It has been more than three months since 32-year-old Chaofeng Ge was found dead in a Pennsylvania detention facility run by ICE.

While Kremlin spokespeople publicly claim Russia is ready to work with the United States on a “peace plan,” the Russian government’s actions suggest otherwise. The budget approved by dictator Vladimir Putin allocates nearly 40% to the war effort - a record share since the Soviet Union. The aggressor state plans to spend 12.93 trillion rubles on the army and weapons procurement — almost 30% of total government outlays. Another 3.91 trillion rubles is earmarked for various security agencies. In all, the security bloc will receive 16.84 trillion rubles, about 38% of the entire budget. That is 1.6 times more than in pre-war 2021, when security structures accounted for 24% of spending. As military lines grow, social funding is being cut. Social programs are set at 25.1% of the budget — well below the pre-war 38.1%. Spending to support the national economy will also be reduced: its share will drop to 10.9% from 17.6% in 2021. Both figures will be the lowest in 20 years of publicly available data from Russia’s Finance Ministry. Under the law, Russia plans to collect 40.27 trillion rubles in revenue next year, while expenditures will reach 44.06 trillion. That leaves a deficit of 3.78 trillion rubles, or 1.6% of GDP. Oil and gas revenues, which fell by nearly 20% in 2025, are expected to barely recover next year: the budget projects 8.9 trillion rubles, only slightly above the current 8.6 trillion. To make up for the shortfall, the government is leaning on heavier fiscal pressure on the non-commodity sector. The Kremlin plans to raise an additional 2.9 trillion rubles through new taxes.

The war will end as soon as Vladimir Putin abandons his “delusional hope of restoring the Russian Empire,” French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said in an interview. Russia’s president must make peace with Ukraine or face new economic sanctions, Barrot told La Tribune . According to Barrot, the conflict would end once Putin gives up the goal of fully occupying Ukraine, which he described as the first step in reviving an empire. He said Putin has a reason to take seriously a new peace plan for ending the war recently drawn up by the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump. The Russian military has yet to achieve the objectives set by the Kremlin, Barrot argued, noting that in 2025 it seized about 1% of Ukrainian territory while suffering heavy losses, with roughly 1,000 Russian soldiers killed on the front each day. Barrot said European nations have worked hard to shape talks on ending the war, in the interest of Europe’s security and a just peace for Kyiv. The United States, he added, has agreed to factor Europe’s views into its new Ukraine peace plan, including offering Ukraine security guarantees after the war so it will not face future attacks. During discussions of Trump’s plan, European countries secured a commitment that any decisions falling under EU law cannot be taken without their involvement, Barrot said. That includes Ukraine’s accession to the European Union, the use of frozen Russian assets held in Europe, and European security matters. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky is scheduled to arrive in France on December 1 to discuss terms for ending Russia’s war with President Emmanuel Macron. Zelensky seeks a just and lasting peace for his country. Meanwhile, a Ukrainian delegation is holding fresh talks in the United States on ending the war.

WASHINGTON—In an attempt to dispel rumors of an affair during the 2024 presidential campaign, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. held a press conference Monday during which he d...

A federal judge in Washington has relaunched his contempt probe of the Trump administration for failing to turn around two planes carrying Venezuelan migrants to El Salvador in March.

December 11, 2025: Flight Tracking Workshop (4 hour) [Americas / Europe-friendly time]