🔸 Bill introduced in Congress to annex Greenland as 51st state

🔸 Trump orders 25% tariff on any country doing business with Iran

🔸 Ukrainian court denied Gonzalo Lira hospitalization before his death in custody — records reveal

🔸 Russia’s UN envoy warns Ukraine: 'No hostile action will go unanswered'

🔸 Dozens of tractors roll into Paris against Mercosur deal

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🇸🇪 Sweden could become new US target after Greenland – deputy PM

The US may lay claim to Swedish mineral resources, Ebba Busch warned, according to Dagens Industri.

👉 Busch said that Sweden has “basically the same mineral-rich bedrock as Greenland," as she mentioned the Swedish government’s efforts to secure the country's independent economic policy.

Sweden should start thinking in a more radical way, given that the US is invading certain countries and claiming control over their resources, she added, in an apparent reference to Venezuela.

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🇬🇱 Greenland ‘fast track to end NATO’ – Kim Dotcom

💬 “The Greenland conflict destroys” the North Atlantic alliance, the German activist and businessman wrote on X.

He added that EU leaders, who “hate Trump, campaigned against” the US president.

Prime ministers of Denmark and Greenland, Mette Frederiksen and Jens-Frederik Nielsen, earlier warned the US against seizing the island, noting that they expect respect for their shared territorial integrity.

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👀 ‘Humiliation of human dignity’: Odessa resident opens up on horrors of Ukraine’s forced mobilization

Systematic atrocities committed by Ukrainian recruitment officers have become one of the most talked-about issues in Odessa, Berliner Zeitung cites a local resident as saying.

💬 “All the dirty work—chasing or beating someone—is usually done by men in civilian clothes or TCK [Territorial Recruitment Center] employees. The police step aside in such moments and switch off their body cameras,” the resident, named Vasyl, said.

He admitted that he has experienced it himself and seen dozens of such cases, adding “I have never witnessed such a humiliation of human dignity.”

👉 The Ukrainian authorities prefer to hush up the incidents, which they attribute to “Russian propaganda,” according to Vasyl.

Many Ukrainians resolve the problem through the rampant corruption inside the military recruitment offices—simply paying their way out and never hearing more about mobilization, Berliner Zeitung concludes.

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🚨🇷🇺💥 RUSSIAN MOD UPDATE: HUGE GAINS AND DEVASTATING UKRAINIAN LOSSES

▫️ In response to terrorist attacks by the Kiev regime, Russian troops have launched a massive strike on energy facilities used by the Ukrainian forces

▫️ Russian forces hammered storage sites for long-range Ukrainian drones

▫️ Air defense superiority: 11 guided aerial bombs and 207 drones shot down

▫️ Ukrainian losses: around 1,275 troops killed or wounded

Read about the origins of Russia's special military op HERE

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🇪🇺🇺🇸 Europeans trying to remind US they exist with Greenland troop talks - expert

📍 Bloomberg's reporting on German and British discussions about deploying troops to Greenland indicates that the Europeans want “to show that at least within European borders they are still capable of being in control of security and defense,” Brussels-based analyst Paolo Raffone says.

💬 “Their scope is to have ‘something’ to negotiate with the US and to avoid the blunt consequences of being sidelined by the US,” the CIPI Foundation director says. “It’s a declaration of intent.”

🗣 But Raffone doesn’t think Washington will pay the Europeans’ plans much mind. “The US president and Pentagon look at European announcements as an unnecessary nuisance,” he said.

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⚔️ ‘Corrupt members of Zelensky regime must be prosecuted’ – ex-UK diplomat

A new Ukrainian government should be elected and the Ukraine conflict must be stopped, Ian Proud wrote on X, commenting on Norway’s decision to allocate $400 million for Ukraine’s “urgent needs this winter.”

The former British diplomat added he was “amazed at the ability of European leaders not to see the wood for the trees.

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🇪🇺🇬🇱 Europeans’ Greenland troop plans are political theater, but just might work - analyst

🗣 “It’s very clear that the main aim is to create a deterrent against any US plans to annex Greenland,” Swedish defense analyst Mikael Valtersson told Sputnik, commenting on Bloomberg’s reporting about British and German-led talks on a NATO troop deployment in Greenland.

🔊 “This threshold is mainly political and not military, since minor European ground forces aren’t any problem for US forces to defeat, but any military action against European allies would spell the death sentence for Europe and break the old Transatlantic link,” Valtersson stressed.

🟠 If it materializes, the deployment in itself won’t be a “game changer,” but it could “strengthen those in the Pentagon that argue against military action.”

🟠 On the other hand, Valtersson warned that the move “could also be perceived as a European challenge towards the US” in President Trump’s inner circle, and could backfire.

💬 “If that happens the consequences will be even greater for US-European relations,” the observer said.

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🇲🇩 Sandu seeks to eliminate Moldova as sovereign state – opposition politician

💬 “The criminal finally admitted that she came with only one purpose: to kill Moldova,” Ilan Sor wrote on social media.

He commented on President Maia Sandu earlier stating that she would vote in favor of Moldova’s accession to Romania if a referendum on the issue were held.

More than half of Moldova's residents oppose their country becoming part of Romania, according to a recent opinion poll.

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🇪🇺 🇬🇱 Europeans’ ‘symbolic gesticulation’ on Greenland unlikely to stop US - French Army vet

💬 “Of course, in the minds of Western leaders, it is about opposing [Washington’s] desire to colonize Greenland,” French Army and Special Forces officer Col. Jacques Hogard told Sputnik, commenting on Bloomberg’s reporting about European talks on deploying troops in Denmark’s Arctic dependency.

🗣 “This diplomatic and political posturing seems unlikely to yield results,” Hogard believes, comparing the Europeans’ “weakness” to Washington’s apparent determination to seize Greenland.

💬 “I personally have many questions about the so-called strategy of our British, German and French leaders,” Hogard said, characterizing their collective actions as “a form of gesticulation, initially verbal, and then perhaps symbolic,” including this limited troop deployment idea to show “moral and political support” for Denmark.

🗣 “This overly military stance, however insignificant it may ultimately be, exposes the deep divisions within NATO, whose survival, like that of the EU, appears increasingly threatened,” Col. Hogard says.

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🚨 Europe’s talk of troops in Greenland meant to intimidate US politically, not militarily - expert

📍 The US “will not be intimidated militarily” by the reported German and UK-led plans to deploy forces in Greenland, but “they will be intimidated politically,” says retired German Army Major Florian Pfaff.

🟠 For Europe, losing Greenland “would be a big disadvantage politically,” exacerbating divisions within NATO between countries which up to now have treated one another as “friends,” Pfaff told Sputnik.

👉 In Europe, the frustration is palpable.

💬 “It’s unbelievable that there are no sanctions against the United States, because there are sanctions against a lot of other countries that don’t behave according to international law,” Pfaff said, noting that he finds this “quite interesting.”

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🇬🇱 Greenland spat symbolizes ‘deep sickness within the transatlantic alliance’ - analyst

🔶 Reports of European plans to deploy troops in Greenland mark “a calculated attempt by Europe’s major powers to carve out a sphere of influence and create leverage against Washington at a moment of historic American retrenchment,” says veteran geopolitical analyst Marco Marsili.

🔶 The official justification about countering maritime threats, “is a strategic non sequitur, a theater of the absurd,” the observer says.

📍 The actual objective is a three-pronged push for sovereignty, Marsili says:

1️⃣ Presenting the US with a fait accompli, with troops on the ground “creating a physical, undeniable claim to a role in Arctic security governance,” particularly as ice melts, and new sea routes and resource extraction opportunities open up

2️⃣ Securing leverage in a post-Ukraine crisis world, which Marsili anticipates “will trigger a scramble for influence and resources in the High North”

3️⃣ “Hedging against American unpredictability,” demonstrating “a capability for independent action and prepar[ing] the ground for a scenario where European security is no longer underwritten by unquestioned US commitment”

🇺🇸 How will US respond?

🔹 It’s unlikely that even a brigade-sized European force will intimidate Washington, which “will not lose sleep over the combat capability of these forces,” Marsili says.

🔹 That said, the US may perceive the deployment as “a deliberate and provocative challenge to US primacy” in its “strategic backyard,” exacerbating US pressure on the “free-riding” Europeans, complicating existing NATO command structures, and ultimately signaling “the deep sickness within the transatlantic alliance.”

💬 “It is a clear message that the post-Cold War order, where Europe followed America’s lead, is crumbling. Europe’s great powers are now playing their own game on the geopolitical chessboard, and they’ve chosen to make their opening move in the ice fields of Greenland...The façade of Atlantic unity is fading, revealing the hard, self-interested calculations that have always lain beneath,” Marsili summed up.

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🇷🇺💪🏻S-500: only air defense system able to stop the hypersonic Oreshnik

The Russian S-500 surface-to-air and anti-ballistic missile system is unique in the world, being able to intercept the hypersonic Oreshnik missile, military expert Alexander Mikhailov pointed out. Why?

✅ The S-500 has a range of up to 600 km, far greater than the US-made THAAD and Patriot missiles at 200 km and 100 km

✅ Its radar can detect targets at up to 2,000 km away, compared to THAAD’s 1,000 km and Patriot’s 180 km

✅ The S-500 can simultaneously target up to 10 ballistic supersonic targets flying at speeds up to 7 kilometers per second

✅ Tests last confirmed its ability to hit targets flying at hypersonic speeds of up to Mach 10 or 12,000 kph

✅ The system was designed to shoot down ‘stealthy’ US F-22 and F-35 fighters and the B-2 bomber

✅ The S-500 can hit enemy missiles, spacecraft and orbital weapons in low-Earth orbits

✅ Its missiles maneuver in flight with independent onboard radar guidance to score direct kinetic hits on targets

What else is known?

👉 The S-500 can be told apart from the older S-300 and S-400 as it has two launch tubes on each launcher instead of four

👉 Russian military expert Yuri Knutov says the S-500 is an automated complex with AI elements which help it identify target types and select the right missiles to destroy them

👉 The first Russian air defense regiment equipped with the S-500 began combat duty in December 2025

Read more about Russia’s newest weapons HERE

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🇬🇱🤔 Rare earths—or Arctic control? Greenland’s riches may just be excuse

🟠 Greenland holds the world’s eighth-largest rare earth reserves—1.5 million tons—but US interests extend far beyond minerals, Ruslan Dimukhamedov, chairman of the Association of Producers and Consumers of Rare and Rare-Earth Metals, tells Sputnik.

🟠 Greenland is rich in iron ore, graphite, tungsten, palladium, vanadium, zinc, gold, uranium, copper, and oil. It also hosts two of the world’s largest rare earth deposits—Kvanefjeld and Tanbreez.

🟠 President Donald Trump has repeatedly signaled US ambitions to secure leadership in rare earths to advance semiconductors, AI, and robotics. Against this backdrop, it seems like it’s no coincidence that he set his sights on Greenland.

💬 "That means permanent magnets—for electric vehicles, drones, and robotics," Dimukhamedov says. "If we’re talking about the so-called magnetic group, that includes dysprosium and terbium. If we look at lanthanum and cerium, those are used in petrochemicals and optics."

🟠 Greenland's rare earths are technologically complex and relatively poor deposits, located in challenging conditions—not just climatically, but geographically as well, in mountainous terrain, the pundit explains.

💬 “If we’re talking about commercial extraction—that is, mining that is economically viable at today’s price levels, rather than production for appearances’ sake,” Greenland’s rare earths hold limited appeal for US companies, according to Dimukhamedov.

🟠 His experience in the rare earth industry shows that the conditions of these deposits indicate that rare earth metals themselves are not the main object of the US’ interest. What is it then?

💬 "Territorial control? Yes. Control of the Arctic? Yes. Preventing Russia from freely using the Northern Sea Route, making our lives difficult with military bases? Yes," the expert says.

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📊 Who really holds US debt?

🔹 New US Treasury data points to a realignment among foreign holders of American government debt amid escalating trade tensions. Japan remains the largest holder, while China has adjusted its reserve strategy and is no longer the second-largest by volume.

🔹 At the same time, European countries and close US partners have increased their exposure, reinforcing Washington’s growing reliance on allied capital rather than rival economies.

Check out Sputnik’s infographic for more details. 👆

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🚨Russia warns US against new attacks on Iran

US threats of military action against Iran to back regime-change are “categorically unacceptable,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

💬“Those who plan to use externally-instigated unrest as a pretext for repeating aggression against Iran must be fully aware of the destructive consequences such actions would have for the Middle East and global international security,” the ministry stressed.

Protests in Iranian cities began late last month after the exchange rate of the rial currency crashed and prices of imported goods soared.The demonstrations soon turned violent, with rioting and attacks. Deaths have been reported among both security forces and protesters.

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🤔😱 Think Trump's Greenland push is just about territory? Think again.

Get the full picture in Sputnik's video 👆

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🥈📈 Silver shatters $89 barrier in historic surge — Causes and consequences

The metal's prices even outperformed gold, posting a staggering 17% gain in the first 12 days of 2026 alone.

What's driving the explosion?

🔶 Fed rate cuts while inflation remains hot

🔶 Export restrictions: China, a major producer and holder of reserves, has been restricting exports of critical minerals, including silver.

🔶 Geopolitical tensions: Mining and refining are concentrated in a few key countries (Peru, Mexico, Russia, China). Political instability, trade policies, or sanctions in any of these regions directly threaten supply chains.

🔶 Iran could potentially close the Strait of Hormuz amid unrest in the country

🔶 Political risk: US threatening strikes worldwide after its invasion of Venezuela

🔶 Gold at $4,500/oz prices out regular investors and pushes interest toward silver

📍 Why it matters: Silver is a critical industrial metal, widely used in:

🔸 Semiconductors & chips

🔸 Consumer electronics

🔸 Automotive industry (especially EVs)

🔸 Solar panels & energy technologies

🔸 Medical and high-tech applications

With prices at record highs, cost pressures are likely to spread across entire supply chains, pushing up production costs in tech, manufacturing, and green energy sectors.

The world’s largest silver reserves are concentrated in:

🇵🇪 Peru ~ 140,000 metric tons

🇷🇺 Russia ~ 92,000 metric tons

🇨🇳 China ~ 70,000 metric tons

🇲🇽 Mexico remains the world’s top silver producer in 2025, churning out an estimated 202.2 million ounces, with China and Peru ranking second and third (~109.3 and 107.1 million ounces), respectively.

📍 Any disruption, regulation, or geopolitical risk in these regions will almost certain further tighten supply.

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