Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on December 14 that the environmental harm from Russia's war will affect millions of people for years and urged New Zealand to take leadership in diplomacy to address the damage.
The United States on December 13 unsealed a 16-count indictment charging five Russian nationals and two U.S. nationals with conspiracy related to a global procurement and money-laundering scheme on behalf of the Russian government.
European Union energy ministers have failed to strike a final deal on a bloc-wide cap on natural gas prices.
Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic said on December 13 that she does not see any chance of reviving Rio Tinto's $2.4 billion lithium project for which licenses were revoked earlier this year.
French President Emmanuel Macron said on December 13 that an agreement had been reached on removing heavy weapons from Ukraine's Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant and that talks were under way on procedures for doing this.
EU governments have struck a deal with Hungary that sorts out financial aid for Ukraine in 2023 and gains Budapest's approval for a global minimum corporate tax, all in exchange for EU flexibility about funds paid to Hungary.
European Union foreign ministers are meeting in Brussels on December 12 to try to agree on further sanctions on Russia and Iran as well as on an additional 2 billion euros ($2.11 billion) for arms deliveries to Ukraine.
Saudi Arabia's foreign minister said on December 11 that Iran's Gulf Arab neighbors would act to shore up their security if Tehran were to obtain nuclear weapons.
Iran's troubled currency fell to a new low against the U.S. dollar on December 10 amid continued unrest and the country's increasing isolation in the face of Western criticism of its security crackdown and ties to Russia.
The United States has imposed sanctions on dozens of people and entities over alleged rights abuses, including Russia's Central Election Commission (TsIK), Iranian officials, Chinese nationals, and a notorious Ukrainian judge.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that further prisoner swaps between the United States and Russia are possible, and that contacts between the two countries' intelligence services will continue.
Russian and U.S. diplomats met in Istanbul on December 9 to discuss a number of technical issues in the bilateral relationship, Russian state media quoted Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov as saying.
UN human rights chief Volker Turk said on December 9 that he was determined to engage with Beijing over the findings of a report issued by his predecessor that said China's treatment of Uyghurs and other Muslims in its Xinjiang region may constitute crimes against humanity.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that he will speak to his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, on December 11, and he will also speak to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in order to strengthen the UN-backed Black Sea grain deal.
The UN humans rights chief Volker Turk said on December 9 that Afghan women and girls are being systematically excluded from virtually all aspects of life under the Taliban.
Pope Francis broke down and cried on December 8 as he mentioned the suffering of Ukrainians during a traditional prayer in central Rome.
A magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck Russia's Caucasus region on December 8, the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre said.
Hungary's government will siphon off nearly all profits earned on cheaper crude oil imported from Russia as of December 8, it said in a decree, a day after Prime Minister Viktor Orban's cabinet scrapped a retail fuel price cap amid a shortage of supplies.
Romania had a legitimate expectation to join Europe's open-borders Schengen area, Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca said on December 7, rejecting Austrian claims that it is a gateway for illegal migrants as unjustified.
General strikes to protest against the government have been held for a third day in Iran, with shops and factories closed across the country. Meanwhile, students at Tehran University said they were beaten by security forces ahead of a speech on campus by Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi.
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