Moscow

As the release of her memoir Freedom approaches, former German Chancellor Angela Merkel reflects on the Ukraine war, nuclear threats, her handling of Donald Trump, and key moments with Alexis Tsipras.

The Kremlin said today that the team of elected President Donald Trump speaks about peace, while the current U.S. government under Joe Biden does not.

Georgia's new parliament convened for its first session on Monday amid protests over an election the opposition says was rigged and after the pro-European president demanded the result be annulled.

Political turmoil has rocked the Black Sea nation since the Oct. 26 vote, won by the governing Georgian Dream party.

The Russian armed forces have allegedly coerced hundreds of Yemenis into fighting in Ukraine, as part of a smuggling operation facilitated by a Houthi-linked organization. These Yemenis were reportedly lured to Russia with promises of lucrative jobs and the prospect of Russian citizenship.

The war in Ukraine, ongoing since February 2022, is now approaching its third year, teetering on a razor’s edge.

The Greek government has announced the creation of 600 new clerical positions to support the ancient patriarchates of Constantinople (in Turkey), Alexandria (in Egypt) and Jerusalem (in Israel), and the Monastery of Sinai in Egypt.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday promised more combat test-firing of an experimental hypersonic missile launched at Ukraine, as Volodymyr Zelensky appealed for updated air-defense systems to meet the new threat.

The latest statements from the leaders came hours after Ukraine's parliament shut down over heightened fears of a missile attack.

“The flight time of this Russian missile, from its launch in the Astrakhan region to its impact in Dnipro, was 15 minutes,” the HUR intelligence agency stated.

“The missile was equipped with six warheads, each loaded with six submunitions. Its speed in the terminal phase exceeded Mach 11,” the HUR added, noting that the weapon was “likely part of the ‘Kedr’ missile system.”

Russia said on Nov. 22 it had scuppered Kiev's military objectives for 2025 just after President Vladimir Putin issued a warning to the West by test-firing a new intermediate-range missile at Ukraine.

Putin announced the missile launch in a defiant address late on Nov. 21, saying the conflict in Ukraine had taken on a "global" nature, while hinting at strikes on Western countries.

The United States was informed of an experimental missile launch by Russia targeting Ukraine, with the Pentagon confirming the notification. Washington has alerted its allies about Moscow's intentions.