Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour

Finland on Monday has signed an agreement to enhance military cooperation with the United States, saying it saw a long-term threat from Russia, a day after its giant neighbor issued a warning over Helsinki's recent entrance into NATO.

Day 663 of the invasion of Ukraine. Summary of key events in the last 24 hours:

Day 661 of the invasion of Ukraine. Summary of key events in the last 24 hours:

Prime Minister Nikolai Denkov responded in Brussels to Russian President Vladimir Putin's recent statements regarding the Black Sea, urging vigilance following Putin's declarations asserting historical Russian claims to the Black Sea coast.

Azerbaijan's ruling party on Friday nominated incumbent President Ilham Aliyev for re-election next year, a move expected to extend the decades-long rule of the Aliyev family.

The 61-year-old has governed the energy-rich country since 2003, when he succeeded his father, Heydar, a former KGB officer and Communist-era boss.

Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Norway unannounced and stated that during his two-day visit to the United States of America, on December 11 and 12, he received a positive signal regarding further support for Ukraine.
"We expect that the US Congress will soon adopt a key decision to continue vital support to Ukraine," Zelensky said.

"Zelensky's trip turned out to be in vain. He failed to convince them that Ukraine is more important than the security of the United States of America. Everyone is tired of the beggars from Kyiv," said the Russian diplomat, reports Sputnik.
Antonov assessed that nothing can help Zelensky anymore, neither further Western sanctions against Russia, nor new arms deliveries to Ukraine.

The Ukrainian President said this at a joint press conference with Joseph Biden.
"We have already made significant progress. We have shown that our partnership is stronger than any Russian hostility," Zelensky said and stated that Ukraine had liberated 50 percent of the territories occupied by Russia.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky made an impassioned plea for continued US military support Monday in a Washington speech, warning that failure to help his country defeat Russian invasion is fulfilling the Kremlin's "dreams" of wrecking democracy in Europe.

The West is weary. It is also deeply divided. The real question is just how weary it is. Its top rivals are eager to find out so they can plan their next moves, starting with the Russian president. Vladimir Putin may have underestimated the West's unity and the force of its reaction to the invasion of Ukraine, but it shifted its strategy and is now fighting a war of attrition.