While theories about the origins of mysterious objects in the skies vary, the US government remains the top suspect
Nearly eight in ten Americans suspect the US government of withholding information about the wave of mysterious drone sightings across the country over the past month, with half viewing them as a threat, according to a new survey.
Just over half of the US population is closely following the story, and those who are more engaged are increasingly likely to suspect government involvement or attempts to hide the truth. Some 53 percent of respondents “consider those drones a threat” to the US, while 78 percent believe the government is “keeping information it knows from the public.”
The CBS News/YouGov survey was conducted between December 18-20 and questioned 2,244 US adults, with a margin of error of 2.4 points.
The wave of drone sightings began in mid-November when numerous reports started circulating about large, unidentified “drones” appearing at night over New Jersey. These sightings gained media attention, quickly spreading to other states, including New York and Pennsylvania, and eventually extending to multiple regions across the country—from the southern states and the Midwest to the western mountain states and the Pacific coast.
The growing number of sightings prompted action from local, state, and federal authorities to quell public concern and confusion. However, multiple agencies, including the FBI, Department of Homeland Security (DHS), FAA, and Department of Defense (DoD), have failed to find anything that poses a threat.
“The FBI has received tips on more than 5,000 reported drone sightings in the last few weeks, generating approximately 100 leads, and the federal government is supporting state and local officials in investigating these reports,” the FBI, DHS, FAA, and DoD said in a joint statement last week. “After closely examining the technical data and tips from concerned citizens, we assess that the sightings to date include a combination of lawful commercial drones, hobbyist drones, law enforcement drones, manned fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and stars mistakenly reported as drones.”
We have not identified anything anomalous and do not assess that the activity to date presents a national security or public safety risk over civilian airspace in New Jersey or other states in the northeast.
State and local law enforcement, along with numerous independent experts, have reported similarly underwhelming findings, even though many cases remain unresolved.
While the US military acknowledged repeated drone incursions over military sites in the past year, Pentagon representatives insisted that such flyovers are not unusual and are generally not nefarious. Despite these assurances, public skepticism remains high, and many continue to demand more transparency and answers from government officials.
US President-elect Donald Trump went so far as to say that any “mysterious” object in the sky that the government can’t identify or explain must be shot down.
“Mystery drone sightings all over the country. Can this really be happening without our government’s knowledge? I do not think so!” he wrote in a post on Truth Social last week. “Let the public know, and now. Otherwise, shoot them down!”
At least two people were killed, and several others are still missing following the incident in Brazil
A truck carrying sulfuric acid plunged into the Tocantins River when a bridge collapsed in Brazil on Sunday. The disaster has claimed at least two lives, with several individuals still missing as divers were forced to halt rescue operations due to a chemical leak.
The 550-meter-long bridge, which connects the cities of Estreito in the state of Maranhao and Aguiarnopolis in Tocantins, collapsed while multiple vehicles were crossing, including several cars and two trucks. One of the tankers was confirmed to be carrying sulfuric acid, while the contents of the other vehicle remain unknown.
Local reports indicate that a 25-year-old woman and a 42-year-old man were among those who perished, while at least eight people are considered missing.
Following the incident, rescue efforts were briefly suspended to ensure safety and prevent further environmental damage from the leaking acid. By nightfall, search operations resumed using boats instead of divers from the Military Firefighters Corps. Authorities are closely monitoring the situation and prioritizing the safety of all involved.
The Juscelino Kubitschek de Oliveira Bridge, which is just over 60 years old, had been a subject of concern for some time. A local deputy captured video footage of its deteriorating condition, inadvertently recording the exact moment of its collapse.
The video shows him pointing out a large crack on the shoulder of the bridge before it suddenly gave way, forcing him to run back.
This man was talking about how this old bridge in Brazil wouldn't support the heavy vehicles that pass through it for much longer. And then.....yup you guessed it (watch til the end) pic.twitter.com/ifrlFU72nH
The exact cause of the collapse is under investigation, but preliminary reports suggest structural failure due to the weight of multiple heavy trucks crossing simultaneously. The National Department of Transport Infrastructure (DNIT) reported that the central span of the 533-meter-long bridge caved in, causing the vehicles to plummet into the river, which is over 50 meters deep.
The collapsed bridge was a critical link on the BR-226 highway connecting Brasília to Belém, where the United Nations Climate Change Conference is scheduled to take place next year. The incident has resulted in a complete road closure, and DNIT has provided alternative routes for travelers.
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Após desabamento de ponte, veículos seguem parados: “Aguardando para ver como faz”
Um homem registrou a situação de veículos que seguem parados sobre a ponte Juscelino Kubitschek, após parte da estrutura ter desabado. A ponte, que faz a ligação entre os estados de… pic.twitter.com/GwfqyeeFaj
The US president-elect has vowed to prevent the “US canal” from falling into “the wrong hands”
President Jose Raul Mulino has addressed the nation in response to US President-elect Donald Trump's threat to retake control of the Panama Canal, a vital waterway that contributes billions of dollars to the Panamanian economy annually and serves as a crucial artery for global trade.
In his video address on Sunday, Mulino emphasized that the sovereignty and independence of the country are “non-negotiable” and underscored the canal's significance as part of the “history of struggle and an irreversible conquest.”
“Every square meter of the Panama Canal and its adjacent area belongs to Panama, and it will continue to be so,” Mulino declared.
Over the weekend, Trump expressed outrage on Truth Social and during a speech at the AmericaFest conference over what he called “exorbitant” fees charged for the passage of American vessels through the canal, accusing Panama of exploiting the United States with excessive fees.
“We’re being ripped off at the Panama Canal, just like everywhere else,” despite the “extraordinary generosity that has been bestowed on Panama,” he told supporters in Arizona on Sunday.
“If the principles, both moral and legal, of this magnanimous gesture of giving are not followed, then we will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to the United States of America. In full. Quickly and without question,” Trump proclaimed, warning officials in Panama to “please be guided accordingly.”
Trump also declared that he would never allow the canal to fall into “the wrong hands,” namely China’s, emphasizing that a “secure Panama Canal is crucial for US commerce and the rapid deployment of the Navy from the Atlantic all the way to the Pacific.”
Trump further emphasized his statements by sharing an image on Truth Social of an American flag over a narrow waterway with the caption, “Welcome to the United States Canal!”
Panama responded to Trump’s tweet about the Panama Canal.
Then Trump responded by renaming the canal with “welcome to the United States Canal”. pic.twitter.com/snYqWnrdM1
Mulino strongly rejected these claims, stating that the canal’s rates are set publicly and transparently, considering market conditions, international competition, operating costs and maintenance needs. He highlighted that since the transfer of the canal from the United States to Panama on December 31, 1999, as per the Torrijos-Carter Treaties signed in 1977, there have been no objections or complaints regarding Panama’s control.
“These treaties also established the permanent neutrality of the canal, guaranteeing its open and secure operation for all nations,” he said, calling it the best tribute to the martyrs who fought for Panama’s sovereignty and dignity during the 1964 anti-American riots. Mulino rejected any notion that China, the European Union, or any other power has direct or indirect control over the canal.
The canal has become a source of strong national pride, managed by qualified Panamanian professionals who ensure its safe, continuous, efficient, and profitable operation, the president added. It also contributes billions of dollars to the Panamanian economy annually and serves as a crucial artery for global trade.
“Panama respects other nations and demands respect,” the president concluded, stating that he aspires to preserve good relations with the incoming US government on issues such as drug trafficking, terrorism, organized crime, and illegal migration, but the neutrality of the canal is “non-negotiable.”
Slovakia’s Robert Fico has shared some details of his discussions with President Vladimir Putin
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico held a meeting with President Vladimir Putin during his surprise visit to Russia, stating that he went to Moscow to further promote Bratislava’s “sovereign policies.”
After meeting Putin at the Kremlin on Sunday evening, Fico posted a comment on Facebook, providing insight into their discussion and noting that EU leaders were informed of the purpose of his trip in advance.
“My meeting today was a response to Ukrainian President Zelensky, who, answering my personal question on Thursday, said that he was against any transit of gas through Ukraine to our territory,” Fico explained, adding that the Ukrainian leader has also been lobbying his EU supporters to impose sanctions against the Russian nuclear energy sector.
“Such attitudes financially harm Slovakia and threaten the operation of nuclear power plants in Slovakia, which is unacceptable,” Fico added, adding it was his duty to protect and promote Slovakia’s “sovereign politics on all four directions.”
In its brief readout of the meeting, the Kremlin stated only that Putin hosted Fico for a “working visit” and that presidential aide Yury Ushakov was also present during their talks.
Fico has been one of the EU leaders most critical of Western support for Ukraine, with his government cutting off state military aid to Kiev. He has repeatedly urged the EU to lift sanctions against Russia, insisting that the bloc must resume dialogue with Moscow once the conflict is over.
Fico stated he had a “long conversation” with Putin, during which they discussed “mutual relations” between Slovakia and Russia, which he intends to “standardize.” They also “exchanged views on the military situation in Ukraine” and explored possibilities for reaching “an early peaceful end” to the conflict.
Fico survived an assassination attempt in May by an activist opposed to the PM’s views on relations with Kiev, and in October, he revealed that he faced a potential second attempt on his life due to his stance on the Ukraine conflict.
Earlier this week, Fico accused Zelensky of attempting to bribe him with €500 million in order to persuade Bratislava to support Kiev’s bid to join NATO. He recalled that during their talks, the Ukrainian leader declined to allow the transit of fuel and instead offered “absurd” proposals to resolve the gas issue.
Slovakia’s energy security has been jeopardized by Ukraine’s intention not to extend a transit agreement with Moscow, which expires on December 31. Natural gas to Slovakia is mainly delivered through the Soviet-era Druzhba (“Friendship”) pipeline.
The government will put an end to “transgender lunacy,” the President-elect has promised
US President-elect Donald Trump announced a sweeping agenda to address what he called “transgender lunacy” during a speech at the AmericaFest conference in Phoenix, Arizona.
Speaking to a crowd of young conservatives on Sunday, Trump pledged to implement multiple relevant policies on his first day in office.
“I will sign executive orders to end child sexual mutilation, remove transgender individuals from the military, and prevent them from entering our elementary, middle, and high schools,” Trump stated, signaling a return to policies dismantled during the Biden administration. Additionally, he promised to enforce a ban on transgender athletes in women’s sports.
”It will be the official policy of the United States government that there are only two genders: male and female,” he declared.
With Republicans preparing to take control of both chambers of Congress alongside the White House, the party is positioned to advance a conservative agenda on LGBTQ issues. Last week, Congress approved a defense budget that includes a provision barring federal funding for certain gender-affirming medical treatments for the children of US service members.
Trump’s planned executive order to ban transgender people from the US military would affect not only those enlisting in the future but also personnel already serving, the Times reported in November. This proposed legislation is seen as a more stringent version of the ban Trump enacted during his first term.
In 2018, Trump banned openly transgender people from joining the military but allowed those already serving to retain their positions. At the time, Trump claimed he had consulted military experts and concluded that trans individuals should not serve in any capacity. He emphasized that allowing transgender individuals into the military incurs “tremendous medical costs” due to the need for expensive hormone treatments and specialized care.
The ban was rescinded by outgoing President Joe Biden in 2021.
The US President-elect has claimed that Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to meet with him “as soon as possible”
US President-elect Donald Trump has expressed his determination to resolve the conflict in Ukraine. He stated that he is waiting for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has also shown interest in meeting “as soon as possible,” according to Trump.
Addressing Turning Point’s AmericaFest convention on Sunday, Trump promised decisive executive action starting on his first day back in the Oval Office, prioritizing both domestic issues and global security challenges.
“President Putin said that he wants to meet with me as soon as possible. So we have to wait for this, but we must end that war,” Trump told the gathering.
The President-elect described the ongoing conflict as a “horrible” and unprecedented humanitarian disaster, adding that it has resulted in “millions of soldiers” killed.
Moscow has estimated that Ukraine’s army lost over half a million servicemen in 2024 alone, bringing total losses to more than one million since the escalation of the conflict in 2022, according to Russian Defense Minister Andrey Belousov. Kiev claims that Russian losses exceed 750,000, with both sides accusing each other of hiding true casualty numbers.
Trump once again claimed that the conflict in Ukraine, as well as the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel, could have been prevented during his presidency. “That war would have never happened if I were president,” he said, adding that the global security landscape would also have been vastly different.
Trump has repeatedly asserted that he could resolve the conflict in Ukraine within “24 hours” of taking office by implementing a strategy he calls “peace through strength.” However, he has not provided specific details on how he would accomplish this.
Putin has previously remarked that Trump’s comments about ending the conflict “deserve attention” and has shown a willingness to engage in talks with the President-elect.
“Should there be an opportunity for a meeting with the newly elected President Donald Trump, I am confident there will be plenty to discuss,” Putin said on Thursday, noting that he does not know when such a meeting could take place. “I have not spoken to him for more than four years. Of course, I’m ready to talk anytime; I will be ready to meet with him if he wishes.”
During his end-of-year press conference on Thursday, Putin reaffirmed that Moscow is open to negotiating with Kiev without any preconditions, except for those previously agreed upon in Istanbul in 2022. These agreements include a neutral, non-aligned status for Ukraine and certain restrictions on the deployment of foreign weaponry. He also emphasized that any negotiations must take into accou
The Russian military has reported liberation of multiple new settlements in the southwest of Donetsk People’s Republic
The past week in the Russia-Ukraine conflict has seen intensive fighting along the front line, with active hostilities continuing in the southwest of Russia’s Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), where Moscow liberated multiple locations, as well as in Kursk Region, where the country’s troops continued their effort to push out Ukrainian invasion force.
Last weekend, the Russian Defence Ministry reported regaining control over the village of Novoivanovka, a small settlement located in the northwest of the Ukrainian-controlled pocket in Kursk Region. The development signalled the expansion of the Russian zone of control around one of the key roads running from the village of Korenevo to the town of Sudzha, the largest settlement under Ukrainian control in the area.
According to the latest estimates by the Russian Defense Ministry, the Ukrainian invasion force has lost some 42,750 servicemen since early August when the attack on Kursk was launched. The invasion force also sustained heavy material losses, including up to 250 tanks, 189 infantry fighting vehicles (IFV), 130 armored personnel carriers (APC), more than 1,300 other armored vehicles and other hardware.
Donbass offensive continues
The Russian military has made new gains in the DPR, continuing their advance to the south of the city of Pokrovsk (also known as Krasnoarmeysk), the largest population center under Ukrainian control in the southwest of the republic.
Over the past week, the Russian military reported making new gains to the south of Kurakhovo, a heavily fortified town stretching along the southern bank of the eponymous reservoir, located some 30 km to the south of Pokrovsk. The liberation of villages of Annovka, Vesely Gay, Yelizavetovka, Trudovoye, Ostrovsky and Uspenovka constituted the elimination of a Ukrainian-held pocket to the south of Kurakhovo, that stretched along the river of Sukhiye Yaly. The area has seen intense combat over the past few weeks, with the situation gradually deteriorating for Kiev’s troops.
Another important milestone achieved this week was the liberation of the village of Stariye Terny, a settlement located on the westernmost tip of the Kurakhovo reservoir. The development further aggravates the situation for the Ukrainian troops stationed in the area, with media reports suggesting the town itself has already largely fallen under Russia’s control.
The Russian military has also expanded its zone of control in the immediate vicinity of Pokrovsk, seizing control of the villages of Novopustynka and Pushkina, located a short way to the south of the city. Moscow’s forces are advancing westward in the area in an apparent effort to encircle the city and cut it off the main logistics routes.
Active hostilities continued in the vicinity of the so-called Vremevka Ledge, a string of villages in the west of the DPR. The area saw active combat during the ultimately disastrous Ukrainian counteroffensive last year, with several settlements in the area seized by Kiev at the time. This week, the Russian military reported the liberation of Novy Komar, a small village located to the north of the two largest settlements of the ledge, Vremevka and Velikaya Novoselka. The capture of Novy Komar means the Ukrainian troops are left with only one major road to supply its force in the area.
Fiber optics drones
The Russian military has continued to expand the use of kamikaze drones guided through fiber optic wire that appeared on the frontline in numbers back in August. The drones debuted in repelling the Ukrainian invasion of Russia’s Kursk Region, spreading to other areas since then.
The drones of the type are immune to any electronic warfare countermeasures or radio interference, as well as able to fly at extremely low altitudes and reliably enter buildings. At the same time, such UAVs appear to be somewhat less versatile and agile than their wireless counterparts, given that they have to carry a large roll of fiber optics cable beside the payload.
A new video said to be shot in the south of the DPR shows a wired drone detecting a Ukrainian M113 APC, concealed in shrubbery. The UAV hits the vehicle in its rear with the transported infantry visible inside through the vehicle’s opened rear ramp.
Another fresh video was taken by a fiber optics drone flying inside a building, appearing to be an agricultural shed with large sacks stashed inside. The drone finds a lone Ukrainian soldier and dives at him. The serviceman was able to fire a few shots at the drone yet apparently ended up killed in the strike.
Footage said to be taken near the border village of Sverdlikovo, Kursk Region, shows the cable-guided drones taking out a German-supplied Marder IFV and a US-made HMMWV armored car. The IFV got hit in open rear ramp with multiple servicemen visible inside. The second drone hit the armored car parked in a wooded strip, capturing the blazing Marder during its approach.
Both drones used in the attack appear to feature custom-made detonators utilising plastic insulation nails. The large flat cap of such nails provides a larger impact zone for the detonator and makes it more reliable, with the trick widely used by both sides of the conflict.
The Russian Defense Ministry also released a fresh video taken in Kursk Region, showcasing the destruction of a US-supplied M1 Abrams tank in a double tap attack of fiber optics drones. The video shows the tank, generously covered with Soviet-era Kontakt-1 reactive armor and anti-drone nettings. The vehicle ends up hit in the rear of its turret and stops, emitting a thick plume of white smoke, footage shows.
The disabled tank was hit by the second drone immediately after the first strike. The operator sent the UAV into one of the tank’s weakest spots - a large gap between the hull and the turret. While it was not immediately clear what happened to the tank’s crew, when the destroyed vehicle was observed by another drone, only its driver hatch was open, suggesting at least one crewmember was able to escape, footage shows.
Lancet drones and new mystery high-precision weaponry
The past week has seen continuing active use of the Lancet-family drones, with multiple new videos surfacing online showing the loitering munitions in action. The drones of the type have seen increasingly intensive use over the course of the conflict, serving as one of the key medium-range tools in Moscow’s arsenal.
A fresh video that surfaced online this week purports to show the destruction of a Ukrainian T-64 tank near the DPR village of Novy Komar. The vehicle was hit by a Lancet drone as its crew apparently attempted to tow away another disabled tank, with its ‘cold’ silhouette barely visible in the thermal video.
Another new Lancet video, said to be taken in Ukraine’s Sumy Region, a short way from the Russian border village of Alekseevka, shows the destruction of a US-made M109 Paladin self-propelled howitzer. Kiev has received dozens of such systems, that now have become somewhat a rare sight having sustained heavy casualties.
The M109 was detected at an apparently extensively used firing position, with numerous tracks visible on the ground. The howitzer sustained a direct hit, apparently suffering secondary detonation of its ammo stock, footage shows.
This week has been marked by an emergence of a mystery video, presumably showing new high-precision munitions in Russia’s arsenal. The video, reportedly taken near the village of Basovka, Sumy Region, that is located some 7 km to the southeast of Ukrainian-controlled Sverdlikovo in Russia’s Kursk, shows a barrage of unknown projectiles hitting a Ukrainian position, with a tank, a self-propelled howitzer and a house used to accommodate troops sustaining direct hits.
While some analysts attributed the strike to the Lancet-family drones, footage taken by the munitions themselves appears to be inconsistent with videos taken by any known varian of the loitering munition. Moreover, the incoming projectiles are not visible in surveillance drone footage featured in the clip, indicating they are pretty small in size and lack distinctive Lancet-pattern wings. The new munition is presumably a guided artillery shell or, more likely, an anti-tank missile, yet it remains unclear what system exactly, should it be ground- or aerial based, firing them.
Long-range strikes exchange continues
Over the week, the two sides continued the exchange of long range strikes, with the latest attack staged by the Russian military on Friday. The Russian defense ministry said the strike came in retaliation for the Wednesday attack on a chemical plant in Rostov Region, targeted by Western supplied munitions, including six ATACMS ballistic and four air-launched Storm Shadow cruise missiles.
The Russian military said it successfully hit several targets in Kiev, including a command point used by the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU), a military plant and a position of a US-made Patriot anti-aircraft system. Multiple fires were reported across the city, with an office highrise sustaining heavy damage and multiple cars burned down.
Footage circulating online suggests the high-rise was actually hit by a Ukrainian anti-aircraft missile, with a large cloud of pre-made shrapnel visible during the hit and arguably moderate damage sustained by the building.
The Ukrainian anti-aircraft defenses are notorious for repeatedly inflicting damage to structures on the ground, with the issue primarily stemming from Kiev’s practice of hiding anti-air systems in densely populated areas to protect them from Russian strikes.
Later on Friday, the Ukrainian military staged an indiscriminate attack on the Russian town of Rylsk, Kursk Region. The town was hit by a barrage of missiles fired by US-supplied HIMARS systems and apparently packed with cluster warheads. At least five civilians got killed and a dozen injured in the attack.
The strike sparked several fires across the town, with multiple buildings damaged and at least 15 cars burned down. The strike affected exclusively civilian areas with no military installations located in the area.
According to recently-appointed interim governor of Kursk, Alexander Khinshtein, the attack damaged seven civic buildings, including schools and university buildings. Several multi-story residential buildings sustained damage as well. The strike also ruptured a pipeline, with some 88 residencies left without heating, the interim governor said.
Ukrainian drone attacks on civilian targets in Russia will anger Moscow but won’t change course of the war, Daniel Davis has said
Kiev is shooting itself in the foot with its self-styled quest for revenge on Russia, retired US Army officer Daniel Davis warned during the weekend, in his YouTube show Deep Dive. The retired lieutenant colonel and veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan was referring to the Ukrainian drone and missile attacks launched this week on the Russian cities of Rylsk and Kazan.
“The Ukrainian side has to understand that it is not necessarily going to help anything. In fact, it could make the end result even worse,” said Davis, who is currently working as an analyst at a Washington-based think tank. According to the retired officer, the attacks that apparently hit civilian targets had almost no military value and are absolutely unable to change the situation on the frontlines, which is currently not favorable for Kiev’s troops.
Instead, those attacks are bound to provoke an angry response from both Russian officials and society and eventually only contribute to the spiral of violence, in which both warring parties are involved in, Davis said.
“The choice of targets had no apparent military relation. All it is going to do is stir up the hornets’ nest,” he said. According to Davis, Kiev apparently sought some revenge for a recent Russian strike on the Ukrainian capital that apparently targeted a facility belonging to the Ukrainian security service – the SBU – and tried to raise support among its belligerent supporters.
The retired lieutenant colonel described the Ukrainian drone strikes against apartment blocks in Kazan as resembling the terrorist attacks against the US. In his YouTube show, he also demonstrated videos of the drones smashing into the high-rise buildings in the Russian city, causing powerful explosions.
“It’s like 9/11,” he said. Davis also blasted the whole concept of what he called “a tit-for-tat conflict competition with Russia” as entirely wrong, arguing that it “can only make it worse for Ukraine.”
“What is the [intended] objective? What do you want to accomplish?” he asked rhetorically, adding that claims that such attacks could force Russia into a negotiating position that could be more favorable for Kiev are nothing but “fiction” and “fantasy.” “When it comes to negotiations, this side will be a lot less willing to have a negotiated settlement that has anything positive for the Ukrainian side,” Davis said, adding that “there is a lot of anger on the Russian side demanding a much tougher response from [President] Vladimir Putin.”
Putin already vowed a tough response to the attacks earlier on Sunday. Anyone who tries to destroy anything in Russia “will face many times greater destruction in their own country for it and will also regret what they are trying to do in our country,” the president warned.
The December 21 attack on Kazan targeted residential buildings and a factory, causing damage but no casualties, according to local authorities. Officials reported eight drone strikes in total, including six on residential buildings, one on an industrial enterprise, and one which was intercepted over a river.
On Friday, Ukrainian forces also launched a missile attack on Rylsk in Russia’s Kursk Region. The strike, which employed US-made HIMARS missile systems, killed five and injured twelve others, according to the Kursk Region acting governor, Aleksandr Khinshtein.
Ukrainian troops invaded Kursk Region in early August under a pretext of getting a better “negotiating position” for future peace talks with Russia. The invasion led Putin to withdraw a peace offer he had previously put forward and demand the invading force be driven out of the Russian territory first.
US fighter jet downed as result, with military claiming incident was case of friendly fire
US and UK forces have conducted renewed airstrikes in Yemen’s Hudaydah province and the capital, Sanaa, the Houthi-affiliated Sabaa channel reported on Sunday. The military action comes shortly after Houthi forces claimed to have targeted the US aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman with drones.
There was no official confirmation of the Sunday attack from either Washington or London.
The Houthis allege their efforts resulted in the downing of an F/A-18 Super Hornet in response to US and UK forces’ previous attack on Sanaa on Saturday evening.
According to military spokesman Yahya Saree, it “has been thwarted through a strategic military operation targeting” the US aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman and several accompanying destroyers. The operation utilized eight cruise missiles and 17 drones, Saree had claimed earlier on Sunday.
The claim was disputed by the US Central Command (CENTCOM), which attributes the aircraft’s loss to a “friendly fire” incident involving the USS Gettysburg. An investigation is currently underway to determine the exact circumstances of the occurrence.
According to CENTCOM, on Saturday US forces carried out airstrikes on a “missile storage facility and a command-and-control center” operated by Houthis. They also shot down several unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and an anti-ship cruise missile over the Red Sea.
The Houthis, a Shia Islamist group that controls a large part of Yemen, have been attacking Israel-linked commercial shipping in the Red Sea since October last year, in response to Israel’s bombardment of Gaza.
Since Israel declared war on Hamas in Gaza, the Yemeni group has launched missiles or drones at over 80 merchant ships. This escalation followed a series of deadly raids by Hamas into Israeli territory. Initially, the Houthis targeted vessels associated with Israel, but after Anglo-American airstrikes in January, they expanded their attacks to include US and UK vessels as well.
The Houthis have targeted Western warships in the region and assert that they have launched missiles directly at Israel multiple times, characterizing their actions as a show of solidarity with the Palestinians.
Moscow sought to integrate with the West but the latter worked towards Russia’s destruction, the president has said
Russia will never sacrifice its national interests in a bid to improve relations with any other nation or a group of states, President Vladimir Putin said on Sunday. A previous generation of Russian leaders was ready to give up everything to join the so-called “civilized world” led by Washington and its allies, he stated, adding that nonetheless they had achieved nothing because the West never intended to accept Russia as an equal.
“In our modern history, we’ve gone through a period when the previous generation of politicians… went so far as to destroy their own country in hope that Russia will become a part of the so-called ‘civilized world’,” Putin said an interview published by Russia 1 TV journalist Pavel Zarubin on Telegram.
The president was apparently referring to the period after the collapse of the Soviet Union when Russia was plunged into a deep crisis as its new government sought to rapidly shift from the Soviet command economy to capitalism. The government and the central bank also had to devalue the ruble and default on its debt in 1998, in what is widely considered the worst economic crisis in the nation’s modern history.
That period was also marked by Moscow’s aspirations to become a part of the West. The first foreign minister of modern Russia, Andrey Kozyrev, particularly believed that Moscow would no longer see NATO as a threat and pursue integration with Western nations instead. He was eventually replaced with Evgeny Primakov – a man known as the proponent of a multi-faceted approach towards Russia’s foreign policy – amid a NATO expansion further to the east.
According to Putin, the US and its allies never planned to accept Russia as an equal partner. Instead, they sought its total destruction. “As soon as Russia’s capacities were reduced and it became weaker, [the West attempted to] deal the finishing blow instead of making it an equal partner and a member of this ‘civilized world’,” the president said.
Moscow is still ready to work with the West despite this past, Putin stated, calling the Western nations “adversaries” but also “potential partners.” If Russia sees an opportunity to build up relations with any other nation, it will seize it, the president said, adding, however, that it will never do this at the expense of its own national interests.
In another part of the interview, he still warned that Russia will “always respond to any challenge” coming from the West, expressing his hope that Washington and its allies would understand at some point that “what is needed is to seek compromises.”
Moscow’s friends in the global majority aren’t swallowing NATO’s attempts to turn Russia into a pariah
Russia’s foreign policy rightly assumes that history is on its side. The country’s aspirations align with the strategic intentions of most nations outside the Western bloc – what we call the “world majority.” This perspective is confirmed by the ongoing military and political confrontation between Russia and the West. Our adversaries openly seek the dissolution of Russian statehood in one form or another. Yet these ambitions clash not only with Russia’s resistance but also with the interests of many nations worldwide.
At a recent Valdai Club conference attended primarily by representatives of the global majority, discussions illuminated both the common ground and the differences between Russia and its partners. While partnerships with third powers won’t determine Moscow’s success against the West, these relationships are critical for building a new international order – one less prone to repeating Europe’s current conflicts.
The key question is how these nations, many dependent on the West economically or militarily, will act. Their likely choices will influence how much effort Russia needs to achieve its core foreign policy goals.
The divide in perspectives
Russia and the global majority often view the world through different lenses. Russian experts, steeped in and aligned with European traditions of political thought, tend to see conflict as the primary driver of change. This is natural for Russia, but it contrasts with the outlook of many nations in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. These countries, shaped by histories of colonialism, reject Western frameworks that emphasize competition and conflict. Instead, their approach to international relations is more fluid, avoiding permanent alliances and ideologically charged clashes.
This divergence stems partly from necessity. Most nations that are friendly to Russia are medium-sized states lacking the resources for complete independence. Their dependence on Western-dominated systems of trade and institutions limits their freedom of action. Breaking away entirely would carry immense economic and political risks. Even for Russia, extricating itself from institutions like the UN or global economic frameworks is not a simple task. For developing nations, the ‘exit price’ could be catastrophic.
Restraint vs revolution
This is why many of these countries are wary of calls to radically revise the global order. They prefer evolution over revolution. Russian President Vladimir Putin emphasized this point during his Valdai Club address, stating that Russia has no revolutionary intentions. Ironically, it is the West–desperate to maintain its dominance–that is now dismantling globalization through its own reckless policies.
Russia’s friends in the global majority generally agree that the current military-political conflicts are the result of Western actions. They see these as regional issues that could spiral into global crises if the West escalates them further. Yet, these nations also hope Russia will show restraint, even if it means compromising its interests. Convincing them that such restraint is not always feasible remains a crucial task.
Shared goals, different approaches
Ultimately, the strategic interests of Russia and its partners in the global majority align. Both seek a fairer, multipolar international order without Western coercion. Differences in how these goals are pursued–or in the rhetoric used–should be seen not as obstacles but as opportunities to deepen mutual understanding.
As history unfolds, the shared aspirations for a just world order will bind Russia and the global majority closer together, whether the West likes it or not.
This article was first published by Valdai Discussion Club, translated and edited by the RT team.
Hungary should not allow itself to become a country where such incidents are a norm, the prime minister tells press conference
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has blamed illegal migration and EU policies for Friday’s deadly attack at a Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany, where a Saudi-born man drove his car into a crowd, killing five people and injuring over 200.
Speaking at an end-of-year press conference on Saturday, Orban expressed solidarity with the victims’ families and “the German people in general.”
“Many people across Western Europe try to deny the connection between mass migration and acts of terrorism,” he stated. “The sad truth is that before the migration crisis, such heinous attacks did not happen in Europe. Now they do.”
Orban argued that there is “no doubt” about the connection between illegal migration and acts of terrorism. He stressed that Hungary must learn from such events to prevent similar incidents from becoming the norm.
Since the 2015 migrant crisis, Orban’s government has implemented strict measures to curb migration, including border fences along Hungary’s southern borders with Serbia and Croatia and the rejection of EU-mandated refugee quotas. These policies have led to legal challenges, including a €200-million fine from the European Court of Justice this year for non-compliance with EU asylum rules.
German authorities have detained a 50-year-old Saudi-born psychiatrist, identified by some outlets as Taleb A., in connection with the attack. The suspect, who has lived in Germany for nearly 20 years, is reportedly known for his radical anti-Islamic views. Investigators are exploring various motives, including terrorism, though no conclusions have been made.
Reports suggest Saudi Arabia warned German authorities about Taleb A. multiple times and requested his extradition on charges of terrorism and human trafficking. Germany allegedly did not respond to these requests.
The Magdeburg attack is the latest in a series of incidents targeting Christmas markets in Europe over the past decade. In 2016, an attack in Berlin using a truck killed 12 people, and other similar attacks in the following years have raised ongoing concerns about public event security during the holiday season.
The billionaire was reacting to reports of a “missing” 81-year-old congresswoman, later found in a dementia facility
The US should consider introducing mandatory mental fitness tests for public officials, entrepreneur and Trump acolyte Elon Musk has suggested. His comments follow reports that an 81-year-old sitting congresswoman who was feared missing had, in fact, been placed in a nursing home for individuals with dementia.
The scandal erupted this week after local media reported that Kay Granger, a Republican lawmaker in Texas who has held a seat in the House of Representatives for nearly 30 years, had been absent from her office for the past six months, with her team being completely unreachable. Employees at a dementia care assisted living facility confirmed that Granger was living there, The Dallas Express reported on Friday.
A further investigation revealed that Granger was in fact a resident of the Fort Worth facility, which specializes in treating people with dementia. The congresswoman announced last October that she would not seek re-election, with her term due to expire in January.
Commenting on the reports on Sunday, Musk suggested on X: “Maybe we should have some basic cognitive test for elected officials? This is getting crazy.”
The tycoon has also previously spoken out in favor of an age limit for persons holding public office, arguing that the lack of change in political leadership “inhibits the new ideas.”
The issue of whether US officials must be compelled to take mandatory cognitive tests emerged on America’s political landscape during the recent election cycle and its stand-off between incumbent Joe Biden, 82, and current President-elect Donald Trump, 78. Biden was forced to drop out of the election after a disastrous and sputtering debate performance demonstrated his declining mental fitness.
As for Musk, he strongly endorsed Trump, who boasted in January about ‘acing’ a cognitive test, describing it as challenging. His critics, however, pointed out that the test was incredibly easy and included tasks such as correctly identifying different types of animals.
Slovakia’s Robert Fico, who was shot by an activist over his views on Ukraine, has embarked on a surprise visit to the Russian capital
Russian President Vladimir Putin received Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico in the Kremlin on Sunday evening.
Commenting on the talks, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said he did not know what issues the leaders planned to discuss, but added that “the visit was planned several days ago.”
He also did not rule out that the issue of Russian gas supplies to Slovakia, as well as other foreign policy issues, would be on the agenda. “But we will have to wait until the end of the meeting,” Peskov added.
A hint that talks were afoot came on Saturday when Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said he’d “unofficially learned” that it was “absolutely certain” that Fico would visit Putin, but suggested this would be on Monday rather than Sunday.
The visit comes after Fico said earlier this month that his government was in “very intense” talks on supplies of natural gas for 2025. The flow of gas to Slovakia, which is dependent on Russian energy, has been jeopardized by Ukraine’s intention to not extend a transit agreement with Moscow which expires on December 31. Russian gas to Slovakia is mainly delivered through the Soviet-era Druzhba (“Friendship”) pipeline.
“I am confident that a solution can be found for [gas supplies] to several EU countries with gas transit via the territory of Slovakia and Ukraine maintained,” Fico previously said.
Fico has been one of the EU leaders most critical of Western support for Ukraine, with his government cutting off state military aid to Kiev. He has also repeatedly urged the EU to drop sanctions against Russia, insisting that the bloc must resume dialogue with Moscow once the conflict is over.
In October Fico, who survived an assassination attempt in May, has revealed that he faced a potential second attempt on his life, due to his stance on the Ukraine conflict. Fico was shot at close range by an activist who opposed the PM’s views on relations with Kiev.
The policy in Lithuania of “mental quarantine” from Russia has been questioned after a minister admitted to actually liking Tchaikovsky
Lithuanians will miss the world-famous Russian ballet masterpiece ‘The Nutcracker’ by composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky if politicians continue to butt heads over whether an informal ban in the Baltic State should stay in place through Christmas and beyond, the New York Times reported on Sunday.
The iconic 1892 ballet telling a Christmas fairy tale was removed from the stage of Lithuania’s National Opera and Ballet Theater back in 2022 amid a broader push by the government to block out all Russian culture. Performances offered as substitutes even forced some theatergoers to walk out of the show in a “small protest,” according to NYT.
The issue of a 'soft ban' on Russian culture is once again on the agenda in the country after its new culture minister, Sarunas Birutis, admitted to liking Tchaikovsky’s work in particular. There is no reason to be “afraid that after watching a Christmas fairy tale we will become pro-Kremlin,” the minister recently said in a local radio interview.
Last week, he also argued that a blanket ban on Russian culture and artists would be an error. Putting “a negative label on their ethnicity and their culture, I think, is completely wrong, inadequate, and politicians should not behave in such a way,” Birutis said, referring to Russians.
His predecessor, Simonas Kairys, promoted the so-called “mental quarantine” policy against all Russian culture and had his ministry issue “recommendations” to the state-funded culture venues to avoid anything linked to Russia, in a show of solidarity with Kiev in 2022.
In 2023, he argued that “we must abandon works [of art] that seemed acceptable to us before,” while still stopping short of a legally binding ban, which he called “authoritarian” at that time. His comments came shortly after a call by Kiev on its Western backers to boycott Russian culture altogether.
Now, Kairys has shifted the responsibility for the cancellations onto the cultural establishments themselves. “They had a choice – there was no decree from me,” he told NYT. “They just had an understanding of the situation.”
Audrius Kundrotas, the deputy marketing manager for Lithuania’s National Opera and Ballet Theater, said that the venue has no plans for bringing ‘The Nutcracker’ back on stage at least until the end of the Ukraine conflict and despite the obvious demand from the public. “It’s painful, maybe, not to show this performance,” he admitted to the NYT, while still maintaining that “our position is stated very firmly.”
According to the broadcaster LRT, some smaller Lithuanian theaters still discreetly rely on the Russian classics, without mentioning its origins. “Now the Compensa Concert Hall [in Vilnius] is filled with Nutcracker and Swan Lake performances, which do not indicate the authorship of Tchaikovsky,” a conert organizer told the broadcaster this week.
America’s president-elect has reportedly relayed the message this week
US President-elect Donald Trump has sent a message to Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky, asking him to start thinking about a ceasefire and to abandon the territories that are currently under control of Russia, El Pais reported on Sunday.
Trump has repeatedly pledged to end the Ukraine conflict within a day of taking office, but has yet to elaborate on how he plans to achieve this. His vows have raised concerns in Kiev that it may be facing not only a decline in aid but also an audit of the billions of dollars it has received from the White House under President Joe Biden.
“You look at some of these cities and there is not a single building in good condition left. So, when you say “restore the country,” restore what? This is a 110-year reconstruction,” the Spanish newspaper cited Trump as saying in a “message” to Zelensky from his Florida golf club this week.
Earlier this month, Trump called on both Ukraine and Russia to reach an immediate ceasefire. He posted the call on his social media platform Truth Social after meeting in Paris with Zelensky and President Emmanuel Macron.
The Wall Street Journal reported in early December, citing officials, that Trump had said Western Europe should deploy its troops to Ukraine to monitor a potential ceasefire. He reportedly added that the EU should play the main role in defending and supporting Kiev, while Washington could support the effort without sending troops.
Speaking at his end-of-year press conference on Thursday, Russian president Vladimir Putin reiterated that Moscow remains open to negotiating with Kiev without any preconditions, except those that had already been agreed upon in Istanbul in 2022, which envisaged a neutral, non-aligned status for Ukraine, as well as certain restrictions on deploying foreign weaponry. He also noted that such talks would have to respect the realities on the ground that have developed since that time.
Warsaw has to comply with the International Criminal Court’s decisions, the deputy foreign minister has said
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would be arrested if he attends next month’s ceremonies marking the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz in Poland, the EU country’s deputy foreign minister, Wladyslaw Bartoszewski, told newspaper Rzeczpospolita on Friday.
Warsaw's top diplomat stated that Poland, as a signatory of the Rome Statute, is obligated to comply with the directives of the International Criminal Court (ICC). In November, ICC issued warrants for the arrests of Netanyahu and former Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant, citing alleged war crimes related to the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
The court accused Netanyahu and Gallant of using starvation as a method of warfare, alleging they deliberately deprived civilians in Gaza of food, water, and medicine. There was “no obvious military necessity” for such actions, which amount to violations of international law, according to prosecutors.
Israel’s Education Minister Yoav Kisch is expected to be the only government representative at the Auschwitz commemoration, Jerusalem Post reports. The participation of President Isaac Herzog “seems unlikely.”
While all 27 European Union member states are parties to the Rome Statute and thus required to enforce ICC arrest warrants, responses to the court’s decision have varied. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has openly invited Netanyahu to visit, assuring him that Hungary would not enforce the arrest warrant.
Conversely, countries like Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium, Ireland, Lithuania, and Slovenia have indicated their intent to comply with the ICC’s directives, regardless of diplomatic immunity.
France initially expressed its intention to adhere to the arrest warrant but later cited diplomatic immunity protections for Netanyahu.
The ICC’s actions have elicited strong reactions from Israeli officials. Prime Minister Netanyahu has likened the arrest warrants to a “modern-day Dreyfus affair,” asserting that they are politically motivated.
Auschwitz was a Nazi concentration and extermination camp in occupied Poland during World War II. Over 1.1 million Jews were murdered there, alongside tens of thousands of others, including Poles and Soviet prisoners of war.
Demonstrators in the city of Genoa have accused the EU and NATO of supporting Kiev’s terrorism
Dozens of people took to streets in the Italian city of Genoa to pay tribute to Russian General Igor Kirillov and to condemn the EU and NATO for backing Kiev during the conflict with Russia. Kirillov was killed in a Ukrainian terrorist attack earlier this week.
Kirillov, who headed Russia’s Radiological, Chemical, and Biological Protection Forces, and his aide, Lieutenant Colonel Ilya Polikarpov, were assassinated by an improvised explosive device planted on an electric scooter parked outside a residential building in Moscow on Tuesday morning.
The next day, a man from Uzbekistan was arrested for allegedly carrying out the attack. According to the Russian Investigative Committee, the suspect admitted that he had been recruited by Ukrainian intelligence services to kill the general in exchange for a $100,000 reward and an exit route to a European country.
Footage made during the rally in Genoa captured the demonstrators tossing EU and NATO flags on the pavement and trampling on them.
They displayed banners declaring, among other things, that Italy is grateful to Kirillov for his service and remembers the Russian general, who became “a victim of terrorism by Ukraine and NATO.”
Many also carried the Italian and Russian national flags. A replica of the Victory Banner, which is a symbol of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany during the Second World War, was also seen on display.
During his tenure, Kirillov had frequently accused the US of conducting secretive biological research under the guise of humanitarian aid and military cooperation in Ukraine and other countries. He also blamed Kiev for using banned chemical weapons on the battlefield amid the conflict with Moscow.
On Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin described Kirillov’s killing as a terrorist attack perpetrated through “publicly dangerous” means.
“The regime in Kiev has repeatedly committed such crimes – terrorist attacks against many citizens of Russia,” Putin said, adding that “we have never heard condemnation of such terrorist attacks” in the West.
Berlin is unable or unwilling to finally abandon a pernicious groupthink that subordinates its interests to Washington’s misguided political agenda
Oops, he’s done it again: Tech mogul, richest man in the world, and also now new bestie of American President-elect Donald Trump, Elon Musk has used his massive social media clout – as owner of X and a personal account with more than 200 million followers – to post about politics. And here we don’t mean his unhelpful recent intervention in how Americans – barely – keep their rickety government contraption from stuttering to a halt for lack of cash.
Nope, this is about Germany: With regard to Europe’s Sick Man on the Spree (there is another one on the Seine, of course), in his first post Musk waltzed in, guns blazing to support the right-wing AfD (Alternative for Germany) party in the run-up to the snap elections on February 23.
Only the AfD, he pronounced with typical modesty, can “save Germany.” In a second post, a few days later, Musk reacted to a murderous attack on a German Christmas market in the city of Magdeburg. This time, he called Germany’s lame-duck Chancellor Olaf Scholz “an incompetent fool” who should resign forthwith.
Some Germans are aghast. How dare Musk, an American, intervene in our elections? Deeply unpopular German minister of health Karl Lauterbach, for instance, went almost comically Victorian with his performance of righteous ire for public display, calling Musk’s statements “undignified and highly problematic.” Shocking, shocking indeed!
So, let’s cut out the daft pearl-clutching: I am German, and I find it very objectionable when Musk fails to post about the genocide in Gaza, instead taking the side of the Israeli perpetrators. But I could not be less concerned about him stating his opinion – it’s not more than that – about what party would be best for Germany, even thought I do not agree at all. As to calling Scholz what he actually is, go ahead Elon. There, I am even on your side.
Once we dispense with the huffy-puffy theatrics, what is really at stake here? And why would it even matter so much to some Germans what Musk has to say about their politics?
It’s not complicated: Musk has hit a very sore spot. And the name of that very sore spot is Germany. Yes, all of it, or at least, everything that has to do with its tanking economy and, frankly, delusional politics. Here’s how:
On December 16, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz lost a confidence vote in the German parliament. That was no surprise but the plan from the beginning. Or to be precise, since November 6, when the former governing coalition of Greens, Free Democrat market liberals, and Scholz’s own Social Democrats imploded with a nasty bang. After that, the no-confidence vote – even if it came with some predictable yet pretty fake drama and backbiting – was merely a formality on the way to snap elections, scheduled for February 23.
On the face of it, the above may look like a minor politics-as-usual hiccup: Sometimes coalitions don’t work out and a country needs new elections to – hopefully – start over with a new government. In postwar Germany (the Cold War Western version and the post-unification one together), this procedure – based on article 68 of the constitution – is not unprecedented; it has been used 5 times before.
But this is not that sort of case. Rather, the snap elections are only one small symptom of a much deeper, all-pervasive malaise: By regularly reading the news about Germany, you could easily come to feel that Europe’s former economic locomotive and political first-among-not-so-equals is now a very unhappy country, economically in severe, persistent decline and politically – to put it kindly – badly disoriented. And you would be right. Except things are even worse, and I write that, let me remind you, as a German.
For what’s really gloomy – indeed, quite literally hopeless – about the current German doom is that no one with even a remote chance at political power in Berlin is prepared to honestly face the root causes of the country’s misery. Germany is not merely in a mess; it also has a dysfunctional non-elite that is in total denial about how to fix that mess. But before we get to that elephant in the misery room that almost all German politicians fail to acknowledge, with stereotypical thoroughness, let’s look at the wasteland their failure has made.
Take a few highlights. There are 84 million Germans. According to a major research institute in the country, a quarter of them have found out that their income is insufficient to make ends meet. In a similar vein, another new study based on official government data pays special attention to the cost of having a roof, any roof, over your head. It has just found that 17.5 million Germans are living in poverty. That is 5.4 million more than previously assumed. The reason they had escaped the traditional statistics is that the cost of their abodes had simply not been factored in. Once you, realistically, do so, a whopping 20 percent of Germans fall under the official definition of “poor.”
We could go on, but the picture should be clear enough: Germans may be a little on the “Angst” side in terms of temperament, but this time, they are really in trouble. How did that happen to the industrial powerhouse and export champion? The core of the problem is, of course, the economy. It takes not a grain of alarmism – ask Bloomberg again – to observe that its very future is in danger: It is “ravaged” by an energy crisis; Chinese competitors squeeze it, while Chinese markets are being lost; and then there is US President-elect Donald Trump and his threats of brutal tariffs. And all of that on top of persistent stagnation entering its fifth year.
Here is the crux: The mainstream parties now contesting the snap elections recognize that the situation is dire. How could they not without being laughed out of the room? They all offer suggestions, as you would expect, for what to do about it. Let’s set aside that such suggestions look a little silly when coming from the parties that made up the last government coalition. Why didn’t they implement their ideas then, after all?
Let’s just note that everything is rather predictable: The Social Democrats stress public spending and infrastructure and make unfounded promises to protect ordinary Germans from social decline, as if that process were not well underway already.
The mainstream Conservatives (CDU-CSU) emphasize lower taxes, budget cuts, less bureaucracy and red tape, and the magic powers of the market to unleash new growth. The market liberals from the Free Democrats do the same, just more extremely. And the Greens promise everything somehow, and then some, while making no sense at all. Everything as usual, in other words.
And yet, none of the above even dare name the one key issue that a new government could resolve quickly and that would have a decisive and fast impact on the German economy: namely the cause of that energy crisis that has hit crucial “energy-intensive” sectors the hardest but is, of course, affecting every single business and all the households, that is, consumers, one way or the other. The reason for that odd blindness is purely political, because that cause is very easy to identify. It’s the “structural blow” of “the loss of cheap Russian energy,” as even Bloomberg acknowledges.
It is true: Germany has an abundance of problems, some long predating the war in and over Ukraine: demography, under-digitalization, the infamous “debt brake,” a public debt limit so primitively designed it makes reasonable deficits impossible, and so on. And yet, the politically produced and self-imposed (Russia did not cut off the cheap energy, the West did, including via violent sabotage as in the Nord Stream attacks) energy crisis is decisive.
Imagine Germany, if you wish, as a past-their-prime, somewhat out-of-shape middle-class type. In principle, there is no reason such a person cannot rebuild by pursuing a healthy diet and decent exercise. Except, of course, you also cut off their oxygen supply by strangling them.
The added irony: Germany – with plenty of help from its big brother “ally” America and its dependent sponger Ukraine – is strangling itself. Auto-asphyxiation is, of course, a well-known and potentially lethal perversion, but usually it’s associated with aging rock stars in lonely hotel rooms. Seeing a whole country do it is peculiar.
In the current German party system, only two parties show signs of being willing to address this core issue instead of avoiding it: The far-right/right-wing AfD under Alice Weidel and the left-conservative BSW under Sarah Wagenknecht. What do they have in common apart from that? Nothing. Except, they both won’t be able to influence German government policy, at least not soon, and not after the February elections. The AfD is, actually, the second-strongest political party after the CDU-CSU Conservatives, according to current polls. Think what you will about Musk’s political tastes (absolutely not mine), but it’s a fact that he has spoken up for a party that almost a fifth of German voters prefer.
However, the mainstream parties swear that they will not allow it into a governing coalition. The BSW is doing reasonably well for a newcomer but may even be struggling to clear the five-percent barrier to gain seats in the new parliament, and it is certainly far from gathering the amount of votes that would make it indispensable for coalition building.
Here’s the final irony: Germany’s fundamental problem is not actually economic. The economy is in catastrophic shape, make no mistake. But the reason for that is political and even intellectual and moral: The inability or unwillingness to finally abandon a pernicious group think that subordinates obvious and vital German interests to the misguided political agenda of, ultimately, Washington and does not allow for what is obviously needed urgently: re-establishing and repairing a rational relationship with Russia.
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