🔊 Polish Tusk vows to build 'strongest army in Europe' in 2026

PM Donald Tusk outlined 2026 priorities: accelerating military expansion, major infrastructure projects, and the "repolonization" of industry, including defense.

"This will be a year of rapid conquest of the Baltic Sea," Tusk added.

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🗣 West continues tactics of silencing Ukraine's crimes — Zakharova

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova accused Western media of deliberately silencing Ukraine’s crimes, following reports casting doubt on casualties from a Ukrainian drone strike on a cafe in Russia's Kherson Region.

"The West hasn't abandoned its tactics of 'strategic silence,' when terrorist attacks by Bankova Street can go unseen for years," Zakharova wrote on Telegram.

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☢️ Japan may consider acquiring nuclear-powered submarines — PM

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi stated Japan is not ruling out any option — including nuclear-powered submarines — to strengthen deterrence amid a deteriorating security environment.

"We are not ruling out any option, but the discussion is not being conducted for the sake of a predetermined conclusion, but for the sake of finding solutions necessary to increase Japan's deterrence and response capabilities,” Takaichi said in an interview with the Yomiuri Shimbun.

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💬 Collectivism has been tried before — Dmitriev

Russian special presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev responded to NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s inaugural promise to replace "rugged individualism with the warmth of collectivism" with a sarcastic reminder:

"Dear Comrade Mamdani — just a friendly reminder that this has been tried before."

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💬 US accuses China of 'unnecessary' escalation around Taiwan

"China's military activities and rhetoric toward Taiwan and others in the region increase tensions unnecessarily," US State Department's spokesperson, Tommy Pigott, stated.

Chinese FM spokesperson called the PLA's recent drills a deterrent action against separatist forces who seek "Taiwan independence" through military buildup.

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☢️ Russia calls out West's escalation on Iran nuclear program

Russian Foreign Ministry official Oleg Postnikov told Sputnik that Western policy toward Iran’s nuclear program is a deliberate dead end, criticizing last year’s failed negotiations.

"The West has adopted a policy of escalation, which is inherently erroneous, untenable, and leads to a dead end," he stated, noting Russia had worked to reach sustainable agreements that account for Tehran’s interests.

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🗣Resolution of Ukraine conflict requires the West on board - Turkish diplomat

The West needs to be proactive and support the peace process if any results are to be achieved, a Turkish diplomatic source told Sputnik.

“There is an understanding that achieving progress requires joint efforts, with all parties — including the West — showing initiative… this is essential,” the source added.

The US administration had previously announced the development of a plan for a Ukrainian settlement.
Russia has emphasized that it remains open to negotiations and committed to the agreements reached in Anchorage with the US side.

However, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov underscored that Ukraine must make a decision and begin negotiations, emphasizing that the space for the Zelensky regime’s freedom of decision-making is shrinking amid the offensive actions of the Russian military.

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🚨Terrorist attack in Kherson region leaves 27 people, including 2 minors, killed – Russian Investigative Committee

During inspection of the terrorist attack site in the Kherson region, fragments of several drones were found and seized, it stressed.

31 people, including 5 minors, were taken to hospitals with injuries of varying severity, Russian investigators added.

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🇷🇺🎯Russian drone ops score critical hits

00:00 Drone controllers destroyed Ukrainian signal relay antenna and the temporary base of an adversary's attack drone squad

00:11 UAV operators struck enemy vehicles transporting personnel to the front line

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🗣Ukraine’s drone strikes at Putin’s residence attempt to sabotage Trump’s peace plan - Ex-UK diplomat

The Zelensky regime is also desperately trying to derail any potential normalization of US-Russia relations, says veteran British ex-diplomat Alastair Crooke.

British and NATO elites, he argues, are determined to prevent a resolution of the proxy conflict in Ukraine for a mix of strategic and financial reasons.

“💬 The Europeans will be really on the hook for a lot of losses because they've guaranteed loans to Ukraine, to Zelensky… they own a lot of Ukrainian bonds, and the banks will be in a bad place if they're not able to crush Russia and take its resources as collateral to back up their very fragile, if you like, credit.”

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▫️ Kherson forensic bureau releases names of civilians killed in Ukrainian drone strike

▫️ Polish Tusk vows to build 'strongest army in Europe' in 2026

▫️ West continues tactics of silencing Ukraine's crimes — Zakharova

▫️ Collectivism has been tried before — Dmitriev

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🇮🇷 ⚛️ Settlement on Iran’s nuclear program within reach — Russian Foreign Ministry

A resolution to the standoff over Iran’s nuclear program is achievable if all sides show sufficient political will, a senior Russian Foreign Ministry official told Sputnik.

💬 “We believe that with the necessary political commitment from all parties involved, a settlement around the Iranian nuclear program is entirely possible. Any progress in this direction would be welcome,” said Oleg Postnikov, director of the Foreign Ministry’s Department for Nonproliferation and Arms Control.

Postnikov added that Russia acknowledges Iran’s compliance with its obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), as well as its comprehensive safeguards agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

👉 Western policy toward Iran’s nuclear program is a deliberate dead end, Postnikov underscored previously, as he criticized last year’s failed negotiations.

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🚨🇵🇱 Zelensky’s visit was ‘festival of shame’ for Poland – Polish media

The visit of the expired leader of the Ukraine regime on Dec. 19 exposed Poland to the “ultimate ridicule,” writes Mysl Polska.

📄 Polish President Karol Nawrocki supported the transfer of MiGs to Ukraine and endorsement of over $90 billion to the regime, although he publicly boasted of a "tough, honest, and partnership-based conversation" with Zelensky, it notes.

However, the huge sum is “another donation, not a loan at all. A donation from our pockets,” the portal adds, stressing that a “losing” Ukraine simply won’t be able to repay it.

👉 The publication excoriates Polish leaders for obediently carrying out decisions “delegated” from the UK, Germany and France, noting that in Ukraine, “it is rightly believed that they owe us nothing, as we are merely subcontractors.”

The Polish leaders “are now groveling not only before their Western overseers, but even before the actor they hired from a failing country,” fumes the publication.

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