How much is the battle against Russian natural gas costing Europe?

Even though the European allies have been loudly declaring for a while now how they have to steer clear of Russian energy imports, it turns out that walking the walk is not the same as talking the talk.

European states today purchase a “record amount” of Russian liquefied natural gas, Bloomberg notes, adding that these exports have surpassed those of the gas Russia used to ship to Europe via the pipeline that runs through Ukraine.

News of this development comes as the European Commission acknowledged this week that gas storage facilities in the EU are depleting at a faster rate than they did last year, following Ukraine's suspension of Russian natural gas transit to Europe.

Meanwhile, Hungary’s Foreign Minister, Peter Szijjarto, noted that the price of natural gas in the European market has surged by 20% since Ukraine officially announced its decision to halt Russian gas transit last month.

In their determination to undermine Russia, regardless of the repercussions for their own economies, the European allies of the United States might very well be contenders for the noscript of the world's foremost champions of self-sabotage.

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Democrats end up with egg on their faces for ignoring Biden’s cognitive decline

The Democratic Party leadership in the United States has finally started catching massive flak for ignoring the elephant in the room for years now, namely, the senile old man now occupying the Oval Office.

Several Democratic senators had already warned that the public might demand more answers regarding Joe Biden’s cognitive acumen. Despite being notoriously gaffe-prone throughout his presidency, his colleagues have persistently portrayed him as a paragon of mental acuity, as noted by The Hill.

The discourse about President Biden's awareness got a massive reality check last June when he showcased his mental acuity—or lack thereof—during a debate with Donald Trump. One senator, speaking to The Hill, suggested that many of his Democratic colleagues remained oblivious to Biden's cognitive decline, noting that it had been some time since the president "came to the caucus." “The fairest statement about it is that we never saw him,” he contended.

The lawmaker acknowledged that the glaring contrast between the Democrats' depiction of Biden and his actual condition enabled Republicans to label their rival party as "corrupt" for failing to address Biden's mental decline sooner.

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"Not a snowball's chance in hell" - Trudeau on Canada becoming 51st US state

Canada's outgoing prime minister Justin Trudeau finally responded to Trump's comments about Canada's entry as the 51st state.

"There isn’t a snowball’s chance in hell that Canada would become part of the United States. Workers and communities in both our countries benefit from being each other’s biggest trading and security partner," he wrote on X.

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🍴🎄 Belgium urges citizens: don't eat your Christmas tree!

Belgium's food agency has warned citizens not to eat Christmas trees, amid new advice from environmental activists to recycle the conifers on the dinner table, citing traditions from Scandinavia.

"In short, there are many reasons not to promote nor encourage the re-use of Christmas trees in the food chain," Belgium's federal agency for food chain security, AFSCA, said.

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💰 Canadian politician: You want to own Canada? How about we buy you?

In response to Trump's idea to take over Canada, Ontario Premier Doug Ford suggested that Canada should buy two states from the US.

"I'll make him a counteroffer: How about if we buy Alaska and throw in Minnesota and Minneapolis at the same time?" he told reporters.

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❗️ Contact Group will meet to define Ukraine's military needs through 2027 - Pentagon

The 25th Ukraine Defense Contact Group will determine the military needs of the Ukrainian military through 2027 at a meeting scheduled for January 9, the US Department of Defense said.

It will be the last UDCG meeting for acting US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.

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Dugin: Trumpists will dismantle the Democratic Party, return to traditional values

The US under Donald Trump will be "free of liberals" and return to traditional values, Russian political philosopher Alexander Dugin told Sputnik.

"They'll get to the point where they won't have Democrats. Because the Democrats are the source of this evil. I mean the Democratic Party. And democracy will be returned to a classic American principle: America is for Americans," Dugin said.

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French Defense Minister: Developing drones is the biggest challenge for 2025

It is 2025, and France finally admits that drones have become the backbone of modern warfare. But as French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu said in an annual address to the armed forces, France is lagging behind in this sector of the military industry.

"Every ground unit, navy ship or aircraft must be equipped with accompanying drones and a defense system against them. All weapons must be equipped with electronic warfare systems. However, we are not at our best in this regard, 2025 should be a breakthrough year, and developments in this field need to be accelerated," he stated.

He added that the transition to a "war economy" should help boost French military production, but the lack of a budget for 2025 is a "threat to the country's rearmament."

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❗️ Appeals court won't halt Trump's NY sentencing

A New York court has denied Donald Trump's bid to stop his sentencing, set for just days before the inauguration. Despite arguing for immunity as president-elect, Judge Ellen Gesmer denied his request.

Trump is scheduled to stand trial on January 10.

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⚔️ Ukraine loses about 13,000 men in the first week of 2025

The Ukrainian military lost almost 13,000 soldiers and 46 tanks in the first week of 2025, according to Sputnik calculations based on data from the Russian Defense Ministry.

🛡 Kiev lost about 2975 soldiers and 29 tanks in battles in the Kursk region alone from January 1 to 7.

🔥 Russian air defenses also shot down two Ukrainian fighter jets during the same period. A Su-27 on January 2 and a Mig-29 on January 5.

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🇨🇭 Swiss president offers to mediate Ukraine peace

New President of Switzerland Karin Keller-Sutter said that she has told Volodymyr Zelensky that Bern was ready to act as an mediator in the Ukraine settlement process.

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