Editor’s Note: There will be no Daily News Brief tomorrow, December 24, through January 1. |
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Slovakia’s Fico Holds Surprise Meeting With Putin |
Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico made an unannounced visit to Russian President Vladimir Putin yesterday in a bid to maintain access to Russian natural gas. He became only the third European Union (EU) leader to meet with Putin since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine; the two discussed possibilities of an early end to the war, Fico said. EU officials did not immediately comment on the visit. The EU has heavily sanctioned Moscow for its war against Kyiv, with most EU members supporting Ukraine in the war. The foreign minister of the Czech Republic, Slovakia’s neighbor and fellow EU and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) member, criticized the visit saying that the Czech Republic had achieved energy independence from Russia so it would not have to “crawl in front of a mass murderer.”
Fico has been at odds with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy over the approaching expiration of a contract in which Russian natural gas transits through Ukraine toward Slovakia. Ukraine reported attacks by 113 Russian drones over the weekend, while Russian authorities put two airports that were hundreds of miles away from Ukraine under flight restrictions following alleged Ukrainian strikes. (BBC, EU, Politico, ABC)
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“[Russia] wants to weaken Western societies, drive wedges between the United States and Europe, reduce Europe’s capacity for collective action, and convince Europeans that it’s not worth the trouble to push back against Moscow,” the Center for a New American Security’s Andrea Kendall-Taylor and the Carnegie Endowment’s Michael Kofman write in Foreign Affairs. “Russian revisionism and aggression are not going away.”
“While remaining Russian gas transit volumes [through Ukraine] are small, the issue remains a dilemma for the EU. Many EU members such as France and Germany have said they will not buy Russian gas anymore but the stance of Slovakia, Hungary, and Austria, which have closer ties to Moscow, challenges the EU common approach,” Reuters writes.
Ukraine’s former Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba spoke at CFR this month about Ukraine’s future.
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Honda, Nissan to Merge by 2026 to Keep Up With Global Auto Competition |
The companies aim to set up a joint holding company by August 2026, citing a rapidly changing business environment for the auto industry, chief among them the transition to electrification. Mitsubishi will also participate in talks. The merger looks set to create the world’s third-largest automaker in sales. (Nikkei, CNN)
CFR expert Brad W. Setser explains how China could be poised to dominate the electric car competition.
China/Vietnam: Vietnam’s government will start construction by the end of 2025 on a railroad linking its northern port of Hai Phong to the border with China, its prime minister said. (Reuters)
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Kazakhstan Replaces Economy Minister |
The move follows a depreciation of Kazakhstan’s currency that officials blamed on the rise of the U.S. dollar and the drop in the Russian ruble, falling oil prices, and other factors. New minister Serik Zhumangarin formerly served in several senior economic posts. (Times of Central Asia)
Afghanistan/Saudi Arabia: Riyadh revamped operations at its diplomatic mission in Kabul yesterday, with a goal of providing services to the Afghan people, the embassy said. Saudi diplomats had previously withdrawn from the country over the Taliban takeover in 2021. (AFP)
CFR’s Clara Fong and Noël James look at how Taliban rule is fueling a movement to end gender apartheid.
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Middle East and North Africa |
Syrian Rebel Leader Holds Separate Talks With Jordan, Turkey |
Jordan’s foreign minister became the highest-ranking envoy of an Arab country to meet with Syrian rebel leader Ahmed al-Sharaa today, offering support for Syria’s reconstruction. Yesterday, Turkey’s foreign minister also held a meeting with Sharaa, after which he called on the Syrian Kurdish militia known as the People’s Protection Units to disband. Washington has backed Kurdish fighters in their efforts against the self-declared Islamic State. (Reuters)
At a CFR event, Secretary of State Antony Blinken details what he sees for Syria’s future.
U.S./Yemen: A U.S. Navy ship mistakenly targeted a U.S. fighter jet over the Red Sea yesterday, Central Command said. Two pilots ejected from the jet, with one suffering minor injuries. The incident is under investigation. U.S. forces have been carrying out strikes against Yemen’s Houthi rebels in response to the Houthi targeting of commercial shipping in the region. (NYT)
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Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger Rebuff Buffer For ECOWAS Exit |
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) granted the three countries a six-month grace period to persuade them to reconsider their planned January 29 departure from the bloc. Mali’s military leader called their decision to withdraw “immediate and irreversible” in a joint statement. (Bloomberg)
Mozambique: The election council is pronouncing the final ruling today on a disputed vote that has led to violent post-election protests. Opposition leader Venâncio Mondlane pledged to convoke more protests if the announcement confirms his loss. (Bloomberg)
CFR expert Ebenezer Obadare points out where to find momentum for democracy in Africa.
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Germany Probes Christmas Market Attack |
German authorities are looking into potential security lapses after a man drove a vehicle into an outdoor Christmas market in the city of Magdeburg, killing at least five people. Security measures at such markets across the country had been increased after a 2016 attack at a Christmas market in Berlin that killed twelve people. (NYT)
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Panama Pushes Back After Trump Threat to Retake Canal |
Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino said that the canal belonged to Panama and that his country’s sovereignty and independence are not negotiable in a video address yesterday. Earlier in the day, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump said Washington would “demand that the Panama Canal be returned” to the United States, saying that it had been “foolishly” given to Panama and complained about fees to pass through the channel. (WSJ, AP)
Canada/China: Beijing sanctioned Ottawa’s Uyghur Rights Advocacy Project and the Canada Tibet Committee, which advocates for human rights and democracy in Tibet, along with twenty people who work with or advise the groups. Two weeks ago, Canada sanctioned current and former Chinese officials over human rights violations in Tibet and Xinjiang. The Chinese embassy in Canada and Canada’s Department of Global Affairs did not immediately comment. (Globe and Mail)
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Washington Launches Trade Probe Into Chinese-Made Older Semiconductors |
The U.S. Trade Representative launched an investigation into suspected anticompetitive and non-market behavior by the Chinese government to support its production of older-style semiconductors. These chips are used in products such as cars, dishwashers, and military weaponry. The probe will be passed on to the Trump administration and could lead to more tariffs or other response mechanisms. (NYT)
For CFR’s Net Politics, Tobias Feakin unpacks the U.S.-China semiconductor showdown.
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Council on Foreign Relations |
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