0745GMT//Trump says that Putin 'wants a deal'; Putin flies to India; Kremlin hides disability data

TRUMP SAYS PUTIN 'WANTS A DEAL': Donald Trump said that Vladimir Putin wants to "make a deal" and return to a "more normal life" after Steve Witkoff, his special envoy, and Jared Kushner, his son-in-law, returned from a meeting with the Russian president this week. (COMMENT>> These are the US' only official comments on the meeting so far. Russian officials called the talks "productive" and "constructive", but Putin is still telling Russian media that a deal is some way off.)

PUTIN FLIES TO INDIA: Vladimir Putin is due to fly to Delhi on Thursday, his first trip to India for four years. Narendra Modi, India's PM, visited Russia twice in 2024 and declared himself to be an "unbreakable ally" of Russia. (COMMENT>> Putin needs India as an ally. The Kremlin sees India as a vital and large market that it can still access. It has been setting up new trade routes to India via Azerbaijan and Afghanistan. India has also been importing large quantities of oil from Russia, but has cut purchases over the past two or three months because of intensified US sanctions. Russian media said that Putin will also want to discuss resuming arms sales to India and also importing Indian labour to Russia to plug major shortages in industry and agriculture.)

DISABILITY DATA HIDDEN: The Kremlin has stopped publishing data on the number of disabled people in Russia because of a surge linked to its war in Ukraine. An internet research unit called 'If it was accurate' said that the last update to Russia's disabled database was published in May 2023, showing data for Q4 2022. The data included a cause for people's disability. (COMMENT>> This appears to be another attempt by the Kremlin to hide the impact of its war in Ukraine from the public. There have been several warnings that Russia is now having to deal with a huge avalanche of mental and physical health problems linked to its war in Ukraine. Russia's medical system is unprepared to deal with either crisis.)

SALES SURGE BEFORE VAT RISE: Retail sales in October in Russia increased by 4.8% compared to the same period in 2024. Economists had predicted a rise as consumers try to beat a planned VAT rise to 22% from 20% that is coming in on Jan. 1. (COMMENT>> The VAT rise, which is wholly linked to raising more cash to pay for the war in Ukraine, is expected to increase inflation and dent the economy. Economists are expecting a major economic slowdown next year.)

BLOCKING VPNS: Roskomnadzor, the Kremlin's digital monitoring agency, increased its blocks on VPNs, making it harder for Russians to read news not produced by Kremlin propaganda machines. Reports said that three popular VPNs had now been banned. (COMMENT>> The Kremlin has tried to outlaw VPNs but in reality, they are hard to outlaw, and it is actually easier to block them instead. Every successful block of a VPN makes it harder for ordinary Russians to access truthful news and information.)

EMERGENCY LANDING: An engine caught fire on a Boeing passenger jet operated by Russian budget airline Red Wings shortly after taking off from Moscow's Domodedovo airport for Bangkok. The plane, carrying 425 people, circled the Moscow Region for 1-1/2 hours, dumping fuel before making an emergency landing at the airport. Nobody was injured. (COMMENT>> Russian passenger jets have suffered from a lack of maintenance since Western sanctions were imposed on Russia. Reports of breakdowns and emergency landings have increased.)