Trump wants ceasefire in Gaza ASAP — Lindsey Graham

President-Elect Donald Trump wants to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza and a hostage deal before he takes office, Senator Lindsey Graham said in an interview with Axios.

"I want people in Israel and in the region to know that Trump is focused on the hostages issue. He wants the killing to stop and the fighting to end," he told.

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⚡️ Battle for Aleppo continues, militants enter Aleppo's western districts

Terrorist militants have entered Aleppo's western neighborhoods, including New Aleppo, Al-Zahraa and Salah Al-Din, Sputnik's correspondent in Aleppo reports.

Reinforcements of the Syrian army continue to arrive. Meanwhile, air and artillery strikes are targeting militant supply lines to the west of the city.

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🇷🇺⛸ Moscow's largest ice rink opens its doors

Located at the Exhibition of Achievements of the National Economy, it has an area of more than 20,000 square meters and can accommodate about five thousand people.

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🇮🇷🇸🇾 US-supported terror in Syria tied to Israeli defeat in Lebanon - Iranian FM

The activation of terrorist groups in Syria is a US-Israeli plan being implemented after Tel Aviv's defeat of resistance forces in Lebanon and Palestine, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said.

"Iran will continue to support the Syrian government, people and army to fight terrorism and maintain security and stability in the region," Araghchi said.

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❗️ Three US aircraft carriers to arrive in Asia before Trump inauguration - reports

Ahead of President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration, the US is increasing its military presence in Asia by moving three US aircraft carriers to the continent's waters by next week, Nikkei reports.

The paper suggests that the US Navy is shifting its attention from the Middle East to the Pacific region following the latest round of Israel-Iran confrontation.

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⚠️ WARNING! GRAPHIC CONTENT

🇷🇺 Russian reconnaissance units of the Sever group of forces have taken control of one of the settlements in a border area of the Kursk region.

📹 The video shared by Russia's Ministry of Defense shows Ukrainian militants and vehicles neutralized by Russian forces.

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🗣 ‘Terrible idea' – Matt Gaetz on Ukraine joining NATO

Former US Congressman Matt Gaetz, who withdrew his name from consideration for the position of attorney general, commented on a statement by Volodymyr Zelensky in an interview in which the latter said that in order to end the "hot phase of the conflict" in Ukraine, it is necessary to include the country in the bloc.

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🤝 Trudeau didn't take long to show up for talks with Trump after promised tariff hikes

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau flew to Florida to meet with US President-elect Donald Trump to negotiate a proposed tariff on goods imported from Canada.

💬 “One of the things that’s really important to understand is that Donald Trump, when he makes statements like that, he plans on carrying them out. There’s no question about it,” Trudeau said to reporters.

Donald Trump has threatened to slap a 25% tariff on all products coming from Canada on January 20, unless illegal immigration and drug trafficking across its border to the US is stopped by Ottawa.

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🔸 Russia and Syria continue anti-terrorist offensive in Aleppo and Idlib

🔸 Zelensky suggests ceasefire with temporary territorial concessions to Russia

🔸 Kim Jong-un: Ignoring Russia's warnings will not help

🔸 US-supported terror in Syria is tied to Israeli defeat in Lebanon – Iranian FM

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❗️Russian forces struck railroad train carrying ATACMS and Storm Shadow missiles, which arrived from Romania, near the port of Chernomorsk in Ukraine, the pro-Russian underground told Sputnik

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📹100,000 people evacuated in Malaysia due to severe flooding

More than 82,000 emergency personnel have been deployed to deal with the effects of the worst flooding since 1997.

Footage from social media

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🇷🇺🇰🇵Russian defense minister’s visit to North Korea: key statements

Andrei Belousov, Russia’s defense chief, arrived in Pyongyang on an official visit on November 29, where he held a number of bilateral meetings with the country’s military and political leadership. Here’s what you need to know.

Highlights from Belousov’s meeting with the North Korean defense minister:

⚪️North Korea supports Russia's military operation in Ukraine which is a “just struggle to protect the country's sovereign rights and security interests,” the North Korean Defense Minister said, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

⚪️“Currently, the military departments of both countries are actively engaging in exchanges and cooperation, including high-level delegation visits,” North Korea’s defense minister said, adding that the bilateral cooperation between the militaries is a top priority.

Highlights from Belousov’s meeting with Kim Jong-un:

⚪️Ratification of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty between Russia and North Korea reaffirms their commitment to the extensive development of allied relations, Belousov said.

⚪️Kim Jong-un denounced Ukraine’s strikes inside Russian territory using Western long-range weapons as “direct military intervention in the conflict.”

⚪️Russia’s recent retaliatory strike on Ukraine was described as a “timely and effective measure” to warn the US, West, and Ukraine of “the seriousness of the situation and Russia's willingness for harsh countermeasures," KCNA reported.

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❗️The Russian Armed Forces struck the infrastructure of military airfields and energy facilities ensuring the work of the Ukrainian military, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

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🗣 THROWBACK: Starmer has officially recognized the failure of ‘Global Britain’

Western leaders have been conducting an "open borders experiment," British Prime Minister Keir Starmer admitted.

💬 "This [experiment] happened by design, not accident. Policies were reformed deliberately to liberalize immigration," Starmer stated.

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🇬🇪 There will be no Ukrainian Maidan scenario in Georgia, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze said

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🔸 Ukraine lost up to 345 servicemen in the area of responsibility of Russia's Battlegroup Yug.

🔸 Russia's Battlegroup Tsentr repelled 11 counterattacks, enemy lost up to 510 militants.

🔸 Ukraine lost over 505 soldiers in the area of responsibility of Russia's Battlegroup Zapad.

🔸 Ukraine lost up to 50 troops in the area of responsibility of Russia's Battlegroup Vostok.

🔸 Russian aviation shot down a Neptun-MD missile, a Hammer guided bomb and 45 Ukrainian drones.

🔸 Ukraine lost up to 70 soldiers in the area of responsibility of Russia's Battlegroup Dnepr.

🔸 Ukraine lost up to 30 troops in the area of responsibility of Russia's Battlegroup Sever.

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🎯 Oreshnik vs. nuclear weapons: What’s the difference?

The Oreshnik, an advanced Russian missile, offers a force comparable to a nuclear weapon, but without the devastating consequences.

Igor Korotchenko, military analyst and editor-in-chief of National Defense magazine, explains how the Oreshnik missile differs from nuclear weapons:

🔸 The Oreshnik is a high-precision missile system that can achieve kinetic impact with immense force, comparable to a large meteorite strike.

🔸 Unlike nuclear weapons, the Oreshnik carries no nuclear charge, yet its impact is powerful enough to match the energy output of a 150 kiloton nuclear blast.

🔸 It delivers six independent warheads, each capable of independently striking targets, without the aftereffects of radiation, light emissions, or electromagnetic pulses associated with nuclear explosions.

🔸 While a nuclear explosion contaminates large areas with radioactive fallout, the Oreshnik leaves no lasting environmental damage or irreparable consequences.

🔸 Korotchenko points out that the Oreshnik is a “humane” weapon, offering precision strike capabilities with minimal ecological impact – far more focused and controlled than nuclear options.

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🇷🇺🇰🇵 Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov in North Korean Pyongyang paid tribute to the memory of Soviet soldiers who fell during the liberation of Korea in 1945.

Belousov and members of the Russian military delegation laid flowers at the Liberation Monument in Pyongyang.

The Liberation Monument was erected in the North Korean capital on August 15, 1946 as a sign of gratitude of the Korean people to the Soviet soldiers who died during Korea’s liberation in 1945.

On the eve of the event, a festive concert was given in honor of the Russian military delegation that was attended by the DPRK’s chairman of state affairs, Kim Jong-un, as well as the country’s military and military-political leadership.

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