ISRAEL ASKS PUTIN TO REASSURE IRAN Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asked Russian President Vladimir Putin to tell Iran that Israel does not plan further strikes, according to Israel’s public broadcaster Kann, citing diplomatic sources.

Quando gli intellettuali parlano di politica, sragionano. Massimo Cacciari e Franco Cardini hanno posizioni stravaganti su Maduro. Di @Ferrarailgrasso ilfoglio.it/politica/2026/…

Noi, che siamo più furbi di tutti, li abbiamo pure accolti in Piemonte durante la pandemia (grazie alla sapiente regia di AVS) e utilizzati a piene mani in Calabria nel SSR.

Il sindacalista (sempre lui) che dice “Maduro è un eroe che rappresenta la dignità umana”. Poi si chiedono perché la gente si butta a destra.

CHINA'S FOREIGN MINISTER WANG YI: CHINA SEEKS DISCUSSIONS WITH THE EU ON A FREE-TRADE AGREEMENT

Indignazione e stupore perché Trump ha messo a capo del Venezuela la vice di Maduro, Delcy Rodríguez. Ma che vi aspettavate? Che riconoscesse un'opposizione piena di legittime rivalse e rivendicazioni? Per il lavoro sporco che tocca fare agli americani in Venezuela - francamente

Putin, who hasn’t appeared with his own family for well over a decade, attends an orthodox Christmas service with Russian soldiers and their families. It’s just the latest unsubtle signal he thinks he’ll win in Ukraine – and isn’t interested in the peace deal the US is offering.

Sergey Radchenko, Sergey Radchenko a professor at Johns Hopkins University, recalled how before the 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine senior Russian strategists frequently talked of using security presence in Venezuela as a pressure point against the U.S. “Now, America has shown to

Germany’s head of state, President Frank-Walter Steinmeier warned that "democracy is under threat like never before", adding that there had been a “rupture of values” - not only by Russia - but also by the US.

KIM JONG UN TELLS RUSSIA'S PUTIN IN A LETTER THAT HE WILL PERMANENTLY SUPPORT PUTIN'S POLICIES -KCNA

L'Argentina🇦🇷 ha già estinto i debiti con gli Stati Uniti della linea di swap aperta a settembre/ottobre durante la crisi valutaria dovuta all'incertezza pre elettorale: la Banca centrale aveva usato circa 2,5 miliardi di dollari su una linea di 20 miliardi. 👇

US oil giant ExxonMobil tells Trump Venezuela is ‘uninvestable’ ft.trib.al/DRiP4g1

It’s already too late, but at least we can try to stop this trend. It’s up to academics to do it.

Quick fact check. Twitter has been blocked in Russia since March 2022. This tweet below was written using a VPN

Putin has made his first appearance back at work this year and it's with Denis Manturov, the deputy prime minister in charge of Russia's enormous rearmament program. Doesn't exactly scream "peace deal"

Una chiacchierata con Andrei Kolesnikov a Mosca qualche mese fa. Le cose non sono troppo cambiate da agosto.

Apparently Russia had advanced notice of the U.S. attack on Venezuela, but didn't tell China. I don't think this has been reported anywhere else, and huge if true. wsj.com/world/americas…

GERMANY WILL SEND SOLDIERS TO GREENLAND THIS WEEK

I’m back in Moscow…and back with the Russian newspapers which report on “Galloping Inflation. Food prices rise markedly [in Russia] since the start of 2026.” One paper links rising prices to a recent VAT hike to help finance Russia’s war in Ukraine. #ReadingRussia.

In 2025, sign-on bonuses alone were around 0.3-0.4% of Russian GDP (700-800 billion rubles), 80% of which came from regional budgets (~600 billion rubles). Of course, the bonuses are not the only cost of recruitment. Total payouts for casualties are likely to be much higher.