(2025-12-18). Does Zelensky really want peace? Kremlin gives cryptic response after Berlin talks. hindustantimes.com Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov addressed questions on possible US diplomacy, sanctions, and the Ukraine conflict during a press briefing in Moscow. Peskov said a visit by US special envoy Steve Witkoff is not planned this week, adding that Russia expects updates once Washington completes consultations with Ukraine and Europe. Commenting on peace prospects, Peskov said Moscow will assess official documents before drawing conclusions. He also warned that any new US sanctions, including against Russia's shadow tanker fleet, would harm efforts at normalisation. Russia's stance on foreign troops in Ukraine, he str…
(2025-12-18). EU Split Over Ukraine Funding as Belgium Holds Key to 2026—27 Plan. moderndiplomacy.eu European Union leaders are set to decide on Thursday how to finance Ukraine's war effort in 2026 and 2027, with the use of frozen Russian central bank assets emerging as the preferred option. About 210 billion euros of Russian assets are immobilised in the EU, most of them held in Belgium through the clearing house …
(2025-12-18). Putin vows victory in Ukraine as US and Russia prepare for Miami talks. scmp.com Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed confidence in victory for his war in Ukraine during a meeting with senior military officials on Wednesday amid a renewed diplomatic push to achieve a peaceful solution to the conflict. | He said that more than 300 localities in the neighbouring country have been conquered this year alone. "Among them are also large cities that have been turned by the enemy into fortress nodes with permanent defensive installations," Putin said.
(2025-12-18). EU deadlocked on plan to turn Russian assets into Ukraine aid. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Dec. 18 (MNA) — EU leaders are locked in a dispute over whether to use Russia's frozen assets to finance Ukraine's defense, with Belgium and Italy warning of legal risks.
(2025-12-18). The Ukraine War — Where it Stands Today. globalresearch.ca The leadership in Kiev has repeatedly required two major conditions as a quid pro quo for ending the three and one-half year-long war with Moscow.
(2025-12-18). Putin's speech: Ukraine & EU's worst fear is here? Oreshnik warheads ready for 2025. hindustantimes.com Russia says its new Oreshnik intercontinental ballistic missile system will be on full combat duty by the end of the year, President Vladimir Putin has announced. The deployment marks another step in Moscow's ongoing nuclear forces modernisation amid deep tensions with the West. The advanced ICBM platform, designed to strengthen Russia's nuclear deterrent against the United States and NATO, is expected to enter service as part of an accelerated push to modernise the strategic rocket forces. Watch for details…
(2025-12-18). Satellite pics expose Zelensky's lie on 'world-first drone attack on submarine'? No damage? | Russia. hindustantimes.com Ukraine's first underwater drone strike on a Russian Black Sea submarine is now backed by fresh satellite imagery that undercuts Moscow's denials. The attack shows Kyiv can still hurt Russia's fleet even as it loses ground on land. New commercial satellite images of Novorossiysk port, obtained after the attack, show clear damage to the pier where the Russian submarine was moored. A large section of the quay appears destroyed, with concrete debris scattered around the impact point near the stern of the boat. Watch for details…
(2025-12-18). Smokescreen in Ukraine? Moscow hosts Iran as nuclear clock ticks, Araghchi drops bombshell for Trump. hindustantimes.com Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and MGIMO University Rector Anatoli Torkunov discussed expanding academic and strategic cooperation between Russia and Iran, including joint master's programmes, research initiatives and student exchanges. Araghchi highlighted shared positions on global issues, opposition to US hegemony, and appreciation for Russia's support during the recent conflict with Israel. Talks also covered energy cooperation, gas swaps, countering US sanctions, and regional security in the South Caucasus through the proposed 3+3 mechanism. Araghchi reiterated Iran's stance against nuclear weapons,…
(2025-12-18). EU Summit: Pledging Financial Support for Ukraine's Future. devdiscourse.com European leaders are set to leave this week's EU summit with a concrete decision regarding Ukraine's financial requirements for the years 2026 to 2027. This commitment was reaffirmed by Antonio Costa, head of the European Council, during a press briefing on Thursday.
(2025-12-18). What Gaza and Ukraine reveal about a new era of imposed peace. independentaustralia.net 
(2025-12-18). European powers set course for escalation of war in Ukraine against Russia. wsws.org The talks on a supposed "peace plan" for Ukraine, which took place in Berlin over the past few days, have made one thing clear above all else: the leading European powers—above all Germany—are doing everything they can to prolong NATO's war against Russia.
(2025-12-18). Russia preparing for new 'year of war'. tribune.com.pk 
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Wednesday Russia was preparing to wage a new "year of war" on his country in 2026, after his counterpart Vladimir Putin said Moscow would "certainly" achieve its objectives. | "Today, we heard yet another signal from Moscow that they are preparing to make next year a year of war," Zelensky said in his regular evening address. | The statement was a reaction to Putin, who earlier said Russia would achieve its goals in its Ukraine offensive, including seizing Ukrainian territories it claims as its own, amid a flurry of international diplomacy to end the war. | "The goal…
(2025-12-18). Zelensky suggests American security guarantees instead of NATO membership. infobrics.org Kiev also seeks security guarantees from European partners, Canada, and Japan.
(2025-12-18). Confusion at NATO: Rutte, Russia, and Delusions about Trump. dissidentvoice.org It was a speech unhinged in millenarian zeal. It was unapologetically hysterical in urging war while claiming to protect peace. It was also delivered with a note of profound self-denial: the US administration's 2025 National Security Strategy had belittled Europe's efforts in terms of ensuring its own security, not least of all its claims to …
(2025-12-18). Pentagon deprioritizes Europe and Middle East, focuses on Western Hemisphere. infobrics.org It seems that the NATO-orchestrated Ukrainian conflict demonstrated to the US that it's foolish and pointless to fight Russia directly. Namely, Washington DC is obsessed with "containing" China, but its plan to push India against it failed, so it will have to handle that on its own.
(2025-12-18). US Senate confirms private astronaut, Musk ally Jared Isaacman as NASA chief. tribune.com.pk 
The US Senate on Wednesday confirmed billionaire private astronaut Jared Isaacman to become President Donald Trump's NASA administrator, making an advocate of Mars missions and a former associate of SpaceX CEO Elon Musk the space agency's 15th leader. | The vote on Isaacman, who Trump removed and then renominated as NASA administrator nominee this year, passed 67—30, two weeks after he told senators in his second confirmation hearing that NASA must pick up the pace to beat China back to the moon this decade. | Isaacman will lead an agency of about 14,000 employees as it invests billions of dollars into it…