🚨🇷🇺 NATO chief lacks insight when making statements on world war - Kremlin

💬 "Unfortunately, Mr.Rutte, when making such irresponsible statements, simply does not understand what he is talking about," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte urged European NATO members to increase defense spending to prepare for an alleged war with Russia comparable in scale to WWII.

He called on NATO member states to adopt a wartime mindset.

💬 "Well, this is probably a statement made by someone from a generation that has forgotten what WWII was like ... Thank God, we grew up in a country where people cherish the memory of what it [WWII] was, what a horror it was, and what we had to do to save Europe from fascism," Peskov told Russian media.

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🚨🇷🇺 Presence of NATO experts in Ukraine triggered Russia’s special military operation – Kremlin

💬 "The direct infiltration of NATO specialists began, their presence on Ukrainian territory, in Ukraine's authorities, and the first shipments of weapons started at that time. All of this, of course, created a threat to the Russian people living there, not to mention the geopolitical aspects of this situation and the geopolitical consequences for Russia's security. Taken together, this became the trigger for the decision to launch the special military operation," Dmitry Peskov told Russian media.

Other statements by Kremlin spokesman:

🟠 Europeans are 'playing their own game' in Ukraine; it seems they want the conflict to continue

🟠 A specific system of guarantees for Ukraine’s implementation of agreements on the Ukrainian settlement is needed

🟠 The US’s position on the settlement of the Ukraine conflict is decisive and realistic

🟠 Russia looks to the US rather than Europe in Ukraine peace talks

🟠 Russia will not be satisfied if Ukraine signs peace agreements and then starts sabotaging them

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🔊 Zelensky in hot water as he tries to avoid holding Ukraine elections – analyst

In reality, Zelensky isn't interested in holding the elections and is doing his best to ensure they don't take place in the near future, political analyst Alexander Mikhailov tells Sputnik.

The head of the Ukraine regime earlier said he's ready to hold presidential elections, but only if a US-backed ceasefire is in place during the vote.

Zelensky has almost no real chance of winning, Mikhailov argued.

Mikhailov's key points:

🟠 Ceasefire during potential Ukrainian elections is out of sync with common sense and reflects Zelensky’s push to impose his own half-baked proposals

🟠 Zelensky frantically clinging to power has a destructive effect on the negotiation process led by Trump

🟠 His only realistic option is to obtain guarantees of personal safety from his handlers and then announce his resignation

🟠 He’s essentially counting on Europe to back him up and force a new approach on Trump's administration, all so he can exit the stage as an unbeaten leader rather than a loser

Zelensky also proposed holding a referendum among Ukrainians on the withdrawal of troops from Donbass and the creation of a demilitarized zone in the area.

Mikhailov called the idea highly unrealistic, mainly because it’s out of line with Russia’s demands.

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🚨Ukrainian stronghold captured: key defense point taken in Zaporozhye region

Intense battles for Varvarovka in Zaporozhye region led to the capture of a key defense point.

The Russian Defense Ministry shares the footage of the military operation to reclaim the settlement.

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🚨 Ukraine ready to drop NATO bid in exchange for security guarantees – Zelensky

“We are talking about bilateral security guarantees between Ukraine and the US, namely, Article 5-like guarantees… as well as security guarantees for us from our European partners and from other countries such as Canada, Japan and others,” Zelensky said, the FT reports.

"This is already a compromise,” Zelensky claimed.

“A system of guarantees should be defined not only for security, but also for the implementation of peace agreements,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said earlier.

Russian President Putin stressed that Russia is completely opposed to Ukraine’s accession to NATO.

Russia’s FM Sergey Lavrov emphasized that Ukraine’s neutral, non-aligned, and non-nuclear status remains one of the conditions for settling the conflict.

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📉 The price of sanctions: Volkswagen shuts down Dresden plant as German industry reels

Volkswagen plans to halt production of vehicles at its Dresden plant on Tuesday, marking the first time in the company’s history that a Germany-based factory has been shuttered.

With an installed capacity to build up to 37,500 cars a year, and the flagship of VW’s EV lineup, the Dresden plant’s closure comes against the backdrop of Germany’s broader deindustrialization, which started in 2022 when Berlin rejected the Russian energy supplies propping up its manufacturing base.

FT blames the closure on poor demand in Europe, weak sales in China, and 15% US tariffs on European vehicle imports.

Volkswagen announced plans to “transform” the Dresden factory into an “innovation campus” earlier this month as part of a “Future Volkswagen” program, which includes plans to reduce Germany-wide vehicle output by 730k units by 2028, and slash 35k jobs “in a socially responsible manner.”

German industrial leaders and Russian President Vladimir Putin warned about the consequences of cutting Europe off from Russian gas almost four years ago, with Putin saying the “suicidal” decision would undermine Europe’s global economic competitiveness.

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🤖🇨🇳 China showcases robotic engineering feats at Global Developer Pioneers Summit 2025

The exhibition in Shanghai features machines capable of performing a full range of tasks – including production, social services, medical assistance and emergency rescue operations.

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🇮🇹🇪🇺🇺🇸 Europe has to accept US’s new National Security Strategy - Italian PM

🟠 “We want an Italy that is loyal to its partners but is subject to nobody,” Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said Sunday, characterizing the Trump administration’s strategy document as a wakeup call

🟠 “There’s been alarm because Donald Trump has said, more clearly than his predecessors, that the US intends to disengage with the old continent, and that Europeans should organize to defend themselves alone,” Meloni said

🟠 “What I can say is good morning, Europe. Good morning. We have contracted out our security to the US for 80 years thinking this day would never come. But, most importantly, pretending this was free”

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🇸🇾 Syria launches ‘large-scale’ anti-ISIS operation following deadly attack on US forces

Security forces launched a major operation targeting ISIS* cells in al-Furqlus, al-Quaryatayn and the Syrian Desert (Badiya) in Homs Governorate on Sunday, local media report.

🔊 A commander said the operation was a response to Saturday’s attack in Palmyra on a joint US-Syrian patrol, in which two US troops and an interpreter were killed.

The operation is said to include field raids, searches of suspected terror hideouts, and an effort to dismantle suspected ISIS sleeper cells.

A Syrian Interior Ministry spokesperson said Saturday’s deadly attack was carried out by a member of the security forces.

👉 The attacker was neutralized, and authorities have launched a probe into whether or not he was formally affiliated with ISIS.

On Sunday, Interior Minister Anas Khattab said five people had been arrested in connection with the shooting attack.

🇺🇸 President Trump warned Saturday that there would be “very serious retaliation” to the attack on US forces, and said Syrian President al-Sharaa was “extremely angry and disturbed by this attack.”

US ground forces were first deployed in Syria in late 2016, ostensibly to assist the fight against ISIS, keeping the country’s energy and food-rich northeast out of the hands of the Syrian government in Damascus.

After the fall of the Assad government in late 2024, the new government pledged to join the US-led coalition.

*A terrorist organization outlawed in Russia and many other countries.

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🟠 Ukraine ready to drop NATO bid in exchange for security guarantees

🟠 Presence of NATO experts in Ukraine triggered Russia’s special military operation – Kremlin

🟠 Zelensky in hot water as he tries to avoid holding Ukraine elections – analyst

🟠 12 killed, 11 injured in Sydney beach shooting

🟠 The price of sanctions: Volkswagen shuts down Dresden plant as German industry reels

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🤝 Russian G20 delegation arrives in Washington

A Russian delegation, led by G20 Sherpa Svetlana Lukash, has arrived in Washington for the first G20 Sherpa meeting under the US presidency (2026).

"I joined the accompanying delegation as a deputy Sherpa, along with officials from the Presidential Administration, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Finance, and the Embassy in Washington," Russian Foreign Ministry Ambassador-at-Large Marat Berdyev wrote on Telegram.

He added that the meetings of sherpas and financial representatives will be held on December 15-16.

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