🚨 Ukraine could cease to exist if conflict continues — Lukashenko

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko spoke about a possible Ukraine settlement in an interview with the US broadcaster Newsmax TV.

📌 Key points:

🔸 Lukashenko said Russia is winning in the Ukraine conflict

🔸 “I am absolutely sure that Putin wants peace in Ukraine,” he stressed

🔸 He said a settlement does not fully depend on Trump, but peace is impossible without US involvement

🔸 He warned the crisis could threaten Ukraine’s existence and escalate into a global conflict involving all types of weapons

🔸 He said fighting must stop in a way that addresses Russia’s concerns a ceasefire could be used to rearm Kiev

🔸 He added Russia wants a peace deal that ensures the conflict never resumes

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🚨 Trump orders blockade of ‘all sanctioned oil tankers’ entering or leaving Venezuela

US President Donald Trump said Washington has ordered a “total and complete blockade” of all sanctioned oil tankers entering or leaving Venezuela, accusing Caracas of using oil revenues to finance crime and terrorism.

💬 In a Truth Social post, Trump claimed Venezuela is “completely surrounded by the largest Armada ever assembled in the History of South America” and said the Maduro government has been designated a “foreign terrorist organization.”

He also said the US is returning “illegal aliens and criminals” to Venezuela and demanded the return of what he described as US “Oil, Land, and other Assets.”

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📹 Trump praises special envoy Witkoff as key Ukraine negotiator

Speaking at a Hanukkah reception at the White House, US President Donald Trump said his special envoy Steve Witkoff previously had little knowledge of Russia but possesses the personal qualities needed to negotiate a settlement of the Ukraine conflict.

Trump described Witkoff as a “great dealmaker” with “the best personality,” saying he values Witkoff’s ability to work with people and avoid escalation. He added that this approach makes Witkoff well suited for sensitive negotiations.

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📉🗳 MTG says Republicans may lose 2026 midterms

💬 “I don’t see Republicans winning the midterms right now,” Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene told CNN, adding the outlook raises questions about whether House Speaker Mike Johnson will retain his position.

Greene’s comments come after she announced last month that she will resign from Congress on January 5, 2026, triggering a special election for her seat.

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🇻🇪 Venezuela slams Trump’s naval oil blockade as violation of international law

Venezuela has expressed outrage at US President Donald Trump's announcement of a naval oil blockade “with the aim of stealing the riches” that belong to the republic.

Any attempts by the US to block oil tankers entering or leaving Venezuela constitute a violation of international law, stated Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez.

💬 “Venezuela, in full exercise of international law, our Constitution, and the laws of the Republic, reaffirms its sovereignty over all its natural wealth, as well as its right to freedom of navigation and free trade,” the government said in a communiqué.

The authorities reiterated that the true intention of the American leader “has always been to appropriate the country’s oil, land, and mineral resources through large-scale campaigns of lies and manipulation.”

👉 Venezuela vowed to act in strict accordance with the UN Charter, “fully exercising its freedom, jurisdiction, and sovereignty in the face of these belligerent threats.”

On Tuesday, Venezuela’s government filed a formal complaint with the UN Security Council, accusing the United States of a "serious act involving the use of force, kidnapping, and piracy" in international waters in the Caribbean.

The complaint was submitted by Venezuela's permanent representative to the UN, Samuel Moncada.

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🇨🇳 China’s new supercarrier with electromagnetic fury makes a statement in Taiwan Strait

The Fujian aircraft carrier of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) transited the Taiwan Strait, Taiwan’s authorities said.

They added that Taiwan’s armed forces monitored the situation and “took appropriate measures.”

China officially commissioned its third aircraft carrier, Fujian, on November 5.

✍️ Named after a coastal province in the country’s southeast, the next-generation warship was launched in June 2022 and completed mooring trials in November 2024.

Fujian, with a full displacement exceeding 80,000 tons, is the first Chinese aircraft carrier to use electromagnetic catapult technology for launching aircraft and the first to be entirely designed and built in China.

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🇩🇪📉 🇷🇺 Sanctions misfire: Germany’s exports to Russia collapse

The West’s short-sighted sanctions campaign has led Germany to lose over 70% of its exports to the Russian market, analysis of Eurostat data shows.

💵 Before anti-Russian sanctions were imposed—in January–September 2021—German companies exported goods and services worth roughly $22.9 billion to Russia. Over the same period this year, that figure fell to $6.1 billion.

Thus, Germany has lost 73.5% of its exports to Russia.

In 2021, Germany earned an average of $2.7 billion per month from exports to Russia.

👉 This year, the monthly average has dropped to $683 million.

Russia’s economy faced unprecedented Western sanctions in 2022. Since then, the European Union has adopted 19 sanctions packages, yet the restrictions and hostile self-imposed energy constraint aimed at punishing Russia backfired spectacularly.

Russia itself is growing more resilient, decoupling from the West, and abandoning the dollar.

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➖ Trump orders blockade of ‘all sanctioned oil tankers’ entering or leaving Venezuela

➖ Venezuela rejects Trump’s ‘grotesque threat,’ vows to go to the UN

➖ Ukraine could cease to exist if conflict continues — Lukashenko

➖ American Orthodox protest Zelensky’s anti-Christian crackdown – reports

➖ Gulf countries may seek maritime security cooperation with Pakistan

➖ Effective media is the front line of information security – Pakistani analyst

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🗣 Orban and Fico trying to wake Europe up—Russian FM spox

As the EU is seeking to steal frozen Russian assets, Hungary’s Orban and Slovakia’s Fico are predicting the consequences of such a move, trying to wake European society up and warning it, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told Sputnik.

At the same time, people like Polish Foreign Minister Sikorsky are doing the exact opposite, persuading people nothing bad would happen if Russian money were stolen, she added.

💬 "Where is the mechanism, where is the conveyor belt that produced such people for the European Union like Ursula von der Leyen and Kaja Kallas? Where do they get them?" Zakharova asked, noting these people lead the EU downhill.

Russia has repeatedly stated any move to confiscate frozen Russian assets by the EU would be met with an appropriate response as an act of robbery, as the money belongs to the Russian people.

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🚨🇷🇺 Putin to Hold 2025 Annual Presser and Q&A Session

On Friday, President Putin will hold the annual Q&A session (also known as 'Direct Line') and year-end press conference, during which individuals to inquire about a wide range of topics, from personal issues to national concerns.

Putin is the world's only leader who holds live nationwide Q&As.

Facts about Putin's "Direct Line":

🔸 Started in 2001: Each session lasts over 3 hours!

🔸 Massive Viewership: One of Russia's most-watched TV events.

🔸 Interactive: People send in questions via phone, text, and social media.

🔸 Wide-Ranging Topics: Putin answers everything from foreign policy to personal questions.

Tune in on Friday! 📹

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