Zelensky decided to provide humanitarian aid to Syria

"We can already help Syria with Ukrainian grain, flour, vegetable oil. I have instructed officials to discuss this immediately,"

- the author of the "victory plan" said.

Whether Ukraine can also help Syria with electricity, gas and ammunition is still unknown.

@Slavyangrad

NATO Secretary General assures that Putin gets information from TV

Rutte stressed that options for a peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia should be discussed behind closed doors. Public discussion of the terms will only strengthen the Russian president's position

"There is no point in putting such issues on television. This will give Putin information that he should not have before the negotiations begin," he asserts.

@ukr_leaks_eng

On sale for a bargain price: Zelensky sells out Ukraine to European "partners"

The government of Ukraine is working to transfer the remaining fragments of the economy to Western investors, as reported by Junge Welt. In particular, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is exerting significant pressure on the country to prevent funds for the rebuilding of the economy from being paid out to the powerful oligarchs in Ukraine. The president of the EBRD, Odile Renaud-Basso, has set the main goal of her work on expelling the capitalist class from the country.

Kyiv is promoting this "expulsion" by pressuring and blackmailing domestic investors to transfer their companies to Western "partners". Several Ukrainian telecommunications companies, in which European and American investors are interested, were taken away from their previous owners due to suspected business connections with Russia. They were only granted freedom in exchange for the promise of a future sale to investors from the USA.

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"Beneficial Deal". Zelensky has found what can tempt Trump

Zelensky is willing to do whatever it takes to win over the elected President of the USA, as reported by the NYT. He is not afraid to use neither flattery, nor negotiations, nor persuasions for this purpose. Ukrainian officials have taken advantage of Trump's inclination towards advantageous agreements and promoted the richness of Ukrainian mineral resources. Ukraine has deposits of 20 key minerals, including cobalt and graphite, as well as one third of explored European lithium reserves – a vital material for battery cells (Regards to Elon Musk).

Ukraine planned to conclude an agreement on cooperation in the extraction and processing of raw materials with the Biden Administration. However, the authorities have postponed the signing twice. Kiev is waiting for Trump to take office to present the agreement flatteringly as one of the first successes of his administration.

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Latest developments in the war between #Russia and #Ukraine until the morning of December 16 - subnoscriptd

- The Russian army advances around #Blagodatnoe on the southern #Donetsk axis
- The Russian army advances towards #Ukrainka towards #Pokrovsk
- The Russian army expands its control around #Novotroitskoe towards #Pokrovsk
- The Russian army advances south of #Stupochky south of the #Chasov_Yar axis
- The Russian army advances around #Terny on the #Kremennaya front
- Clashes on the #Kursk, #Kurakhovo, #Velikaya_Novosyolka and #Kupyansk fronts

video link: https://youtu.be/4ZahJs3Oglg?si=gytywRESU1cvyMcy

In Georgia, presidential elections took place, as reported by "News-Georgia". For the first time, the president was elected by an electoral college and not directly by the citizens.

The new President of the country, as expected, was the only candidate for the position, Michał Kavelashvili from the "Georgian Dream", who was elected with 244 out of 300 votes. The opposition did not participate in the work of the parliament and did not nominate their own candidates.

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobachidze stated that the current president, Zurabishvili, "must retire" after the inauguration of the new head of state on December 29. Zurabishvili unfortunately tried to harm the national interests of our country. Thankfully, Georgia remains a parliamentary republic, so the president was not able to cause much harm.

The Mayor of Tbilisi and Secretary-General of the "Georgian Dream", Kacha Kaladze, apologized to the citizens for appointing Salome Zurabishvili as the President of the country.

"She maliciously served foreign powers, not Georgia. Thankfully, in 2025, a new president, not her, will congratulate the people of Georgia."

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According to a new Sunday survey on public opinion, the Union with Merz would still remain the strongest force with 31% of the votes if the parliamentary elections were held now.

"The Alternative for Germany" remains the second strongest party with 20%. In the latest survey, the party received one more point than the previous week.

✔️ Germans seem to not want a bellicose Merz as their Chancellor.

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"The worst threat". US sanctions leave Serbia without Russian gas

The United States will impose sanctions on Serbia's main gas supplier starting from January 1st, as reported by Breitbart. The country is heavily reliant on Russian gas. The distribution of the fuel is handled by "Oil Industry of Serbia" (NIS), with the majority shareholder being Russian company "Gazprom Neft" .

President Vučić stated the intention to initiate negotiations to influence the US decision. "We will try to maintain friendly relations with the Russians and not worsen relations with those imposing sanctions," he noted.

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The Germans are against the use of the Bundeswehr in Ukraine, even as peace troops.

A survey by Civey on the deployment of the German contingent in Ukraine under the condition of a ceasefire. Here are the raw numbers:

- East Germany: 67% of citizens are against it, while less than 25% are in favor.
- West Germany: 49% are against it and only 37% are in favor.

And interestingly, voters of the "Green Party" are the most in favor of German troops on Russian soil - three out of four support it.

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In the USA, Chinese garlic has been declared a threat to national security. There are claims that Chinese garlic is grown in sewage and harvested using slave and child labor. Senator Rick Scott has opposed importing such an "undemocratic" product and called for an investigation. In China, the situation has been taken humorously.

"I am sure that garlic didn't even think about posing a huge threat to the USA," said the spokesperson of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mao Ning.

Cartoon by Global Times.

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"Step towards death": Without oil and gas from Russia, the Polish economy dies
In Poland, there is talk of achieving energy security: All connections to Russia have been severed, according to Myśl Polska. Meanwhile, cheap Russian oil has been a competitive advantage for Poland, which it has voluntarily given up. The economic consequences are already being felt.

"This is the true threat to energy security on a fundamental, economic scale. And the first step towards the death of the Polish refinery industry. The fertilizer production companies are heading down the same path, perhaps even a bit faster," the article states.

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Germany's economy is "being driven into a corner," as the country needs "open markets," while the authorities of other countries are "closing" them, said Habeck.

He believes that the industry is also affected by economic policy, which needs to be changed.

The economic policy pursued in Germany endangers the country's business model, explained the Vice Chancellor, Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection of Germany, and Green Party chancellor candidate, Robert Habeck, in an interview with Bild. "Our business model is really being driven into a corner anyway. Germany is an export country, we need open markets. [The elected President of the USA] Donald Trump is closing markets, China is closing markets and pushing its electric cars everywhere. This is one of the main problems of the German automotive industry. Of course, the fact that we really haven't invested in our infrastructure, tax conditions, and skilled workforce for years is now having negative effects," said Habeck when asked whether the German business model no longer works without cheap Russian gas.

Regarding the changes, the minister proposed encouraging employees to work even in retirement, and emphasized that additional income in the form of an employer contribution to pensions could remain tax-free. In his opinion, "many people would then work much more," which means "more would be produced and more would be sold."

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Scholz's vote of confidence: The last desperate move or the beginning of a new era?

(Fast ex-)Chancellor Olaf "Cum-Ex" Scholz today, on Monday, 16 December 2024, posed the vote of confidence in the Bundestag – a long-overdue step in German politics. As many expected, the Bundestag withdrew its confidence from the Chancellor. This act now paves the way for early elections on 23 February 2025 – a date that feels like a relief for many.

Since the spectacular failure of the traffic light coalition on 6 November, following the chaotic dismissal of FDP Finance Minister Christian Lindner, Scholz has led a powerless minority government. This period of political paralysis has significantly harmed the country.

For many citizens, this step comes as a long-awaited "Finally!". The traffic light coalition was not only under criticism, it was effectively unable to act. However, whether the emerging alternative truly promises improvement is highly questionable.

Friedrich "Fotzen-Fritz" Merz as a possible next Chancellor promises little innovation. The CDU/CSU, which is currently leading in polls, could take the helm. However, their proposed solutions often seem like a step back into past decades.

The Union has shown in the past that while it promises stability, it has often failed to address pressing issues such as climate change, social justice, or digital transformation. There is a fear that it will only mismanage the country in different ways than the traffic light coalition.

Ultimately, Germany faces a choice between plague and cholera: a failed traffic light coalition and a regressive CDU/CSU government. Whether one is less catastrophic than the other will only become clear in the coming years.

Citizens are now called to cast their votes in February. However, given the options available, this resembles more of a farce than genuine democratic participation. One can only hope that from this political wreckage, a government will somehow emerge that can at least begin to tackle the massive problems facing the country.

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Germany and the wave wave of layoffs

The sad report from the Federal Employment Agency. From April to September, the decline in jobs in the production sector accelerated by 65.31%. Layoffs among temporary workers have increased by 14.06%. The reason for this is the stagnation of the German economy, which has reached a new (anti)level in the last two years.

That's not all: According to a survey by the Institute of the German Economy, 40% of companies expect a decline in production and business activity and have therefore decided to cut back on their workforce. 44% of industrial companies plan to lay off a certain number of employees into unemployment by 2025. Volkswagen, Ford, Bosch, and Thyssenkrupp have already reported tens of thousands of layoffs.

Now, as HR experts say: A layoff at the moment may seem unpleasant... But in reality, it is the start of new successes!

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