(2025-12-25). Pope urges Russia, Ukraine dialogue in Christmas blessing. al-monitor.com Pope Leo XIV on Thursday urged Russia and Ukraine to find the "courage" to hold direct talks and spoke of the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza in his first Christmas message.The US pope, who was elected by fellow cardinals in May after the death of his predecessor pope Francis, also condemned the "senselessness" of war and the "rubble and open wounds" it leaves behind.
(2025-12-25). Putin ties 2026 'unity' decree & AI jobs overhaul to war‚Äëtime economy | Ukraine. hindustantimes.com Vladimir Putin has used a new year‚Äëend speech to cast 2026 as a turning point for Russia's internal "unity" and economic modernisation, tying a patriotic decree to sweeping warnings about the disruptive power of artificial intelligence on jobs and education. He paired boasts about record‚Äëhigh employment with a call to completely overhaul how Russia trains and retrains its workforce, explicitly linking "technological restructuring" and AI to the future of the war‚Äëtime economy and returning veterans. Watch for details…
(2025-12-25). 'Christmas under fire': Ukraine, Russia report fatal air strikes. scmp.com Russian air attacks caused death and destruction across Ukraine, authorities in different regions reported on Thursday, with Russian authorities reporting similar Ukrainian attacks on their territory. | A Russian drone attack in the southwestern Odesa region on the Black Sea left one person dead and two injured. Damage was caused to port and energy infrastructure, the regional authorities said. | In the Kharkiv region bordering Russia in Ukraine's northeast, one person died and 15 were injured.
(2025-12-25). Press TV (Iran): Ukraine signals readiness to scale back Eastern forces. gilbertdoctorow.com In this interview recorded in the morning, we discussed Volodymyr Zelensky's latest proposal that both sides create buffer zones on their sides of the present battle lines, meaning 'demilitarization' of the part of Donetsk still in Ukrainian hands and a similar 'demilitarization' of as many kilometers to the east of the battle lines by Russia. …
(2025-12-25). Why Russians haven't risen up to stop the Ukraine war. responsiblestatecraft.org After its emergence from the Soviet collapse, the new Russia grappled with the complex issue of developing a national identity that could embrace the radical contradictions of Russia's past and foster integration with the West while maintaining Russian distinctiveness.The Ukraine War has significantly changed public attitudes toward this question, and led to a consolidation of most of the Russian population behind a set of national ideas. This has contributed to the resilience that Russia has shown in the war, and helped to frustrate Western hopes that economic pressure and heavy casualties would undermine su…
(2025-12-25). The Atlantic Alliance is weakening, but what comes next? Two worlds, two scenarios. unitedworldint.com An outlook on what 2026 may bring to a world that is on knife's edge. By Onur Sinan Gàºzaltan The sidelining of hardliners in Zelenskyy's government over corruption allegations, US Secretary of State Rubio's refusal to attend the NATO summit, corruption probes against the figures in Brussels who are pro-war against Russia, the distance put …
(2025-12-25). Lithuania turns into NATO's militarised, spy‚Äëempowered frontline state | Russia. hindustantimes.com Lithuania is rapidly reshaping itself into a heavily militarised, intelligence‚Äëdriven frontline state inside NATO, expanding spy powers and conscription in response to what it portrays as an escalating Russian and Belarusian threat. The state has granted its spy services expanded authority to monitor, detain and search people with fewer procedural obstacles, while simultaneously boosting defence spending and manpower through an aggressive conscription drive. Under the new intelligence law, which takes effect on February 1, 2026, Lithuanian agencies can detain individuals and search their bodies,…