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Decision on US missiles in Germany not new, meets its interests, says Scholz

"It will ensure peace, it is a necessary and important decision taken at the right time," the German chancellor added

WASHINGTON, July 11. /TASS/. The decision to start deploying new US weapons in Germany in 2026 "meets the interests" of Germany and is in line with its security concept, Chancellor Olaf Scholz said in Washington.

"In my opinion, this is the right decision," he said. "This is also reflected in the German government's security strategy. It is a deterrence measure. It will ensure peace, it is a necessary and important decision taken at the right time," Scholz added.

"This decision was made a while back, it does not come as a surprise for anyone involved in security policy and peace policy. Because it actually fits exactly into the security strategy of the German government, which is publicly discussed and in which everything is precisely listed and explained," the chancellor said.

According to an earlier joint statement released by Washington and Berlin, the United States will begin deploying new longer-range fire capabilities in Germany in 2026. Russia's Ambassador to Washington Anatoly Antonov said that these plans made likelier a missile arms race and could lead to uncontrolled escalation.

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European Commission gives ‘positive assessment’ for payment of 4.1 bln euros to Kiev

The commission concluded that Ukraine had satisfactorily fulfilled the nine agreed reform indicators for this payment

Trump to end NATO’s obsession to get on Russian territory — White House ex-strategist

Steve Bannon noted that Trump’s MAGA (Make America Great Again) movement seeks to completely cut funding to Ukraine. According to Bannon, Europe, including Italy, will follow Trump’s lead, and, if "they [Europe and Italy] truly believe what they have been saying in recent years, they should be ready to pay"

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According to Wieslaw Kukula, if the conflict in Ukraine ends soon, Russia will be able to build up its defense capacity to the point that it could take on all of NATO

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Trump's participation in the next US election would be against the Constitution

Finnish government requests EU sanctions exemption for Russian owners of sports arena

Finland's Foreign Ministry will need to obtain unanimous approval from EU countries

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At least ten Ukrainian troops were killed

Putin discussed Ukraine with Saudi crown prince — Kremlin

"The sides indeed touched upon the topic of the conflict. We have nothing more to say," Dmitry Peskov said

Kiev may offer Trump resources, partial rotation of US troops in Europe — official

Mikhail Podolyak also expressed Kiev's hopes that the newly elected US president would impose stricter economic sanctions on Russia, particularly in the oil industry, if not provide direct military support

Businessmen in Germany, Russia again eager to interact more, says executive

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Russian diplomat hails Odessa woman as defender of truth after flag protest

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Press review: Trump forms foreign policy team and Europe sets course for militarization

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Su-57 fighter jet shows exceptional performance in Russia’s special op, senior official

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Russia elected to UN Committee for Program and Coordination

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US administration always seeks to weaken Russia — Lavrov

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Grossi oversteps authority by talking about freeze of Ukraine conflict — Russian MFA

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Russian forces liberate Voznesenka community in Donbass region over past day

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Ukrainian forces ready to withdraw from Kurakhovo, but no order yet — serviceman

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Borrell calls on EU to play ‘military role’

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Ukrainian losses: situation in Kursk Region

Over the day, the enemy lost more than 450 troops, two tanks, three IFVs, two M113 armored personnel carriers, 33 armored combat vehicles, five artillery pieces, including a Krab self-propelled howitzer, a Crotale multiple rocket launcher, and 49 motor vehicles

Japan remains ready to sign peace treaty with Russia — top diplomat

After Tokyo imposed anti-Russian sanctions over the situation in Ukraine, Russia halted consultations with Japan on a peace treaty

Next-gen Su-57 shows strength of Russia’s defense sector — diplomat

Maria Zakharova pointed out that military experts had praised the "unmatched capabilities" the plane displayed at the Airshow China in Zhuhai

Bridges across Orontes damaged after Israel’s attack on Syria

The Sham FM radio station said earlier that Syrian air defense systems repelled an Israeli attack southwest of the city of Homs located some 165 kilometers from Damascus

Russia to ensure parity in response to US missile defense system in Poland — Kremlin

Dmitry Peskov emphasized that by placing the missile defense system in Poland, the United States is bringing its military infrastructure closer to Russia in an attempt to curb its potential

Russian Su-34 bomber strikes Ukrainian troops in borderline Kursk area

Russian tactical aircraft pilots conduct sorties at any time of day or night in any weather conditions, using various armament

Lavrov likens proposals to freeze Ukraine crisis to worse version of Minsk agreements

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Medvedev characterizes Great Britain as eternal adversary of Russia

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Trump plans to appoint special envoy on Ukraine to hold peace talks with Russia — TV

According to the source, the job is not expected to be a salaried role

Explosion of Kurakhovo reservoir dam disrupts water supply

Roman Pukalov noted that the blast killed many fish in the reservoir, washed away fertile soil, and inundated potentially hazardous sites, including cemeteries, cattle burial grounds, and fertilizer depots

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Russian troops storm into Kupyansk outskirts in Kharkov Region — military expert

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Maria Zakharova emphasized that the Baltic Sea "will always be a common space for all of the region’s countries without exception"

Most Russians say special op doesn't bleed into their daily life

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Russia to collaborate with Arab nations for Middle East de-escalation — diplomat

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Trump to push Zelensky to start talks, reject NATO membership — expert

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US missile defense base in Poland to defend US, Europe alike — Polish foreign minister

Radoslaw Sikorski also expressed hope that the base will never go into action

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Erdogan praises Russia, China for backing arms embargo on Israel

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"Russian President Putin has repeatedly said that we have never refused to negotiate," the Russian foreign minister reiterated

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Alexander Mikheyev also explained the expectations and effect of the demonstration of Russian military hardware at Airshow China in Zhuhai

Kiev's Western allies begin to acknowledge need for territorial concessions — report

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Attempts being made to drag Syria into armed confrontation in Middle East — diplomat

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Russia to hold Astana-format summit in 2025 — Russian diplomat

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Russia’s Vityaz, Viking air defense systems attract major attention at Airshow China

Russian surface-to-air missile systems have demonstrated their value in the special military operation in Ukraine, Vyacheslav Dzirkaln noted

Zelensky will lead Ukraine to civil or nuclear war rather than surrender power, legislator

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Russia has written off $20 bln worth of African debts — MFA

Mikhail Bogdanov added that it allows using those debts "to implement socio-economic projects directly in the country"

Russia open for contacts with Trumps’ team on Syria — Russian diplomat

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US views Russia as present-day threat, Trump may prioritize containing China — Lavrov

The Russian foreign minister stressed that reputation matters the most to the United States which does not care about the real fates of peoples, in particular the Ukrainian one

Bulgarian president calls for using all diplomatic opportunities to end Ukraine conflict

According to Rumen Radev, Europe wants the conflict in Ukraine "to finish as soon as possible"

US shells for handful of Kiev’s Pion howitzers no game-changer — expert

Ukraine ran out of the Soviet-made ammunition for this type of artillery pieces back in 2022

Demographic crisis threatens Ukraine’s viability as state — think tank

Ukraine’s "overall population had declined to 29 million people in 2023 - compared to 48.5 million in 2001," Responsible Statecraft writes

South Korea to support Ukraine in response to Russia-North Korea alliance — president

As Yoon Suk Yeol said, the reported dispatch of North Korean servicemen to participate in Russia’s special military operation "poses a serious security threat not only to the Korean Peninsula and Europe but also to the entire world"

Scholz promises to transfer sixth IRIS-T system to Kiev by yearend

Ukraine and Germany also discussed further defense cooperation

West to face 'devastating' response if it allows Kiev to strike deep into Russia — MFA

According to Maria Zakharova, Ukrainian social media accounts are meanwhile speculating that the Zelensky regime plans to present the received Western missiles as Ukrainian, changing the labels to use the weapons to attack Russia

Trump’s victory to make Seoul reconsider shipping arms to Ukraine — news agency

It is reported that Seoul is also looking at how Trump’s approach to the war will affect support for Ukraine among a range of countries

What is known about Sevastopol car blast

Sevastopol Governor Mikhail Razvozhayev did not rule out the possibility that the incident was the result of sabotage

US plans to remove 'arrogant' Zelensky and stage 2025 elections in Ukraine — SVR

"At the initial stage, it is planned to encourage entities within the Ukrainian civil society under their control, through US 'democratization' foundations and think tanks, to come up with a corresponding initiative," the statement reads

Israel achieves its goals in conflict with Hamas, time to 'end the war' — Blinken

"Israel, by the standards it set itself, has accomplished the goals that it set for itself," the US Secretary of State noted

Trump to rely on forces that brought him to power — Russian presidential aide

Nikolay Patrushev agreed that Trump, when he was still a candidate, "made many statements critical of the destructive foreign and domestic policies pursued by the current administration"

Medvedev warns that EU behavior in struggle with Russia fraught with 'bad scenario'

According to the Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman, European leaders are experiencing "autumn blues" after Donald Trump's victory in the US presidential election

Russia ready for contacts with Trump administration, ball is in US court — Lavrov

At the same time, he emphasized that Russia has no expectations from the new US administration, but will assess its concrete steps

US denies possession of extraterrestrial technologies

According to Sue Gough, the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office, an office at the US Department of Defense that investigates unidentified anomalous phenomena, "is continuing its review of the historical record of US government UAP programs"

Musk doubles down on his opinion about 'endless war' in Ukraine

Earlier, the entrepreneur opined that the bloodshed in Ukraine would end soon

Russia, US have many annoyances, it is hard to pick worst one — Kremlin spokesman

Earlier, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin met with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in Baku

People evacuated from Brazil’s Supreme Court after blast nearby — agency

According to Reuters, Brasilia’s military police confirmed that a body was found near the court building

Kiev wants to mobilize 160,000 people to survive until Trump's inauguration — MP

According to Alexander Dubinsky, the authorities in Kiev are primarily focused on securing more of the funds allocated to them

Detentions, blocking of roads: what is known about situation in Abkhazia

The prosecutor general stated that following the incident, four Abkhazian residents were detained: Garry Kokaya, Almaskhan Ardzinba, Omar Smur, and Ramaz Dzhopya

Ukrainian losses: situation in Kursk Region

Over the day, the enemy lost more than 430 troops, ten tanks, two infantry fighting vehicles, 19 armored combat vehicles, 33 motor vehicles, one Anklav-N electronic warfare station

Violence against Kupyansk residents refusing to evacuate reported in Kharkov Region

The press service of the Military-Civil Administration of the Kharkov Region clarified that the Ukrainian militants view such people as traitors, "waiting for the Russians," so they are not entitled to either humanitarian aid or human dignity

Russia's newest Su-57 fighter jet superior to China's new J-35 — test pilot

Sergey Bogdan emphasized that the newest Russian fighter was a "magnificent platform for a future generation of configurations, just as the Su-27 aircraft in its heyday"

Ukraine targets medics and journalists as priorities — military doctor

Santa noted that the medic’s red cross draws the attention of Ukrainian troops, so affiliation patches on uniforms must blend in, and identifying marks are also not applied to evacuation vehicles

Russian researchers discover previously unknown ancient tomb near Great Pyramid in Egypt

According to the statement, so far, a small hole has been cleared, through which one can see the remains of a wooden, painted sarcophagus, intact ceramic vessels—typically used for supplies the deceased would need in the afterlife—and other items lying in the burial chamber

ISS orbit raised by almost 5 km before launch of Progress MS-29 spacecraft — Roscosmos

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Elections can be held in various ways, Lavrov on Ukrainian situation

"We can only assess the legitimacy of an electoral process once it has taken place and we observe how it was organized," the top Russian diplomat emphasized

Russian Battlegroup North artillery units hit Ukrainian weapons, manpower in Kursk Region

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Trump to zero in on fragmenting BRICS, Ukraine to take back seat — expert

According to the political scientist Boris Mezhuyev, in all likelihood attempts to replace the presidents of Brazil and Venezuela, and pit India, Russia and China against each other are coming

US has no technical need to conduct nuclear tests, senior official says

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Kremlin comments on possible return of Japanese, European cars to Russia

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Russian troops secure ground near Novodarovka, Rovnopol in Zaporozhye Region — official

On November 13, the Russian Defense Ministry reported that the Russian Armed Forces had liberated the settlement of Rovnopol in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), located near the administrative border with the Zaporozhye Region

West criticizes Russia's growing ties with Caspian region countries — presidential aide

Nikolay Patrushev emphasized that the United States and the European Union are making "efforts to dismantle relations between these states, undermine their political and trade cooperation”

Trump's planned key appointments

Trump appointed Congressman Michael Waltz (Republican, Florida) as national security adviser

54 countries vote against resolution on combating ne-Nazism

116 countries, including Azerbaijan, Algeria, Armenia, Belarus, Bolivia, Brazil, China, Cuba, Serbia, and Syria, supported the document

There is chance to stop war in Middle East under Trump — Russian diplomat

"It is too early to talk about this because we should wait at least for the president’s inauguration," Alexander Lavrentyev noted

First S-550 air defense systems enter service in Russia — source

The source described the new system as "an absolutely new and unrivalled mobile system of strategic missile defense"