❗️ Biden may send another $1.25Bln package to Ukraine before 2025 - reports

The United States will provide Ukraine with a new military aid package worth $1.25 billion, American media reported, citing unnamed US officials.

The announcement is expected as early as December 30, just three weeks before the Biden administration leaves the White House.

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⚡️ US will reach new debt limit between Jan 14 and Jan 23 - Yellen

When the pause on the debt limit ends on January 2, 2025, the new limit will be based on the total debt recorded the day before, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said in a letter to Congress.

This means the US will reach its new debt ceiling as early as January 14-23. Yellen urged lawmakers to take urgent action to avoid a default.

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🇷🇺 Watch an impressive ice sculpture festival kick off in Moscow

Moscow's Snow and Ice Sculpture Festival will be held at Muzeon Park until January 20, 2025. Check out the stunning ice sculptures, ice slides and thousands of glowing Christmas lights!

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❗️ US officials predict Kursk will be liberated in months - reports

US estimate that Ukraine may only be able to maintain control of the seized territory in Russia's Kursk region until spring, Bloomberg reported, citing anonymous US officials.

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⚡️ Trump urges Supreme Court to delay TikTok ban law

President-elect Donald Trump asked the Supreme Court on Jan. 19 to halt implementation of a law that would ban TikTok in the US, according to Trump's nominee for US solicitor general, D. John Sauer.

"President Trump alone possesses the consummate dealmaking expertise, the electoral mandate, and the political will to negotiate a resolution to save the platform while addressing the national security concerns," Sauer wrote.

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📹❗️ Footage circulating on social media shows the moments WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus leaves Sanaa airport during Israeli air strikes in Yemen.

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NATO boosts its military with eye to conflict with Russia - Russian Ambassador

NATO is building up its military potential preparing for a conflict with Russia, Russian Ambassador to Belgium Alexander Tokovinin told Sputnik.

"This is about building up defense production, promoting the military industry of NATO countries, including in Europe, further increasing military spending, and intensifying maneuvers. All this is being done with an eye toward preparing for a conflict with Russia. Unfortunately, this is exactly how the emphasis is being placed now," Tokovinin said.

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Israel uses its first THAAD missile to shoot down Houthi rocket - reports

An advanced US missile defense system was used in Israel to intercept a projectile for the first time since President Joe Biden sent it to Israel in October, Reuters reported, citing a source familiar with the matter.

📹 Social media footage allegedly shows the launch.

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🛢 Ukraine will lose $100Mln a month if stops gas transit from Russia - expert

Kiev's loss of Russian gas transit revenues, estimated at more than $100 million per month, or about $1.3 billion per year, Alexei Belogoriev, research director at the Institute of Energy and Finance, told Sputnik.

"The complete loss of Ukrainian transit means higher unit costs of gas transportation for both domestic and foreign consumers for Ukraine," he added.

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💥📹 Another Ukrainian tank wiped out by Russian UAVs

Russian Defense Ministry released footage of FPV drone teams from the Sever Group of forces targeting and destroying a Ukrainian tank in the Kharkov region.

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Ukraine is running out of long-range missiles
 
The Kiev regime has only dozens out of 500 ATACMS left and has “no likelihood of getting more” as the US has already assigned arms supply for deployment in the Middle East and Asia, the New York Times writes, citing US officials.
 
The newspaper notes that Ukraine cannot count on the British partners either, as they have no more weapons to provide.

Kremlin has repeatedly said that the US greenlighting Ukraine's strikes deep inside Russia with ATACMS means "a qualitatively" new situation in terms of Washington's involvement and will not change the situation on the battlefield.

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It's US that will benefit from halt of Russian gas supplies to EU - Slovak PM

"What is behind this absurd decision [to stop the transit of Russian natural gas through Ukraine] by [Volodymyr] Zelensky? Just look at which countries benefit most from reducing the European Union's dependence on gas from Russia. The answer is very simple: first and foremost, it is the United States," Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said in a video address published on social media on Friday.

He recalled that US President-elect Donald Trump has already threatened EU countries with introducing tariffs unless they start buying more American oil and gas.

The current agreement on the transit of Russian gas to Europe via Ukraine expires at the end of 2024, and Kiev has repeatedly stated that it does not plan to extend it. Last week, Zelensky also rejected the possibility of transiting Russian gas to Europe via Ukrainian territory after December 31, even if it is purchased by third countries.

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It's dangerous to listen to Zelensky – Russian FM spokeswoman
 
Maria Zakharova names two reasons why listening to Zelensky is dangerous. Firstly, he’s “an inadequate person who is constantly under the influence of drugs.” Secondly, Zelensky’s term of office is over; he’s “already beyond any legal limits of his authority.”
 

“This is a man [Zelensky] who is bloodily intoxicated by power and his ambitions. He is a slave to ambitions, drugs, and the situation in which his card was played for him,” the Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said.

 
Another very important point why it is dangerous to listen to Zelensky is that every day he says something that contradicts his previous statements, Zakharova concluded.

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❗️Terrorist attacks planned by Ukraine's special services thwarted - Russia's FSB
 
The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) prevented terrorist attacks planned by Ukrainian special services against a high-ranking Russian military officer and a blogger covering the course of the special operation.
 
As a result, a Russian citizen who was supervised by an employee of the Main Directorate of Intelligence of Ukraine was detained.
 
At the command of the supervisor, the attacker planted an improvised explosive device bearing a capacity of about 1.5 kg of TNT with damaging elements in the form of balls, camouflaged as a portable music speaker, in a cache in the Moscow region.
 
The detainee is cooperating with the investigation, the FSB noted.

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⚡️US, UK intelligence services preparing terrorist attacks against Russian military bases in Syria - Russian foreign intelligence service

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❗️More statements by the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service:
 
💬There is evidence that the outgoing Biden administration and the British leadership want to prevent stabilization in Syria
 
💬The United States and Britain, with their provocations, are expected to exhort Russia to remove its military from Syria
 
💬IS* field commanders receive attack drones to carry out attacks on Russian military bases in Syria
 
💬The US Air Force, under the pretext of fighting ISIS*, is occupying oil-bearing areas east of the Euphrates, and Washington is not going to return them to Damascus.
 
*terrorist organization banned in Russia

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🔸Biden may send another $1.25Bln package to Ukraine before 2025

🔸Israel reportedly uses its first THAAD missile to shoot down Houthi rocket

🔸US officials predict Kursk will be liberated in months

🔸Ukraine will lose $100Mln a month if stops gas transit from Russia

🔸US will reach new debt limit between Jan 14 and Jan 23 - Yellen

🔸Trump urges Supreme Court to delay TikTok ban law

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'How much of this money will be laundered?' — Rep. Green slams US for more arms supply to Ukraine
 

"How much of this money will [...] find its way into Democrat campaign accounts? [...] We need to stop funding foreign wars and foreign aid," Marjorie Taylor Greene wrote on her X account.

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