Ukraine is forcing its troops to hold a tiny foothold on the Russian-controlled bank of the Dnieper, the president has said The Ukrainian leadership has grown desperate in the wake of its failed summer counteroffensive, Russian President Vladimir Putin told the press at his ‘Results of the Year’ media event on Thursday.

The downturn is due to geopolitical tensions and export underperformance from developing nations, according to a report Global trade will contract by 5% in 2023 compared to last year, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) reported this week, expressing a generally negative outlook for 2024.

Moscow fulfills its gas export obligations, including transit through Ukraine, the president has insisted Accusations that Russia has stopped natural gas supplies to the EU are “complete nonsense,” President Vladimir Putin stated on Thursday.