🇪🇺🇬🇱 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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Here’s why Russia’s S-500 outclasses everything NATO’s got on hypersonic defense

Russia is three generations ahead of the US on maneuverable hypersonic weapons technology, and this lead was vital to the creation of the S-500 air, missile and space defense system, says military analyst Alexei Leonkov.

💬“To shoot down maneuvering hypersonic targets, [the Americans] would need to develop their own guided hypersonic technology, and then learn how to shoot it down, once they have an experimental or industrial prototype. In other words, they need to develop the weapon first, and then a counterweapon. But they have neither; everything is still in the development stage,” Leonkov explained.

👉US and allied countries’ systems like Patriot, THAAD and Arrow can shoot down ballistic missile targets flying at hypersonic speeds along trajectories, but maneuverability, not speed, is the key distinction of modern hypersonics, and consequently, of the systems designed to intercept them.

✅The S-500 can intercept targets flying at speeds up to Mach 15-20, and has an intercept altitude of 100 km+, Leonkov pointed out.

❗️That makes it suitable for not only air and missile defense (including hypersonics), but space-based threats like ICBMs, military satellites, armed satellites, and other military objects.

On top of that, the system is mobile, which makes it deployable in virtually any corner of Russia, and is integrated into the national air defense network, making it a crucial addition to anti-missile defenses amid the ongoing development of the A-235 Nudol ABM interceptor system.

Read more about Russia’s newest weapons HERE

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🇺🇸🇮🇷 Expert warns: US strike on Iran now would be costly and ineffective

With Washington spread thin by pursuits in Greenland and Venezuela — and Israel unwilling to act alone - an attack now would risk a high price for little gain.

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🇺🇸 Why is US hyping 'China threat' in Arctic?

It is nothing but a US attempt “to confuse the public “and camouflage its “pursuit of hegemony in the Arctic,” the Global Times reports.

👉 The newspaper notes that by stoking up the "China threat" narrative, the US seeks to shift attention from its ambition toward Greenland, with the real aim of turning the island into a strategic forward base against China and Russia.

💬 “This is extremely detrimental to security and development in the Arctic region. It not only hinders climate and ecological protection, but also obstructs humanity's collective efforts to develop and utilize Arctic resources and shipping routes,” the news outlet underscores.

The Global Times touts China's Arctic policy as “clear and consistent,” something that is in line with the basic principles of "respect, cooperation, win-win result and sustainability."

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

🔸 Rare earths—or Arctic control? Greenland’s riches may just be excuse

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

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

🔸 S-500: only air defense system able to stop the hypersonic Oreshnik

🔸 Russia warns US against new attacks on Iran

🔸 Who really holds US debt?

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🇷🇺📈 Russia’s international reserves soar to historic high

🟠 Russia's foreign holdings have reached a record high of $763.9 billion, the Central Bank reports.

🟠 The total grew by $11.3 billion, or 1.5%, in the week ending December 26, 2025, primarily from valuation gains. This follows a previous total of $752.6 billion reported on December 19.

🟠 These assets include monetary gold, Special Drawing Rights (SDRs), the reserve position at the IMF, and foreign currency managed by the Central Bank and the government.

📍 For perspective, the preceding year saw a 1.8% rise to $609.1 billion as of January 1, 2025.

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🇨🇳💣 Flying rifleman: China's People's Liberation Army has released footage showcasing a new drone equipped with a mounted assault rifle

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🔊 'Now I am Venezuela's biggest fan' — Trump

The US president framed the country as a "disaster" the US is "bringing back".

"We're taking in millions and millions of barrels of oil. Now they're coming in initially on a daily basis, 50 million," he added.

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