Europe
Mykola Leontovych's score of "Shchedryk" has been exhibited at New York's Carnegie Hall. This became possible after the facsimile was transferred to the Carnegie Hall archive.
The head of Ireland's defense and foreign policy departments has refuted a statement by the Military Intelligence Service (IMIS) that China is "hostile. " The minister emphasized the importance of economic cooperation and warned of the risks of isolating Beijing ahead of his upcoming trade mission.
US Democratic senators have urged Donald Trump not to recall nearly 30 career ambassadors, warning of a threat to national security. They believe this would create a vacuum that Russia and China would fill, leaving more than 100 embassies without leadership.
The Russian ruble has strengthened by 45% since the beginning of the year, trading at around 78 rubles per dollar, which is the strongest growth since 1994. This poses a threat to the country's war economy, despite falling oil prices and new sanctions.
According to Flightradar, Santa has already visited Ukraine, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and Sweden. He continues his journey across Europe.
The Hungarian Prime Minister believes that Brussels allegedly "does not want peace between Russia and Ukraine. "
Political expert Petro Oleschuk claims that Petro Poroshenko has joined Ihor Kolomoisky to destabilize the situation in the country. This is done with the calculation of avoiding criminal responsibility for state treason.
Russia views the US 20-point peace plan as a starting point, demanding more restrictions on Ukraine's military forces and guarantees regarding NATO. Ukraine and the US have disagreements on territorial issues and the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, but negotiations are nearing completion.
President Zelenskyy has called for a meeting with US President Trump to resolve sensitive issues of a future peace agreement with Russia, such as territorial control. The Ukrainian and American delegations have come closer to finalizing a 20-point negotiation plan.
In Germany, representatives of centrist parties accused the right-wing Alternative for Germany party of collecting data that is of interest to Russian special services.
Andriy Kovalenko, head of the Center for Countering Disinformation of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, stated that Russia's economy allows it to produce weapons and hire mercenaries, which enables the Kremlin to continue the war. He emphasized that Putin and his elites do not see Russia's future without Ukraine.
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu will visit the US next week to meet with Donald Trump. The main topics will be Iran's nuclear activity in light of its recent missile exercises, as well as the transition to the next stage of Trump's "Plan" for Gaza.
Russian natural gas exports to China via pipeline are expected to grow by a quarter this year, reaching 38. 6-38.7 billion cubic meters. However, this will not compensate for the drop in revenues from the loss of the European gas market.
The head of the Main Intelligence Directorate, Kyrylo Budanov, stated that Russia is preparing for an open conflict with Europe, moving the possible attack date from 2030 to 2027. Moscow considers the European community "weak and divided."
The Italian antitrust authority has fined Apple 98 million euros for antitrust violations over its app tracking transparency policy. This policy violates European antitrust rules by abusing Apple's dominant position in the app store market.
Volkswagen is preparing to launch a new compact electric car, the ID. Polo, which will compete with the Renault 5 E-Tech, with an expected price of around 25,000 euros. The production car, positioned as an urban electric hatchback, is expected to go on sale in the spring of next year.
Shipments of liquefied natural gas from Russia to China more than doubled compared to last year, reaching 1. 6 million metric tons in November. This allowed Russia to overtake Australia and become the largest supplier after Qatar, offering the cheapest LNG among 12 suppliers.
The global legal framework for nuclear arms control could face obstacles in 2026. On February 5, the bilateral treaty between the US and Russia, New START, expires, and in April, the Review Conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) will take place in New York.
Witkoff held parallel meetings with Ukrainian and Russian delegations. Four key documents were discussed, including the updated "20-point plan" and a framework agreement on security guarantees.
Chinese energy storage manufacturers are experiencing an unprecedented surge thanks to reforms in the domestic electricity market and the global construction of data centers for AI. This year, battery exports from China have already exceeded $65 billion, and the volume of lithium-ion cell supplies could increase by 75%.
President Zelenskyy stated that the allocation of a 90 billion euro interest-free loan to Ukraine for two years is a real financial security guarantee. The funds will be disbursed at 45 billion euros annually for two years and will be repaid from Russian assets.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte explained that the United States has a direct interest in maintaining its membership in the Alliance. He named three key reasons why NATO is important for US security.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that the United States has enough power to force Russia to end the war against Ukraine. He emphasized that this could be a "diplomatic victory" for the US, and President Trump is "strong enough to do it."
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that there is a shortage of missiles for some air defense systems. Partners have started holding back missiles, which may be related to Russia's intimidation of Western countries.
Zelenskyy announced peace agreement talks conducted by Umerov. The US proposed a meeting format involving Ukraine and Russia, possibly with European representatives.
Ukraine and Portugal have signed a statement on partnership for the production of naval drones. Portugal also supported a financial security guarantee for Ukraine worth 90 billion euros.
The song "Shchedryk" was written at the beginning of the 20th century. In 1936, its English version was released, which is known to the world as "Carol of the Bells".
Andriy Kovalenko, head of the Center for Countering Disinformation of the National Security and Defense Council, stated that it is impossible to return current Russia to the civilized world. He noted that a democratic Russia is possible only after its collapse and regime change.
The President of Ukraine met with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, where they discussed diplomatic contacts, economic cooperation, and defense projects, including joint drone production. The meeting took place during the Ukrainian leader's visit to Poland.
Denmark's military intelligence service accuses Russia of cyberattacks on a Danish water company in 2024 and DDoS attacks on websites. As a result of the attack on the water company, homes were temporarily left without water due to burst pipes.