WASHINGTON, September 21 (Sputnik) – US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said that he turned down a request from Volodymyr Zelensky to address a joint session of Congress, NBC reported on Thursday.

The defense ministers of the two European nations have disagreed over defense procurement outside the bloc's arms industry. The French minister advocates for EU industry contracts, while the German emphasizes the need for immediate action and considers non-European options.

''France should follow Poland's example and stop supplying arms to Ukraine, which is not interested in a peaceful solution'', said Florian Filippo, head of the French Patriots party and a former member of the European Parliament.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - Rupert Murdoch will step down as chairman of Fox and News Corp in November, Fox News reported Thursday, citing a letter to colleagues.

Russian naval helicopter units are conducting drills in the Barents Sea, focusing on search and rescue operations and improving cooperation with the Northern Fleet forces, the Russian Defense Ministry said Thursday.

Having acted as one of Ukraine’s staunchest supporters since the escalation of the conflict last year, Poland has now changed its tone in the dialogue with the Kiev regime over what appears to be a trade dispute.

With senior U.S. officials repeatedly claiming that there are no signs that the national economy is entering a downturn, prices at the pump in America rose to their highest levels of the year.

VELIKY NOVGOROD, Russia (Sputnik) - Moscow has seen reports that there are detainees in Azerbaijan due to the death of Russian peacekeepers, all details are unknown, but an investigation is underway, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday.

SIMFEROPOL (Sputnik) - Russian air defense systems have shot down all the missiles with which Kiev tried to attack the Saki airfield in Crimea, Oleg Kryuchkov, an adviser to the head of Crimea, stated on Thursday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russian air defense systems have shot down five Storm Shadow cruise missiles and the record 75 Ukrainian drones over the past 24 hours, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Thursday.

Russian Ministry of Defense issued a fresh report on the progress of special military operation.

US President Joe Biden has once again done something out of the ordinary by refusing to shake hands with his Brazilian counterpart, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, during their meeting in New York, according to a video published by British media.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Moscow believes that the exchange of prisoners between the United States and Iran will not radically change anything in the relations between Tehran and Washington, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov told Sputnik on Thursday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - First suspects in the death of Russian peacekeepers in Nagorno-Karabakh have been detained, a Russian law enforcement agency source said on Thursday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Brokers and banks of friendly or neutral nations will be allowed to trade on the Russian currency and derivative markets, the Russian government stated on Thursday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Germany does not support Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's initiative to deprive Russia of the right of veto in the UN Security Council and is not always in favor of ideas voiced by Kiev, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock stated.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Thammasat University has taken part in the SputnikPro online session, becoming the first Thai platform to join the project.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The commander of the corps of the Azerbaijani armed forces, whose subordinates are guilty of the death of Russian peacekeepers, has been suspended from his duties, a Russian law enforcement agency source reported on Thursday.

Russia’s Foreign Ministry earlier stated that it seeks “an adequate reaction” of the relevant multilateral structures to Sarah Ashton-Cirillo’s aggressive remarks to Russian journalists.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev apologized to Russian President Vladimir Putin and expressed deep condolences over the tragic death of Russian military personnel in Nagorno-Karabakh on September 20, the Kremlin said on Thursday.