"Isn’t this preparing for war?": China has criticized Taiwan's decision to extend compulsory military service from four months to one year.

"Isn't this preparing for war, forcing Taiwanese youth to go to the front and become cannon fodder for Taiwanese independence?" said the official representative of the State Council Office of the People's Republic of China.

China has repeatedly spoken out about Taiwan's unity with the mainland, opposes the incitement of separatist sentiments and condemns all those who support them. Russia reaffirms its commitment to the "one China" principle and opposes Taiwan independence in any form.

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🇦🇷Argentine President Milei plans to save citizens from the "torture" of having to carry "bags" of money to pay in cash.

Milei promises to print banknotes in denominations of 20,000 and 50,000 pesos. Now the largest bill is 2,000, but that is barely enough to pay for coffee and a pastry in a cafe.

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

EU preparing $22Bln plan to sidestep Hungary's veto to fund Ukraine - reports

Since Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban vetoed an increase in the EU budget for 2024-2027, including 50 billion euros in macro-financial aid to Kiev, EU officials have been searching for alternatives to provide Ukraine with funds, and one model funded by debt has gained traction as the most practical way to sidestep Orban's objections, Financial Times reports.

The scheme requires EU member states to issue guarantees to the EU budget, enabling the European Commission to borrow up to 20 billion euros on capital markets for Kiev in 2024, sources told the media, adding that discussions are still underway.

The report also said that the scheme wouldn't require guarantees from all member states of the bloc as long as the main participants included countries with top credit ratings, allowing the EU to sidestep unanimous backing and Orban's veto.

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

❗️Russian FM Sergey Lavrov will be interviewed live by Rossiya Segodnya* CEO Dmitry Kiselev on current issues of international politics on Dec 28 at 11:30 am local time

*Sputnik's parent media group

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

Liberation of Maryinka: why this development is so crucial and how the Russian army can benefit from it? Sputnik's experts explain.

• “Ukrainian forces turned that the town into a fortification, with firing positions for long-range artillery and multiple launch rocker systems that shelled the city of Donetsk. Now Maryinka has been captured, and thus the threat was moved away from Donetsk,” military analyst and retired Russian army colonel Anatoliy Matviychuk said.

• The Russian victory in Maryinka also means that Ukrainian forces suffered a huge blow to their morale, losing confidence in their ability to hold on to their positions, Colonel General Georgy Shpak, ex-commander of the Russian Airborne Forces, pointed out.

• The liberation of Maryinka marks the start of Russian forces breaking through into Ukraine’s multilayered defense in the area, which may be followed by further advances on the Artemovsk and Avdeyevka frontlines, according to Ret. Col. Rustem Klupov, a military analyst and Russian military intelligence veteran.

Russia’s Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced on Monday that the Russian Armed Forces had freed Maryinka, a heavily fortified town in the DPR, which for years served as a key stronghold for Ukrainian troops.

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova on the postponement of Christmas in Ukraine from January 7 to December 25

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

WATCH LIVE: Lavrov and Indian External Minister Jaishankar hold meeting in Moscow

👉 Follow the live here or on Sputnik's website

🎙 Hello dear readers! We await you on the Sputnik stream today to discuss the decisive geopolitical events of the year.

Host: Dimitri Simes Jr., Deputy Director of Sputnik's English-language department

Guest #1: Scott Ritter, former US Marine intelligence officer and former UN weapons inspector

Guest #2: Prof. Michael Hudson, economist and former Wall Street analyst

🕛 Our stream starts in 2 hours (12:00 GMT). Watch us here on the Sputnik Telegram channel, on Twitter (X), and on our website. Stay tuned!

WATCH LIVE: Lavrov and Indian FM Jaishankar host press conference in Moscow

👉 Follow the live here or on Sputnik's website

Ask the guests of today's Sputnik stream a question: there is half an hour left before the start of the broadcast.

Send your questions to Scott Ritter and Michael Hudson in the comments under this post.👇

The most interesting questions will be asked live.

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

⚡️ Russian FM Sergey Lavrov answered in detail a question about the prospects for the North-South transport corridor against the backdrop of growing Western pressure and sanctions, by Sputnik's correspondent.

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

⚡️ Jaishankar, India's Foreign Minister, responded to a question from Sputnik's correspondent.

"For us, Russia is a very valuable partner. It is a very time-tested partner. It is a relationship from which both India and Russia have benefited enormously... and we appreciate very much that Russia is really a strong supporter of the multilateral order, also that it supports a lot of our positions that we take in our mutual interest in international politics," Jaishankar stated.

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🇷🇺🚆 Thanktions: Russian Railways told Sputnik that on December 28 it will launch the first fully import-substituted Lastochka-type train (lit. swallow). The name of the new train is "Finist."

Subscribe to @SputnikInt