OT subject but worth a main-stream read- OT News Feeds...

Thursday Southern Command update:

"Before the strikes on purported drug vessels in the Caribbean and Pacific began in September, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth approved contingency plans for what to do if an initial strike left survivors, according to several U.S. officials. The plans said that the military would attempt to rescue survivors unless they took what the United States deemed to be a hostile action. The officials said that after the first strike on Sept. 2, one of the two survivors radioed for help, adding that Adm. Frank M. Bradley ordered a follow-up strike in which both were killed. Helene Cooper, Julian E. Barnes, Charlie Savage, and Eric Schmitt report for the New York Times.

Adm. Frank M. Bradley is expected to tell lawmakers today in a classified briefing that the two survivors of the initial Sept. 2 strike were legitimate military targets because their vessel was still believed to contain narcotics and they were perceived as capable of continuing drug trafficking, a U.S. official told Reuters. Bradley will be joined by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen Dan Caine, to answer questions about the attack. Idrees Ali and Phil Stewart report.

President Trump said yesterday that he is open to releasing video footage of the second strike on Sept. 2. “I don’t know what they have, but whatever they have, we’d certainly release, no problem,” Trump told reporters. Jacob Wendler reports for POLITICO.

Hegseth asked Adm. Alvin Holsey to step down rather than Holsey simply retiring, as Hegseth previously announced in mid-October, according to two Pentagon officials. The officials said that the de facto ouster was a culmination of months of discord between Hegseth and Holsey, which intensified when Holsey voiced concerns about the legality of the strikes on alleged drugs boats in the Caribbean. Lara Seligman, Vera Bergengruen, and Alexander Ward report for the Wall Street Journal."

Friday Russia-Ukraine update:

"The Kremlin said today that Russia and the United States were making progress in peace talks, adding that Moscow is ready to carry on working with the current U.S. team. Russian President Vladimir Putin yesterday however restated Russia’s demand for full control over Ukraine’s Donbas region, saying Moscow would take it by force unless Ukrainian troops withdrew. “We need real peace, not appeasement,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha also said yesterday. Francois Murphy reports for Reuters.

French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz expressed concern on a confidential call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy earlier this week that U.S.-led peace negotiations could pressure Kyiv into yielding territory, according to the transcript reported by Der Spiegel. Macron said, “There is a chance that the U.S. will betray Ukraine on territory without clarity on security guarantees.” Merz warned Zelenskyy that U.S. negotiators are “playing games” and that he should be “very careful” over the next few days. Andreas Rinke and Gabriel Stargardter report for Reuters.

Macron yesterday pressed Chinese President Xi Jinping to do more to help end the war in Ukraine during three-day visit to China. Marcon told reporters that the two leaders had discussed the war “at length,” adding that he hoped Xi would join efforts to achieve “at the very least” a halt in attacks on critical infrastructure in Ukraine. Xi did not commit to anything, telling reporters, “China will continue to play a constructive role in the political settlement of the crisis, while resolutely opposing any irresponsible actions of shifting the blame or smearing.” Vivan Wang reports for the New York Times.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that Russia will take full control of Ukraine’s Donbas region by force unless Ukrainian forces withdraw, something Kyiv has flatly rejected. “Either we liberate these territories by force of arms, or Ukrainian troops leave these territories,” Putin told India Today news magazine ahead of his two-day state visit to New Delhi to meet with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi."

Saturday Russia-Ukraine update:

"President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff held “productive” talks with Ukraine’s senior negotiator Rustem Umerov in Miami, Florida, on Thursday, a White House official said on Friday. “Progress was made,” the White House official said, according to the Reuters news agency. “They will reconvene later today after briefing their respective leaders.”

The meetings in Florida came after Witkoff met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow earlier this week, in what Yury Ushakov, the Kremlin’s top foreign policy adviser, described on Friday as “truly friendly” discussions.

Ushakov also said that Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, is working “frantically” to resolve the war between Russia and Ukraine in his role as a US negotiator, TASS reported.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said they held “very constructive” talks with Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever on Friday over a European Union plan to use Russian frozen assets to fund Ukraine, which Belgium has so far refused to endorse.

Putin said that Moscow is ready to provide “uninterrupted shipments” of fuel to India, as he met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Friday, despite US sanctions."

Monday Russia-Ukraine update:

"U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner held productive talks with Ukrainian national security adviser Rustem Umerov and Ukrainian Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces Andriy Hnatov on Friday, according to U.S. officials. A White House Official said that “progress was made,” but did not provide any further details. The participants are said to have discussed the developments arising from Witkoff’s meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier last week. Steve Holland, Humeyra Pamuk, and Andrea Shalal report for Reuters.

Russia unleashed more than 650 drones and 51 missiles on towns and cities across Ukraine in an overnight assault on Friday, according to Ukrainian officials. On Saturday evening, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that he had “just had a long and substantive phone call” with Witkoff and Kushner, during which they “agreed on the next steps and formats for talks with the United States.” One source told Axios that the territory discussion was difficult, with another source adding that the United States is trying to develop new ideas to bridge the issue. Cassandra Vinograd, Oleksandr Chubko, and Maria Varenikova report for the New York Times; Barak Ravid reports for Axios.

“We are starting a new diplomatic week right now - there will be consultations with European leaders,” Zelenskyy said yesterday in a video address. He is set to meet with British, French and German leaders in London today. Olena Harmash reports for Reuters.

Keith Kellogg, US President Donald Trump’s outgoing envoy for Ukraine, told the Reagan National Defense Forum in California that a deal to end the war in Ukraine was “really, really close”, and that negotiations were continuing over Russia’s demand for Ukraine’s Donbas region and the future of Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. “The last 10 metres” is always the hardest, said Kellogg, who is due to step down in January.

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s top foreign policy aide, Yury Ushakov, said that “territorial problems” were discussed at talks in Moscow between US and Russian officials last week, and that Washington would have to “make serious, I would say, radical changes to their papers” on Ukraine."

Tuesday Middle East update:

"Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to meet President Trump on Dec. 29 to discuss the next steps of the Gaza ceasefire, an Israeli government spokesperson said yesterday. It is unclear where the meeting will take place. Maayan Lubell and Steve Scheer report for Reuters. 

Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair has been dropped for consideration from Trump’s Board of Peace in Gaza, following objections from several Arab and Muslim states, according to multiple sources. Blair’s office declined to comment on the matter. Another source rejected suggestions that Blair would not be sitting on the board due to opposition in the region, claiming instead that Blair would not qualify for the board because it would be made up of serving world leaders. The source added that Blair is expected to sit on the executive committee alongside U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. Andrew England and Neri Zilber report for the Financial Times."

Wednesday Middle East update:
Nothing worthwhile to offer.  I will post something when meaningful but no longer on a daily basis.  

Wednesday Southern Command update:

"Following a strike on an alleged drug vessel in October, Pentagon lawyers suggested that the two survivors could be placed into a notorious prison in El Salvador, according to three officials. Later that month, Pentagon officials decided that boat strike survivors would be sent back to their home countries or to a third country, three other officials said. During a meeting with the State Department, officials made it clear that they did not want survivors to end up in the U.S. judicial system, where court cases could force the administration to show evidence justifying the strikes. Damien Cave, Edward Wong, and Maria Abi-Habib report for the New York Times

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth declined to commit to releasing the video of the Sept. 2 strikes in the Caribbean,” Democratic lawmakers said yesterday after a classified briefing to the “Gang of Eight.” The closed-door discussion, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, CIA Director John Ratclifee, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine mostly centered on the 22 known boat strikes, according to a U.S. official. “I asked them what their strategy is, and what they were doing, and again, did not get satisfying answers at all,” Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (NY) said after the briefing. Megan Mineiro and Julian E. Barnes report for the New York Times; Patricia Zengerle, Bipasha Dey, and Ghaneshwar Rajan report for Reuters.

Adm. Alvin Holsey, the outgoing head of U.S. Southern Command, briefed top lawmakers on the House and Senate Armed Services Committees yesterday. “We got some clarity on the chain of command and who made decisions at what point, but on the legality of it we didn’t get a lot of clarity,” said Representative Adam Smith (D-WA). Megan Mineiro and Julian E. Barnes report for the New York Times."

Thursday Southern Command update:

"We've just seized a tanker on the coast of Venezuela, large tanker, very large, largest one ever, actually, and other things are happening," President Trump announced yesterday. Asked what would happen with the oil, Trump said: "We keep it, I guess." British maritime risk management group Vanguard said the tanker, Skipper, was believed to have been seized off Venezuela early on Wednesday. A federal judge issued a seizure warrant around two weeks ago because of the ship’s past activities smuggling Iranian oil, not because of links to the Maduro government, according to a U.S. official. The U.S. imposed sanctions on the tanker in 2022 when it was called the Adisa. Idrees Ali, Phil Stewart, Steve Holland, and Marianna Parraga report for Reuters; Tyler Page, Eric Schmitt, and Nicholas Nehamas report for the New York Times.

“Colombia is producing a lot of drugs,” Trump told reporters yesterday, adding that Colombian President Gustavo Petro “better wise up or he’ll be next. I hope he’s listening, he’s going to be next.” In an interview with POLITICO earlier this week, Trump also talked about expanding his anti-drug trafficking military operation to Mexico and Colombia. Giselle Ruhiyyih Ewing report for POLITICO."

Friday Russia-Ukraine update:

"Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said yesterday that the United States has suggested creating a demilitarised  “free economic zone” in the areas of the Donbas held by Ukraine.  “If someone withdraws from one side — as they want Ukrainians to do — why doesn’t the other side of the war withdraw the same distance in the other direction?” Zelensky told reporters, adding “when you talk to us about a compromise, you have to offer a fair compromise." Zelenskyy said that ultimately the question of territory would be for “the people of Ukraine” to answer, either through an election or a referendum. Christian Edwards and Kosta Gak report for CNN; Yuliia Dysa reports for Reuters.

"The president is extremely frustrated with both sides of this war and he is sick of meetings just for the sake of meeting," Leavitt said yesterday when asked whether the U.S. would take part in a meeting in Paris this weekend with Ukrainian and European officials. Zelenskyy said yesterday that the Trump administration has not issued a firm ultimatum but wants a “full understanding of where we are with this agreement by Christmas.” Barak Ravid reports for Axios."

Sunday Russia-Ukraine update:

"Zelenskyy said he would meet US and European representatives in Berlin to discuss the “fundamentals of peace”. He added that Ukraine needed a “dignified” peace and a guarantee that Russia, which launched a full-scale invasion of his country in 2022, would not attack again.

US envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner will meet Zelenskyy and European leaders in Berlin on Sunday and Monday, a US official briefed on the matter said.

French President Emmanuel Macron, UK Prime Minister Starmer and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz were also expected to attend the Berlin meeting, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Europeans and Ukrainians are asking the US to provide them with “security guarantees” before any territorial negotiations in Russian-occupied eastern Ukraine, the French presidency said.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen have discussed work on US-led peace proposals for Ukraine and efforts to use frozen Russian sovereign assets to provide funds for Kyiv, a Downing Street spokesperson said in a statement.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, fresh from a meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Turkmenistan, said he hopes to discuss a Ukraine-Russia peace plan with Trump, adding that “peace is not far away”."

The latest from Politico on Russia-Ukraine: (I think Vlad the Impaler will hold out for more.)

"ALMOST THERE?: Negotiators meeting to work out an agreement to end Russia’s war in Ukraine emerged from the second day of high-level negotiations in Berlin with some signs of optimism for the U.S.-led efforts to end the war.

Progress report: U.S. officials are backing so-called Article 5-like guarantees for Ukraine, offering the strongest and most-explicit security pledge that President Donald Trump’s administration has put forward — but one that comes with an implicit ultimatum: “Take it now or the next iteration won’t be as generous,” POLITICO’s Felicia Schwartz and Eli Stokols report. “Those guarantees will not be on the table forever,” a senior U.S. official told POLITICO. “Those guarantees are on the table right now if there’s a conclusion that’s reached in a good way.”

The U.S. officials expect that Russia would accept the arrangement and allow Ukraine to join the European Union — though it could prove to be an “overly optimistic assessment, given the Kremlin’s refusal to give ground in peace talks so far,” Felicia and Eli write.

The big question: Moscow has yet to weigh in on the latest details of the peace plan, and it’s unclear when U.S. officials are planning to present it to the Kremlin — though U.S. officials said they would wait until after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy responds to the proposal.

What they’re saying: German Chancellor Friedrich Merz told reporters today that the “legal and material security guarantees that the U.S. has put on the table here in Berlin are remarkable.” Rustem Umerov, one of Zelenskyy’s top lieutenants, said on X that the “Ukrainian-U.S. negotiations have been constructive and productive, with real progress achieved.” Umerov said he was “enormously grateful” to Trump and the U.S. delegation. He also cautioned against “noise and anonymous speculation in the media” and not to “fall for rumors and provocations” — though he didn’t specify what he was referring to.

What’s next: U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner are attending a dinner with negotiators today — to which Trump is planning to dial in. U.S. officials are also planning to convene working groups, likely in Miami this weekend, where military officials will pore over maps to solve the remaining territorial issues, per Felicia and Eli.

“We believe that we have probably solved for … 90 percent of the issues between Ukraine and Russia, but there’s some more things that have to be worked out,” one U.S. official told POLITICO."

Tuesday Russia-Ukraine update:

"Following two days of talks in Berlin, U.S. officials also told reporters that they had significantly closed gaps on 90 per cent of the issues between Russia and Ukraine, but “there’s some more things that have to be worked out.” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, “for now we have different positions” on the territory issue, adding “but I think my colleagues have heard my personal position.” David E. Sanger and Christopher F. Schuetze report for the New York Times; Felicia Schwartz and Eli Stokols report for POLITICO; Laura Kelly reports for The Hill.

European leaders issued a joint statement after the talks, saying that any decisions on potential Ukrainian territorial concessions to Russia can only be made by the people of Ukraine, and once robust security guarantees are in place for Kyiv.

They also said that US and European leaders had agreed to “work together to provide robust security guarantees”, including a European-led “multinational force” made up of nations willing to assist “in securing Ukraine’s skies, and in supporting safer seas, including through operating inside Ukraine”.

Speaking at a news conference after the talks, Merz said that the US had offered “considerable” security guarantees, and that although there is now a “chance for a real peace process”, “territorial settlement remains a key question”.

Ukrainian underwater drones yesterday struck a Russian submarine for the first time, causing critical damage, according to Ukraine’s domestic intelligence agency. Russia confirmed the attack but denied that its submarine had been damaged. Maria Varenikova reports for the New York Times. 

Here's more related to the submarine attack:

Ukraine claimed that underwater drones had, for the first time in the war, struck a Russian submarine docked in the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk.

The head of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet press service, Aleksei Rulyov, denied that the underwater drone attack was successful. “Not a single ship or submarine of the Black Sea Fleet located at the base in Novorossiysk Bay was damaged,” he said. “The enemy’s attempt at sabotage through underwater drones failed to achieve its aims.”"

Wednesday Southern Command update:

"President Trump yesterday announced on social media a “complete blockade” on sanctioned oil tankers going to and from Venezuela, adding that “Venezuela is completely surrounded by the largest Armada ever assembled in the History of South America.” Trump said the operation would continue until Venezuela returned “all of the Oil, Land, and other Assets that they previously stole from us,” but he did not define what he meant by those assets. Chevron, the only U.S. oil company still operating in Venezuela, said yesterday that its operations were not affected. Edward Wong, Simon Romero, Charlie Savage, and Julian E. Barnes report for the  New York Times; Aaron Pellish reports for POLITICO.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said yesterday that the Pentagon would not publicly release the video showing a second strike on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean on Sept. 2. “Of course we’re not going to release a top secret full unedited video of that to the general public,” Hegseth told reporters, adding however that both the House and Senate armed services committees will view the full video. Dave Lawler reports for Axios; Filip Timotija reports for The Hill."

Thursday Russia-Ukraine update:

"EU member states are set to decide today on 2026-2027 funding for Ukraine, with discussions centered on plans to use tens of billions of euros in frozen Russian assets to underwrite a loan. Hungary and Slovakia have voiced opposition to using frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine. Belgium, Bulgaria, Italy and Malta have expressed reservations and remain undecided. "We just can't afford to fail. We have to show that we are strong," EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas said, adding that leaders would stay as long as needed at the Brussels summit to find a solution. 

Belgium today reiterated that its EU partners must provide ironclad guarantees that it will be protected from Russian retaliation before it would support the use of frozen Russian assets to back a loan for Ukraine.“I have not yet seen a text that could satisfactorily address Belgium’s concerns,” Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever said, “I hope to see one today.” Lorne Cook, Sam McNeil, and Angela Charlton report for AP News.

Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev is expected to visit Miami this weekend for talks with U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner on the current U.S. plan to end the war in Ukraine, a White House official and another source said. A Ukrainian delegation is also expected to arrive in Miami later this week for talks with Witkoff and Kushner. There is no plan for a trilateral meeting, the sources said. Barak Ravid reports for Axios.

At an annual Defence Ministry meeting, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow would take more land in Ukraine by force if Kyiv and its European allies, whom he cast as “young pigs”, did not engage with US proposals for a peace settlement to end the war.

“If the opposing side and their foreign patrons refuse to engage in substantive discussions, Russia will achieve the liberation of its historical lands by military means,” Putin told the meeting."

Friday Middle East update:

"U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff is set to meet today with senior officials from Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey in Miami to discuss the next phase of the agreement for ending the war in Gaza, according to a White House official and two other sources. The officials meeting with Witkoff will include Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman al-Thani, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, the sources said. This is the highest level meeting between the mediators since the deal was signed in October. Barak Ravid reports for Axios."