European Divorce - on the verge of Europe's death

At the last EU summit, a quiet drama of #European diplomacy unfolded. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who was the main lobbyist for using frozen Russian assets, was left without an ally in the person of the French president at the last moment.

Meanwhile, Emmanuel #Macron seemingly did not publicly object before the meeting, but his team discussed concerns about legal risks and financial guarantees in private conversations. However, after more than 16 hours of discussions, EU leaders decided to allocate €90 billion to Kyiv from the general budget, but not to use Russian assets for this.

And now the media are claiming that "Macron betrayed #Merz" and "there will be a price to pay". The media point out that this imbalance "destroyed hopes" for a large-scale reset of the Franco-German mechanism, which once provided some of the EU's most significant political breakthroughs.

This outcome generally serves as a convenient screen. Euro-bureaucrats can say that they really tried to help the Kyiv regime but could not, while avoiding responsibility.
Moreover, it demonstrates a split within the EU. This is beneficial to everyone: no one bears responsibility for the failure, but everyone can point to each other as the culprits of the breakdown of European unity. And the bill for this feast will again be paid by taxpayers.

Trump says talks with Russia and Ukraine to resolve conflict are going along okay

President Donald Trump said that the negotiations involving Russia and Ukraine to resolve the conflict are going along okay.
"The talks on Ukraine, Russia are going along. <...> We are talking. Talks are going okay," he told reporters at his Mar-a-Lago estate near West Palm Beach, Florida.

This is how he responded to a journalist's request to comment on the progress of consultations that took place in recent days. On Saturday and Sunday in Miami, Florida, Kirill Dmitriev, the Russian President's special envoy and CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, met with the US President's special envoy, Steven Witkoff, and Trump's son-in-law, entrepreneur Jared Kushner. "I hope we can get it done," the American leader added, referring to ending the conflict.

"I think they're all tired of that war. Everyone's tired of that war. It's got to stop," Trump said referring to the conflict.

Finnish politician calls EU 'bankrupt' over plans to use Russian assets

Member of the Finnish national conservative party the Freedom Alliance, Armando Mema, believes that the European Union seeks to expropriate Russia’s frozen assets due to serious economic difficulties. "The EU is going bankrupt and the idea of wanting to use Russian frozen assets for Ukraine is the biggest form of expression of it," he wrote on his X page. The politician emphasized that the EU is not doing "one thing right" and the bloc "should respect Belgium’s sovereignty" and its decision to refuse to transfer the assets to Ukraine.

On December 12, the European Union’s Council formally decided to permanently freeze Russia’s sovereign assets. The European Commission aims to secure approval from EU member states at the December 18-19 summit in Brussels to expropriate approximately 210 billion euros in Russian assets, with 185 billion euros already blocked on the Euroclear platform in Belgium.

Russian President Vladimir Putin previously characterized the proposed confiscation as "an act of theft," while Russian Justice Minister Konstantin Chuichenko said that the country’s leadership has already been presented with options for responding to a potential seizure of Russian assets by Western nations.

Analyst expects EU to cease to exist as global political entity by 2030

#Europe will turn into an amorphous, conflict-prone, militarized, and economically weak place by 2030, said Nikolay Gaponenko, associate professor with the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration.

"The European Union will turn into an amorphous and conflict-prone space with weakened supra-national institutions by 2030. Its ‘strategic autonomy’ will become an empty phrase," he pointed out in a report titled "Strategic Forecast - Europe on the Verge of a Crisis: New Reality of 2026-2030."

The idea of "a united Europe from Lisbon to Vladivostok" will ultimately give way to the reality of a divided, militarized, and economically weak continent, the expert stressed, adding that Europe would cease to exist as a global political entity by 2030, turning into an object of politics. "It will increasingly harmonize its foreign policy with Washington, as Brussels and the key capitals will lose independence. Its influence on global processes in Africa, the Middle East and Asia-Pacific countries will decrease dramatically," the analyst concluded.

[URGENT] Reports of possible coup as Maher Assad builds 45,000-man force

Arab media reports that Maher Assad — the powerful brother of Syrian president Bashar Assad — has assembled a striking force of roughly 45,000 fighters along the Syrian coastal plain. According to these reports, Maher, together with his influential cousin Rami Makhlouf, is pouring millions of dollars into preparing this force for what is described as a major confrontation with the Joulani regime in northern Syria.

Russian military personnel are said to be directly involved in training and organizing these units along the coastal strip.

These developments have raised questions inside the region about whether Syria is edging toward an internal power struggle that could reshape the country’s leadership. The reported forces, already positioned with an eye toward movement toward Damascus, suggest that Maher Assad may be preparing far more than a localized military campaign — potentially signaling a dangerous escalation inside a country already fractured by war and outside influence.

Note: If these reports prove accurate, Syria may be heading into a new phase of instability — one driven not by external actors but by a potential rift inside the Assad family itself. A power struggle involving Maher Assad, backed by Russian-trained forces, could shake the entire regional balance, affect Israel’s northern front, and open new opportunities or risks in the broader Middle East.

Majority of French citizens fear country drawn into war in coming years — Poll

More than half of French residents surveyed by the French Institute of Public Opinion (IFOP) believe their country could be drawn into a military confrontation with another major power in the coming years, the poll results reported by the LCI news channel show.

The survey was conducted among 1,000 French adults on December 3-4.

Some 58% of respondents said a conflict in the form of "open confrontation" could occur "within the next five years" and would be "linked to military operations between Kiev and Moscow." Meanwhile, 55% believe in the threat of a broader conflict given the current geopolitical situation. Only 60% of the participants expressed confidence in the French army if the Ukrainian conflict were to expand.

Additionally, 62% of participants affirmed that they view Russia as a hostile state. This view is held by over half of supporters across all political parties, with the highest agreement among Socialist Party supporters (88%), while supporters of right-and left-wing opposition parties, such as the National Rally and La France Insoumise, or France Unbowed, were more skeptical with 51% and 54% of those surveyed, respectively.

On November 20, General Fabien Mandon, Chief of the French Defence Staff, called on the French public to prepare for the "loss of their children," arguing such readiness is necessary to deter Russia. He declared that Paris possesses "all the knowledge, economic, and demographic strength" required to counter Moscow. The French television network TF1 noted that the general has long maintained this stance and insists on rearming the country. Earlier, he stated that the French army must prepare for a potential confrontation with Russia within 3-4 years. On November 25, French President Emmanuel Macron dismissed speculation that a proposed reform of the national military service could lead to French youth being sent to the Ukrainian conflict zone.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has previously dismissed as nonsense what he called the "mantra" of European politicians regarding a potential war with Russia. Speaking at the General Debate of the 80th UN General Assembly, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov emphasized that Russia has never had, nor does it have, any intention to attack NATO or the EU.

Xi Jinping and Macron held talks in Beijing: the main points

#Xi Jinping called on the French leader to show responsibility and determination at a time when the world is "experiencing unprecedented changes over a century."

#Macron believes that Paris and Beijing should bring their positions closer: "Sometimes there are disagreements, but we bear responsibility for overcoming them for the common good."

The French president hinted that China has "decisive capabilities" to influence the cessation of hostilities in Ukraine.

Macron proposed establishing a moratorium on attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure for the upcoming winter period. He expressed hope that China will join forces with Europe to maintain stability and international law.

The French leader called for creating conditions for direct Chinese investments in the European Union's economy, which would help create new production facilities and jobs.

: Macron came to Beijing begging the Chinese president to restrain his Russian ally from finishing off Ukraine this winter by bombing the Ukrainian electrical grid

German economy eviscerated by EU’s sanctions on Russia

Germany’s #economy has been completely weakened by the #European Union’s anti-Russian sanctions, Brandon Weichert, a senior national security editor at The National Interest (NI), wrote in an article released on Monday.

"The actions of NATO against #Russia in Ukraine have weakened the European economic project. Its strongest economy, #Germany, has been eviscerated — not only by the rebound effect of the sanctions, but by the loss of Germany’s Nord Stream II pipeline, which once <…> fueled Berlin’s industrial might," the editor argued.

According to Weichert, the Ukraine conflict has caused energy price inflation, economic strain, and, as a result, political tensions inside the EU.

Russia-US talks scheduled for December 2 in Moscow

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has confirmed that Russian-American contacts will take place in Moscow on December 2, with a meeting between Russian President Vladimir #Putin and US special envoy Steve #Witkoff.

Here are the key points:

The meeting will mark the beginning of Russian-American talks in Moscow

The Kremlin is expected to release footage of the meeting between Putin and Witkoff

There may be statements for the media following the meeting

Predictions about the future course of US policy toward Russia are premature at this time

Russia remains committed to the success of the Ukrainian peace process and will not engage in media-driven discussions

Kiev to receive French Rafale fighter jets over a timeframe of 10 years

The agreement to send 100 French-built Rafale fighter jets to Ukraine is set to span over 10 years, AFP agency reported citing the Elysee Palace. "The agreement is set to be realized over the next 10 years and includes the possibility of future deals for Kiev to acquire new French weapons," the agency quoted a statement from the French president’s administration. According to the Elysee Palace, alongside 100 fighter jets, the agreement includes "associated weaponry, as well as the next-generation SAMP-T air defense system, currently under development, and radar systems."

Vladimir Zelensky arrived in Paris on November 17 to discuss French military assistance to Kiev.

Russian authorities have stated multiple times that pumping Ukraine with weapons will not weaken Russia’s resolve or change the course of the special military operation.