U.S. President Donald Trump told Russian President Vladimir Putin that Kyiv should not pursue a temporary pause in fighting but focus on achieving a comprehensive peace agreement.

Israel has become the first country in the world to officially recognize the independence of Somaliland.

The Algerian parliament has passed a law criminalizing French colonization, demanding an official apology from Paris. France condemned the initiative as “hostile” but affirmed its readiness to continue cooperation.

Libyan Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeiba has officially confirmed the death of the Chief of General Staff of the country's Armed Forces as a result of a plane crash near Ankara. Four other people were killed along with him on board a private business jet.

U.S. President Donald Trump has presented an ambitious program to build a new fleet armed with future technologies. Under the "Golden Fleet" project, it is planned to create ships with laser systems, railguns, and hypersonic weapons for $26 billion.

As part of the cultural program of an informal meeting in Saint Petersburg, President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev, along with the heads of state of the Commonwealth of Independent States, visited the State Hermitage Museum.

As part of the events of the working visit to the Russian Federation, President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev, President of the Kyrgyz Republic Sadyr Japarov, and President of the Republic of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon were awarded with the Leo Tolstoy International Peace Prize at a ceremony held at the Saint Petersburg State Rimsky-Korsakov Conservatory.

Residents of Saudi Arabia are witnessing an extremely rare phenomenon — snowfall. The white blanket has covered not only mountain peaks but also desert sands. Abnormal frosts have led to black ice on the roads, and capital city schoolchildren have been sent on forced "vacation" with distance learning.

Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS will pass closest to Earth on December 19, giving astronomers a chance to better study this mysterious visitor before leaving the Solar System forever.

On December 19, beginning his official visit to Japan, President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev held a meeting with Emperor Naruhito.

Member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization have agreed on plans for military cooperation for the coming years. The agreements were reached during a meeting of an expert working group held in Bishkek.

A student from Uzbekistan, Muhammadaziz Umrzakov, a first-year neurosurgery student, was killed in a shooting at Brown University in the United States. The tragedy occurred on Saturday, December 13, during exams held in a lecture hall of the engineering and physics departments.

The meetings held during this event were an important step in the process of comprehensively discussing the nominees and assessing their contribution to the development of mutual respect, solidarity, and human dignity.

American rapper Snoop Dogg has been appointed honorary coach of Team USA for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee announced.

The United States has seized a large oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela in an operation led by the Coast Guard with support from the Navy. The move triggered a sharp response from Caracas, which accused Washington of attempting to seize the country’s natural resources.

European leaders are increasingly skeptical of Washington’s intentions in the ongoing peace negotiations on Ukraine. According to Der Spiegel, a confidential recording of a private discussion involving the German chancellor, the French president, Volodymyr Zelensky, and several other European leaders reveals deep concern that the U.S. may concede territory to Moscow without providing Kyiv with solid security guarantees.

U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff has arrived in Moscow for another meeting with Vladimir Putin — his sixth visit this year. For the first time, he is accompanied by Jared Kushner, signaling the Trump administration’s intent to accelerate peace negotiations. The central issue remains territorial questions.

Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) has taken responsibility for the explosions that disabled two Russian-linked oil tankers, Kairos and Virat, off the coast of Turkey. The reports were confirmed by Interfax-Ukraine and Suspilne, citing an SBU source.

Andriy Yermak, head of the Ukrainian President’s Office, has submitted his resignation amid a major anti-corruption investigation that included searches at his residence.

The United States has reduced its Ukraine peace plan from 28 to 19 points following negotiations in Geneva. According to Bloomberg, the proposal to allocate $100 billion from frozen Russian assets for Ukraine’s reconstruction has been removed from the document.