📑Ukraine gets nearly $100 billion in foreign financial aid

The United States, Canada, the EU, the United Kingdom, Japan, as well as international organizations continue pouring billions of dollars in military equipment, training, and economic assistance to the Kiev regime.

Russia has stated that arms deliveries to Ukraine impede a settlement process, involve NATO countries in the conflict, and lead to unintended consequences.

👉 Check out Sputnik's infographics to see how the West sponsors its proxy war in Ukraine.

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🚜 Knockout blow for Europe’s farmers? Why EU’s food producers fear Latin America trade pact

European farmers are up in arms over the EU-Mercosur Trade Agreement, which could compound their losses and further undermine competitiveness. Here’s what to know about the controversial pact:

🔸 The pact proposes slashing over 90% of existing trade barriers, and “preferential” duties for what remains.

🔸 If approved, Mercosur members (Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay) would enjoy favored access to Europe’s agricultural market.

🔸 Reeling from spikes in fuel and fertilizer prices caused by their politicians’ restrictions against Russia, and battered by Brussels’ ‘green agenda’ of stringent carbon emission standards, Europe’s farmers fear the trade agreement could be a death blow.

🔸 Besides competition, opponents have cited the pact’s imbalance, with Mercosur producers not facing the same food safety, GMO, health and environmental standards.

What's EU member's stance?

🔸 France has sought to join forces with Poland, Austria, Hungary and Ireland to stop the pact. To succeed, four EU members representing 35%+ of the bloc’s population must be opposed.

🔸 Chancellor Scholz of Germany, presently mired in a political crisis at home, has been one of the trade pact’s top proponents, citing its “major geostrategic role.” Berlin also stands to gain economically, as its vehicles, chemicals and machinery would enjoy preferential access to the Mercosur market.

Europe’s farmers have proven able to stand up for their interests in the past. In 2022 and 2023, as cheap Ukrainian-sourced grain flooded into Europe, farmers held mass protests, forcing the European Commission to reintroduce tariffs, saving domestic producers and costing Ukrainian latifundistas $355 mln per year.

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💬 Trump’s return terrifies a Europe already wracked by self-inflicted economic calamity

“The return of the ‘tariff war’ is one of the pillars of Trump's economic policy,” EU policy analyst Massimiliano Bonne told Sputnik, commenting on the implications and prospects for Europe of the business mogul’s looming return to the White House.

In addition to riling up fierce economic competition with China, Bonne expects Trump’s approach, which includes threats of cross-the-board tariff increases of 10-20%, to have “direct consequences for Europe, both economically and strategically, so that the frictions in the US-EU-China trade ‘triangle’ will push Europe to accelerate integration processes, especially to defend its autonomy.”

“In particular, the EU will face pressure from Washington to align with US policies, which could limit European strategic autonomy. At the same time, China will see Europe as a potentially more open partner than the US, strengthening its economic and diplomatic influence on the continent,” the observer said.

German wildcard

Highlighting the “critical phase of deindustrialization” facing Europe’s big two economies – Germany and France, Bonne believes the situation in Germany, including the political crisis that began this week, makes it a wildcard, with falling output, the crisis of the automotive sector, budget deficits and the growing burden of supporting the EU banking and fiscal union could prompt voters to “push a future government to reconsider Germany’s role within the EU.”

“This would allow for greater flexibility in setting trade policies to defend local industry, including key sectors such as vehicle and machinery manufacturing, and Germany might choose to consider a more fluid policy with China. The growing political instability in Germany could therefore significantly affect the future of the EU…with potential consequences for the balance and cohesion of the European project,” Bonne said.

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Who is spitballed for top Trump cabinet posts?

President-elect Donald Trump has tapped his senior campaign adviser Susan Wiles to serve as his White House chief of staff when he takes office in January.

🔸 Wiles currently serves as Trump’s campaign co-chair alongside Chris LaCivita.

🔸 She led Trump’s Florida operations during his 2016 presidential campaign.

🔸 Wiles worked with Ron DeSantis (R) on his gubernatorial campaign in Florida; was campaign manager for Senator Rick Scott (R) during his bid for governor in 2010; and worked on the presidential bids of Jon Huntsman, Jr. and Mitt Romney.

Who else could be in Trump’s Cabinet?

Secretary of State:

🔸 Richard Grenell is seen as a top contender for the post of either secretary of state or national security advisor. He served as the US ambassador to Germany, and then as acting director of national intelligence. Grenell is believed to share Trump's desire to immediately end the Ukraine conflict by pushing Kiev to make territorial concessions.

🔸 Tennessee Senator Bill Hagerty (R) served as Trump’s ambassador to Japan before running for Senate in 2020. He was among the group of senators who voted against the national security aid package passed earlier this year with increased funding for Ukraine.

🔸 Robert O’Brien, Trump's fourth (and final) national security advisor during his first term, is seen as a big supporter of NATO and Ukraine military aid.

🔸 Rep. Michael Waltz (R-Fla.), US Army veteran and strident China hawk, has supported aid to Ukraine, albeit seeking to boost oversight of taxpayer funding for Kiev. Waltz is also considered a possible candidate for the post of defense secretary.

Defense Secretary:

🔸 Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, advised Trump during his first presidency. He has been a supporter of continued US aid for Ukraine.

🔸 Mike Pompeo, Trump’s former head of the CIA and later secretary of state, has the reputation of being a strong supporter of Israel and hardliner on Iran.

A post for Elon Musk:

Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX and owner of the social media platform X, is among the most famous backers of Donald Trump’s campaign for the US presidency.

Earlier this year, Trump suggested that Musk could lead a new ‘Department of Government Efficiency’, or DOGE – also the name of a cryptocurrency promoted by the tech tycoon – aimed at saving tax dollars and cutting red tape.

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Israeli PM appoints new US ambassador

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has appointed a new ambassador to the United States after Donald Trump's election victory – former deputy education minister Yechiel Leiter.

"Dr. Leiter was born in the US and is deeply familiar with the American administration and society," Netanyahu posted on X.

Leiter's son, Major Moshe Yedidya Leiter, was killed in action in the Gaza Strip on 10 November 2023, the statement added.

At his son’s funeral, Leiter urged US President Joe Biden to end his criticism of Israel’s offensive against the Palestinian territory.

"Stand back, Mr. President. Don’t pressure us. Let us do what we know how to do, indeed what we must do, to defeat evil," he said.

What do we know about new Israeli ambassador to the US?

◾️ Leiter previously held senior government positions in Israel, including deputy director-general of the education ministry, chief of staff to the finance minister and acting chairman of the Israel Ports Company.

◾️He was born in Biden’s home town of Scranton, Pennsylvania, in a religious Zionist family, and moved to Israel at the age of 18. Since 1992, Leiter and his family have lived in illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank.

◾️Leiter also founded and headed the Foreign Office of the Yesha Council, the organization that calls for formal Israeli annexation of the occupied West Bank.

◾️ Leiter will assume on January 10, before Trump’s inauguration. Earlier, Trump spoke in favor of Israel's control over the West Bank, thus the issue is expected to be a top priority for US-Israel relations.

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'There is no treatment, diseases are spreading, people are dying': inside the last working hospital in northern Gaza

In the north of the Gaza Strip, only one hospital remains partially operational – the Kemal Adwan Hospital. For the 300,000 inhabitants of this area, this is the only source of medical care. Residents of the Jabaliya camp and the village of Beit Lahiya come here. But it has also been subjected to continuous attacks in the last few weeks.

"The hospital gates, many internal departments, and the only storage room for the surgical department burned down," explained Kemal Advan Hospital chief physician Hussam Abu Safiyah. "We just put the drugs we had received from the WHO there. As a result, both the operating room and all the supplies were ruined. We are praying that they will deliver us new drugs and medical supplies as soon as possible."

He stressed that the number of patients is greater than the hospital can handle, while many doctors and other medical personnel have been arrested.

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What new Russian weapons did Putin hint at in his Valdai speech?

In his address to the Valdai Forum, Russian President Vladimir Putin noted that Russia is completing tests and is about to put into service the high-tech weapons systems he spoke about five years ago.

"I think, first of all, he was talking about the systems that form the nuclear triad," Alexei Leonkov, a veteran Russian military analyst and editor of the magazine Arsenal of the Fatherland, told Sputnik. "This includes the Sarmat [intercontinental ballistic missile], the Poseidon underwater drone and the Burevestnik unlimited-range cruise missile."

The pundit explained that the nuclear-capable systems could be used in the event of open aggression against Russia.
Russia has recently field-tested its hypersonic and high-precision weapons including the Kinzhal, Zirkon and Iskander-M missile systems, Leonkov noted, which demonstrated high accuracy and efficiency during the special military operation in Ukraine.

"Russia is the only country in the world that used its hypersonic systems during combat operations," the military analyst highlighted.

Russia has no other choice but to strengthen its security since the US and NATO have torn up all previous agreements with Moscow on strategic stability and nuclear weapons, he said.

Washington gambled on the Ukraine conflict to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia, the pundit continued. But that proxy war has become a strategic defeat for the US itself, he stressed.

"None of the goals that the Americans set for their Ukrainian proxy forces – to defeat Russia or to not allow it to win – have been accomplished or will be accomplished. And everyone understands that," Leonkov said.

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Lukashenko schools 250 y/o US for ‘trying to teach people power’ to Belarus with its 1,000 y/o cities

Alexander Lukashenko visited the city of Polotsk, northern Belarus on Friday to take part in a regional fair and festival for village workers. While there, the Belarusian president recalled how it was here that Belarus’s path to statehood began some 1,200 years ago, and that by the 12th century, Polotsk was a “developed megapolis of Eastern Europe.”

It’s ironic, Lukashenko said, that today the West and especially the US “condescendingly” tries to teach Belarus about the meaning of “people power,” with America’s statehood going back only about 250 years.

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Musk reportedly joined Trump’s call with Zelensky

Two sources with knowledge of the Trump-Zelensky phone call told Axios that tech billionaire and potential future Trump ‘Department of Government Efficiency’ chief Elon Musk was in on the conversation.

Musk reportedly promised to continue supporting Ukraine through his Starlink satellites, with Trump reportedly assuring Zelensky of US support enough not to leave him “with a feeling of despair,” but adding that he ‘wants to give diplomacy a chance’ (Axios’s paraphrasing).

Musk also reportedly joined Trump on the line during the president-elect’s call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, which took place while Musk and Trump were eating dinner.

Musk and Zelensky have feuded repeatedly online over the past two years, with the billionaire’s October 2022 peace proposal poll prompting Zelensky to accuse Musk of “supporting Russia” (letting him off lightly compared to Ukraine’s former ambassador to Germany, who simply told Musk “f*ck you”).

In 2023, Musk tweeted a viral pic of a man resembling Zelensky with veins popping out of his neck and forehead captioned “When it’s been 5 minutes and you haven’t asked for a billion dollars in aid.” The same year, Musk agreed with an analysis saying that the conflict with Russia was “unwinnable” for Ukraine. In November 2023, Musk called Zelensky a “butcher” and praised C-in-C Valery Zaluzhny, who Zelensky later fired.

In May, responding to a post highlighting Zelensky’s illegitimacy after cancelled elections in Ukraine, Musk mockingly wrote that he “thought we were there to ‘uphold democracy’.”

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🔸 What new Russian weapons did Putin hint at in his Valdai speech?

🔸 Candidates for top posts in Trump’s team – who are they?

🔸 Tears and hysteria – TikTok vibe after Trump’s victory

🔸 Who is Yechiel Leiter, new Israeli ambassador to US?

🔸 Trump’s return and its meaning for a crises-torn Europe

🔸 Why are European farmers up in arms over the trade deal with Mercosur?

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🥴 Liberal TV hosts: Trump won because America is bad

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Who is potential Trump Sec. State pick Richard Grenell?

Ex-director of national intelligence and ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell has reportedly made the shortlist of potential candidates for the job of secretary of state – a post entailing responsibility for advising the president on foreign policy and carrying out his decisions.

Grenell’s public statements and actions provide clues about the kind of foreign policy guidance he might give Donald Trump:

🔸 The candidate is thought to share Trump’s desire to end the conflict in Ukraine. In July, he spitballed so-called “autonomous regions” in the conflict area, and said Kiev shouldn’t expect to join NATO anytime soon.

🔸 Grenell reportedly sat in on Trump’s meeting with Zelensky in September.

🔸 “[Trump] has shown he knows how to bring both sides to the table. He’s done it consistently. Arabs and Israelis, Russians and Ukrainians will be next,” Grenell said in a FP piece published this week on “Trump’s foreign policy plan.”

🔸 Ukrainian media fear Grenell’s appointment would “prioritize Trump’s desire to end the war quickly, even if it means making significant concessions for Ukraine.”

🔸 These positions don’t make Grenell a softy on Russia. In 2019, while serving as ambassador to Germany, Grenell repeatedly threatened European companies with sanctions over their involvement in the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project, prompting German politicians to brand him an “occupation officer” and to demand his expulsion.

“The Ukraine crisis remains a crucial issue in US foreign policy, especially with Trump in power,” political analyst Massimiliano Bonne told Sputnik, commenting on Grenell’s potential appointment.

“During his previous administration, Trump had adopted an ambivalent attitude towards Russia, despite the tensions in Eastern Europe. The new administration could find itself dealing with a protracted conflict between Kiev and Moscow, striking a difficult balance between supporting Ukraine and avoiding a direct escalation with Russia,” Bonne said.

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❗️Pentagon lifts ban on US contractors repairing weapons in Ukraine

The US Department of Defense has lifted a ban on the presence of US military contractors on Ukrainian territory to repair weapons supplied by Washington to Kiev.

“They will help Ukrainian Armed Forces rapidly repair and maintain US provided equipment, particularly F16 fighter jets and Patriot, so it can be quickly returned to the front lines,” a defense official told CNN.

They also noted that these contractors will be located far from the front lines and they will not be fighting Russian forces.

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Federal prosecution of Donald Trump put on hold

A federal judge has approved a request from Special Counsel Jack Smith to freeze his election interference case against the Republican president-elect.

“The Government respectfully requests that the Court vacate the remaining deadlines in the pretrial schedule to afford the Government time to assess this unprecedented circumstance and determine the appropriate course going forward consistent with Department of Justice policy,” Smith’s team wrote in a brief on Friday.

🔸 The decision follows recent discussions between Smith and the US Justice Department on closing the criminal cases against Trump. Trump was charged with mishandling classified files, paying so-called "hush money" and attempting to overturn the result of the 2020 election.

💬 Some scholars believe that he will be able to pardon himself when he takes office in January. According to the norms of US legal practice, a presidential pardon means an admission of guilt, but Trump pleaded not guilty.

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Trump won because American voters don’t understand that fascism is bad — liberal journalist

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❗️Bitcoin continues to rise, reachng another record high - $77,000

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🫡 Democrats lost because they weren’t Woke enough — New York Times columnist

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