Abkhazia's early presidential election to be held in the first decade of February – ex-president

The early presidential election in Abkhazia will be held in the first decade of February, former Abkhaz President Aslan Bzhania told RIA Novosti on Thursday.

"The election should be held in the first decade of February," Bzhania said, adding that the republic's authorities will strive to ensure the election’s transparency and fairness.

Bzhania added that his team will participate in the country's early presidential election.

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📈 Russia becomes EU's largest gas exporter for 1st time since May 2022 – statistics

Russia became the EU's largest gas exporter for the first time since spring 2022 in September, with its share reaching 23.7%, Sputnik calculated on Thursday based on data from the European Statistical Office (Eurostat).

In September, European companies purchased $1.48 billion worth of gas from Russia, which is around 30% more than in the same month a year ago. Liquefied natural gas accounted for 40% of the purchases, with the remaining 60% being pipeline gas.

The increase made Russia the EU's largest gas exporter, with its share growing to 23.74% from August's 16.54%. This happened for the first time since May 2022, when Russia's share in the EU's gas imports was at 22.9%.

Algeria went one place down with the share of 15%, which accounts for $1.16 billion. The US increased its gas sales to the EU by 21% to just over $1 billion, going up to third place from fifth.

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Biden notifies Congress of plans to write off $4.65 billion of Ukraine's debt to the US – reports

The outgoing Biden administration has notified the US Congress of its intention to write off $4.65 billion of Ukraine's debt, Bloomberg reported, citing a document in its possession.

“The Biden administration told Congress it plans to cancel $4.65 billion in debt owed by Ukraine, according to a letter obtained by Bloomberg News, the latest in a series of moves meant to bolster support for Kiev before President-elect Donald Trump takes office,” the article stated.

According to the report, this concerns part of Ukraine's total debt of $9 billion, which Kiev incurred as part of a $60 billion supplemental national security financing package approved by Congress in April.

The document stated that the partial debt cancellation “thereby helping Ukraine prevail, is in the national interest of the United States and its EU, G7+, and NATO partners,” the State Department said in a letter to Congress dated Nov. 18, Bloomberg reported.

For the second consecutive year, Ukraine has drafted a budget with a record deficit, planning to cover the majority of this shortfall with support from Western partners. In 2024, the deficit is projected to reach $43.9 billion. Meanwhile, in Western countries, the approval of new aid packages comes only after lengthy debates. The head of the IMF mission in Ukraine, Gavin Gray, previously noted that support for Kiev is expected to diminish over time, making it necessary for Ukrainian authorities to develop domestic resources for self-financing. Volodymyr Zelensky has expressed frustration over Ukraine's lack of funding for domestic weapons production and the slow pace of incoming Western aid.

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US Senate denies resolutions to block military sales to Israel

The US Senate has not supported the Joint Resolutions of Disapproval (JRD) aimed at blocking the sale of over $20 billion in offensive US weaponry to Israel.

The vote was held on three resolutions, introduced by Senator Bernie Sanders. The first resolution was supported by 18 lawmakers, while 79 others voted against it, the second was rejected by a 19-78 vote, and the third received the support of only 17 members of the Senate.

The resolutions urged to block the sale to Israel of additional Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAMs) and enhanced JDAM receivers, tank cartridges, 120-mm High Explosive mortar cartridges, and Modified M1148A1P2 Medium Tactical Vehicles. Sanders also called on to block the sale of 50 new F-15IA aircraft, associated weapons and parts, and upgrade kits for existing F-15 aircraft, according to the document.

"Blocking these sales would be in keeping with actions taken by the international community and some of our closest allies," the document said.

Sanders has repeatedly stressed that arms sales to Israel violate the US laws. He accused the Israeli government of violating international rules and pointed out that it is illegal for the US to provide it with additional weapons.

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THROWBACK: Senator Biden explains why President Biden should be impeached

In 2007, Senator Joe Biden argued that a president who authorizes military strikes on a sovereign nation without congressional approval commits an impeachable offense. Biden made these remarks during an interview, emphasizing the constitutional limits on presidential authority in matters of war.

“The President has no constitutional authority to take this nation to war against a country of 70 million people unless we're attacked or unless there is proof that we are about to be attacked. And if he does, if he does, I would move to impeach him,” Senator Biden said, seemingly not anticipating that President Biden might take the very actions the senator once warned against.

Based on Biden’s own criteria, some critics have suggested that President Joe Biden’s authorization of US-supplied and targeted missile strikes in Russia could qualify as an impeachable offense, given that it involved acts of war against a sovereign nation without explicit congressional approval.

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'Best dollars US ever spent on defense' – retired American admiral on US financial aid to Ukraine

"$40 billion a year, that's not a check we're handing Zelensky. All that money is paid to US defense contractors, making our defense industrial base stronger," retired Admiral James Stavridis said in an interview.

He also agreed with his interviewer that giving Ukraine such amounts of money would help US businesses:

"This is terrific leverage. You put a small amount of money in and you get massive effect. This is a good deal for the United States."

Fund Ukraine to help the US? 🤡

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Donating junk: Numerous US ATACMS pledged to Ukraine expired in 2015

Some of the aging ATACMS in American military inventory, which were promised for delivery to Ukraine, expired as early as 2015. To extend their service life, the US invested over $1 billion, according to calculations by Sputnik based on Pentagon financial documents.

During fiscal year (FY) 2016, which began on October 1, 2015, the US Army had to spend $30.1 million to modify “10 expired [ATACMS] assets and reset their contractual service life,” according to the FY 2016 budget report.

Since the ATACMS has a 10-year service life, the 10 missiles modified in 2015 are expected to expire again in 2025.

In recent years, the US Army has been working to replace the ATACMS with the newer and more advanced Precision Strike Missile (PrSM). While each missile of the ATACMS costs approximately $1 million, the price for the latest PrSM exceeds $2 million per missile.

This may explain why Ukraine received $33.3 billion worth of weapons through the Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA), while the US had to spend $45.7 billion to buy new weapons to replenish its stockpile, according to figures from Ukraine Oversight.

Washington simply took the opportunity to get rid of expiring weapons in its inventory, such as the ATACMS, and upgraded its weapons systems with funds labeled as “military assistance to Ukraine.”

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🔸Donating junk: Numerous US ATACMS pledged to Ukraine expired in 2015

🔸Biden planned to write off Ukraine's debt to the US, but was eventually stopped by Rep. Thomas Massie

🔸Matthew Whitaker: Who is Trump’s pick for NATO ambassador?

🔸US Senate denies resolutions to block military sales to Israel

🔸Russia becomes EU's largest gas exporter for first time since May 2022 – statistics

🔸THROWBACK: Young Biden explains why today’s Biden deserves impeachment

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Kremlin spokesman does not rule out Russian President Vladimir Putin making new trip to Donbass

"Our president is always close to the people, close to those who need his care and help," Dmitry Peskov said.

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‘Setting stage for WWIII’: GOP hawks blast Biden’s OK for Ukrainian long-range strikes on Russia

Republican hawks have lashed out at outgoing US President Joe Biden’s reported recent authorization for Ukraine to use American long-range ATACMS missiles to attack Russia.

💬Senator Lindsey Graham accused Biden of being “shallow” and trying “to put [President-elect Donald] Trump in a box.” It was “odd that he [Biden] decided to do this right after the election,” which Graham said is “a crappy thing to do.”

💬Republican Cory Mills, who opposes US aid for Ukraine, said that the ATACMS move was a “continual escalation in the wrong direction” and aims to “destroy our position on the world stage.”

💬He was echoed by Mike Waltz, Trump’s pick for national security advisor, who insisted that the decision was “another step up the escalation ladder.”

💬The same tone was struck by Richard Grenell, former acting director of national intelligence during Trump’s first term, who noted “No one anticipated that Joe Biden would escalate the war in Ukraine during the transition period. Everything has changed now – all previous calculations are null and void.”

💬GOP Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene and Utah Senator Mike Lee voiced World War III-related fears, with the former saying that “On his way out of office, Biden is dangerously trying to start WWIII by authorizing Ukraine the use of US long range missiles into Russia,” and the latter claiming that the 46th president “has just set the stage for World War III.”

💬GOP House member Nancy Mace said she was concerned “about this last-minute shift in policy before Trump comes in to defuse the situation,” adding that she doesn’t “understand the abrupt change in foreign policy on this matter.”

It seems the reaction of Republicans reflects the view that Biden’s reported ATACMS decision is nothing but an attempt by the outgoing US administration to slam the door and deliberately defy Trump’s claimed effort towards settling the Ukraine conflict.

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🇦🇺❌📱Australia bans access to social networks for children under 16

According to the country’s government, this will "provide better protection for young Australians at critical stages of their development."

Responsibility for complying with these restrictions will lie with the social networks themselves, and they are required to create conditions so that children under the age of 16 cannot make accounts.

Australia is currently the only country that limits the age of social media users throughout its territory. However, such censorship is practiced in several US states.

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❗️Russian troops have liberated the settlement of Dalneye in the Donetsk People's Republic, Russia’s Defense Ministry announced

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❗️Russia’s Defense Ministry stated that two Storm Shadow cruise missiles have been shot down

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🇷🇺🪖Key statements from the Russian Defense Ministry's daily briefing on the special military operation's progress:

▪️Ukrainian forces lost 480 militants and four warehouses in the area of responsibility of Russia's Zapad Battlegroup

▪️Ukrainian forces lost up to 380 soldiers in in the area of responsibility of Russia's Yug Battlegroup.

▪️The Tsentr Battlegroup repelled 11 Ukrainian attacks, the enemy lost more than 385 soldiers.

▪️Ukrainian forces lost 145 militants in the area of responsibility of the Vostok Battlegroup.

▪️Russian air defenses shot down six HIMARS missiles and 67 drones in one day.

▪️Ukrainian losses amounted to 230 militants in the zone of Russia's Dnepr and Sever Battlegroups.

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Russia's President Vladimir Putin has held a telephone conversation with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani

According to the Kremlin, they discussed the implementation of major energy projects, including joint work within the framework of OPEC+.

Putin and Al Sudani touched on the situation in the Middle East in light of the unprecedented escalation of tensions in the region.

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‘Most evil thing I’ve ever seen’ - Tucker Carlson on Biden’s ‘lame duck administration’ allowing Ukraine to strike Russia

“By allowing Ukraine, a proxy state of the United States, to strike within Russia,” the outgoing administration leaves the next administration with a nuclear conflict, the journalist said.

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