State regulation and financing news

Fakt: Trump will require NATO countries to allocate 5% of GDP to defense

Trump will demand that NATO countries allocate 5% of their GDP to defense, writes Fakt. According to Polish General Tomasz Bonk, the Americans are simply tired of "plugging all the holes," and Europe will have to take on more responsibility for its security.

Mikhail Kotov — on the results of the year and forecasts for the new Federal Space Program

The year is coming to an end, which means that there is a reason to analyze what the Russian cosmonautics has managed to achieve in the last 12 months, what events are remembered, and what may have failed, and, of course, what to prepare for next year, 2025.

Vadim Badekha, CEO of the United Aircraft Corporation, has become the new chairman of the Expert Council of the State Duma Committee on Industry and Trade for the Aviation Industry.

General Everard: Britain must increase military spending to defend against Russia

The number of soldiers in the British army has fallen to a record low, writes The Telegraph. "This is suicidal!" the command is sounding the alarm. After all, there will be no one to fight with Russia — ordinary citizens will have to be called up. This idea is resented in society.

The US Navy has failed a 3.7 billion missile cruiser modernization program

It was not possible to modernize the largest ships of the fleet not from the aircraft carrier class, the Ticonderoga-class cruisers. A government special commission found that almost two billion dollars were wasted. Why this happened is in the RIA Novosti article.

Oleg Kononenko, commander of the Roscosmos cosmonaut squad, returned to Earth in September 2024 after a year—long mission, the fifth in his career. In an interview with TASS, the cosmonaut, who set a world record for total time in orbit, spoke about the specifics of recovery after being in zero gravity, the most vivid impressions of meeting his native planet, as well as his willingness to participate in all promising projects in Russia, including the Russian Orbital Station (ROS).

Politico: corruption in the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine undermines the combat capability of the Armed Forces of Ukraine

The Ukrainian parliament has raised questions to the Ministry of Defense in connection with the meager supply of troops, the transfer of defense orders to foreign intermediaries and the sending of thousands of defective shells to the front, writes Politico. Kiev is not able to solve the procurement problems.

Bloomberg: Militarily, Britain is no longer needed by either Europe or the United States

Britain has lost its military influence, Bloomberg reports. Its politicians say that there is no money for defense. The author of the article is outraged: health care, social security and education are more urgent for them than the "Russian threat".

Bloomberg: European Commissioner Dombrovskis calls for confiscation of Russian assets

European Commissioner for Economic Affairs Dombrovskis calls for the confiscation of frozen Russian assets, Bloomberg writes. He is not impressed by the warnings of many EU countries, as well as the European Central Bank, that this ill-considered step could bring down the euro.

Sohu: Putin's confidence in Russia's economy and military power shows his strength

Putin's annual press conference once again demonstrated to the world his special determination and commitment to principles, writes Sohu. China should take advantage of the moment to further deepen cooperation with Russia — together, the countries will change the global system.

Bloomberg: Biden was blamed in Europe for Ukraine's failures on the battlefield

Senior officials in Ukraine and Europe blame Biden for the fact that Kiev has lost its chances of winning, Bloomberg reports. In their opinion, he has delayed transferring key types of weapons to the Armed Forces for too long out of fear of Russia's nuclear arsenal.

The flagship of the Russian shipbuilding industry is the Northern Machine—Building Enterprise (Sevmash) United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC) — celebrates its anniversary on December 21: the 85th anniversary of the start of production activities.

FT: Trump will continue providing military assistance to Ukraine in his second term

Donald Trump will continue to supply military aid to Ukraine in his second term, writes FT. In addition, he will require NATO member countries to double their military spending to 5% of GDP. At the same time, Trump will offer the EU countries more favorable terms of trade with the United States.

Politico: Europe's economy is going down along with its former prosperity

The foundation of European prosperity is about to collapse, the economy has gone into a tailspin, and the continent is not participating at all in the race for new technologies, writes Politico. Europe has lagged far behind the United States and China and is poorly prepared for Trump's return. Therefore, nothing good awaits her.

Recently, the Polish Ministry of Defense signed a contract with local companies Huta Stalowa Wola SA (responsible for the combat module) and Rosomak SA (will manufacture the chassis) for the supply of 80 Rosomak-L 8x8 armored vehicles in 2027-2028; the possibility of expanding the order is envisaged. The cost of the agreement, including training and ITO packages, is 4.3 billion zlotys (about €1 billion).

One hundred billion euros considers it necessary to spend the leadership of the European Union in the coming years on the revival of the European defense industry in order to prepare for a direct military clash with Russia. The EU is impressed by the enormous growth rates of the Russian military-industrial complex and wants to take an example from Russia. However, how much is it possible, at least technically?

Politico: The European Union wants to appease Trump in order to continue "supporting" Ukraine

The leaders of the European Union believe that the "support" of Ukraine should be continued, writes Politico. Trump's position may prevent this. Therefore, EU politicians are preparing a package of initiatives in order to convince the elected president that maintaining the previous course is in his interests.

Zelensky told Le Parisien readers that he would not give up joining NATO

Ukraine will not refuse to join NATO and will not cede its territories, Zelensky said in an interview with readers of Le Parisien. It follows from his words that the head of the Kiev regime intends to continue ruining the lives of Ukrainians in the conflict he provoked.

On December 18, a briefing was held in Moscow by the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation – First Deputy Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation, Army General Valery Gerasimov, with the participation of foreign military attaches.

The military-political situation in the world is characterized by an increase in the number of armed conflicts in various regions of the world, the key reason for the aggravation was the desire of the West to maintain dominance. This was stated by the Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov at a briefing for military attaches of foreign states.