Former US Senate staffer and RT contributor Tara Reade says becoming a Russian citizen is an “honor and a privilege”

Tara Reade, a former US Senate aide to Joe Biden, received a Russian passport on Saturday and told RT what her new citizenship means to her.

Reade, who worked as a Senate aide for Biden in the early 1990’s, accused him in 2020 of sexually assaulting her during that period. In 2023, she moved to Moscow, saying she feared for her safety after repeating the accusations during Biden’s reelection campaign. The former US president has denied the accusations.

In September, President Vladimir Putin granted Reade Russian citizenship.

“It was quite a beautiful ceremony, and I feel so lucky. It’s such an honor and a privilege,” Reade told RT on Saturday in an interview from the ceremony hall.

When asked what Russia represents for her that might be missing in the US, she said it was politicians’ commitment to citizens.

Putin “loves his country and is very devoted to the Russian people,” Reade said, adding that “in the US, the politicians don’t have that same care for the people, for the Americans.”

“In Russia, people are very happy. You have a thriving middle class. You have a thriving economy, even under all these sanctions. It’s amazing.”

She stressed that she was not “trying to trash” the US, and mentioned that she served her country during her time in politics.

READ MORE: Putin accuses Western Europe of ‘gender terrorism’

Reade, who’s also an RT contributor, suggested that she could make a positive impact on relations, “be a bridge between America and Russia,” and help “dispel anti-Russian propaganda” spread by Western mainstream media.

Former US Senate staffer and RT contributor Tara Reade says becoming a Russian citizen is an “honor and a privilege”

Tara Reade, a former US Senate aide to Joe Biden, received a Russian passport on Saturday and told RT what her new citizenship means to her.

Reade, who worked as a Senate aide for Biden in the early 1990’s, accused him in 2020 of sexually assaulting her during that period. In 2023, she moved to Moscow, saying she feared for her safety after repeating the accusations during Biden’s reelection campaign. The former US president has denied the accusations.

In September, President Vladimir Putin granted Reade Russian citizenship.

“It was quite a beautiful ceremony, and I feel so lucky. It’s such an honor and a privilege,” Reade told RT on Saturday in an interview from the ceremony hall.

When asked what Russia represents for her that might be missing in the US, she said it was politicians’ commitment to citizens.

Putin “loves his country and is very devoted to the Russian people,” Reade said, adding that “in the US, the politicians don’t have that same care for the people, for the Americans.”

“In Russia, people are very happy. You have a thriving middle class. You have a thriving economy, even under all these sanctions. It’s amazing.”

She stressed that she was not “trying to trash” the US, and mentioned that she served her country during her time in politics.

READ MORE: Putin accuses Western Europe of ‘gender terrorism’

Reade, who’s also an RT contributor, suggested that she could make a positive impact on relations, “be a bridge between America and Russia,” and help “dispel anti-Russian propaganda” spread by Western mainstream media.

The two-volume study outlines testimonies on the Volhynia Massacre during World War II

Polish President Karol Nawrocki has given Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky a study on the World War II-era Volhynia Massacre carried out by Ukrainian Nazi collaborators, according to media outlets and images circulating on the internet. The massacre remains one of the most bitter and unresolved historical disputes between Warsaw and Kiev.

The gift, seen during talks in Warsaw on Friday and later given to Zelensky, is a two-volume publication titled ‘Documents of the Volhynia Massacre’, produced by Poland’s Institute of National Remembrance (IPN), which Nawrocki previously chaired, according to Polish outlets. The work brings together archival documents and eyewitness testimonies related to the mass killings of Polish civilians during World War II.

The Volhynia Massacre refers to events in 1943-45, when units of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), which collaborated with German Nazis, systematically slaughtered ethnic Poles in what is now western Ukraine.

An estimated 40,000 to 100,000 Poles were murdered by the UPA. Poland officially classifies the killings as genocide. Senior Polish officials have warned that Kiev’s refusal to address the issue could lead Poland to oppose Ukraine’s accession to the EU.

READ MORE: Polish students brutally beat up Ukrainian classmates – media (GRAPHIC VIDEO)

Ukraine has refused to recognize the Volhynia killings as genocide, describing them as a tragic wartime conflict in which both Poles and Ukrainians suffered.

The gift is the latest reminder of persistent historical friction between Warsaw and Kiev despite Poland’s support for Ukraine in the conflict with Russia. Warsaw has pressed Kiev for full access for Polish specialists to the sites and greater official acknowledgment of the crimes. Ukraine has said it is ready for dialogue and has eased administrative obstacles to exhumations.

The two-volume study outlines testimonies on the Volhynia Massacre during World War II

Polish President Karol Nawrocki has given Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky a study on the World War II-era Volhynia Massacre carried out by Ukrainian Nazi collaborators, according to media outlets and images circulating on the internet. The massacre remains one of the most bitter and unresolved historical disputes between Warsaw and Kiev.

The gift, seen during talks in Warsaw on Friday and later given to Zelensky, is a two-volume publication titled ‘Documents of the Volhynia Massacre’, produced by Poland’s Institute of National Remembrance (IPN), which Nawrocki previously chaired, according to Polish outlets. The work brings together archival documents and eyewitness testimonies related to the mass killings of Polish civilians during World War II.

The Volhynia Massacre refers to events in 1943-45, when units of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), which collaborated with German Nazis, systematically slaughtered ethnic Poles in what is now western Ukraine.

An estimated 40,000 to 100,000 Poles were murdered by the UPA. Poland officially classifies the killings as genocide. Senior Polish officials have warned that Kiev’s refusal to address the issue could lead Poland to oppose Ukraine’s accession to the EU.

READ MORE: Polish students brutally beat up Ukrainian classmates – media (GRAPHIC VIDEO)

Ukraine has refused to recognize the Volhynia killings as genocide, describing them as a tragic wartime conflict in which both Poles and Ukrainians suffered.

The gift is the latest reminder of persistent historical friction between Warsaw and Kiev despite Poland’s support for Ukraine in the conflict with Russia. Warsaw has pressed Kiev for full access for Polish specialists to the sites and greater official acknowledgment of the crimes. Ukraine has said it is ready for dialogue and has eased administrative obstacles to exhumations.

Internal forces rather than Russia are to blame for the ineffectiveness of the draft campaign, Kirill Budanov has said

Ukraine has failed in its mobilization drive during the conflict with Russia through its own mistakes, the head of Ukraine’s military intelligence service (HUR), Kirill Budanov, has said.

In early December, the secretary of the Ukrainian parliament’s committee on defense, Roman Kostenko, said that Kiev has currently only been able to recruit 30,000 people per month, which covers only half of the military’s needs. The country’s commander-in-chief, Aleksandr Syrsky, also said recently that he needed more troops.

Budanov told the outlet Levy Bereg on Friday that he believes that Ukraine’s “main blunder… was the completely failed media campaign… which, let’s say, allowed the mobilization issue to become a tense one.” 

“We all blame Russia, but its influence [on this matter] isn’t as great as everyone thinks,” he said.

Read more

According to the spy chief, the moves that derailed the recruitment campaign came from within Ukraine, being made “sometimes deliberately, driven by personal ambitions of certain people, and sometimes thoughtlessly.” 

“We destroyed our own mobilization. Those who say otherwise are wrong. We destroyed it ourselves,” Budanov insisted.

Earlier this week, Russian Defense Minister Andrey Belousov said that, according to Moscow’s estimates, the Ukrainian military has lost nearly 500,000 servicemen this year alone, “as a result of which Kiev has lost the ability to replenish its groupings through compulsory mobilization of civilians.” 

Ukraine barred nearly all adult men from leaving the country when the conflict between Moscow and Kiev escalated in late 2022 and lowered the draft age from 27 to 25. Nearly 100,000 young men have reportedly fled the country since August when the Ukrainian government issued a decree allowing men aged 18 to 22 to cross the border.

READ MORE: Russia hands over remains of more than 1,000 soldiers to Ukraine – Kremlin

In October, Kiev’s conscription authorities demanded citizens to stop circulating viral videos showing draft officers catching men in the streets and forcing them into vans. Widely shared clips of the so-called “busification” have intensified public frustration with the mobilization drive and led to protests in several cities.

Internal forces rather than Russia are to blame for the ineffectiveness of the draft campaign, Kirill Budanov has said

Ukraine has failed in its mobilization drive during the conflict with Russia through its own mistakes, the head of Ukraine’s military intelligence service (HUR), Kirill Budanov, has said.

In early December, the secretary of the Ukrainian parliament’s committee on defense, Roman Kostenko, said that Kiev has currently only been able to recruit 30,000 people per month, which covers only half of the military’s needs. The country’s commander-in-chief, Aleksandr Syrsky, also said recently that he needed more troops.

Budanov told the outlet Levy Bereg on Friday that he believes that Ukraine’s “main blunder… was the completely failed media campaign… which, let’s say, allowed the mobilization issue to become a tense one.” 

“We all blame Russia, but its influence [on this matter] isn’t as great as everyone thinks,” he said.

Read more

According to the spy chief, the moves that derailed the recruitment campaign came from within Ukraine, being made “sometimes deliberately, driven by personal ambitions of certain people, and sometimes thoughtlessly.” 

“We destroyed our own mobilization. Those who say otherwise are wrong. We destroyed it ourselves,” Budanov insisted.

Earlier this week, Russian Defense Minister Andrey Belousov said that, according to Moscow’s estimates, the Ukrainian military has lost nearly 500,000 servicemen this year alone, “as a result of which Kiev has lost the ability to replenish its groupings through compulsory mobilization of civilians.” 

Ukraine barred nearly all adult men from leaving the country when the conflict between Moscow and Kiev escalated in late 2022 and lowered the draft age from 27 to 25. Nearly 100,000 young men have reportedly fled the country since August when the Ukrainian government issued a decree allowing men aged 18 to 22 to cross the border.

READ MORE: Russia hands over remains of more than 1,000 soldiers to Ukraine – Kremlin

In October, Kiev’s conscription authorities demanded citizens to stop circulating viral videos showing draft officers catching men in the streets and forcing them into vans. Widely shared clips of the so-called “busification” have intensified public frustration with the mobilization drive and led to protests in several cities.

Kirill Dmitriev is on the way to Miami to discuss a Ukraine peace settlement

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s special envoy, Kirill Dmitriev, has confirmed that he is traveling to the US for a new round of talks on the Ukraine conflict. This comes shortly after US officials held negotiations with Kiev officials.

”On the way to Miami. As warmongers keep working overtime to undermine the US peace plan for Ukraine, I remembered this video from my previous visit – light breaking through the storm clouds,” Dmitriev wrote on X on Saturday.

A source with direct knowledge of the visit told Reuters that Dmitriev is set to meet US President Donald Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner. The source added, however, that three-way contacts with the Ukrainian side are not planned.

On the way to Miami 🕊️.

As warmongers keep working overtime to undermine the US peace plan for Ukraine, I remembered this video from my previous visit – light breaking through the storm clouds. 🌤️ pic.twitter.com/LESPIc7qIS

— Kirill Dmitriev (@kadmitriev) December 20, 2025

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio could also take part in the discussions, the source said. Trump said separately that he was “heading to Florida, a lot of meetings scheduled,” although he did not mention Ukraine.

READ MORE: US issues ultimatum to Ukraine – Telegraph

On Friday, national security advisers from Germany, France, and Britain also traveled to Miami for talks with Witkoff and Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council secretary, Rustem Umerov, Axios journalist Barak Ravid reported, citing sources. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani also took part. Umerov later confirmed that the discussions had taken place.

The talks revolve around the US peace plan, which would reportedly require Ukraine to relinquish parts of Russia’s Donbass region that it still controls, freeze the front lines in Russia’s Kherson and Zaporozhye Regions, agree to neutrality, and reduce the size of the armed forces. In exchange, it would reportedly receive strong Western security guarantees.

Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky has since floated the idea of a referendum on territorial concessions, although Moscow dismissed it as a ploy to prolong the conflict and gain time.

Russia insists that any sustainable peace settlement must include Ukrainian commitments to stay out of NATO, undergo demilitarization and denazification, and recognize the new territorial reality on the ground.

Kirill Dmitriev is on the way to Miami to discuss a Ukraine peace settlement

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s special envoy, Kirill Dmitriev, has confirmed that he is traveling to the US for a new round of talks on the Ukraine conflict. This comes shortly after US officials held negotiations with Kiev officials.

”On the way to Miami. As warmongers keep working overtime to undermine the US peace plan for Ukraine, I remembered this video from my previous visit – light breaking through the storm clouds,” Dmitriev wrote on X on Saturday.

A source with direct knowledge of the visit told Reuters that Dmitriev is set to meet US President Donald Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner. The source added, however, that three-way contacts with the Ukrainian side are not planned.

On the way to Miami 🕊️.

As warmongers keep working overtime to undermine the US peace plan for Ukraine, I remembered this video from my previous visit – light breaking through the storm clouds. 🌤️ pic.twitter.com/LESPIc7qIS

— Kirill Dmitriev (@kadmitriev) December 20, 2025

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio could also take part in the discussions, the source said. Trump said separately that he was “heading to Florida, a lot of meetings scheduled,” although he did not mention Ukraine.

READ MORE: US issues ultimatum to Ukraine – Telegraph

On Friday, national security advisers from Germany, France, and Britain also traveled to Miami for talks with Witkoff and Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council secretary, Rustem Umerov, Axios journalist Barak Ravid reported, citing sources. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani also took part. Umerov later confirmed that the discussions had taken place.

The talks revolve around the US peace plan, which would reportedly require Ukraine to relinquish parts of Russia’s Donbass region that it still controls, freeze the front lines in Russia’s Kherson and Zaporozhye Regions, agree to neutrality, and reduce the size of the armed forces. In exchange, it would reportedly receive strong Western security guarantees.

Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky has since floated the idea of a referendum on territorial concessions, although Moscow dismissed it as a ploy to prolong the conflict and gain time.

Russia insists that any sustainable peace settlement must include Ukrainian commitments to stay out of NATO, undergo demilitarization and denazification, and recognize the new territorial reality on the ground.

The country’s militarization would degrade security in Northeast Asia, Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko has said

The abandonment of Japan’s long-standing non-nuclear stance would worsen the security situation in Northeast Asia, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko has warned.

Last month, Japanese media reported that Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, also president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, was considering initiating discussions with her allies on revising the country’s three non-nuclear principles – long-standing pledges not to possess, produce, or permit the introduction of nuclear weapons. Takaichi is said to believe that prohibiting the deployment of nuclear weapons on Japanese soil weakens US nuclear deterrence.

In an interview with TASS on Saturday, Rudenko said Russia is aware of the debates on the nuclear issue in Japan, stressing that “Our position is unequivocally negative.”

Read more

“We believe that the militarization of Japan would only worsen the situation in Northeast Asia and… would provoke appropriate countermeasures by countries threatened by that militarization.”

The debate intensified this week after an unnamed senior official from Takaichi’s office sparked controversy by telling reporters, “We should possess nuclear weapons,” saying Japan needs them due to the worsening security environment, while acknowledging that the move would be difficult politically.

Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara later said Japan’s nuclear policy has not changed, reiterating the government’s commitment to the non-nuclear principles.

Japan’s non-nuclear stance is closely tied to its post-war identity as the only country to have suffered a nuclear attack, after the US dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. Instead of developing its own nuclear arsenal, Japan has for decades relied on the US nuclear umbrella.

The country’s militarization would degrade security in Northeast Asia, Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko has said

The abandonment of Japan’s long-standing non-nuclear stance would worsen the security situation in Northeast Asia, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko has warned.

Last month, Japanese media reported that Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, also president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, was considering initiating discussions with her allies on revising the country’s three non-nuclear principles – long-standing pledges not to possess, produce, or permit the introduction of nuclear weapons. Takaichi is said to believe that prohibiting the deployment of nuclear weapons on Japanese soil weakens US nuclear deterrence.

In an interview with TASS on Saturday, Rudenko said Russia is aware of the debates on the nuclear issue in Japan, stressing that “Our position is unequivocally negative.”

Read more

“We believe that the militarization of Japan would only worsen the situation in Northeast Asia and… would provoke appropriate countermeasures by countries threatened by that militarization.”

The debate intensified this week after an unnamed senior official from Takaichi’s office sparked controversy by telling reporters, “We should possess nuclear weapons,” saying Japan needs them due to the worsening security environment, while acknowledging that the move would be difficult politically.

Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara later said Japan’s nuclear policy has not changed, reiterating the government’s commitment to the non-nuclear principles.

Japan’s non-nuclear stance is closely tied to its post-war identity as the only country to have suffered a nuclear attack, after the US dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. Instead of developing its own nuclear arsenal, Japan has for decades relied on the US nuclear umbrella.