Romanian presidential candidate vows to stop military aid to Ukraine if elected
 
Romania's right-wing presidential frontrunner, Calin Georgescu, said he would bar continued Ukrainian grain exports through Romania, stop military assistance to Kiev, and not stick to NATO's commitments on defense spending if elected, Reuters reports.
 
Georgescu also questioned the effectiveness of European Union funding and declared that Romania's interests would come first.
 
The US, in turn, warned Romania of "negative impact" on US security cooperation with Romania.
 
According to the results of the first round, Calin Giorgescu is leading in the election with 22.94% of the vote. Elena Lasconi, who supports partnership with NATO and the US, has 19.18% of the vote. The second round of elections will be held on December 8.

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🔸Russia-North Korea Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty enters into force

🔸French government to resign following vote of no confidence in PM, Macron to address the nation

🔸Lavrov arrives in Malta for the OSCE foreign ministers meeting

🔸South Korean president accepts defense minister's resignation, appoints new one – reports

🔸Top 5 Facts about North and South Korea

🔸Ukrainian experts train Syrian terrorists to use drones on Russian positions – ex-militant

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❗️❗️❗️Pakistan to ‘open the gates’ for Russia in oil and gas exploration – Minister

Russia has a very advanced and well-developed oil and gas sector. Pakistan feels that on the petroleum sector side, we can collaborate to not just benefit ourselves, but also to benefit Russian companies, Sardar Awais Ahmad Khan Leghari, Federal Minister of Energy of Pakistan, told Sputnik.

The minister stated that regarding Russian-Pakistani cooperation, Islamabad could "open the gates" of its oil and gas exploration, which it plans to pursue and develop as a “key backbone” of the country's future economy.

Pakistan “could harvest better pricing structures and save on the logistics and the transportation expenses from Russia to Pakistan,” Leghari pointed out.

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❗️❗️❗️Pakistan focuses on BRICS, has ‘complete understanding’ with Russia – Minister

Pursuing Pakistan's interest on BRICS and the SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organization) would really be helpful for Russia and Pakistan, Sardar Awais Ahmad Khan Leghari, Federal Minister of Energy of Pakistan, told Sputnik.

Leghari also stressed that Pakistan is very grateful to the Russian counterparts and “that there is a complete understanding” between the countries.

“I think [the leaders] of Pakistan and Russia, Mr. Shehbaz Sharif and President [Vladimir] Putin, in their earlier interactions last year, were able to identify this and come to terms with the fact that we need to have better economic cooperation. That's what we are pursuing at the moment,” the minister concluded.

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❗️Russia and North Korea cooperate with each other to ensure lasting regional and international peace and security — agreement
 
🇷🇺🤝🇰🇵More details on the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty between Russia and the DPRK:
 
🔺Russia and North Korea agree to develop cooperation in space, peaceful nuclear energy, and AI
 
🔺The two countries do not allow third countries to use their territories to violate each other's sovereignty and security
 
🔺Russia and North Korea agree to strengthen tactical and strategic cooperation in their pursuit of global stability
 
🔺The states agree not to support unilateral coercive measures against each other if they are introduced by a third party, and not to conclude agreements with third countries directed against each other's sovereignty and security
 
🔺Russia and North Korea agree to cooperate in the fight against international terrorism, extremism, and crime, and to strengthen joint coordination and cooperation on international platforms
 
🔺In the event of an armed attack on one of the countries, the other will immediately provide military and other assistance; in the event of a threat of armed aggression against one of them, states will hold consultations to agree on the measures of assistance 
 
🔺Russia and North Korea confirm their desire to establish a multipolar international system, and consider attempts to limit sovereign rights to regulate national segments of internet unacceptable
 
🔺The development of relations of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between Russia and North Korea contributes to ensuring peace and security

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❗️❗️❗️Russia to help Pakistan build hydroelectric power station – Minister
 
Pakistan has encouraged Russian companies to partake in the reconstruction of a Pakistani hydroelectric power station, Sardar Awais Ahmad Khan Leghari, Federal Minister of Energy of Pakistan, told Sputnik.
 

“We have a very transparent process of giving opportunities to companies to come and work on our projects. We would make sure that we are committed to our Russian counterparts and that we give a transparent and level playing field to Russian companies,” the minister stressed.

 

”We strongly believe that Russia has the strength and a fair part of the global share of hydropower projects in technology. We want to benefit from that,” Leghari said.

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Murder case of Sputnik correspondent Russell Bentley to be tried behind closed doors — lawyer to Sputnik
 
The trial in this case begins today; the defendants in the case are four Russian soldiers, a lawyer defending the interests of the injured party told Sputnik.
 
According to the investigation, on April 8, Bentley was physically assaulted and tortured, resulting in his death. On the same day, a car with Bentley's body was blown up with a bomb.
 
The correspondent went missing in mid-April and was subsequently confirmed to have been murdered. Russia's Investigative Committee has completed the preliminary investigation into Bentley's homicide and has identified the suspects.
 
Bentley joined the DPR militia in 2014. He said that he went to Donbass because he admired the courage and steadfastness of the local population. Bentley was also a recipient of DPR awards.

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🇷🇺🪖 Key statements from the Russian Defense Ministry's daily briefing on the special military operation's progress:
 
◻️ Ukrainian losses in the Russian Tsentr Battlegroup's area of responsibility amounted to 515 militants, a tank and a Bradley armored vehicle;
 
◻️ The Russian Zapad Battlegroup repelled six counterattacks; Ukrainian forces lost up to 560 servicemen and a Leopard tank;
 
◻️ Ukrainian forces lost up to 330 soldiers in the area of responsibility of the Russian Yug Battlegroup;
 
◻️ Russian air defense systems struck Ukranian aerodromes and a drone production site;
 
◻️ Ukrainian losses in the Russian Dnepr and Sever Battlegroups' area of responsibility amounted to 110 militants.

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🇸🇾 Russia is closely monitoring what is happening in Syria and is in constant dialogue with Damascus, according to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

“Depending on the assessment of the situation, it will be possible to talk about the degree of assistance that is necessary for the Syrian authorities to cope with the militants and eliminate this threat,” Peskov added.

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Russian FM Sergey Lavrov has arrived at the OSCE Foreign Ministers Meeting in Malta, Sputnik correspondent reports

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🪽Gain wings and go
 
Indian student Medhansh Trivedi has designed a unique drone capable of supporting a person weighing up to 80 kg, over a distance up to 4 km, and at a speed up to 60 km/h. He spent three months and about 350.000 rupees on its development.
 
In the future, Medhansh plans to use the drone to develop air taxis and improve transportation in agriculture.

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❗️ Ukrainian Colonel Pavlo Rozlach led strikes on Russia's Kursk region with cluster munitions containing poisonous substances of suffocating effect, the Russian Investigative Committee has said.

A criminal case has been opened against him. The Investigative Committee reported that the shelling took place in August - as a result, at least 20 people were injured. Rozlach has been placed on the international wanted list.

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🇷🇺🇺🇸 At the initiative of the Russian side, a telephone conversation took place on November 27 between the Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov and his US counterpart Charles Brown.

During the conversation, the United States was informed about exercises in the eastern Mediterranean Sea with shooting and launching of high-precision missiles.

The purpose of Gerasimov's conversation with Brown was to prevent incidents involving US and NATO ships near the area where Russian military exercises are taking place, according to the Russian Defense Ministry.

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🎥🎥 Russian FM Sergey Lavrov holds presser after OSCE Ministerial meeting

👉 Watch the livestream here or on Sputnik's website

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Key statements of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov during the presser after OSCE ministerial meeting:
 
◻️ Any initiatives for a peaceful settlement in Ukraine should take into account both security issues and human rights concerns
 
◻️ Fantasies about sending foreign troops to Ukraine only aggravate the situation; their initiators do not hear Putin's warnings
 
◻️ Russia does not want to attack anyone

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❗️Key statements by Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova on the possible appearance of nuclear weapons in Ukraine:

▪️Kiev's statements, which can be interpreted as a request to revise Ukraine's non-nuclear status, cannot but cause concern;

▪️Kiev's acquisition of nuclear weapons would contradict Ukraine's commitments under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and violate the non-proliferation regime;

▪️Russia is not threatening with nuclear weapons, but is warning about the risks of a direct military clash between nuclear powers in the context of the crisis in Ukraine;

▪️If Ukraine receives nuclear weapons, this will be a violation of the obligations under the NPT of those who transfer them to it;

▪️Any insinuations about Russia's alleged violation of the Budapest Memorandum's obligations distort its content and meaning.

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❗️Ukrainian losses in Russia's Kursk region amounted to more than 300 soldiers, three tanks and three infantry fighting vehicles over the past day, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

In total, during the military operation in the Kursk region, Ukrainian losses have amounted to more than 38,235 militants and 232 tanks.

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🇵🇱❌ Russia is closing Poland's Consulate General in St. Petersburg in response to the closure of its own consulate in Poznan, Russia's Foreign Ministry has said.

Moscow handed Warsaw a note on December 5 about the closure that takes affect on January 10.

In addition, Russia declares three diplomatic employees of this consulate general persona non grata - they must leave the country.

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South Korean president could be sentenced to death, suspected in insurrection
 
The South Korean police have launched an investigation into the country's president, Yoon Suk-yeol, on suspicion of insurrection, a crime that transcends presidential immunity and can be punished with the death penalty.
 
The opposition also demanded that the investigation be carried out on the same charge against the ex-Minister of Defense, as well as the chief of staff of the army and the head of the Interior Ministry.

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