Free Republic

The Russian leader explained that the relationship between Donald Trump and European elites backing Democrats was not surprisingMOSCOW, December 19. /TASS/. European political elites aligned with Democrats directly meddled in the US elections, Russian President Vladimir Putin said during the combined Direct Line Q&A session and year-end press conference headlined "Results of the Year.""Donald Trump was once accused of Russia interfering in the elections, but it was not confirmed. All Congress investigations were fruitless, there was no Russian interference. By contrast, European political elites did interfere, and they did so directly. It was completely obvious, visible, and unabashed," Putin said....

Sergey Naryshkin noted that "there are clear tendencies toward isolationism, which US President Donald Trump and US Vice President JD Vance do not hide"MOSCOW, December 18. /TASS/. The United States’ new national security strategy puts America's interests first, a rational approach, Sergey Naryshkin, director of Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), said in an interview with TASS. "Of course, it is pro-American, and it is very sound. Undoubtedly, it is based on US national interests," Naryshkin said in response to a question on the matter. He added that "there are clear tendencies toward isolationism, which [US President Donald] Trump and [US...

It was publicly stated that there would be no NATO expansion to the east and the West "couldn't care less" about these promises, the Russian leader notedMOSCOW, December 17. /TASS/. Russia does not deny anyone the right to security, but insists that promises made to it be fulfilled, including on NATO not expanding eastward, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at an expanded meeting of the Defense Ministry’s board. "I'm not even talking about NATO expansion, although that's obvious. Today, we are told that we have no right to force anyone to resolve their security issues the way we want, nor...

According to the plan of the European Commission, this step is the first phase in further expropriation of Russian assetsBRUSSELS, December 12. /TASS/. The Council of the European Union made the decision on the indefinite freeze of Russian sovereign assets, the Danish presidency in the EU Council said. "EU governments agree to indefinitely freeze Russian Central Bank assets held in Euro," the presidency said. According to the plan of the European Commission, this step is the first phase in further expropriation of Russian assets.

Ursula von der Leyen also said she has always had "a very good working relationship" with US presidentsBRUSSELS, December 12. /TASS/. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the US president should not interfere into democratic processes in the EU member countries. "It is not on us, when it comes to elections, to decide who the leader of the country will be, but on the people of this country <…> That’s the sovereignty of the voters, and this must be protected," the European Commission president told Politico in an interview. "Nobody else is supposed to interfere, without any question."...

According to the document, NATO "no longer aligns with current US national security interests"WASHINGTON, December 10. /TASS/. Republican Congressman Thomas Massie, a Kentucky representative, introduced a bill calling for the United States to withdraw from NATO. "NATO is a Cold War relic," the Republican Congressman wrote on the X social network. "We should withdraw from NATO and use that money to defend our own country, not socialist countries," the legislator said, referring to the US expenditures in the military alliance. The lawmaker added that he had submitted a bill to remove the United States from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization....

The US leader called the peninsula "massive and beautiful"WASHINGTON, December 9. /TASS/. Former US President Barack Obama forced the Ukrainian government to give up Crimea in the face of Russia’s push to take it back, US President Donald Trump said in an interview with Politico daily on Tuesday. "Every time I look at that map, I say, oh, this Crimea’s so beautiful. Wow. It’s surrounded on four sides by ocean. It’s only got a little piece of land to get to... the main [land]. I mean, Crimea’s massive," Trump said. "... it’s four sides of ocean in the warmest part....

Donald Trump voiced concern about the current political track taken by EU countriesWASHINGTON, December 9. /TASS/. US President Donald Trump criticized the fine imposed by the European Commission on X and warned that Europe is "moving in some bad directions." Asked about the fine at a meeting with representatives of the agricultural industry at the White House, Trump called Brussels' decision "nasty" and added: "I don't think it's right. Europe has to be very careful." He voiced concern about the current political track taken by EU countries. "We want to keep Europe Europe. Europe is going in some bad directions....

"Exactly," the senior Russian security official commented on Musk’s post on XMOSCOW, December 6. /TASS/. Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev supported Elon Musk’s call to abolish the European Union and return sovereignty to individual countries. "Exactly," the senior Russian security official commented on Musk’s post on X. Earlier on Saturday, the US billionaire entrepreneur posted on his social media: "The EU should be abolished and sovereignty returned to individual countries, so that governments can better represent their people.".

Hostility toward the US president is somewhat lower in Italy, the Netherlands, Germany, and PortugalPARIS, December 4. /TASS/. Almost one in two EU citizens surveyed perceive US President Donald Trump as "Europe’s enemy," according to the results of a poll of 9,500 residents in nine EU countries conducted in late November and published in the French magazine Le Grand Continent. "According to the latest figures, Trump is largely perceived as Europe’s enemy. On average, 48% of EU citizens surveyed see him this way, while 10% consider him a friend [of Europe] and 40% view him as ‘neither friend nor foe,’"...

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen proposed to cover two-thirds of Ukraine’s financing needs for the next two yearsBRUSSELS, December 3. /TASS/. The European Commission has come up with an alternative financing plan to cover Ukraine's military and civilian needs for the next two years, one that doesn't involve the use of frozen Russian assets, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced. "We are proposing to cover two-thirds of Ukraine’s financing needs for the next two years - this is 90 bln euros. The remainder will be for international partners to cover. The first option is to raise...

"What we have tried to do, and I think have made some progress, is figure out what can the Ukrainians live with that gives them security guarantees for the future," US Secretary of State saidNEW YORK, December 3. /TASS/. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the key subject of dispute in the negotiations on the settlement of the conflict in Ukraine is the remaining 20% of the territory of the DPR under Kiev's control. "What they're literally fighting over now is about 30 to 50 kilometer space and the 20% of the Donetsk region that remains [under Ukrainian...

The US president said that Joe Biden "gave away $350 billion"WASHINGTON, December 2. /TASS/. US President Donald Trump has stated that his country is no longer involved in the Ukrainian crisis in terms of financing it. "As you know, we have a problem with a war that our people are trying to settle now with Russia and Ukraine. We are not involved in the war monetarily anymore," he said at a Cabinet meeting. "Biden gave away $350 billion like it was candy. That's a massive amount of money and much of it in cash, a lot of it in equipment....

Kaja Kallas said that Belgium has legitimate concerns about the risks, but the other member-states have said that they are willing to share those risksBRUSSELS, December 1. /TASS/. The European Commission intends to make the decision on the expropriation of Russian assets at the European Council’s meeting on December 18-19, High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas told reporters. "We are not going to leave the Council in December without the result for the financing of Ukraine," Kallas said. "Belgium has legitimate concerns about the risks, but the other member-states have said that they...

Donald Tusk emphasized that the European Union would not be able to impose anything on Warsaw on this issueMOSCOW, November 26. /TASS/. The European Union cannot impose its court decision on recognizing same-sex marriage on Poland, Prime Minister Donald Tusk told a cabinet meeting. "I would like to reassure everyone - the European Union will not be able to impose anything on us on this issue (an EU Court decision on recognition of same-sex marriages in other countries of the union - TASS)," Tusk said as broadcast on the social media of the office of the head of government. He...

According to the former head of European diplomacy, the EU should recognize the shift in American policy and respond accordinglyBRUSSELS, November 25. /TASS/. Europe can no longer consider the United States an ally after American President Donald Trump put forward his plan for the Ukrainian settlement without any input from the EU, former head of European diplomacy Josep Borrell said. As evidenced by the 28-point plan for a Ukrainian settlement, the United States under Trump can no longer be considered an ally of Europe, which is not even consulted on issues affecting its own security, he wrote on X. According...

This past week, social media was flooded with images showing a new metro station in Tehran called the “Virgin Mary” station. The photos went viral, sparking widespread debate among those who hail it as a rare gesture of openness, those who dismiss it as a staged act to polish the regime’s image, and others who simply wonder if it even exists. According to the posts circulating online, the “Virgin Mary” station is located on Line 6 of the Tehran metro near the St. Sarkis Armenian Cathedral. According to France 24, the station has been under construction for 10 years. Its...

The Russian leader noted that the reaction of Western elites on a new interpretation of events was primitive and straightforwardMOSCOW, October 17. /TASS/. Western elites spent years teaching Russia about the importance of freedom of speech and competition, and now they are trying to ban and block all of that, President Vladimir Putin said in a speech marking the 20th anniversary of RT. "For years, they [Western elites] taught us how to live, how the media should work, how to understand democracy and what democracy is. What true freedom of speech is. They convinced us of the importance of competition,...

According to Kirill Dmitriev, the tunnel with a railroad and cargo link, will unlock joint resource explorationMOSCOW, October 17. /TASS/. A tunnel crossing the Bering Strait and connecting Russia and Alaska can take less than eight years to build, at the cost that does not exceed $8 billion, Special Presidential Envoy for economic cooperation with foreign countries and CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) Kirill Dmitriev said. "Imagine connecting the US and Russia, the Americas and the Afro-Eurasia with the Putin-Trump Tunnel - a 70-mile link symbolizing unity. Traditional costs are $65bln+, but the Boring Company [tunnel construction...

Before that, there will be a meeting of the countries' high level advisorsWASHINGTON, October 16. /TASS/. The presidents of Russia and the United States, Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump, will soon hold a new in-person meeting, which will take place in Budapest, the US leader announced following a telephone conversation with his Russian counterpart. "At the conclusion of the call, we agreed that there will be a meeting of our High Level Advisors, next week. <...> President Putin and I will then meet in an agreed upon location, Budapest, Hungary <...>," Trump wrote on his page on the Truth Social...