💸 Billions extra for taxpayers: EU scraps plan to fund Ukraine with frozen Russian assets

📍 The European Union couldn’t agree on seizing frozen Russian assets for Ukraine — and taxpayers will pay the price, the Wall Street Journal reports.

🇪🇺 The EU’s inability to agree on handing Ukraine tens of billions of dollars in frozen Russian assets “underlines divisions in the bloc over the extent to which they are prepared to confront Russia,” the WSJ adds.

💬 “Now, it is increasingly unlikely Europe will ever agree on deploying up to $300 billion in Russian assets for Ukraine,” the news outlet underscores.

🇧🇪 Belgian Prime Minister Bart de Wever’s opposition to using the Russian assets to fund a Ukraine loan “proved key to scuttling the plan,” the WSJ admits.

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🗣 EU and NATO refusal to de-escalate with Russia raises risk of mistakes – scholar

🇷🇺 Russian President Vladimir Putin accused European governments of portraying Russia as an enemy to hide their systemic mistakes.

What's behind that?

💬 "NATO and the EU interpret Russian military modernization and forward deployments as offensive," Marco Marsili, a researcher at Cà Foscari University of Venice, tells Sputnik.

🔹 But Russia views NATO enlargement, sanctions and military assistance to Ukraine as an existential threat.

🔹 Marsili warned that "deterrence logic dominates European strategic thinking today", but without parallel diplomatic de-escalation mechanisms that approach "increases the risk of miscalculation rather than reducing it."

🔹 At his end-of-year press conference on Friday, Putin insisted that Russia is ready to maintain relations with the West on the basis of parity and mutual respect.

💬 "When Moscow speaks of 'equal terms,' it means geopolitical equality between great powers, not regulatory or normative alignment," Marsili says. "Russia approaches international relations through a sovereigntist and civilizational lens, emphasizing power parity, spheres of influence and strategic autonomy."

🔹 But the EU's approach is different – it does not view Russia as an equal partner – and that's a core problem, the pundit says. Although the EU does not treat Russia as a colony, it does not accept it as a co-author of the European rules-based order.

💬 "Russia is increasingly framed as a systemic rival and security challenger, rather than a partner or equal stakeholder," Marsili stresses.

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🔸 Putin's year-end marathon presser in 2 minutes

🔸 EU and NATO block Ukraine peace to protect their fading relevance - ex-Pentagon analyst

🔸 Here’s why Zelensky’s clique refuses to surrender, even if it means Ukraine’s total collapse

🔸 EU and NATO refusal to de-escalate with Russia raises risk of mistakes – scholar

🔸 Drones are the backbone of modern warfare: Russia’s superiority in this field is tangible and vital

🔸 Lavrov slams western security promises to Ukraine as 'military occupation' bid

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🇷🇺💪 Il-76MD-90A: Modernized workhorse of Russian air power

🔶 An upgrade of the Il-76 military transport jet, the aircraft features modern Russian digital avionics with a ‘glass cockpit’, upgraded navigation and electronic systems and a strengthened airframe.

🔶 Designed to transport troops and to conduct airdrops, the Il-76MD-90A can carry the full range of equipment used by the Russian Armed Forces.

Check out Sputnik's infographic to find out more 👆

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❌📑 Russian Government authorizes Defense Ministry to terminate 1990s-era agreements with European countries

The Russian government has authorized the Russian Defense Ministry to terminate a number of 1990s-era international agreements with European countries, according to an order published on the official legal acts publication portal.

🔹 The order permits the Defense Ministry to terminate, among others, the bilateral cooperation agreement with:
🇧🇬 Bulgaria (signed in Sofia on August 4, 1992)
🇩🇪 Germany (signed in Moscow on April 13, 1993)

🔹 It also authorizes termination of military cooperation agreements with:
🇵🇱 Poland
🇷🇴 Romania
🇩🇰 Denmark
🇳🇴 Norway

🔹 The order also permits termination of a memorandum of understanding with 🇬🇧 the United Kingdom (defense cooperation).

🔹 In addition, the Defense Ministry is permitted to terminate cooperation agreements with the defense ministries of:
🇳🇱 the Netherlands
🇭🇷 Croatia
🇧🇪 Belgium
🇨🇿 the Czech Republic

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🚨 NATO, think twice: Military expert lists option for Russia to protect Kaliningrad

Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that blockade of the Kaliningrad exclave would spark escalation, stressing that all threats would be neutralized.

💬 "This implies using the full range of available tools," Alexander Stepanov, a military expert at the Institute of Law and National Security at the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (RANEPA) tells Sputnik.

💬 "In this case, Russia will face no restrictions in employing its entire set of deterrent measures," he says.

The expert suggests that the response would include:

🟠 Baltic Fleet forces, in particular long-range precision and hypersonic weapons such as Zircon missiles

🟠 The Iskander missiles deployed in the Kaliningrad region could target NATO staging grounds for an attack on Kaliningrad

🟠 Russia's newest Oreshnik system could be deployed in the Kaliningrad region and along its western border to deter NATO military adventurism

🟠 Russian Aerospace Forces could hit NATO targets in the Baltic Sea

💬 "In the event that the adversary initiates a conflict along the NATO-Russia track, NATO targets would become fully legitimate for [Russian] high-precision weapons systems," Stepanov says.

🔶 He specified that Russian strategic deterrence tools, including intercontinental ballistic missiles, could be employed in the event of a direct threat to the national security and sovereignty of Russia under its renewed nuclear doctrine.

🔶 In July, General Christopher Donahue, head of the US Army Europe and Africa and NATO Allied Land Command, said the alliance could occupy Kaliningrad if needed and already has a plan in place.

🔶 Putin aide Nikolai Patrushev had previously warned against NATO drills for offensive operations near Russian borders, including a possible seizure of Kaliningrad.

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🚨📑 US Justice Department publishes Epstein document library

The US Justice Department has launched an Epstein Library, publishing materials released under the Epstein Files Transparency Act as well as related court records, FOIA disclosures, and congressional documents.

The DOJ notes that the archive contains redacted materials to protect victims and private individuals, but warns that due to the volume of records, some documents may still include sensitive or non-public information, including denoscriptions of sexual assault.

According to the department, the library will be updated if additional documents are identified for release.

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🚨 'Using frozen Russian assets? That idea is dead, done & dusted' — Orban

💬 “It’s good that it did not materialize. Because in my view it would have dragged us [the EU] into the Ukraine conflict immediately, the Hungarian PM stressed.

📍 He insisted that Ukraine “will never be able to repay” the EU’s just-approved 90 billion euro ($105 billion) loan, which is why Orban said the bloc “would be handing out aid disguised as a loan.”

💬 “Then we chose a solution where we asked that if they want to get on this train and we don’t want to buy a ticket for it, then we should not be forced to get on this train,” the PM said, referring to a decision by Hungary, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic to stay out of the EU’s move on the Ukraine loan.

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🚨 US launches strikes against ISIS targets in Syria - Hegseth

US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said US forces launched “Operation Hawkeye Strike” in Syria earlier today, targeting ISIS* fighters, infrastructure, and weapons sites.

According to Hegseth, the operation was carried out in response to an attack on US forces in Palmyra on December 13. He described the strikes as a limited action, stating that it was “not the beginning of a war,” but a response aimed at those responsible for the attack.

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

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🚨 Trump announces retaliation against ISIS in Syria

US President Donald Trump said the United States is carrying out strong retaliatory strikes against ISIS* positions in Syria, citing the recent killing of US personnel.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump warned that any further attacks on US targets would be met with a strong response.

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

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