Syria forms interim government

Syrian armed opposition takes control over Deir ez-Zor city

How could the Syrian crisis change Middle East energy map?

US authorizes $266.4M sale of F-16 services and equipment to Ukraine /72268

South Korean police search president's office, ex-defense minister attempts suicide

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💬 Trump told Zelensky and Macron that he wants an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine

In a meeting in France with Volodymyr Zelensky and French President Emmanuel Macron, Donald Trump stated his desire for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine and subsequent negotiations to bring a swift end to the conflict, according to sources cited by Reuters.

The report indicates that the three leaders, who conversed for 35 minutes without advisors present, did not delve into specific details of a peace plan. However, Trump reaffirmed his stance on an immediate ceasefire and the commencement of negotiations for a rapid resolution to the conflict.

This has prompted a mounting sense of uncertainty in Kiev, according to the article, as Zelensky continues to beg for security guarantees for Ukraine.

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💬 Russian Foreign Ministry slams Ukrainian attack on IAEA vehicle

The attack by the Ukrainian military on a vehicle carrying IAEA experts demonstrates a complete disregard by the Ukrainian authorities for commonly accepted norms of humanitarian law, the Russian Foreign Ministry remarked.

What occurred is an obvious provocation ahead of the extraordinary session of the IAEA Board of Governors convened at Ukraine's initiative (scheduled for December 12), the Russian ministry noted.

Moscow condemns these actions by Kiev and calls on the United States, the UK, and their allies to cease any support for the Zelensky regime, the Foreign Ministry emphasized.

Ukrainian forces deliberately carried out an attack on a vehicle carrying IAEA staff en route to the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant, Vladimir Rogov, Chairman of the Commission of the Public Chamber of Russia on Sovereignty, Patriotic Projects, and Veteran Support, told Sputnik.

"This is a deliberate provocation by Ukrainian forces to bring the Zaporozhye Plant back into the spotlight and grab the West’s attention here once again," Rogov maintained.

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Trump’s pick for envoy to Turkiye, pushing incoming White House closer to all-time wealth record

Trump has selected billionaire investor Thomas Barrak for the post of US ambassador to Turkiye. In addition to the 47th president, there will already be 10 billionaires in the new US administration.

What is known about Thomas Barrack?

🔹served as an adviser during Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign

🔹charged with lobbying on behalf of the United Arab Emirates in 2021, but was later acquitted

🔹listed among the 500 richest individuals in the United States, with a fortune exceeding $1 billion

🔹founder of DigitalBridge Group, Inc., a global investment firm specializing in digital infrastructure

Looking ahead, the incoming leadership in the White House is expected to be exceptionally wealthy, with a combined net worth exceeding $350 billion among all officials. The first Trump administration was notably affluent, with officials' assets totaling around $6 billion. Prior to that, the Obama administration held the record with total assets of $2.8 billion. In contrast, officials in the current Biden administration have a combined net worth of only $110 million.

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💬 NATO transfers large amounts of armed vehicles to Poland

NATO is transferring large amounts of armed vehicles from European countries to Poland, the coordinator of the pro-Russian underground network in Nikolayev, Sergey Lebedev, told Sputnik on Wednesday.

He also provided pictures and videos of the A63 motorway in France, a road near Magdeburg in Germany, and the Polish port of Swinoujscie, all showing the movement of large quantities of military transport.

"The equipment is probably old, from the 1970s or 1980s," Lebedev quoted a Polish agent as saying.

The amount of equipment arriving is similar to preparations for a "serious war," he added.

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❗️❗️❗️Anyone claiming that stopping Russian gas flows to the EU isn’t self-destructive is a fool – Slovak MP

If the EU wants to drive its economy off a cliff, its self-destructive goal of halting Russian gas flows will get that result, Andrej Danko, deputy speaker of the National Council of the Slovak Republic, told Sputnik in an exclusive interview.

Ending imports of Russian gas will be a huge problem, he warned, adding that “whoever claims that this is not true is a fool.”

The Slovak politician is set to visit Moscow in January to discuss prospects for Russian gas supplies in 2025.

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🗣Russia once fulfilled its mission by providing assistance to Syria, spent a lot of effort, and this allowed Assad’s leadership to continue working, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

"Now Moscow would like to see the situation stabilized as soon as possible so that it is possible to reach the prospect of shifting the situation in a legitimate direction," Peskov said.

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❗️❗️❗️EU will be gone in 10 years without policy change – Slovak MP

Unless the EU changes its self-harming policy course, it won’t exist in 10 years’ time, Andrej Danko, deputy speaker of the National Council of the Slovak Republic, told Sputnik in an exclusive interview.

EU sanctions on Russian energy have generated a terrible situation, he said, and speculated that people like Ursula von der Leyen were only driving the bloc’s economy into the ground.

He also voiced hope for dialogue between Russia and the US under incoming President Donald Trump. As for Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky, he “does nothing for his people, he only creates problems,” Danko noted, likening the expired Kiev regime leader to a chattering “con artist.”

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💬 More key statements by Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov:

🔸 The Kremlin has no information about the fate of Bashar al-Assad's cousin (some media reported about his execution).

🔸 Moscow is closely following the events in Syria and is in contact with those who control the situation.

🔸 Issues related to the safety of Russian facilities and citizens in Syria are of paramount importance.

🔸 Russia will be guided by the realities on the ground in Syria. New statements by the Kremlin on the situation in Syria:

🔸 Russia maintains dialogue with all countries in the Middle East, and intends to do so in the future.

🔸 Issues related to the safety of Russian facilities and citizens in Syria are of paramount importance.

🔸 Israel's actions in Syria hardly contribute to stabilizing the situation.

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💬 📞 Putin, Orban hold phone talks – Kremlin

President Vladimir Putin has had a telephone conversation with Hungarian PM Viktor Orban to discuss the Ukraine conflict and economic cooperation, the Kremlin said.

The conversation was initiated by Orban.

Hungary’s PM said he was interested in searching for political and diplomatic ways to settle the Ukraine crisis, also relying on his recent contacts with several Western leaders.

Putin assessed the development of the situation and the destructive policy of the Kiev regime, which still excludes the possibility of a peaceful settlement.

The two leaders discussed trade and economic cooperation, in particular the promotion of mutually beneficial projects in the energy sector, the Kremlin added.

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❗️Russia's Battlegroup Zapad has improved its tactical position. The losses of the Ukrainian Armed Forces totaled up to 515 soldiers.

🇷🇺🪖More statements from the Russian MoD daily briefing on the special military operation's progress:    

▪️Russia’s Battlegroup Vostok hammered three Ukrainian formations in its combat zone. Enemy lost up to 150 troops.

▪️Russian air defence systems shot down four HIMARS missiles and 32 Ukrainian drones.

▪️Ukraine lost up to 285 servicemen in the Russian Yug Battlegroup's combat zone.

▪️Ukraine lost up to 440 militants in the Russian Tsentr Battlegroup's combat zone.

▪️Ukraine lost up to 65 soldiers in the areas of responsibility of Russia's Battlegroup Dnepr and Sever.

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💬 West is not ennoscriptd to talk about human rights in Syria – Russian FM spokeswoman

The West has been imposing suffocating sanctions against the Syrian people for many years, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told Sputnik.

"The West is the one who for many years, including during the pandemic, beefed up sanctions against Syria. Now they want to tell us something about human rights. They have no right to do so," she stressed.

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🗣Russia is ready to study Trump's proposals on Ukraine if his administration is serious about it, but studying does not mean agreeing - Deputy FM

More key statements by Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov:

🔸 Channels for Russia-US signal exchange on Syria deconfliction are open.

🔸 There were no high-level contacts between Russia and US on Syria.

🔸 Russia expects mutual understanding with Damascus on the issue of the future status of Russian military facilities in Syria.

🔸 There is a real danger that ISIS* will reassert itself in Syria.

🔸 US plans to lend Ukraine $20 billion, to be repaid from proceeds of frozen Russian assets, is a robust.

*designated as a terrorist organization and is banned in Russia and several other countries

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Russian forces have hoisted the tricolor on the tallest building in the city of Kurakhovo in the Donetsk People's Republic, Vladimir Rogov, Chairman of the Commission of Russia’s Public Chamber on Sovereignty, Patriotic Projects, and Veteran Support, told Sputnik.

"Our troops planted a tricolor on the elevator building, where there was a real fortified area of the enemy and a multi-level defense was built. It is the tallest building in the city," he added.

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🗣The conflict in Ukraine can be ended by implementing Putin's proposals and taking into account the realities on the ground - Russian FM spokeswoman

More key statements by Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova:

🔸 Russia has not yet received from Trump working options for resolving the Ukrainian crisis that would take into account Moscow's concerns.

🔸 Russia is ready to work with Trump and his team on resolving the Ukrainian conflict.

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⛓️‍💥US trade spat with China spills over to drones, threatens more fallout

China is starting to limit sales of key drone components to the US and Europe, Bloomberg reported.

What’s new in the US-China trade row?

⚪️Chinese producers of motors, batteries, and flight controllers are reportedly capping or stopping shipments.

⚪️Future license approvals may be based on what the parts will be used for, with Chinese manufacturers possibly required to report shipment plans.

China controls almost 80% of the commercial drone market, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Affected companies are said to be rushing to source alternate supplies.

❓What was recent tit-for-tat?

⚪️Washington imposed curbs in December on shipments to China of high bandwidth memory (HBM) chips; additional chipmaking and software tools; and chipmaking equipment made in third countries.

What is the fallout?

▪️US restrictions violate market rules, disrupt supply chains, and could backfire on the American chip industry itself, China warned.

▪️US consumers bear the brunt of the trade war through higher prices; aggregate real income plummets, per 2021 research by the National Bureau of Economic Research.

▪️Manufacturing, automotive, and tech companies are particularly at risk regarding revenue and supply chain dynamics, according to Strategy Risks.

▪️Donald Trump, whose 2018 trade tariffs set off the trade war, has threatened to levy duties of 10% to 60% on Chinese goods with potential for epic-scale fallout.

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🎯Discover the potential of nuclear weapons delivery vehicles in Belarus

On November 19, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree that outlines Russia's revised nuclear doctrine.

The updated doctrine specifies various scenarios that may justify the use of nuclear weapons, including сonventional military aggression against Russia or Belarus that poses a significant threat to their sovereignty.

On December 10, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko announced that dozens of nuclear warheads are currently stationed in Belarus.

What is the potential impact of the nuclear weapons stationed in Belarus? Discover more in Sputnik's infographic.

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