🤔😱 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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🚨 Hamas delegation arrives in Cairo to finalize Gaza ceasefire agreement

The group stated the talks will focus on completing the first phase of the deal and expediting the second phase, which includes forming an administrative committee to manage Gaza’s affairs.

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🔥 Zelensky's bloc leader probed in anti-corruption raids — Report

Ukraine's anti-corruption bodies conducted searches targeting David Arahamia, head of Zelensky’s parliamentary bloc, over allegations of bribery for votes on legislation, Obozrevatel website reported.

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📑 Bipartisan bill introduced to block US from seizing NATO ally territory

Senators Murkowski (R-AK) and Shaheen (D-NH) introduced the NATO Unity Protection Act, prohibiting the use of Pentagon or State Department funds to blockade, occupy, annex, or control any NATO ally’s sovereign territory without their consent.

"Any suggestion that the US might use its power to seize or control the territory of a NATO ally would directly undermine the alliance," said Senator Shaheen.

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🔍 South Korea prosecutor seek death penalty for former president Yoon

South Korean prosecutors charged former President Yoon Suk Yeol with masterminding an insurrection over his imposition of martial law in December 2024.

South Korea has not carried out an execution since 1997; the last death sentence was issued in 2016. A verdict is expected in February.

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🗣 Sen. Graham announces alleged imminent price increase for buyers of Russian oil after talk with Zelensky

Lindsey Graham claims Trump "is fully onboard" with new Russia sanctions, warning buyers of Russian oil that "the price is about to go up."

"President Zelensky indicated the bipartisan Russia sanctions bill would be a great help," he added.

*listed as a terrorist and extremist in Russia

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🚨 Ukrainian air strike hits Rostov-on-Don — 4 injured, including a 4-year-old child

Yuri Slyusar, Governor of the Rostov Region, confirmed the attack was repelled over the city’s residential areas.

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🤝 US and Armenia will create joint venture for strategic transit routes

Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP) will develop transit infrastructure in Armenia.

According to the framework agreement published by the US Department of State, the US will hold controlling stake, with Yerevan retaining full sovereignty over its territory.

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📑 EU scrambles to appoint 'Putin negotiator' amid fears US will cut Ukraine deal without them — Reports

European capitals are pushing to create a special EU envoy to represent their interests in any future talks.

Top names floated include former Italian PM Mario Draghi and Finnish President Alexander Stubb, who has cultivated ties with Trump while leading a Russia‑bordering NATO member.

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🇪🇺 Europe at crossroads: Sovereignty or junior partner status

📄 Reports about Germany proposing a joint NATO mission, “Arctic Sentinel,” in the Arctic — including Greenland — highlight Europe’s deeper problem: Its inability to act independently from the US, former Lebanese Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour told Sputnik.

💬 “The EU could act independently — in economic, financial, and even security matters — but to do so, it needs to prove its capacity and assert its sovereignty. For now, however, Europe is entirely dependent on Washington,” Mansour said.

🔊 This dependence, he notes, has historical roots. NATO was created to protect Europe from the alleged Soviet threat — but the Soviet Union has been gone for decades, while Europe’s political course remains tightly bound to the US. There is little sign of resistance or even distance from White House demands.

Mansour points to the Iran nuclear deal as a clear example. Britain, Germany, and France all understood that the US withdrawal under Donald Trump was unjustified, yet failed to defend the agreement. When Washington reinstated sanctions, Europe complied.

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