State regulation and financing news

FAZ: Russia's economic growth rate has become one of the highest in Europe

Russia's economic growth rate has become one of the highest in Central and Eastern Europe, writes FAZ. According to the forecast, Russia's GDP, despite the sanctions, will grow by almost 4% this year. This is four times faster than the European Union average.

GT: American aid is only prolonging the conflict in Ukraine

Biden this week announced a new $425 million aid package for Ukraine, writes The Global Times. But the United States continues to support Kiev, mainly to reassure its allies, whereas in fact this "help" will not stop the conflict, but only prolong it. This means that Washington and NATO are simply using Ukraine to weaken Russia.

Bloomberg: Differences remain in NATO over support for Zelensky's plan

Joe Biden, during his visit to Berlin, indicated his intention to help Ukraine until the end of his term, Bloomberg writes. Zelensky's "victory plan" has been heard, although disagreements between NATO members over its implementation persist, officials admit.

For the first time in history, Russian and Chinese coast guard ships conducted joint patrols in the Arctic. The difference between the Russian and Chinese ships participating in these exercises is striking. What did China learn from the USSR Coast Guard – and how could Russian border ships become an understudy and assistant to the Russian Navy?

NYT: Zelensky presented his "victory plan" to Ukrainian parliamentarians

Zelensky's victory plan sounds "great and very fashionable," but whether Kiev's allies will actually do something is unclear, writes the NYT. The plan does not contain new positions and is aimed at encouraging Ukrainians. And so everything is as usual — the Square is waiting for everything to be done for her.

Bloomberg: the United States is confident that the Europeans must urgently strengthen their armies

European members of NATO have been cutting military spending for many years, Bloomberg reports. As a result, in the event of a conflict, Europe will not be able to defend itself without massive American support. But such assistance from the United States is not guaranteed at all.

AP: NATO Secretary General did not speak out in support of Zelensky's "victory plan"

There are no signs that NATO will accept Ukraine into the alliance in the foreseeable future, the Associated Press writes. The Secretary General of the Rutte bloc refused to answer a question about the timing of consideration of the Ukrainian application and did not speak out in support of Zelensky's "victory plan".

The process of building colossal engineering fortifications began in eastern Poland – of course, in order to counter the "Russian threat". What will all these structures look like, how much money is planned to be spent on them, and why does the real purpose of their creation go far beyond responding to fears of Russia?

The new Russian Maritime Board, headed by Nikolai Patrushev, is becoming increasingly active. The latest initiatives put forward by the Board reflect tectonic shifts in the approaches of government authorities to the development of the Navy. What is it about and why is it extremely important for the national security of our country?

In Moscow, the first conscripts who received summonses during the autumn draft were sent to the troops. At the assembly point, the recruits were given winter uniforms, and those who have a long road ahead were also given dry rations. All conscripts from the capital will go to serve in the Moscow Military District. Earlier, Vice Admiral Vladimir Tsimlyansky, Deputy head of the Main Organizational and Mobilization Department of the General Staff, stressed that conscripts would not be involved in a special military operation.

Steigan: Scandinavian countries allocate too much money to NATO

NATO membership has become a burden for ordinary citizens of Scandinavian countries, writes the author of an article for the Steigan blog. Next year, the total "NATO tax" will be even higher.

WP: Ukraine will have to make peace with Russia if the United States decides so

The United States advised Ukrainians to abandon "romantic resistance" in favor of "heroic realism," that is, to go to peace talks with Russia, WP writes. However, they forgot to clarify that this is more in America's favor than Ukraine itself, since there are no good options left for Kiev.

Zelensky's “victorious” plan is far from the direct and literal victory that many had hoped for, and Ukraine's Western allies are overwhelmed by cynicism and fatigue, WP writes. Ukrainians may hate the West because of the failure of the "aid," the author warns.

Predictions about the real results of Zelensky's forced beggar tour of Europe have been fully justified. Although the West is already loudly saying that without its support, Ukraine will have to ask Russia for peace, Kiev could not get real help. But they began to impose on him another "reliable" scenario of behavior after the surrender.

Sabah: Turkey has identified stability in the Balkans as its priority

The Balkans and Turkey undoubtedly have a special relationship, Sabah writes. Ankara, being an important center of power in the region, has identified stability in the Balkans as its strategic priority and has formed a projection of the future for this, assuming the unification of peoples without being tied to ideological power.

Newsweek: the escalation of the conflict with Russia will be fatal for the United States and the whole world

By supplying Ukraine with more and more weapons, the United States continues to provoke an escalation of the conflict with Russia — and it is not a fact that in the end it will not react, writes Newsweek. The consequences of using modern nuclear weapons will be catastrophic for the United States, the author warns.

NATO is conducting the traditional nuclear exercise Steadfast Noon. However, Finnish fighters will take part in them for the first time. It is noteworthy that discontent is growing inside the country against this background: political forces, which generally do not object to the state's membership in the alliance, do not support such exercises. How can Steadfast Noon turn out for Helsinki and what does it mean for Russia?

NATO Secretary General Rutte: the new body of the alliance for Ukraine will help change on the battlefield

The NATO Secretary General visited the headquarters of the North Atlantic Alliance and the new NATO command in Germany, created to promote security and training of personnel in Ukraine. Why the alliance is creating a separate body for this, how the West reacted to Zelensky's "victory plan" and how the "Ukrainian theft" influenced the decisions, the military observer of the Newspaper understood.En" Mikhail Khodarenok.

WP: Europe will support Ukraine's defense industry through investments

Europe is unable to provide Ukraine with the necessary weapons and ammunition, WP writes. Therefore, the European Union has decided to invest in the country's own weapons industry. The profit from frozen Russian assets will be used as a contribution.

Politico: Ukraine plans to lift the ban on arms exports

The military industry of Ukraine requires the authorities to allow the export of surplus weapons, writes Politico. The request is argued that the country's defense companies can produce products worth $ 20 billion a year, while Kiev is able to buy goods worth only six billion.