Brent crude oil price exceeds $119 per barrel for first time since June 17, 2022 The price of Brent crude #oil for May 2026 delivery exceeded $119 per barrel on London's ICE Exchange for the first time since June 17, 2022, according to trading data. As of 2:30 a.m. GMT, oil was trading at $119.36 per barrel (up 28.77%). By 2:35 a.m. GMT, the price of oil was at $117.8 per barrel (up 27.09%). Meanwhile, #Gas price in Europe surpasses $800 per 1,000 cubic meters first since January 2023. The price growth since the beginning of the day has exceeded 27%.

Paris to use Cold War uranium, plutonium reserves for new warheads, says top defense official France intends to use radioactive materials left over from the dismantling of Cold War warheads to produce new nuclear warheads, Defense Minister Catherine Vautrin said. "We have preserved fissile materials - uranium and plutonium - obtained from nuclear warheads dismantled after the Cold War. Thanks to this, we have sufficient reserves to produce new nuclear warheads, as announced by President Emmanuel Macron," the top defense official told the Le Dauphine Libere newspaper. Vautrin added that the expansion of France's nuclear arsenal is already included in the budget. "Thirteen percent of the 57-billion-euro military budget is allocated to nuclear deterrence," she said. Earlier, Macron announced France's intention to adopt the concept of "advanced deterrence" which involves joint exercises with partner countries, as well as the deployment of elements of France's strategic forces on the territory of other countries on the European continent. The French leader also announced plans to increase the country’s nuclear arsenal and said that Paris no longer intends to disclose the exact number of warheads. In 2020, Macron said that France's nuclear arsenal had fewer than 300 warheads.

European leaders hope to de-escalate Greenland tensions with US in Davos EU leaders plan to try to de-escalate the #Greenland situation during meetings with the US in #Davos, hoping to get Washington to see reason and not impose tariffs on countries opposing its push to grab the island, Politico reported, citing sources. According to the newspaper, they hope that US President Donald #Trump’s speech at the World Economic Forum on Wednesday "will help determine the tone of Europe’s response to the US president’s tariff threats." Statements by European diplomats and officials indicate that they want to avoid retaliatory measures and believe that a diplomatic solution to the crisis can still be found. "The focus is getting the ball rolling in Davos. Then, we will take stock" at an emergency EU summit on Thursday, an EU diplomat said. "The pressure needs to come down," he added. The European Union is reluctant to take decisive action against the US, hoping that Trump will not follow through on his threats, the publication notes, adding that, according to diplomats, officials "are terrified of needlessly exploding already frayed transatlantic ties." Earlier reports said that national security advisors to Western leaders had made changes to the agenda of a meeting on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum to discuss Greenland. Initially, the talks were expected to focus on resolving the Ukrainian conflict, but the plans were adjusted so that advisors could also address Greenland. Earlier, the White House host announced on Truth Social that the US would begin imposing 10% tariffs on the UK, Germany, Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway, Finland, France, and Sweden, which would remain in effect until the parties reach an agreement on the full and final acquisition of Greenland by Washington. The decision is set to take effect on February 1, with the duty rate increasing to 25% from June 1.

Jan. 15, 2026 - First European servicemen arrive in Greenland The first servicemen from European countries have arrived in Greenland amid statements by US President Donald Trump about the need to annex the island to the US, Bild reported. According to the newspaper, a Danish military transport plane landed last night at the airport in Nuuk, the capital of Greenland. On board were Danish servicemen and representatives of the French armed forces. Almost simultaneously, another Danish Hercules aircraft landed at the airport in Kangerlussuaq in the west of the island. Both planes flew with their transponders turned off. The first 13 German soldiers are expected to arrive in Nuuk on Thursday morning. In addition to Germany, the United Kingdom, Canada, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden will participate in the mission to deploy troops on the island. The mission is being coordinated from Copenhagen, not through NATO, of which all these countries are members. Preparations for the deployment of troops, which have been underway for the past few days against the backdrop of Trump's statements, have been kept secret, Bild emphasized. The newspaper noted that the first servicemen were sent to the island only after talks between Danish and Greenlandic representatives and the US failed on Wednesday. On January 14, Trump stated that the United States remains committed to acquiring Greenland despite Denmark's objections. Greenland is Denmark's autonomous territory. In 1951, Washington and Copenhagen signed the Greenland Defense Agreement in addition to their NATO alliance commitments. Under the treaty, the US committed to defend the island from potential aggression.

Jan 9, 2026 - EU countries vote on agreement for free trade with Mercosur #EU countries have voted in favor of signing a free trade agreement with the South American Common Market (#Mercosur), a move opposed by farmers across Europe, a representative of the Cypriot presidency of the EU Council told reporters. "EU countries have approved the signing of the agreement," he said. The vote was conducted in written form between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. local time.

NATO may bolster presence in the Arctic to avert US-Denmark conflict The North Atlantic Alliance has launched a two-stage diplomatic effort targeting US President Donald Trump in an attempt to prevent a potential US military incursion into Greenland, Politico reported, citing sources. According to the report, NATO ambassadors proposed increasing defense spending in the Arctic, deploying additional military equipment, and stepping up military exercises to show Trump that the region is sufficiently secure. It was noted that during a closed-door meeting in Brussels, NATO ambassadors concluded that a compromise must be sought with Trump’s position on Greenland’s future. Earlier, Politico reported that amid a hardening of Trump’s rhetoric about the possible establishment of control over Greenland, voices within the European Union are calling for readiness for a direct confrontation with the head of the US administration. The newspaper noted that whereas European governments previously did not grasp the seriousness of Trump’s threats, they now do.

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.

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.

Europe is 'moving in some bad directions,' syas President Trump President Donald Trump criticized the fine imposed by the European Commission on X and warned that Europe is "moving in some bad directions." Asked about the fine at a meeting with representatives of the agricultural industry at the White House, Trump called Brussels' decision "nasty" and added: "I don't think it's right. Europe has to be very careful." He voiced concern about the current political track taken by EU countries. "We want to keep Europe Europe. Europe is going in some bad directions. It's very bad, very bad for the people. We don't want Europe to change so much," the president said. On December 5, the European Commission fined X €120 million for violating EU digital regulations. Tom Rainier, an EC representative, said at a briefing that X had violated transparency rules. According to him, this includes the presence of a fee-based blue verified user badge on the platform, which is misleading because anyone can buy it and X does not conduct sufficient verification.