Ukraine should study Baltic integration policies — what works and what backfires. Because after the war we will need to encourage a shift to Ukrainian without pushing Russian-speaking citizens into alienation.

The Economist uses Latvia as a warning case and calls it a “gift to the Kremlin.” 1/ Latvia shut down Latvian Radio 4 (LR4) on Jan. 1, ending public Russian-language broadcasting after nearly 25 years.

LR4 had a stable audience and an anti-Kremlin, pro-Latvian editorial line. It went silent because it broadcast in Russian. 2/

Sen. Tillis: We had 17 military installations in Greenland, and they'd be happy to have us back. We could do it without taking over a NATO country.

And I would defy you [Trump] to find any credible general with a star on his shoulder who would say that it is a good idea. 1/ Sen. Tillis: Stephen Miller speaks for the President of the United States. But when he says that the US government thinks that Greenland should be a part of NATO, he should talk to people like me who have an election certificate and a vote in the US Senate. 2/

Kellogg: Zelenskyy's a tough son of a b*tch. He's stubborn. He has his opinion. He's unafraid to say that. He knows how to use media.

I said [to Trump] he was an embattled and courageous leader. We in the United States have not seen a leader like him since Abraham Lincoln. 1/ Kellogg: There are some malevolent actors out there. You have North Korea, China, what's left of Iran, and Russia. In the past, we didn't allow those four to come together. We kept them separated. Now they've come together. The point is to separate them. 2/

Is the British Army ready to deploy to Ukraine after a ceasefire?

Former UK defence secretary Ben Wallace questions whether the proposed “coalition of the willing” has the troops, funding, and logistics to succeed. — The Telegraph. 1/ The Paris Declaration suggests Britain and France could put boots on the ground in Ukraine after a ceasefire. Wallace points to funding gaps among coalition leaders.

Wallace: “Britain and France aren’t spending any extra money on defence — only Germany is.” 2/

Ukraine is two steps away from a ceasefire, but the price is high. True peace arrives only with EU membership; now, it’s about a "grand truce."

The main hurdles are the status of Ukraine-controlled Donbas and security guarantees — former FM of Ukraine Kuleba, 24 Channel. 1/ Kuleba: We are standing "at the door." Opening it means a unified position between Ukraine, Europe, and the US. Crossing the threshold means forcing Putin to sign. The US needs a quick result for a Trump diplomatic win, so the pressure on Kyiv is immense. 2/

Trump told NYT: “I feel strongly they [Russia] wouldn’t re-invade [Ukraine], or I wouldn’t agree to it.”

Trump is ready to commit to the US being involved in Ukraine’s future defense, but only because he is confident that Russia would not try to invade the country again. 1/ Trump made the comment while discussing hypothetical US security guarantees for Ukraine after a ceasefire.

He conditioned any US involvement on his belief that Russia would not invade again — avoiding a direct commitment to fight if a ceasefire collapses. 2/

Ukrainian F-16 pilot: We have cases when a pilot destroyed six cruise missiles in one flight.

Our list of targets included not only destroyed kamikaze drones and cruise missiles, but also enemy aircraft. We can do more. 1/ "It was very difficult to learn English for pilots, because after a combat mission a pilot has to rest, because at some point he will be lifted again.

The pilots knew that they had to improve their English in order to later transfer to more technological equipment. 2/"

Veteran of the 24th Brigade, Petro Buryak: We cleared the area, then a drone hit. I lost my memory. In a coma I fought for my life.

I don’t remember my five clinical deaths, only fragments. I flatlined near Mykolaiv and was revived there and twice more in Odesa — Suspilne Lviv1/ Petro Buryak: My wife brought me out of the coma. Inside it I felt lightness and struggle, searching for a way back.

I remember rising above my body on the table—pain everywhere, no one hearing me. Then I floated free, lighter than a feather, no pain at all.

2/

Beatings with batons. A bag over her head. Rags instead of sanitary pads. Threats to “send home only her bones.”

She was detained less than a month after childbirth.

This is the story of Inna, who survived Olenivka — Suspilne. 1/ On Feb. 24, 2022, Inna was withdrawing cash when her husband Valentyn, wounded and on rehab leave, returned to the front.

It was their last meeting.

Inna has served in the military since 2016 as a cook and was on maternity leave after giving birth shortly before the invasion.2/

Donald Trump is implementing a 21st-century version of the Monroe Doctrine.

The United States is shifting toward direct control, military scale, and bilateral dominance.

Recent White House actions show how Trump plans to govern and project power. 1/ Military power sits at the core of this strategy.

Trump announced plans to raise the U.S. military budget for FY2027 to $1.5 trillion, the largest defense budget in history.

Trump: “We will build the Dream Military and keep America SAFE and SECURE.” 2/

130 days in solitary confinement. Beatings up to 20 times a day. Electric shocks. Teeth ripped out. Hunger that forced him to eat a rat.

This is the story of Ukrainian soldier Oleksii Anulia, who survived 10 months in Russian captivity — UP. 1/ Oleksii is a professional athlete and former bodyguard. Before the full-scale invasion, he trained in kickboxing, crossfit, and long-distance swimming. Among the people he protected were WhatsApp founder Jan Koum and the son of Libya’s prime minister. 2/

Cuban POW captured in Ukraine: "Russian comander just said, go to Kupyansk. You have to go to Kupyansk. I said it was impossible. I couldn't walk. They told me, it's no problem. So I went to Kupyansk through the forest with a bullet in my leg [friendly fire].” 1/ POW: "I didn't sign a contract. I was supposed to be deported to Cuba. The immigration officer replied that I was being deported to Cuba. After 6 days I left in a metal car. I didn't understand why. It wasn't true. I was going to war." 2/

How effectively Ukraine uses manpower will define the battlefield balance in 2026.

Victory will not hinge on new weapons alone, but on whether Ukraine can keep enough trained, motivated infantry on a 1,000+ km front without breaking unit cohesion — Kyiv Independent. 1/ Ukraine’s so-called “firefighter” units are central. Assault formations are repeatedly thrown into crisis sectors to stop Russian breakthroughs, stabilizing the line fast, but burning through mobilized troops faster than the system can replace them. 2/

Rubio: Part of stabilization in Venezuela is our quarantine. Two more ships were seized.

We are going to take between 30-50M barrels of oil, sell it at market rates, control how it's dispersed to benefit the Venezuelan people, not corruption. 1/ Rubio: The oil arrangement was made with PDVSA on their sanctioned oil that they can't move. We are exercising it in a positive way.

It will generate revenue to the benefit of the Venezuelan people and gives us leverage and control over how this process moves forward. 2/

In Kyiv, in a clandestine school children are taught using Soviet textbooks, study Russian language, and watch Russian films.

School operates at a Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP) monastery. — SlidstvoInfo. 1/ The school functions on the grounds of the Holosiivskyi monastery of the UOC-MP.

It calls itself a “family club,” but in practice it operates as a full-time school: five days a week, 9:00–14:00, grades, exams, and extended-day groups. 2/

Hodges: Budanov [ex-Chief Spy, now Head of President Zelenskyy's Office] is an exceptional person.

I love the idea of him sitting across the table from the Russians and them knowing that he was responsible for the thinning out of their neighborhood. 1/ Hodges: Ukrainian HUR [Defense Intelligence of Ukraine] will continue going after Russian generals involved in war crimes and targeting processes.

Those generals need to be looking under their car for the rest of their life. 2/

Hodges on the US seizing two oil tankers: I kept hoping Trump would see Russia mocked and played him and use U.S. leverage.

We heard “in two weeks” many times and nothing happened. I’ll be the first to say I was wrong if he’s serious this time. 1/ Hodges: I’ll believe Trump is serious when he enforces sanctions on Russia, and the US takes real steps to stop the flow of Russian oil and gas to China and India.

If the US doesn’t do any of those, then this [Trump's talk] will be nothing. 2/

I wrote in FT: Ukraine has survived because parts of its military operate like startups—small autonomous teams, horizontal coordination, fast decisions, constant testing.

This culture must scale across the state for Ukraine to survive and grow. 1/ Ukraine did not stop Russia with more tanks or artillery. It did so by out-thinking and out-adapting a larger army.

The most effective units rewired how they fight: autonomy over hierarchy, speed over procedure, results over reports. 2/

Ukraine is negotiating and preparing for a long war at the same time.

Zelenskyy: I do not want and will not wait another six months hoping that maybe negotiations will work. After months of saying peace talks were “90 percent complete,” he now sounds far more cautious. — NYT 1/ Zelenskyy: The first priority is ending the war. The second is being prepared for Russia’s unwillingness to end the war.

I understand that we are very close to results, but at some point, Russia may block everything. 2/

The US seized a Russian-flagged oil tanker linked to Venezuela after a 2+ week chase across the Atlantic - US European Command

The Coast Guard says the ship dodged a US blockade of sanctioned tankers and refused boarding. A Russian submarine and warship stayed nearby, Reuters 1/ The tanker originally sailed as Bella-1. It later re-flagged as Russian and renamed itself Marinera.

The Coast Guard tried to stop it last month, the crew refused to let boarding teams on and kept sailing. 2/

The UK and France have pledged to deploy troops and weaponry to Ukraine as part of security guarantees to underpin a proposed peace deal.

A European-led deterrence force would provide reassurance in the air, at sea and on land with US support — FT.

1/ UK PM Starmer said allies made commitments paving "the way for the legal framework under which British, French and partner forces could operate on Ukrainian soil."

After a ceasefire, the UK and France will establish military hubs across Ukraine with protected weapons facilities.

2/