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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.

KYIV, Dec 12 (Reuters) - Ukrainian forces said they had retaken parts of the northeastern town of Kupiansk and had encircled Russian troops there as President Volodymyr Zelenskiy visited the area and praised the operation, saying it strengthened Ukraine diplomatically. With U.S.-backed peace efforts underway, Moscow has said it is advancing on all fronts and that it has seized Kupiansk and the strategic city of Pokrovsk in the east. Kyiv has denied this, saying that the fighting is continuing.

WTF? BlackRock CEO Larry Fink is now directly involved in Ukraine negotiations alongside Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. Source: Bloomberg. We’ve gone from a moneyproxy war to a privatized reconstruction racket, and now to global asset managers and Trump’s inner-circle real-estate cronies literally inserting themselves into diplomatic negotiations over a live war zone. BlackRock has already positioned itself to manage Ukraine’s postwar “rebuilding” aka a $400+ billion fire-sale of national assets. Now Fink is reportedly sitting at the table with Twink Kushner and Real Estate Agent Witkoff, because to them Ukraine’s fate is a business venture, not a sovereign crisis....

The US House of Representatives voted to pass a negotiated version of the National Defense Authorization Act on Wednesday, sending the Pentagon spending bill to the Senate for final approval. This bill was negotiated with Democrats in the House and the Senate, resulting in a bipartisan vote that some MAGA firebrands opposed.Per Fox:An earlier procedural vote on the legislation just barely passed 215–211 at the 11th hour after four Republicans: Reps. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla, Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., all changed their votes from no to yes. All Democrats voted no on the procedural...

Ukraine delivered its response to the latest US-drafted peace proposal aimed at ending the war with Russia to the Trump administration on Wednesday, US and Ukrainian officials told CNN, as the contours of a tenuous potential deal take shape and the US president continues to make clear he wants the conflict resolved quickly. Efforts to end the yearslong war have sharply accelerated in recent weeks. President Donald Trump on Wednesday suggested a solution could soon be “figured out,” telling reporters at the White House that “a lot of people say it’s closer than it’s ever been.” He said he “discussed...

President Donald Trump's envoys have given Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy only days to respond to a proposed peace deal that would require Ukraine to accept territorial losses in exchange for unspecified U.S. security guarantees, with one person familiar with the timeline saying Trump wants an agreement "by Christmas." Zelenskyy told European leaders that he was pushed during a two-hour phone call with Trump special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, the president's son-in-law, to make a quick decision, reports the Financial Times on Tuesday. Officials familiar with the talks said that the Ukrainian leader told Witkoff and Kushner that he...

Ukraine and its European partners will soon be ready to present the U.S. with "refined documents" on a peace plan to end the war with Russia, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Tuesday, following days of high-stakes shuttle diplomacy. Kyiv is under pressure from the White House to secure a quick peace but is pushing back on a U.S.-backed plan proposed last month that is widely seen as favorable to Moscow. Ukrainian officials are also seeking strong security guarantees from partners... In a statement, Zelenskyy said new components of the deal hashed out with the British, French, and German leaders in...

A member of the UK armed forces has been killed in a 'tragic accident' whilst observing the testing of new defensive capability in Ukraine, the Ministry of Defence has said. The MoD said in a statement that the accident occurred on Tuesday morning away from the front lines of Ukraine's defence against Russia's invasion. The ministry said the man's family has been notified of his death, adding: 'Our thoughts are with them at this sad and difficult time.' Prime Minister Keir Starmer said following the announcement of the soldier's death: 'My deepest sympathy and condolences to the family of the...

After weeks of peace talks and high-level meetings, Russia and Ukraine remain far apart on an issue central to bringing the war to an end: Territory. The Kremlin has made clear that it wants to absorb all of an eastern area of Ukraine known as the Donbas. That includes a 2,500-square-mile area of the Luhansk and Donetsk regions that Russia has not been able to capture after nearly four years of fighting. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reiterated on Monday his longstanding opposition to ceding territory to Russia. More than 200,000 Ukrainians live in the area of Donetsk that Ukraine still...

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Tuesday said he was ready for elections, appearing to bow to pressure from President Donald Trump, who has been upping the pressure on Ukraine to hold a national vote during the war with Russia. While there are serious challenges to holding elections in a country at war, Zelenskyy said that he was prepared to organize them as long as he got his parliament's OK and the U.S. and other allies helped ensure security. “I am ready for elections; moreover, I am now asking — and I state this openly — for the United States to help...

A lawsuit to be announced Wednesday alleges U.S.-made technologies were used in Russian missile and drone strikes that killed Ukrainian civilians, Newsmax has exclusively learned. Attorney Mikal C. Watts will lay out the sweeping lawsuit, to be filed in the morning, alleging that U.S.-made semiconductor and navigation technologies were embedded in Russian missiles and drones that killed and severely injured Ukrainian civilians. The announcement, which will be made in Washington, D.C., will center on claims that American-made components "were found inside Russian weapons systems used to carry out deadly strikes on Ukrainian cities, despite export bans and sanctions," according to...

Dive deep into the geopolitical chessboard as defense analyst Alex Krainer unveils why Russia's peace terms hinge on Ukraine's critical 'Fortress Belt' infrastructure. This eye-opening analysis exposes the strategic military installations, fortified defense lines, and NATO-backed infrastructure that have transformed eastern Ukraine into an impenetrable barrier. Discover the hidden reasons behind Moscow's unwavering stance, the tactical significance of these fortifications, and what this means for future negotiations. Whether you're a geopolitics enthusiast, military strategy buff, or simply seeking to understand the real stakes in this conflict, this compelling breakdown reveals the untold story behind the stalemate that mainstream media won't...

The U.S. government should NOT be giving $400 million to Ukraine—especially with Zelensky refusing to respond to the President on the peace deal. The Ukrainian government was just busted for public corruption, and you can guarantee money laundering is involved. The fact that Congress is still sending them funding is horrifying. This needs to be taken out of the NDAA.

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....

LONDON -- No compromise has been reached on the question of territorial control to reach a peace settlement, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said following his meeting with European leaders on Monday. "The Americans think we must look for compromises. There are difficult questions about territories. In this regard, there is no compromise for now," Zelenskyy told reporters on a plane after the meeting in London

The UN General Assembly on Wednesday demanded by a wide margin that Russia immediately and unconditionally return all Ukrainian children who have been forcibly transferred or deported since the start of the war.The draft resolution during the emergency special session was approved by 91 votes in favour, 12 against and 57 abstentions, surpassing the required two-thirds majority of members present and voting. The resolution expresses deep concern about the fate of Ukrainian children separated from their families since 2014 – when Moscow annexed Crimea – including those transferred within occupied Ukrainian territory and those deported to Russia. It describes these...

Ukraine will not surrender territory, President Volodymyr Zelensky declared Monday, rejecting a central Russian demand that President Donald Trump had incorporated into his latest proposal to end the Kremlin’s war. “Under our laws, under international law — and under moral law — we have no right to give anything away,” Zelensky said, after meeting with top European leaders to discuss Trump’s plan Monday. “That is what we are fighting for.” The unequivocal declaration that Ukraine will not surrender land could mark the collapse of Trump’s plan, which critics condemned as fulfilling a wish list of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Zelensky,...

France has refused to reveal the whereabouts of €18bn in frozen Russian assets in discussions over the European Union’s future funding for Ukraine.The majority of the cash is being held by commercial banks, which Paris has argued should be protected from the €140bn “reparations loan” for Kyiv.Despite publicly backing a scheme which envisages using frozen Russian assets in Europe to guarantee a loan to Kyiv, France has emerged as a potential blocker by refusing to allow private, commercial banks from being plundered to aid Ukraine, according to reporting by The Financial Times.EU member states are caught up in fractious talks...

On Sunday, December 7, US lawmakers unveiled the final text of the defense policy bill, which includes record funding for national security as well as aid for Ukraine, according to Reuters, Fox News, and AOL.Media reports state that the bill allocates $901 billion for military spending for fiscal year 2026-$8 billion more than what President Donald Trump requested in May of this year.The legislation also assists Ukraine.“The legislation reauthorizes the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative at $400 million per year for fiscal years 2026 and 2027,” Fox News reports.Additionally, the US Congress will require more frequent reporting on allied contributions to...

When Ukraine set its sights on NATO and later the European Union, many expected Europe to respond with conviction and purpose. Instead, what emerged was a patchwork of shortterm fixes, hesitant commitments, and political squabbles—a portrait of a continent reacting to history rather than shaping it. Europe entered the conflict improvising, not strategizing. What was framed as solidarity has too often become a cascade of costly, shortsighted decisions that drain wealth, fracture unity, and expose the EU’s lack of direction. Today, the European Union wrestles with economic fatigue and political discord. Member states remain divided over how long support for...