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Merz discusses Ukraine with Zelensky after Putin-Witkoff meeting — German Cabinet

Spokesperson Stefan Cornelius highlighted that both leaders acknowledged the efforts of US President Donald Trump to mediate a settlement of the conflict

BERLIN, August 7. /TASS/. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has held a telephone conversation with Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky to discuss the ongoing situation in Ukraine. This dialogue followed a meeting in Moscow between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US Special Representative for Ukraine, Steve Witkoff, as reported by German government spokesperson Stefan Cornelius.

Cornelius highlighted that both leaders acknowledged the efforts of US President Donald Trump to mediate a settlement of the conflict. He also noted that Merz and Zelensky concurred on the need for Russia to cease hostilities in Ukraine. "Both agreed to maintain close communication with European partners and the United States," Cornelius added, reaffirming Merz’s commitment to supporting Ukraine.

Earlier, Russian Presidential Aide Yury Ushakov informed journalists that Witkoff was received by President Putin on August 6. Ushakov described the meeting as "useful and constructive," during which Russia conveyed certain signals regarding Ukraine and received corresponding messages from the United States.

US pressuring Zelensky into accepting peace plan terms — media

Donald Trump's administration is pushing Vladimir Zelensky to act quickly, while Europeans are advising him to be careful and patient, the news agency said

Kiev is luring foreigners into trenches, Ukrainians are hard to come by — Russian envoy

According to Rodion Miroshnik, this strategy is driven by the increasing difficulty Ukraine faces in mobilizing its own citizens

Lenin bust unveiled in Venezuela’s capital

The sculpture was installed on the Liberators’ Alley

Kremlin wants to understand results of US' work with Kiev after meeting with Witkoff

Dmitry Peskov did not comment on US President Donald Trump's statement that, unlike his entourage, Vladimir Zelensky was not familiar with the peace plan's contents

Expropriation of Russian assets being 'crucial act for European defense' — von der Leyen

"Securing financial support will help ensure the survival of Ukraine," President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen added

Ukrainian military brings tanks, artillery, mercenaries to Kharkov Region — official

Reports indicate the presence of mercenaries from Poland, Georgia, and various Latin American nations, according to the press service of the Military-Civilian Administration of the Kharkov Region

Updated US National Security Strategy angers EU officials — newspaper

The Politico said that an unnamed European official on the sidelines of the Doha Forum called the strategy’s provisions regarding the European Union "very disturbing"

Russia, Nigeria discussing cooperation in exploration, fuel supplies

The key topic of the meeting was to discuss cooperation within the framework of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum

Tucker Carlson hopes to visit Russia again

He also noted that the trip to Moscow left a strong impression on him

Thai PM Charnvirakul says he ‘doesn’t remember’ peace deal with Cambodia

Anutin Charnvirakul responded to a question whether the provisions of the October declaration applied to the recent escalation in the border areas shared by Thailand and Cambodia

Europe remembers Turkey as NATO ally only when it suits them — newspaper

Tunja Bengin pointed to the cases, when hypocritical statements are being made by Europe

Earthquake with 7.6 magnitude occurs near Kuril Islands

The epicenter of shocks was situated at the depth of 20 kilometers

Press review: US proposed four-part Ukraine plan as EU eyes expropriating Russian assets

Top stories from the Russian press on Friday, December 5th

Netanyahu says his regular contacts with Putin are in Israel’s interests

The United States, India, Germany, and Russia are the four powers Israel has bolstered ties with in the past two years, the Israeli prime minister added

Only renewed cooperation with Russia can save Europe from collapse — Dodik

According to the Bosnian Serb leader, Europe’s economic success was largely based on access to Russian resources

Chief executives of European multinationals losing interest in EU investments — report

76% of respondents said they have not seen so far practically any positive effect from the initiatives

E3 leaders instruct their advisors to continue work on settling Ukrainian conflict

The leaders of UK, Germany and France discussed the importance of the US-led peace talks for European security and supported the progress made

Foreigners wishing to move to Russia are calling Putin's Direct Line

A significant number of foreigners are calling the hotline to express support for the Russian president

France does not want to expropriate Russian assets held in its private banks — FT

French banks hold around 18 bln euros in Russian assets, which is the second-highest figure in Europe, the paper said

GDP growth rate expectably declined this year — Putin

Growth rates of the Russian economy passed through the expected slowdown stage in the present year, the head of state noted

Putin hopes VAT increase is temporary measure

The Russian president noted at the same time that the majority of activities anticipating adoption of federal laws is scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2026 in the plan for improving legality in individual economic sectors

Russian Ambassador to North Korea Alexander Matsegora dies at age of 70

Alexander Matsegora has been Russia’s ambassador to North Korea since 2014

Putin extends ban for residents to buy stakes in foreign companies without permit

The ban is renewed for transactions of residents on paying for participation interests, contributions or capital units in property of a nonresident foreign entity

Europe feels humiliated as US, Russia determine Ukraine's future — media

According to the newspaper, "the Europeans are becoming irrelevant on their own turf"

Russian troops liberate two communities in Ukraine operation over past day — top brass

Russia’s Battlegroup South inflicted more than 145 casualties on Ukrainian troops and destroyed three enemy armored combat vehicles in its area of responsibility over the past day, the Defense Ministry reported

Record-breaking magnetic storm on Earth continues for 66 hours

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Putin says Russia needs to do more to help its businesses

According to the Russian leader, "the business community is working hard and striving to improve efficiency, but it needs to be helped at the administrative level," and even more so in the social sphere

Trump could quickly broker Russia-Ukraine deal — Swiss Foreign Minister

Ignazio Cassis emphasized that Switzerland’s goal as OSCE Chair for 2026 is "to ensure the OSCE is ready" for such developments

Russian industrial products export up 18% in 9M 2025 — PM

Machine-building, chemicals and metallurgy were the main drivers, Mikhail Mishustin noted

French politician calls Zelensky ‘irresponsible’ for not reading Trump peace plan

"Zelensky is disregarding the peace plan: this is inadmissible and irresponsible," Florian Philippot stated

Lavrov says Savchenko will be headache for Ukraine

The foreign minister considers handing the ex-servicewoman over to Kiev the right decision as Moscow had to bring back its citizens sentenced on terrorism charges in Ukraine

Putin signs annual decree to call up reservists for military training

The Russian government and regional authorities are instructed to ensure the implementation of measures related to the call-up of citizens for military training and the conduct of these training sessions

Putin gives principled assessment of Bucha provocation in phone call with Orban — Kremlin

Vladimir Putin and Viktor Orban also discussed a number of key issues in the relations between Russia and Hungary

Zelensky says new proposals for peace plan to be submitted to US on December 9

"The plan has been reduced from 28 points to 20," and a compromise on the issue of territories "has not yet been found," he said

Russian army controls key highways in Kupyansk district — expert

The Ukrainian army sends its units to this area with full knowledge that the city and the region are lost, head of the Kharkov Regional State Administration Vitaly Ganchev said

Liberation of Volchansk year in making — expert

The Russian army began to move forward in the northern territory of the Kharkov Region back in 2024, Vitaly Ganchev noted

Moscow working to encourage inbound medical tourism — senior diplomat

According to Alexander Grushko, Russia continues developing its health resorts

Confiscation of Russian assets would completely undermine trust in EU — lawmaker

Anatoly Aksakov also noted that such actions by the European Union would constitute a violation of international law

Russia’s state demand for civilian UAV systems in 2026 worth 7 billion rubles — ministry

The Ministry of Industry and Trade added that the UAV-based services market in 2025 was worth over 26 billion rubles, with a demand for over 5,000 drones

Russia-Indonesia trade turnover rises nearly 18% in 10 months, reaching $3.6 bln

The ministry noted that the dynamics of trade and economic cooperation between the two countries show stable growth

Russia urges US to refrain from escalating conflict with Venezuela — senior diplomat

Sergey Ryabkov noted that Moscow views the situation around Venezuela with great alarm and concern

Shoigu calls Russia's recently deceased North Korea envoy true patriot

According to the Secretary of the Security Council, Matsegora's caring attitude to the cause "and selfless service to the Motherland largely predetermined the consistent strengthening of cooperation between the Russian Federation and the DPRK"

Rosatom ready to starting operations at Rooppur plant — CEO

"Construction of the first unit is almost completed," Alexey Likhachev said

Datacenters, cloud infrastructure market above $600-700 bln — expert

The market is growing on account of two drivers, artificial intelligence and the transition of business to cloud models, Denis Khleborodov noted

Lavrov says Kallas' statements show 'degradation of foreign policy methods'

The Russian Foreign Minister added that among the instruments of foreign policy in Brussels' arsenal there is still "direct theft, which is precisely what happened to Russia’s gold and foreign exchange reserves"

Ukraine needs $15 bln to buy weapons under PURL program in 2026 — Zelensky

Vladimir Zelensky said that as for this year, Ukraine was short of $1.5 billion but The Netherlands allocated $700 million

Europe to come out of Ukraine conflict biggest loser — Republic Srpska leader

Milorad Dodik noted that Europe lacked an effective leader

Magnitude 7.6 earthquake strikes Japan, casualties reported

Several people were reported to have been wounded in the Aomori Prefecture

DR Congo faces its worst cholera outbreak in 25 years — UNICEF

Cases have been reported in 17 out of DRC’s 26 provinces, with the capital Kinshasa being one of the hotspots

Ukraine conflict likely to be resolved with Russian victory, US expert says

John Mearsheimer stressed that there’s nothing US President Donald Trump "can do to assuage Russian fears that any agreement Moscow reaches with Ukraine and the West will stick over time"

Adversaries of Russia, Iran, China try to undermine their cooperation — MP

Iranian parliament member Ebrahim Azizi also emphasized that Russia and Iran should cooperate to protect peace and security in their common region

Russian market ends session with declining major indices

The MOEX index fell 0.23% in the main trading session, closing at 2,705.17 points, while the dollar-denominated RTS index declined 1.75% to 1,102.82 points

Hungary, Turkey condemn Ukrainian attacks against pipelines, tankers — Szijjarto

Hungary and Turkey together speak for termination of war in Ukraine through negotiations, the Hungarian foreign minister said

No one wants to share responsibility for seizing Russian assets with Belgium — Kremlin

Belgium opposes the European Commission’s plan for the expropriation of Russian sovereign assets blocked in Europe under the guise of a so-called "reparations loan" to Ukraine, being afraid of Russia’s potential response

Ukraine's new budget lays foundation for country's complete economic defeat

On December 3, the Rada adopted Ukraine’s draft budget for 2026 with a record deficit of $47.5 bln

The New Finnish Doctrine: Stupidity, Lies, Ingratitude

Deputy Chairman of Russia’s Security Council Dmitry Medvedev finds historical parallels in the behavior of the current leaders of Finland and their predecessors from almost a century ago and recalls the aftermath of their aggressive attacks on Russia

No Putin-Trump meeting planned until New Year — Kremlin spokesman

Dmitry Peskov added that at this point, Moscow has no information about the outcome of talks between Washington and Kiev in Florida

EU prepares to admit Ukraine by 2030 and start war with Russia — Orban

As the Hungarian prime minister recalled, the treaty establishing the EU states that "in the event of an armed attack on the territory of one of its member states, the other member states are obliged to provide this state with all the assistance at their disposal"

Europe is 'moving in some bad directions' — Trump

Donald Trump voiced concern about the current political track taken by EU countries

Russia hopes that US refrains from full-scale conflict with Venezuela — diplomat

The US-Venezuela conflict threatens to cause unpredictable consequences for the entire Western hemisphere, Maria Zakharova said

‘Reparation loan’ for Ukraine legally doubtful — Euroclear CEO

"There is no free money for the European Union from Euroclear," Valerie Urbain said

UN court accepts Russia’s lawsuit against Ukraine, gives Kiev one year to answer

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Turkey, Hungary discussing joint defense projects — Erdogan

Touching on trade and economic relations between Turkey and Hungary, the Turkish president stated that the two countries "are close to reaching their trade target of $6 billion"

Defendants in Donbass genocide case facing life sentence

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Reducing shadow-economy share to generate up to $13.02 bln annually — Novak

It is expected that fulfilling all planned measures will lead to a 1.5% reduction in the shadow economy’s share in gross domestic product over three years, the Russian deputy prime minister said

Brazil urges Venezuela not to enter into war with US, even if attacked — newspaper

Lula da Silva’s administration will work to prevent the US attacks from happening

Turkey reaches deep into diplomacy bag to resolve Ukraine conflict — Erdogan

"We will spare no effort to reach a settlement and will be guided by the motto that there can be no losers in a fair world," the Turkish president said

Putin renews ban on deals with stakes of foreigners from unfriendly countries

The ban covers transactions changing the ownership structure of Russian companies, their authorized capital and the established procedure for implementation of investment projects

Bank of Russia sets dollar rate at 77.27 rubles for December 9

The official euro rate was increased by one ruble to 89.7054 rubles

New US national strategy signals readiness to discuss security architecture — Medvedev

The Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman noted that for the first time in many years, the US document refers to Russia not as a "threat" but as a participant in the dialogue on stability

Press review: President Putin begins India state-visit while EU mulls Military Schengen

Top stories from the Russian press on Thursday, December 4th

US continues working on Ukraine settlement for 'humane' reasons — Trump

The US leader stressed that he "just wants to see people stop from being killed"

Putin extends authorization for foreigners to pay for gas not only with Gazprombank

The new authorization will be in effect until April 1, 2026

Russia takes note of America's foreign policy turn in new National Security Strategy

Maria Zakharova drew special attention to America's about-face on hegemony

Russian security chief arrives in Vietnam for talks with country’s leadership

The agenda of the meetings includes discussions on a wide range of aspects in the Russian-Vietnamese relations

Large package of documents to be prepared for BRICS summit in Kazan — Lavrov

According to the Russian foreign minister, Russia plans more than a hundred various BRICS events throughout its presidency

Kremlin spokesman points to possibility of next US administrations revising strategy

According to Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin doesn’t rule out that the removal of the current irritants could open up prospects for the two countries to restore relations

Ukrainian militants ordered to shoot retreating troops near Kupyansk — radio interception

This is evidenced by radio intercepts obtained by TASS

Bank of Russia lifts limits on foreign currency transfers abroad for Russian citizens

As the Central Bank explained, the decision to lift the limit is due to the stable situation on the foreign exchange market

National projects must lead to creation of domestic technologies — Putin

The head of state stressed that "technological leadership projects did not exist in isolation but had systemic significance for all spheres of life"

Press review: Kushner emerges in Ukraine talks as world reacts to new US security strategy

Top stories from the Russian press on Monday, December 8th

Tourist flow from Saudi Arabia to Russia may exceed 200,000 people in 2026

"Personal contacts between the leaders of Saudi Arabia and Russia form a strong foundation for cooperation," Anton Kobyakov stressed

New anti-Russian sanctions ready, need to be approved by Congress, Trump — envoy

US Special Envoy for Ukraine Keith Kellogg emphasized that the restrictions are aimed primarily at Russian oil exports

Zelensky unveils shortlist for new chief of staff — media

Among them are Defense Minister Denis Shmygal, First Deputy Prime Minister and Digital Transformation Minister Mikhail Fedorov, First Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Kislitsa, head of Ukraine’s military intelligence Kirill Budanov, and Pavel Palisa, deputy head of Zelensky’s office in charge of military issues, the Novosti.Live portal said

US to spend $800 million on support for Ukraine in 2026, 2027 — Pentagon budget draft

The document also obligates the Pentagon chief to report to the House of Representatives and Senate on the temporary suspension or cessation of intelligence provision to Ukraine

Russian troops destroy Ukraine vehicles, stronghold in Zaporozhye

According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the enemy was using the vehicles to covertly transport personnel to Gulyaipole to reinforce positions in the locality

Kaspersky Lab reveals patterns from Russia's data-leaked passwords

According to the company’s data, the average lifespan of a password is 3.5 to 4 years

F1 Red Bull supremo Helmut Marko to part ways with racing team at end of year

He joined Red Bull in 2005, and for two decades led the team’s Young Drivers Academy program, also helming the Red Bull helping program

US not yet informed Russia about its contacts with Ukraine — Kremlin spokesman

"Contacts are taking place," Dmitry Peskov said

Netanyahu plans to discuss Gaza plan at meeting with Trump on December 29 — TV

According to the Ynet portal, Netanyahu’s visit will last a week

Lithuania 'playing' with drones for European money — top Belarusian diplomat

Maxim Ryzhenkov pointed out that the European Union is looking at allocating more than billion euro to help Lithuania fight Belarus and Russia’s alleged hybrid aggression

Legitimate authorities regain control of situation in Benin — news agency

It was a small group of rebels who had access to television, a source told the agency

Chechen leader urges Ukrainians to make a stand against conflict with Russia

Ramzan Kadyrov added that captured Ukrainian servicemen often ask not to be returned back, fearing for their lives

Russia’s CSTO presidency to focus on strengthening organization — Putin

According to the Russian leader, this work will piggyback on Kyrgyzstan’s work in key areas during its presidency this year

Russian House in CAR finds interesting fix to snake problem — organization head

"It turned out that simple housecats were perfect for the job - to keep the Russian House territory safe," Dmitry Syty explained

New US strategy indicates threat of interference in Europe’s affairs — EU official

European Council President Antonio Costa also responded to Washington's criticism of the European Commission’s move to fine the X social media platform, and accusations of Brussels violating freedom of speech

Ukrainian troops suffer heavy losses in Zaporozhye — official

The region's governor Yevgeny Balitsky said that the Zaporozhye Region authorities were ready to provide all necessary administrative and humanitarian assistance to residents of the liberated territories.

Ex-EU foreign policy chief Mogherini detained: what we know

Officers are conducting searches at the EU diplomatic service headquarters

Russia alarmed by US rhetoric on China in new security outlook — diplomat

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova also noted "calls to all prominent regional partners to grant the Pentagon broader access to their ports and other facilities"

Trump says he is a bit disappointed that Zelensky has not read the draft peace deal yet

The US leader also noted that Vladimir Zelensky's people loved the US government's proposal

Ukraine can no longer depend on Western aid — opposition politician

Viktor Medvedchuk noted that the promised economic integration between Ukraine and the EU had never materialized