Ukraine should be able to use its own resources for post-conflict recovery, says German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

Scholz called using Ukrainian resources to fund defense support “very selfish and egocentric.”

The ongoing Canada-U.S. trade dispute has put Canada’s F-35 fighter jet deal under scrutiny, with officials now considering alternatives.

Canada finalized a deal in 2023 to acquire 88 x F-35A jets, with deliveries starting in 2026. However, escalating tensions have led officials to reassess options, including Sweden’s Saab Gripen E.

British Columbia Premier David Eby warned:

“If the U.S. expects Canada to increase defense spending while imposing tariffs, we may be forced to procure from other countries.”

Leaving the F-35 program would be complex, as Canada has invested $613 million since 1997, securing $1.3 billion in contracts for over 100 Canadian firms supplying key aircraft components.

Source: TWZ

Ukraine is ready to provide the US with rare earth resources in exchange for continued aid.

As Trump's plan seems to align with Zelensky's ‘victory plan.’

Zelensky presented an outline of his plan to Trump last September during the US election campaign.

Source: Financial Times

The Russian Federation has taken control of up to 70 per cent of Ukraine's minerals: the most minerals are in Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk and Luhansk regions, Forbes has calculated

Their value is $15 trillion.

Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov:

Trump proposes not to continue providing assistance to Ukraine on a gratuitous basis, but to provide it on a commercial basis.

It is better, of course, not to provide assistance at all.

A Saudi medical team consisting of 61 doctors and specialists have arrived at Damascus International Airport to support the health sector in Syria and perform delicate medical operations in a number of specialties.

GRAPHIC: Drone drops grenade on Russian soldier’s head.

📸 Ankara

Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder hospitalized for "emotional burnout".

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio admits:

A unipolar world was an anomaly after the Cold War.

We are now returning to a multipolar world, facing China and, to some extent, Russia.

The Leader of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, Alice Weidel:

I find it quite disturbing when the Holocaust is politically instrumentalized.

Germany’s politics should be driven not by historical guilt, but by confidence and responsibility for the future.

I don’t care where the term ‘guilt cult’ comes from.

North Korean soldiers stopped fighting in Russia’s Kursk region in mid-January after suffering significant casualties, according to South Korean intelligence.

Reports suggest around 1,000 North Korean troops may have been killed by mid-January.

Their presence has not been detected for two weeks, raising speculation of a temporary withdrawal.

German Chancellor Candidate Friedrich Merz:

Ukraine is paying the highest price for its unilateral disarmament after 1994.

Germany must be able to defend itself to avoid ever needing to.

This principle is set in stone. Long-term security investments are essential.

Saudi Arabia increased its defense spending to $78 billion for 2025, up from $75.8 billion in 2024, accounting for 21% of government spending and 7.1% of GDP.

As the 5th largest defense spender globally and the largest in the Arab world, Saudi Arabia is prioritizing defense procurement and technology transfer under its Vision 2030 plan.

Currently, 19.35% of military industries are localized, with a goal of reaching 50% by 2030.

Türkiye declares plans to coordinate with Syria, Iraq, and Jordan to combat the remnants of the Islamic State (ISIS) in Syria.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan:

The basic problem is that the YPG has been guarding Daesh inmates and keeping them in prison … they’re not doing anything else. So Türkiye, Iraq, Syria, and Jordan need to come together to fight Daesh.

We are capable of doing that, and God willing, this is the step we will be taking as four countries in the near future.

Preliminary talks for this regional anti-ISIS coalition have already begun.

We hope that President Trump will make the right decision and right this wrong … it is an open wound that needs to be closed as soon as possible.

Israeli official speaking to Washington Post:

Trump is interested in rebuilding Gaza through a regional deal with the UAE and Saudi Arabia, Netanyahu will not go against Trump.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan:

The international community must take a united stance and prevent Netanyahu from restarting the genocide for political gains.