🇪🇺🇭🇺 The European Commission (EC) has agreed to transfer €10 billion to Hungary from a fund intended for the development of depressed areas of the European Union. The funds were blocked due to Brussels' demands on the rule of law and the fight against corruption, Reuters reported.

Earlier on Wednesday, EC representative Eric Mamer refused to acknowledge that this money's allocation was a condition for Budapest’s support for Ukraine funding worth €50 billion. The decision on Ukraine's assistance will be made at the EU summit on December 14-15 in Brussels and is expected to last until ent end of 2027. Mamer claimed that the delay in the transfer of funds to Hungary was solely due to “EU legal procedure”, the deadline for which is December 15.

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Swedish mercenary fighting on Ukraine's side killed in conflict zone, according to a report

“The Swede died in battles in Ukraine. The Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed... that the man is about 30 years old and a native of Svealand,” the message says.

The Russian Ministry of Defense has repeatedly stated that the Kiev regime is using foreign mercenaries as “cannon fodder”, and the Russian military will continue to target and eliminate them throughout the conflict zone.

Many mercenaries themselves have acknowledged during various interviews that the Ukrainian military lacks efficient coordination in their action. Moreover, they face a slim chance of survival in battles due to the intense nature of the conflict, which is unlike what they have experienced in Afghanistan and the Middle East.

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🇺🇸🇮🇱 Western media reports on the deepening political rift between the US and Israel.

The possible reason? A lack of consistency in the two nations’ stance when it comes to the vision for the post-war Gaza Strip.

However, it’s hard to say whether the rising disagreements between the two allies will have serious far-reaching consequences, but the major criticism against the Israeli government is impossible to ignore, Lyudmila Samarskaya, candidate of science (history) and a research fellow from the Center for the Middle Eastern Studies at the Primakov Institute of World Economy and International Relations (IMEMO), told Sputnik.

“This is not the first time the public has expressed their criticism [against the Israeli government]. It has been systematic, and it has to do with the particular government that came to power in Israel. Of course, Israel is not fond of it. Particularly, the country’s leadership. But the US remains an important ally and an essential partner. A good number of Israelis believe that the US stance is something to be reckoned with. Besides, many in Israel disagree with their government’s policy. It [the incumbent government] insists that it represents the will of the [country’s] majority, but it is not exactly the case. The reason is that roughly half of the population supports them, and the other half does not,” she said.

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🇮🇱🇵🇸 Latest updates on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict:

▪️The number of people killed in Israeli strikes in the Gaza Strip has risen to 18,608 with 50,594 injured, according to Gaza's Health Ministry;

▪️Hamas has stopped responding to mediators' proposals to resume negotiations on the release of hostages, CNN reports, citing sources;

▪️Israel to continue war against Hamas regardless of international support, according to Israeli foreign minister;

▪️Political and administrative future of Gaza Strip will be discussed only after achievement of "military goals", Israeli Foreign Ministry said.

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🇺🇸🪙The Federal Reserve left US interest rates unchanged during its policy meeting, marking the third time in a row for such a decision after 11 prior interest rate hikes to help ease inflation.

The 5.25%-5.5% range, in place since July, is the highest level in lending rates that the United States has practiced since 2001.

It was further indicated that three rate cuts were on the board in 2024, with another four in 2025. Three additional cuts were forecasted for 2026, with the ultimate goal being to cut rates to between 2% and 2.25%.

🇺🇸 Funding ‘other wars’ oversees depletes US resources and reserves

With the United States’ resources stretched thin between funneling arms to Ukraine and aiding Israel, Washington would likely be unable to even “fight a one front war right now,” says Michael Maloof, a former senior security policy analyst in the Office of the US Secretary of Defense.

“And why fund other wars and other people when we can't even take care of our own?” he asks, noting how a growing number of Americans is becoming less and less thrilled about their government continuing to fund the regime in Kiev.

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🇮🇶🥾🇺🇸 Fifteen years ago on December 14, 2008, Iraqi journalist Mundtadar al-Zaidi threw his shoes at US President George W. Bush during a press conference with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. These shoes became a symbol of protest against US policy in the Middle East, against the war in Iraq, which by that time was already into its fifth year.

Al-Zaidi, in an exclusive interview with Sputnik, tells how this historical event affected his career.

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🇺🇸 House Republicans voted to formally authorize an impeachment inquiry into US President Joe Biden late Wednesday, a step lawmakers believe is needed to enforce subpoenas issued by the House Oversight and Judiciary Committees, which are heading the impeachment effort.

The vote, along partisan lines, saw Democrats overwhelmingly vote against the inquiry and all Republicans in favor of the measure.

The measure cleared the lower congressional chamber 221 to 212.

🇷🇺 🇲🇱 Russian language and culture center opens in Mali

"The work of the center will serve not only language and cultural education, but will also become a driving force for the emergence of new ideas, talents and common projects," said Oleg Yastrebov, Rector of Patrice Lumumba Peoples' Friendship University of Russia.

The project aims to promote the expansion of humanitarian cooperation between educational organizations in Russia and Mali and the further development of bilateral relations between the countries.

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FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr slammed his own agency’s decision to deny Starlink a previously awarded $866 million subsidy to bring broadband internet to more than 640,000 homes, alleging it is a coordinated effort by US President Joe Biden’s administration to target Starlink owner Elon Musk after his purchase of Twitter.

Carr argues the FCC created an impossible standard for Starlink, requiring it to demonstrate it is already providing internet at the required speed in the area, though the previous standard only required 40% coverage by December 31, 2025. He says that no other company awarded subsidies in 2020 would meet that standard.

“The Biden Administration is choosing to prioritize its political and ideological goals at the expense of connecting Americans. We can and should reverse course,” Carr wrote.

❗️ Russian air defenses in the Naro-Fominsk urban district repelled an attack by a drone flying toward the Russian capital, with no casualties or destruction reported, said Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin.

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🔥 Destroyed by precise hits

Russian paratroopers eliminate two Ukrainian tanks and one camoflaged gun using Lancet loitering munitions near Kleshcheyevka.

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🇮🇶🇺🇸 US hegemony must be stopped, it is absolutely unacceptable, Iraqi journalist Mundtadar al-Zaidi, who threw his shoes at US President George W. Bush in 2008, told Sputnik.

He also compared the tragedy of the US occupation of Iraq and current catastrophe in the Gaza Strip.

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The US is heading towards a massive recession, possibly a depression, due to its endless printing of money to fund the military and dole out foreign aid, economist Mark Frost told Sputnik’s Fault Lines.

🗣 “I run the local Humane Society here and pet abandonments are at an all-time high. People show up and say ‘I can’t afford my cats and dogs, can you take them?’ and that tells me, combined with all the macroeconomic leading indicators that we’re heading into a severe recession, to the point where you might even use the depression word,” Frost explained. “If that happens[...] no one is going to care about Iran.”

Frost said that while he has voted for more Democrats in his life than Republicans, he cannot understand the Biden administration’s actions, calling them “economic suicide.”

“The problem is, we are going to have 40-50 million Americans that are going to land really hard and probably 10 million of them are just going to splatter on the concrete,” Frost explained.

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🇮🇶 A thrown shoe is a sign of extreme disrespect in Arab culture. Iraqi journalist Mundtadar al-Zaidi told Sputnik which of today's leaders and politicians he is ready to extend the contrary gesture to: a hand shake.

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📹 Assault units of the Russian Airborne Forces destroyed Ukrainian fighters during an attack on a strongpoint near the village of Rabotino in the Zaporozhye region. During the operation, two Ukrainian soldiers were captured (1:06).

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🇷🇺 Vladimir Putin's Annual Presser and Q&A Session: What Will the Focus Be?

Russian President Vladimir Putin will answer questions from Russians and journalists live on December 14, after 12:00 Moscow time (GMT+3).

"On December 14, Vladimir Putin will summarize the events of the year, it will be televised," as per presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov. So what has this year been famous for?

▪️The NATO-backed Ukrainian counteroffensive failed, prompting deep divisions in the Western bloc;

▪️Russia has completely adapted to sanctions pressure, as well as expanded its global outreach, and shown economic growth;

▪️Western efforts to isolate Russia have proven futile as demonstrated during Putin's Mideast tour;

▪️Putin formulated new civilizational principles of Russia's future development and its role in the new multipolar world at the XXV World Russian People's Council;

▪️Putin announced his 2024 re-election bid.

The event has attracted enormous attention in Russia: the number of questions has surpassed 2 million. New questions are continuing to arrive around the clock.

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🇺🇸 Milley laughed off Zaluzhny's demand to transfer F-16 fighters to Ukraine - Washington Post

The incident occurred during a telephone conversation between former head of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley and Ukrainian Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief Valery Zaluzhny after the leak of classified Pentagon documents in April 2023.

Zaluzhny assured him that the leak would be useful to Ukraine, a senior Ukrainian official said. “How so?” Milley asked. “It doesn’t say we have F-16s there, so send us some of those ASAP,” Zaluzhny said. Milley laughed in response, the source said.

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💰 Due to the rise in world gold prices, Russian reserves of this metal reached a record 151.9 billion dollars, according to data from Russia’s Central Bank.

The value of Russia's investments in gold increased by 2.2% in November, which was the highest level in modern history. The previous high was $148.7 billion in October.

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📹 Russian Grad MLRS crews at night destroyed the positions of Ukrainian forces in the Krasny Liman direction in the special military op zone.

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