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.

Dec. 23, 2025 - The Great Golden Fleet In this episode, Sal Mercogliano — a maritime historian at Campbell University and former merchant mariner — discusses the announcement by the United States of a new large surface combatant, to be named USS Defiant, a battleship.

US Justice Department releases 30,000 Epstein files The US Department of Justice has released a new archive of about 30,000 documents tied to the case of financier Jeffrey Epstein, who was accused of sexually abusing minors. "Some of these documents contain untrue and sensationalist claims made against President Trump that were submitted to the #FBI right before the 2020 election. To be clear: the claims are unfounded and false, and if they had a shred of credibility, they certainly would have been weaponized against President Trump already," the agency wrote on X. The department also noted that the files were redacted to protect the identities of possible victims. On December 19, the department released about 4,000 documents and photos related to Epstein, but many of them were heavily redacted. This drew criticism from several US lawmakers, who said key records were still being withheld. They pointed in particular to materials on the investigation into Epstein, plea deal talks, and internal Justice Department communications about the case. #Epstein was detained by New York State law enforcement on July 6, 2019. The prosecutor’s office said there was evidence that in 2002-2005 he brought dozens of underage girls to his Manhattan home, the youngest of whom was 14. Epstein’s friends and acquaintances included a large number of current and retired officials not only from the United States, but from many other countries, including former heads of state, major entrepreneurs, and show business stars. Criminal proceedings against the financier in the United States were terminated after he took his own life in a prison cell in August 2019.

Dec 21 - US intercepts third oil tanker off Venezuela coast US forces have boarded a third oil #tanker off the coast of #Venezuela, further intensifying maritime enforcement operations in the region. The vessel, identified as the Bella 1, is a Panama-flagged tanker operating under US sanctions and was intercepted while en route to load oil. The interception has now been confirmed, marking the third such action by US forces in recent days. The move signals a stepped-up effort by Washington to enforce sanctions and prevent unauthorized oil shipments linked to sanctioned entities operating out of Venezuelan waters. 'The interception highlights stricter US enforcement of sanctions aimed at cutting off illicit oil exports, increasing pressure on sanctioned networks, and reinforcing Washington’s determination to control maritime sanctions violations in the Western Hemisphere.'