military assistance to Ukraine by 5 billion euros, the European Council said in a statement.

"Today the Council decided to increase the financial ceiling of the European Peace Facility by 5 billion euros in current prices, and ringfence this top-up for Ukraine, by establishing a dedicated Ukraine Assistance Fund," the statement said. "The newly established UAF will allow the EU to further support the evolving needs of the Ukrainian Armed Forces through the provision of both lethal and non-lethal military equipment and training."

Following Monday’s decision, the European Peace Facility’s financial ceiling will reach more than 17 billion euros for the 2021-2027 period, according to the council.

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Ukraine crisis EU

Military operation in Ukraine

Austria ready to host Ukraine talks — chancellor

According to reports, US president-elect Donald Trump mentioned Nehammer's meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, which took place shortly after the start of the special military operation in Ukraine

Pentagon not yet assessed damage caused by use of Russia’s newest Oreshnik missile

"When we have more to provide, we will," Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh said

Russia’s launch of new missile illustrated assured retaliation capability, lawmaker says

Andrey Kartapolov also noted that the enemy currently has no defenses against the Oreshnik.

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Ukrainians have never seen the promised freedom, Viktor Medvedchuk noted

Zelensky begs ‘for his country to be flattened’ — US journalist

"Ukraine should be forever grateful that President Putin is calm, rational and kind - because Zelensky is practically begging for his country to be flattened," American political commentator Jackson Hinkle said

Any escalation scenario possible in Ukraine conflict — Medvedev

According to the politician, Western nations need to understand that they are fighting on Ukraine’s side

France, UK may deploy troops to Ukraine following ceasefire — expert

According to Elie Tenenbaum, European countries may send troops to east Ukraine to ensure the observation of a ceasefire regime and guarantee Kiev’s security

Press review: Russia to mass-produce Oreshnik missiles and EU gas prices reach record high

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Moscow concerned with outgoing US President Biden’s escalation strategy — Kremlin

Dmitry Peskov’s statement comes in the wake of US National Security Council Spokesman John Kirby who said earlier that the American administration had provided the Ukrainian armed forces with instructions on selecting targets for strikes using American ATACMS tactical ballistic missiles

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Erik Prince noted that it was necessary to end the Ukrainian conflict as soon as possible

US needs Ukraine's rare earth metals, including lithium — Lavrov

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Turkey to investigate causes of Russian Superjet emergency at Antalya airport

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"Our forces continue their coordinated efforts to liberate the Kharkov Region from the enemy," Vitaly Ganchev said

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French politician calls for protests against deployment of Western troops to Ukraine

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Ukrainian officer says 90% of fellow servicemen have no desire to fight

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Ukraine is a failed state, Russian foreign intelligence chief says

Sergey Naryshkin stressed that Moldova is "following in its footsteps"

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West attempting to stage color revolution in Georgia, Lavrov warns

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British mercenary taken into custody and Ukraine's losses: situation in Kursk Region

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Diplomat mocks US Senator for talking about invading Netherlands

Maria Zakharova quoted the US Senator, who called the ICC a "Kangaroo court" and ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan a "deranged fanatic"

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Netanyahu may accept ceasefire in Lebanon to stop Hezbollah bombings — diplomat

According to al-Maliki, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is the only obstacle to a ceasefire in Gaza

No int’l restrictions on deployment of Oreshnik systems — senior Russian diplomat

When asked if the 1998 Russian-US memorandum of understanding on notifications of missile launches remained in effect, Sergey Ryabkov answered in the affirmative

Russian national Nikita Zhuravel sentenced to 14 years in prison for high treason

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France, UK will have to pay for their helping Ukraine strike inside Russia — diplomat

Russia’s Permanent Representative to the Vienna-based international organizations Mikhail Ulyanov said that what has been done by the White House is very dangerous

Russian forces entrap Ukrainian troops near Svatovo in LPR — military expert

Ill-thought-out command and control of Ukrainian troops has demoralized enemy forces and increased the number of desertions among its personnel in that frontline area, Andrey Marochko said

EU Commissioner for Justice calls on members states to step up assistance to Ukraine

Didier Reynders stressed that EU countries provided Ukraine with 45.5 billion euros for military needs and supplied "a wide variety of arms" from their stockpiles, including F-16 aircraft

NATO disregards all etiquette in discussing possible preemptive strikes on Russia — Lavrov

NATO Military Committee Chairman Rob Bauer earlier called for producing more weapons for precision strikes inside Russia in case a conflict broke out

Kremlin spokesman advises those fearing nuclear escalation to review Russia’s doctrine

"You should listen to President Putin’s statements attentively and carefully assess the actions by the authorities of this or that country of the collective West that is directly involved in these conflicts," Dmitry Peskov stressed

Kremlin explains why Oreshnik missile came as surprise

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Denmark, its neighbors hold talks with China about damaged cables under Baltic Sea-report

The Chinese ship is currently anchored in international waters in the middle of the Kattegat Strait off the Bjare Peninsula

Russian forces pound Ukrainian military airfields, energy sites over day — top brass

It is specified that the Ukrainian army’s losses in the area of responsibility of Russia’s Battlegroup North in the Kharkov Region over the past 24 hours amounted to 30 personnel, two armored combat vehicles and four motor vehicles

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Sergey Ryabkov warned Russia’s adversaries against settling into a "false sense of security"

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Sergey Naryshkin added that the Western capitals "stopped thinking about strategically defeating Russia and shifted to thinking about how to avoid such a defeat themselves"

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Sergey Naryshkin pointed out that now this nationalist group was fighting together with the Ukrainian army along with the Russian Volunteer Corps (recognized in Russia as a terrorist organization) and the Georgian Legion (the paramilitary group Georgian National Legion is blacklisted as terrorist and banned in Russia)

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Proposal to give Kiev nuclear arms highly extremist — Kremlin

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Press review: Israel approves US ceasefire agreement and Georgia's new parliament convenes

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Kabul counts on Moscow to help neutralize Western pressure

"We can assure you that the Islamic Emirate is a reliable economic partner," Deputy Prime Minister Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar said

Iran challenges US, UK, France military capabilities, IRGC general says

"The entire military potential of the US, UK, and France was mobilized to prevent Iran's operation, but the IRGC completed its mission," Ali Fadavi said

Fire at Tupras oil refinery extinguished

No one was injured in the fire, the company said in a press release

Defense contractor delivers new batch of Su-34 bombers to Russia’s Aerospace Forces

The new fighter-bombers have undergone necessary testing and have been sent to the places of their operation, Vadim Badekha noted

British mercenary claims he was sent to Russia’s Kursk Region against his will

The captive explained that he had served as a private in a battalion for four months

UK delivered dozens of Storm Shadow missiles to Kiev weeks ago — news agency

Bloomberg pointed out that the missiles were sent before the US and UK authorization to use long-range precision-guided weapons to launch strikes from Ukrainian territory deep into Russia

Georgescu wins first round of Romania’s presidential vote as ballot tally ends

Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu, who leads the Social Democratic Party, ended up third with 19.15% of the vote

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

Scholz vows to continue supporting Ukraine following his chancellor nomination

The German chancellor listed supporting Ukraine at the top of his priorities should the SPD win and form a government

Russia rejects Korean scenario for freezing Ukraine conflict — foreign intel chief

Sergey Naryshkin recalled that the only way to ensure peace is to eliminate the root causes that triggered the Ukrainian conflict

Anglo-Saxons secretly push Kiev toward nuclear terrorism — FSB head

"The minds of the Ukrainian population have been reformatted in a Russophobic way," Alexander Bortnikov stated

New EU sanctions on Russia may target 80 individuals, entities — agency

In addition, the EU proposes imposing restrictions on some 30 organizations allegedly assisting Moscow in acquiring military technologies

North Korea dismantles power lines in Kaesong on border with South Korea

The South Korean servicemen speculate that the transmission line supports, which have been out of service since June 2020 when the power supply was cut after the bombing of the inter-Korean liaison office in Kaesong, will also be dismantled soon

Biden team may escalate global tensions to highest level, FSB chief warns

According to Alexander Bortnikov, the United States, the United Kingdom, and their allies will continue trying "to blatantly interfere in allied relations within the CIS, hinder integration processes, and undermine our joint efforts to ensure security and stability across the Commonwealth"

Ukraine abandons Selidovo, laying mines in wells — security services

The Ukrainian armed forces used various modified Western-made mines and improvised explosive devices during the process

Russia designs Titan rifle for commandos

The rifle is reliable with precise and dense fire

Kremlin spokesman says missiles like Oreshnik are developed in secrecy

Dmitry Peskov said that he himself did not know about this work before Russian President Vladimir Putin announced it

Trump promises to impose 25% tariff on all goods from Mexico, Canada

Mexico and Canada have every right and opportunity to easily resolve this long-standing problem, US president-elect said

Putin has high hopes for cancer vaccine being developed in Russia

Head of the Federal Medical-Biological Agency Veronika Skvortskova briefed the Russian President on the vaccine's development

US gives Ukrainian servicemen guidance on selecting targets for ATACMS — White House

The Ukrainian servicemen "are able to use ATACMS to defend themselves on an immediate need basis," National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said

FACTBOX: What is known about Russian flight incident at Antalya Airport

A Russian Sukhoi Superjet 100 operated by the Azimuth airline caught fire as the plane landed at Antalya Airport on Sunday, TASS has compiled the key facts about the situation

Russian troops liberate Kopanki community in Kharkov Region over past day

Russia’s Battlegroup West inflicted roughly 440 casualties on Ukrainian troops and destroyed three enemy ammunition depots

Ukrainian commander-in-chief reports threats to troops in Zaporozhye Region

Earlier, it was reported that the Russian forces had advanced for over 2 km near Malaya Tokmachka in the Zaporozhye Region

Shooting of Selidovo residents by Ukrainian troops meant to repeat Bucha provocation

The shooting of civilians could have been meant to "simply intimidate people who want to continue living on their soil," Russian foreign ministry’s ambassador at large, Rodion MIroshnik said

Europe bracing for influx of Ukrainian troops after conflict is over — agency

According to the agency, the European intelligence community is preparing for potential threats, namely the possibility of Ukrainian troops flooding the continent and arms trafficking

No existing missile defense system can counter Oreshnik — US expert

Theodore Postol also vehemently rejected suggestions that the Oreshnik system represents previous outdated developments of Moscow

West beginning to realize only part of Ukraine will remain — Lavrov

According to the Russian foreign minister, this represents the "confrontational logic" of the West

Kiev forces lose over 450 troops in Battlegroup Center responsibility area in one day

According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the enemy lost more than 450 servicemen, a tank, five vehicles, a 203-mm self-propelled gun Pion, a 152-mm howitzer Msta-B, 2 152-mm guns D-20 and 2 122-mm howitzers D-30

Europe's 'hotheads' for sending troops to Ukraine, but there is no unity — Kremlin

"Earlier, of course, such ideas were heard from different European capitals, but various counterarguments were also voiced not in favor of this idea," Dmitry Peskov noted

Potential handover of nuclear arms by US to Kiev ‘act of treason’ — US congresswoman

Marjorie Taylor Greene suggested that the Biden administration is "trying to start a nuclear war and use it as the reason to stop the transfer of power to Donald Trump"

Russia gave OPCW over 30 reports proving Ukraine used banned substances, official says

Kirill Lysogorsky noted that "the Kiev regime continues to systematically use toxic chemicals and chemical riot control agents"

NATO expanding presence in Arctic, Baltic, Black Sea, Caspian regions — FSB chief

According to Alexander Bortnikov, a US lab network is reportedly working to implement a program to create biological weapons of selective action, while citing the need to combat some "biological threats" as an excuse

Top Indian defense official to visit Moscow, Kaliningrad on December 8-10 — source

Rajnath Singh will participate in the flag-raising ceremony of the Project 11356 frigate and its transfer to the Indian Navy," the source said

Lukashenko tells Putin situation is "starting to get tense with Wagner"

The Belarusian leader noted that they want to go to Warsaw

Europe resumes talks of troop deployment to Ukraine — newspaper

According to the sources, this is driven by the fact that Washington may scale back support for Ukraine after Donald Trump returns to office as US president on January 20, 2025

Ukrainian forces indiscriminately shoot Selidovo passers-by — Russian envoy

According to Rodion Miroshnik, Ukrainian security forces came to places where there were generators, where people came to get water, and could shoot a person

Explosion occurs at oil refinery in western Turkey, cause being investigated — TV

According to preliminary information, the incident occurred at about 8 p.m. (local time)

Russia’s Medvedev warns Europe could face 'catastrophic damage' from Oreshnik missile

The Russian Security Council deputy chairman also commented on Vladimir Zelensky’s "resilience plan"

Majority of Americans oppose further military support for Ukraine, poll shows

The poll, conducted on November 19-22, involved over 2,200 Americans

No one wins in trade war, says Chinese embassy in US

Earlier, Trump promised to impose an additional 10% tariff on all goods from China due to the alleged large-scale drug smuggling from China into the US

Retreating Ukrainian troops leave dozens of bodies behind in Chasov Yar

According to the sources, some of these makeshift morgues were destroyed by retreating Ukrainian troops

Zelensky shook up by Russia’s response to permission to attack it — Lavrov

According to the Russian foreign minister, the West is directly involved in the use of long-range weapons against Russia, as not a single missile could be launched without its involvement

Potential deployment of intermediate-range missiles depends on US moves — Russian diplomat

Sergey Ryabkov stressed that "any escalation scenarios, if they start to materialize, will be a direct consequence of the reckless" and "inhumane policy that is pursued by Washington and leading European countries"