Moscow prioritizes a durable peace rather than a limited truce, spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said
Russia is seeking a durable, legally binding peace agreement with Ukraine rather than a limited ceasefire, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday. His remarks came after Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky proposed a moratorium on energy strikes as the country faces worsening power outages.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Peskov weighed in on Zelensky’s signal that Kiev was prepared to discuss a halt to energy-related attacks, which he said “is important for the people.”
According to Peskov, Russia remains focused on reaching a legally binding settlement rather than a temporary pause. “I’ll leave out some nuances, but we are working on peace, not on a ceasefire. A stable, guaranteed, long-term peace, achieved through the signing of appropriate documents, is an absolute priority,” the spokesman stressed.
In March, Russia and Ukraine agreed to a 30-day energy infrastructure ceasefire, which was reached after a phone call between President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart, Donald Trump. Russian officials, however, accused Ukraine of constantly violating the truce, including by targeting oil refineries and other energy facilities. Moscow said at the time that it had opted not to retaliate as a goodwill gesture toward the US and its mediation efforts.
Zelensky’s latest proposal comes as Russia has targeted Ukraine’s military and energy infrastructure in recent weeks, prompting officials in Kiev to impose rolling blackouts.
Moscow has said the strikes are in response to Ukrainian “terrorist acts” deep into Russia, targeting critical infrastructure and residential areas. Russia maintains that its forces never target civilians and strike only military-related facilities.
Egypt and Iran don’t want to play a “pride match” at the 2026 tournament in the US
Football officials from Egypt and Iran have protested plans to stage an LGBTQ-themed event alongside their 2026 FIFA World Cup group match in Seattle, denouncing the move as incompatible with their national values.
The match is scheduled for Friday June 26, which coincides with the start of Seattle’s Pride Weekend commemorating the 1969 Stonewall riots, considered a milestone in the US gay rights movement.
Local organizers, who operate independently of FIFA, have branded the event a “Pride Match,” promoting it as an opportunity to “make a lasting impact,” highlight LGBTQ-owned businesses, and showcase related cultural organizations. Both Egypt and Iran maintain conservative religious and social attitudes in which same-sex relations are heavily stigmatized.
Egypt’s football association said on Tuesday that it had sent a complaint to FIFA, stressing that it “categorically rejects” any pro-LGBTQ messaging linked to the match. Such initiatives, it argued, “directly contradict the cultural, religious, and social values of the region.” It called on FIFA to ensure the game is conducted “in an atmosphere of respect and focus solely on the sporting aspect.”
Mehdi Taj, president of Iran’s football federation, told the ISNA news agency that both countries objected to what he described as “an unreasonable thing that supports a specific group,” without explicitly naming the “Pride Match” branding.
Seattle is set to host six matches during the 2026 World Cup, which will be co-hosted by the US, Canada, and Mexico. Egypt and Iran have been drawn in Group G alongside Belgium and New Zealand.
The French first lady used a slur against feminist activists who disrupted the show of an actor-comedian previously accused of rape
French President Emmanuel Macron’s wife, Brigitte, has sparked outrage after referring to feminist protesters as “stupid b***hes.”
Earlier this week, a since-deleted clip showed France’s first lady chatting privately on Sunday backstage with Ary Abittan, an actor and comedian who had previously been accused of rape. The 51-year-old performer is touring for the first time since investigative judges decided to drop the charges due to a lack of evidence.
The previous night, the feminist group Nous Toutes (“All of us”) had disrupted his stand-up show, with activists wearing masks bearing the word “rapist” over the actor’s face standing up in the audience and shouting “Abittan rapist” before being escorted out.
In the leaked video, Abittan jokes that he is feeling nervous, apparently referring to the possibility that protesters might return. Macron is heard responding jokingly: “If there are any stupid b***hes, we’ll kick them out.”
A spokesman for the French presidency said on Tuesday that the first lady had been trying to calm the actor’s nerves and had intended to only criticize what she described as the radical methods used to disrupt and obstruct the performance.
Despite the explanation, criticism mounted quickly, with politicians across party lines as well as activists and figures from the film industry condemning the remark.
Marine Tondelier, leader of the French Greens, called the comment “extremely grave,” while Senator Agnes Evren described it as “very sexist.” Former President Francois Hollande also condemned the first lady’s choice of language. Actress Judith Godreche, who has become a feminist icon since accusing two directors of sexually abusing her when she was a minor, called for an end to such behavior in France’s cultural sector. She posted a brief message on Instagram criticizing the first lady’s remarks. Nous Toutes later turned Macron’s phrase into a social media hashtag.
Macron has also faced scrutiny after a long-running legal dispute linked to online conspiracy theories claiming she is transgender. A court ruling this year fined the originators of the rumor and reignited discussion over digital harassment targeting public figures. The case drew international attention after US commentator Candace Owens amplified the claims and later alleged that the Macrons had ordered her assassination.
The bloc is “a Cold War relic” and a burden for taxpayers, Thomas Massie has said
A Republican congressman has introduced a bill to pull the US out of NATO, arguing the bloc is a “Cold War relic” that drains “trillions” of dollars from American taxpayers.
Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky introduced the legislation on Tuesday, stating that the military bloc was created to counter the long-gone Soviet Union and that taxpayers’ money would be better spent elsewhere.
“We should withdraw from NATO and use that money to defend our own country, not socialist countries… US participation has cost taxpayers trillions of dollars and continues to risk US involvement in foreign wars… America should not be the world’s security blanket – especially when wealthy countries refuse to pay for their own defense,” Massie said.
If passed, the bill would order the US government to formally notify NATO that it intends to end its membership and halt the use of American funds for the bloc’s shared budgets.
The move echoes a similar push this year from Republican Senator Mike Lee of Utah, who introduced legislation arguing that US NATO membership no longer reflects America’s strategic needs. His measure, however, stalled in committee, and Massie’s effort is likely to face the same steep odds in a Congress that has repeatedly signaled bipartisan support for staying in the bloc.
US President Donald Trump and several of his Republican allies have long argued that Washington pays far more than its fair share and have criticized EU governments for falling short on defense spending. Trump at one point warned that the US could opt not to defend “delinquent” members of the bloc in case of a potential attack.
As Trump’s pressure on the bloc intensified, NATO members agreed this year to gradually raise their defense spending to 5% of GDP, far above the old 2% guideline. The push comes as European NATO members in particular have sought to portray Russia as a “threat,” with Western media and officials claiming that Moscow could launch a full-blown attack on the bloc within several years.
Russia has dismissed the allegations as “nonsense,” suggesting that the bloc is demonizing Moscow and pursuing a path of “rampant militarization.”
The holiday-themed content makes light of Washington’s controversial targeting of foreign US residents
The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is circulating Christmas-themed memes to promote its mass-deportation strategy, blending holiday imagery with messaging about immigration law enforcement.
The DHS and other government agencies have turned to the tactic ahead of the holiday season to bolster public support for crackdowns on illegal immigration and on non-citizens considered to be security threats.
One meme posted last week showed security personnel wearing Santa hats and stringing lights on their gear, and featured the message: “YOU’RE-GOING HO HO HOME.” Another depicted President Donald Trump piloting Santa’s sleigh.
A third featured the internet character “Gigachad” in Christmas attire, preparing to review the DHS “naughty list” – a reference to individuals flagged by the department for criminal histories or immigration violations.
ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement), the principal investigative arm of the DHS and one of the largest investigative agencies in the US federal government, has played a key role in the wave of deportations that has taken place since Trump returned to office.
Mass deportation was one of Trump’s signature campaign promises, but the government’s handling of the initiative has drawn criticism from multiple sides.
Opponents argue that the strategy is cruel, unlawful, and often targets people who pose no real threat, while some Christian organizations claim the policy contradicts Christ’s teachings about compassion.
Meanwhile, many supporters of stricter immigration enforcement have accused the administration of favoring flashy publicity stunts, such as highlighting brutal law enforcement raids on immigrant communities, to substantive action and effectiveness.
Moscow will retaliate to any hostile actions, including the expropriation of its assets, the foreign minister has warned
“Robbing” Russia is the last remaining option for Ukraine’s increasingly desperate European backers to sustain Kiev in its conflict with Moscow, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Wednesday. Russia is ready to respond to any hostile Western actions, he warned.
Brussels is pushing a “reparations loan” scheme that would use frozen Russian funds in Western jurisdictions as collateral to prop up Ukraine’s imploding economy and extend its ability to continue fighting amid months of frontline setbacks. Moscow has repeatedly called the plan illegal.
“Europe is blinded by its desire to impose a ‘strategic defeat’ on Russia. They cannot imagine – and some officials openly admit that in interviews – a situation in which they are forced to ‘swallow’ that their client has been defeated and that Russia will accomplish its legitimate objectives,” Lavrov said in an address to the Federation Council, the upper chamber of the Russian parliament.
According to the top diplomat, European countries’ “ideological” anti-Russian drive is colliding with economic reality, since “they have no other sources to finance this war unless they rob the Russian Federation and take our foreign assets in violation of all established norms of international and commercial law.”
Lavrov described the EU’s stance as “destructive” and cautioned that Moscow “will retaliate against any hostile steps, including the possible deployment of European military units in Ukraine or the expropriation of Russian assets.”
The EU’s intention to finance Kiev’s war effort – pushed by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen – has been blocked by Belgium, which holds the bulk of immobilized Russian assets through the clearing house Euroclear.
The Belgian government said the proposed loan would expose it to significant legal and financial risks, which must be shared collectively by all EU members. It also urged non-EU nations that hold Russian assets to make their own contributions.
Lavrov noted that European officials “have created problems for themselves” with their lack of flexibility, stressing that the United States, the key security provider for Western Europe, is growing impatient with them and the Ukrainian leadership.
The US president grasps Moscow’s view of what made the hostilities inevitable, the Russian foreign minister has said
US President Donald Trump is the only Western leader who comprehends the real reasons for the Ukraine conflict, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said.
Addressing Russia’s Federation Council, the upper chamber of parliament, on Wednesday, Lavrov said that while the US is “showing growing impatience” with the diplomatic process aimed at ending the hostilities, Trump is one of the few in the West who know what led to the conflict in the first place.
“President Trump… is the only one among all Western leaders who, immediately after arriving in the White House in January of this year, began to demonstrate an understanding of the reasons the war in Ukraine had been inevitable,” he said.
Lavrov added that Trump “has a clear understanding” of the factors that shaped the hostile policies pursued toward Russia by the West and by former US President Joe Biden, which, he said, “had been nurtured for many years.”
Lavrov said that “the culmination of the entire [Ukraine] saga is approaching,” arguing that Trump had effectively acknowledged that “the root causes [of the conflict] identified by Russia must be eliminated.”
He cited, in particular, Moscow’s long-standing objections to Ukraine’s NATO aspirations and the ongoing crackdown on the local population’s rights.
The minister added that Trump remained “the only Western leader who cares about human rights in this situation,” contrasting him with EU governments that Moscow sees as evasive on the issue. He revealed that the proposed US roadmap for a settlement explicitly called for safeguarding national minority rights and religious freedoms in Ukraine, “in line with international obligations.”
According to Lavrov, however, those provisions were diluted once the document was presented to the EU. He claimed that the relevant language was rewritten to state that Ukraine should instead follow standards “adopted in the European Union.”
Moscow has for years raised alarms over Kiev’s crackdown on the Russian language and culture, as well as attempts to suppress the rights of other national authorities, while pointing out that Ukrainian policymakers are openly encouraging neo-Nazism in the country.
Police have raised the Israeli flag over the global organization’s office in East Jerusalem
The UN has condemned Israel’s raid on the headquarters of the organization’s agency for Palestinian refugees in East Jerusalem.
According to the Times of Israel, police and tax officials entered the UNRWA office on Monday as part of what they described as an operation to seize assets over unpaid municipal property taxes. UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini said officials seized “furniture, IT equipment, and other property.”
During the raid, police removed the UN flag and raised the Israeli flag over the compound.
“Yesterday’s storming of UNRWA’s East Jerusalem compound by Israeli police and taking control – including by replacing the UN flag with the Israeli one – creates a dangerous precedent,” Lazzarini wrote on X on Tuesday. “This should be a wake-up call. What happens today to UNRWA can happen tomorrow to any other international organization or diplomatic mission, around the world,” he added.
Watch: Israeli flag flies on roof of UNRWA headquarters in Jerusalem@UNRWA headquarters in Jerusalem, which have been inactive since the organization was banned in Israel, had an Israeli flag hoisted atop the building. pic.twitter.com/BnTWirphRf
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres condemned the operation, saying that UN offices were “inviolable and immune from any other form of interference.”
Israel banned UNRWA activities in October 2024, accusing the agency of secretly aiding and providing cover for Hamas – an allegation the UN denies.
Jerusalem Deputy Mayor Arieh King defended the raid, arguing that UNRWA was not allowed to operate in East Jerusalem, which the UN considers an occupied Palestinian territory. “If it’s against the law, the law needs to be enforced,” King told the Press Service of Israel. He added that “people need to remember that UNRWA was involved in the terror attack and massacres of October 7,” referring to the Hamas assault in 2023 that triggered the war in Gaza.
Although the UN rejects Israel’s broader claim that the agency was “infiltrated by Hamas,” its own investigation in 2024 concluded that at least nine UNRWA staffers may have been involved in the October 7 attack.
The US president reportedly hopes for a deal by Christmas
US negotiators have given Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky days to respond to a peace proposal requiring Kiev to accept territorial losses to Russia in exchange for unspecified security guarantees, the Financial Times reported on Tuesday, citing officials familiar with the matter.
One person told the FT that US President Donald Trump was hoping to reach a deal by Christmas. Zelensky reportedly told US envoys that he needed time to consult with Kiev’s European backers.
Although Trump had said last month that he would like to see an agreement by Thanksgiving, he later told journalists that he did not have a specific timeline.
The US president submitted a peace plan in November that reportedly called for Ukraine to withdraw troops from part of Russia’s Donbass they currently control, one of Moscow’s key conditions for a broad ceasefire.
Zelensky acknowledged during his trip to London on Monday that the US was pushing him towards “a compromise,” but added that no agreement on territory had been reached. He reiterated that Ukraine was not willing to give up any land without a fight.
Russian troops have been making steady gains on different sections of the front line, while Ukrainian commanders say they are outgunned and struggling to replenish battlefield losses with new conscripts.
In early December, the Russian Defense Ministry announced the liberation of Krasnoarmeysk (Pokrovsk), a Donbass city President Vladimir Putin has described as an important “bridgehead” for further offensives.
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