The Northern Sea Route is now becoming a more efficient maritime trade corridor than the Suez Canal, Vladimir Putin said.

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🫥 Expectations vs reality: How US Congress debates aid package to Ukraine

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🇷🇺🇨🇳 Trade between Russia and China in January-November reached over $200 billion and could hit as much as $220 billion by the end of the year, the acting head of the Russian Customs Service, Ruslan Davydov, said on Monday.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, set a goal to reach $200 billion in bilateral trade by 2024 back in February 2022, after the previous threshold of $100 billion was attained in 2018.

At the end of 2022, trade between the two countries increased by 29.3% amounting to a record $190.271 billion.

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🗣 Why Ukraine is Doomed

"The day of the West turning over hundreds of tanks, hundreds of infantry fighting vehicles, hundreds of artillery pieces is over. We just don't have it left to give. So the best Zelensky can hope for is penny packets of armor, penny packets of infantry fighting vehicles, some ammunition, maybe an F-16 or 2. ... All of this is just about political posturing. I think that the Biden administration finds it absolutely imperative in the lead up to the 2024 elections come November that they'd be seen as doing everything possible to save Ukraine, even though at this juncture they know Ukraine can't be saved," Scott Ritter, former US Marine intelligence officer, told Sputnik.

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Spying device found at Ukrainian top general's office

There could be at least three potential perpetrators behind the discovery, according to Volodymyr Oleynyk, a Ukrainian politician and former MP of the Verkhovna Rada: the Russian special services, Zelensky's team, or Zaluzhny's team.

"Everyone knows that Zaluzhny is a political competitor for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Zaluzhny’s rating is twice as high," Oleynyk told Sputnik.

There are two Ukrainian intelligence agencies that could be involved, per Oleynyk. One is the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) – that found the devices; the other one is the Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense. Both agencies are subordinate to the Zelensky government. Still, Oleynyk does not rule out that Zaluzhny's team arranged the "false flag" to present the general as a persecuted hero at the time when Zelensky is cracking down on him.

👉 Check out Sputnik's article to find out more

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The United States will announce a new aid package for Ukraine at the end of December, it will be the last one, according to the White House

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EU expands lists of personal sanctions against Russia, adds 61 individuals, 86 organizations, according to the document

The list of sanctions includes Russian aircraft manufacturer Ilyushin Aviation Complex, research foundation Tupolev, a Kazan Helicopter plant, Tula Arms Plant and Russia's federal financial monitoring service.

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On US aid to Ukraine: Kirby says that the US has allocated all remaining funds available to restock US supplies and to replace what they're sending to Ukraine.

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Fighting in Gaza continues to hinder full scale distribution of aid, UN Spokesman Stephane Dujarric stated on Monday.

Humanitarian aid has arrived into Gaza via both Rafah and Kerem Shalom crossings but it still does not meet the needs of the people because of continued fighting, the spokesman said.

"Humanitarian supplies have entered Gaza from both the Rafah and Kerem Shalom crossings. While this is indeed a positive development, the conditions to deliver humanitarian aid at scale that respond to the people’s needs still do not exist as the fighting continues," Dujarric told a briefing.

The UN colleagues of the World Food Program distributed more than 9,000 hot meals to internally displaced people, he added.

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🔥 Drone operators in action

📹 A Russian drone operator crew eliminates a Ukrainian dugout with personnel in Artyomovsk (Bakhmut) region.

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🇮🇱🇸🇾 Israeli fighter jets carried out strikes using six guided bombs on targets near Damascus, having wounded two Syrian soldiers, Rear Adm. Vadim Kulit, deputy head of the Russian Defense Ministry's Center for Reconciliation of Opposing Sides in Syria, said on Monday.

"On December 17th, from 22:02-22.09 [local time, 19:02-19:09 GMT], two F-15 tactical fighter jets of the Israeli air force, struck with six guided aerial bombs at objects in the vicinity of the city of Damascus from the occupied Golan Heights without entering Syrian airspace," Kulit told a briefing.

The Syrian air defense forces on duty intercepted some of the guided aerial bombs, but as a result of the Israeli air strike two Syrian soldiers were injured, the official added.

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🇪🇺 The European Union has exempt the Sakhalin-2 project from complying with the Russian oil price cap mechanism until June 28, 2024, according to a document published in the Official Journal of the European Union on Monday.

"The price cap mechanism provides that specific projects that are essential for the energy security of certain third countries may be exempted from the price cap agreed by the Price Cap Coalition. Decision (CFSP) 2023/2874 extends the exemption provided for in relation to the Sakhalin-2... Project, located in Russia, until 28 June 2024 to ensure Japan’s energy security needs," the document read.

In addition, the EU has excluded the items for personal use of travelers, as well as valuables for cultural exchange with Russia from the ban on Russian diamonds, according to the document.

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💵 The United States will run out of Ukraine aid funding on December 30 after it completes a transfer of $1.07 billion to replenish US stocks of weapons sent to Ukraine, Pentagon Comptroller Michael McCloud said in a letter obtained by Sputnik on Monday.

"Once these funds are obligated, the Department will have exhausted the funding available to us for security assistance to Ukraine," the official stated.

McCloud in the letter to Congress urged lawmakers to approve Biden's $106 billion supplemental package to address US national security concerns, which includes some $60 billion for Ukraine.

The United States will only be able to provide Ukraine with one more additional aid package before the end of the year absent approval for new funding, according to McCloud.

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🇷🇺🇨🇳 Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin has arrived in Beijing, where he will meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier of the State Council Li Qiang.

The Russian delegation's visit to Beijing is scheduled for December 19-20. In addition to talks with Xi Jinping and Li Qiang, Mishustin is also expected to hold the 28th regular meeting of the heads of government of Russia and China.

During the upcoming contacts, the parties are expected to consider the development of Russia-China relations of comprehensive partnership and strategic cooperation. Special attention will be paid to expanding trade and economic cooperation and promoting major joint projects in various fields.

The countries are also expected to adopt a joint communiqué and sign a number of Russia-China documents.

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🇳🇪 EXCLUSIVE: Niger is not ruling out a possibility of military invasion of the country, prime minister says

🗣 "There is no need to have any illusions, anything can happen at any moment. But remember that we have a hardened army, an army that is stronger than terrorists," Niger's Prime Minister Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine told Sputnik, adding that Niger will take all the necessary measures to protect its sovereignty "if any state decides to attack us."

In addition, Zeine noted that Niger continues to fight for the lifting of sanctions imposed by the ECOWAS, revealing that the country expects to resume negotiations with the organization in January.

👉 Check out the full interview

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🇷🇺 A special aircraft of the Russian Emergencies Ministry (EMERCOM) has delivered the final group of Russian citizens evacuated from the Gaza Strip: 73 people have arrived at Domodedovo, the ministry reported.

"A special aircraft of the Russian Emergencies Ministry transported the final group of citizens of the Russian Federation evacuated from the Gaza Strip. The IL-76 airplane of the Russian Emergencies Ministry delivered 73 citizens, including 45 children, from Cairo to Domodedovo airport... Russian rescuers evacuated from the zone of the Palestine-Israel conflict all willing Russians and members of their families - a total of 1,124 people, including 518 children," the statement read.

The ministry stressed that while working at the Rafah border checkpoint, task force of the EMERCOM together with representatives of the International Civil Defense Organization provided humanitarian aid to the evacuated citizens. It included hygiene kits, toys for children, and hot meals.

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❗️ US Defense Secretary Austin announces multinational operation to secure Red Sea amid increase in Houthi attacks.

According to the Pentagon, the UK, Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Seychelles, and Spain are going to take part in the operation.

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US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin in a statement announced the establishment of a multinational operation to secure the Red Sea amid a surge of Yemeni Houthis’ attacks on cargo ships.

“Today, I am announcing the establishment of Operation Prosperity Guardian, an important new multinational security initiative under the umbrella of the Combined Maritime Forces and the leadership of its Task Force 153, which focuses on security in the Red Sea,” the statement said on Monday.

“Operation Prosperity Guardian is bringing together multiple countries to include the United Kingdom, Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Seychelles and Spain, to jointly address security challenges in the southern Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, with the goal of ensuring freedom of navigation for all countries and bolstering regional security and prosperity,” Austin stated.

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🇷🇺 Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Monday he had reminded UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres at the G20 summit in September that Moscow was still waiting for the publication of the list of those allegedly killed in the Ukrainian city of Bucha.

"I saw him [Guterres] later at the G20 summit in India this fall. We had a talk. I reminded him of my request. He told me, 'Well, it's not in my competence'," Lavrov told Russia's Channel One.

The top Russian diplomat replied that the Bucha incident had become a central one in the war unleashed against Russia and "in the series of unprecedented sanctions that anyone has ever imposed against anyone." The incident raises massive suspicions as the UN refuses to publish the list of the alleged victims, Lavrov added.

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