US & China wrap up military talks at Pentagon for first time in 4 years

Michael Chase, deputy assistant secretary of defense for China, Taiwan, and Mongolia, has met with China's Major General Song Yanchao, according to US Defense Department readout.

The talks were held amid the US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin’s secret hospitalization scandal which had raised questions about who was in charge of the nation's defense and security for over a week.

The US side claimed keeping lines of military communication open would “prevent competition from veering into conflict.” However, after the talks, China reiterated that the US should first put an end to its “provocative actions” in the South China Sea, abide by the One China principle, stop arming Taiwan, and not support Taiwanese self-proclamation attempts.

The military sit-down also came as Taiwan is holding regional leadership elections this weekend.

“The United States should fully understand the root causes of the maritime and air security issues, strictly restrain its front-line forces, and stop hyping up [the issues],” China's Ministry of National Defense was cited as stating.

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US intelligence agencies are again scaring people with alleged Russian interference in the presidential election. This time, the director of the US National Security Agency and the head of the FBI have spoken about the possibility of Moscow’s “influence.”

In their opinion, the conflict in Ukraine is only strengthening Moscow's desire to influence the situation in the US, and that this year is important for Russia.

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WATCH LIVE: Putin pays first-ever visit to Russia's Chukotka

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🇷🇺 Russian Black Sea Fleet Marines destroy temporary deployment point of Ukrainian forces on right bank of Dnepr River

Having received exact target coordinates, the artillerymen promptly aimed their guns and destroyed the enemy with 122 mm shells from a D-30 howitzer. The Marines had only a few minutes to carry out their work in order to remain unnoticed by Ukrainian units stationed on the right bank of the Dnepr River.

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The secret meeting in Riyadh on Ukraine's peace talks with Russia was nothing more than Zelensky's PR campaign, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.

"The concept of putting the political spotlight on the Zelensky regime can be described in plain Russian, peppered with English, as a PR campaign of the Zelensky regime”.

In mid-December 2023, Ukraine's national security advisers held a meeting in Riyadh with representatives of the G7 countries and some Global South nations, where Kiev sought support for its so-called “Zelensky's 10-point peace plan”.

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🇷🇺 Vladimir Putin says that though he’s in his prime, he feels that he has the strength and energy to solve the challenges facing the country.

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🇷🇺🇧🇷 Russia emerges as top supplier of petroleum products to Brazil as trade between both countries surges

In December 2023, trade turnover hit $1.6 billion, with Brazil's imports reaching an all-time high of $1.5 billion, according to data from the statistical service.

Petroleum led the charge, totaling a whopping $1.14 billion, while solidifying Russia's position as the leading supplier of petroleum products to Brazil's energy sector.

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Sputnik knew about secret G7 meeting on Ukraine from an exclusive interview with Sergey Lavrov in December

“Given our good relations, I can say that ten days ago, another meeting took place: the G7 plus the leading developing countries. However, not all countries from the World Majority participated,” Russia’s Foreign Minister said on December 28 in an interview with Dmitry Kiselev, director general of Rossiya Segodnya, the parent media group of Sputnik.

“The meeting was held in complete secrecy. Nothing about it was reported anywhere. There were no leaks,” Lavrov noted.

And when asked if Moscow knew, the top diplomat replied, “we know”.

▪️ A secret meeting took place in December 2023 between Ukraine, its G7 allies, and a small group of Global South countries, Bloomberg “exclusively” reported Tuesday.

▪️ The smaller format gathering was hosted by Saudi Arabia.

▪️ Top officials from India, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye reportedly joined the meeting.

▪️ However, China, Brazil, and the United Arab Emirates, who attended previous larger sessions, were said to have been a no-show this time.

▪️ The discussion in Riyadh centered on Ukraine’s so-called peace formula, and plans for “potentially engaging with Russia in the future.”

▪️ No major progress was achieved at the event, said sources cited by the outlet.

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US meddling in Taiwan vote amid threat of China-friendly parties undermining American hegemony

Taiwan’s future and that of China-US tensions over the island are staked on “who is the winner or the loser” in the upcoming January 13 leadership vote, Thomas W. Pauken II, a veteran Asia-Pacific affairs expert and author has told Sputnik.

Chinese officials have accused Washington of Meddling in Taiwan’s electoral process, citing a recent US arms sale, diplomatic support for the ruling party’s China-hostile line, meetings with candidates by America’s de facto ambassador, and other tricks.

That’s because the US is mindful that “if the Kuomintang wins or the Taiwan People’s Party wins, we will see better relations between Taipei and Beijing,” Pauken said.

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