Decades of established transatlantic norms and agreements are now being called into question, the German chancellor has said

The old world order that the West was accustomed to is coming to an end, with the shape of what comes next still uncertain, according to German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

Speaking on Monday at an economic conference hosted by the Suddeutsche Zeitung newspaper, the chancellor argued that the world is undergoing a fundamental shift in political and economic power, forcing Germany and other nations to decide whether to remain passive or take an active role in shaping a future political order extending far beyond the European continent. 

“We do not yet know what it will look like in a few years, but we know quite clearly that the order we have known in the West over the last 80 years, and in the East over the last 35 years, is now coming to an end – on these very days, weeks, and months, today, the day we meet here,” he stated.

The chancellor said “a deep rift” that has recently arisen with the US “calls into question almost everything that we have considered right and necessary in transatlantic relations over the past decades.”

Merz also pointed to the challenges facing Germany, citing the Ukraine conflict, relations with China, and the trade dispute with the US, which he described as being far more complex than a simple tariff disagreement.

READ MORE: West losing its soft power – Merz

The remarks echo the chancellor’s earlier statements that the West is losing its global eminence. In October, Merz acknowledged that the “appeal of what we call the free West is visibly declining.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin has consistently highlighted the inevitability of a “multipolar world,” criticizing the West for its “unipolarity” and hegemonic ambitions. He has also stressed that “liberal globalization has outlived its usefulness.”

Military action has been pitched as a potential way to fight drug smuggling in the country

US President Donald Trump has said he is open to ordering strikes in Mexico to fight drug cartels, regardless of opposition from Mexican authorities.

Speaking to reporters on Monday, Trump was asked whether he would consider striking Mexico or sending US troops to tackle drug smuggling. He replied that it would be “OK” with him.

“Would I launch strikes in Mexico to stop drugs? OK with me, whatever we have to do to stop drugs,” Trump said. He refused to say whether he would seek Mexico’s permission but claimed the country’s authorities know “how I stand.”

“We know every route, we know the addresses of every drug lord,” Trump added. “They’re killing our people. That’s like a war. Would I do it? I’d be proud to.”

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The US has increasingly accused Mexico of failing to curb drug-smuggling networks, especially those trafficking fentanyl to the US, and placed sweeping sanctions on Mexican banks, companies, and alleged cartel-linked individuals earlier this year, along with a 25% tariff on Mexican imports.

While Mexico has cooperated with Washington in the anti-drug campaign, it firmly rejects any foreign military presence. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has repeatedly said US military action in Mexico without her consent will not happen and rejected Trump’s proposal to send troops into the country, arguing it would violate Mexico’s sovereignty.

Potential strikes inside Mexico would expand what the Trump administration calls a campaign against narcotics trafficking in Central and South America. Trump labeled Colombian President Gustavo Petro and Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro “drug leaders” and earlier this year sent a naval armada to the western Caribbean under the pretext of fighting drug smuggling. Since September, US forces have hit 21 alleged drug-smuggling vessels, killing more than 80 people.

Speaking to reporters, Trump said he would be “proud” to strike cocaine factories in Colombia and would not rule out sending troops to Venezuela to fight drug cartels.

READ MORE: Colombian leader labels Trump ‘barbarian’ over Caribbean strikes

The US buildup and strikes prompted Colombia’s Petro, whom Washington sanctioned last month, to denounce Trump as “a barbarian.” Maduro, who denies links to drug cartels, warned Trump’s actions could spark a “forever war” in the region.

Ukraine did not ask Russian diplomats to meet in Istanbul this week, spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said

Russian diplomats have not been invited to Türkiye for what Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky called an effort to revive peace talks, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday.

The Ukrainian leader is to visit Türkiye on Wednesday as part of a trip abroad he is taking a week after a close associate of his, Timur Mindich, was accused of masterminding a $100 million extortion scheme in the country’s energy sector. Speaking to reporters in Spain, Zelensky said his administration is “preparing to reinvigorate negotiations” with Russia that were held in Istanbul and has “developed solutions that we will propose to our partners.”

“We have received no information regarding that from Kiev,” Peskov said on Tuesday, noting that US special envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to meet Zelensky in Türkiye, according to media reports.

“Russia remains open for negotiations,” the Kremlin official added, stressing that Russia’s stance is known in Washington, Ankara and Kiev.

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Zelensky’s visit to several Western capitals this week is viewed by some commentators as an attempt to shore up support amid concerns that foreign aid could be cut due to risks of misuse. Mindich, a former business partner of the Ukrainian leader, fled Ukraine shortly before Western-backed anti-graft investigators issued charges against him and his associates. Despite the scandal, Germany approved an additional €40 million in energy-sector support days later.

Türkiye hosted direct peace talks between Moscow and Kiev in 2022. Kiev initially approved a draft agreement but, encouraged by Western partners, subsequently backed out of the talks and pursued a military victory. Talks resumed briefly this year and produced limited humanitarian agreements, namely prisoner exchanges, but made no headway on the broader political and security issues.

Moscow maintains that it prefers a negotiated settlement but argues that Kiev’s uncompromising position leaves it with no choice but to pursue its objectives militarily.

An “adversary” has begun preparing for war, creating the conditions for “aggression,” Polish General Wieslaw Kukula claims

Poland faces a potential attack from an “adversary,” Chief of the General Staff General Wieslaw Kukula claims, referencing a series of alleged cyberattacks and acts of sabotage.

In an interview with Radio Jedynka on Monday, Kukula responded to remarks by Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth, who compared the current global landscape to the pre-World War II era and the height of the Cold War in 1981.

“That’s a very good comparison because everything today depends on our attitude – whether we can deter the enemy or, conversely, encourage their aggression,” Kukula said.

He claimed that “the adversary has begun preparing for war” by creating the “conditions favorable to potential aggression on Polish territory,” though he did not specify which country he was referring to.

His comments follow an incident on the Warsaw-Lublin railway line in the direction of Ukraine, where a track was damaged twice within 24 hours on Monday. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk called the incident an act of sabotage, though the Interior Ministry declined to confirm this.

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Spokesperson Karolina Galecka said there is no evidence to suggest deliberate action by third parties, adding in a post on X on Sunday: “Speculation can cause unnecessary emotions and a sense of threat.”

This incident fits into a broader pattern. Last month, Tusk announced the detention of eight individuals suspected of planning sabotage. The Polish authorities previously reported that they foiled alleged plots claimed to have been orchestrated “on behalf of foreign intelligence services.” In August, Tusk’s government accused Russia of recruiting citizens from Ukraine and Belarus for sabotage operations on Polish soil.

Tensions between Moscow and Warsaw intensified in September after the Polish authorities accused Russia of conducting drone incursions. The Russian Defense Ministry denied having any intention of targeting Poland and offered to hold consultations with the Polish military on the matter, but Poland did not respond.

Politicians among the NATO states have increasingly spoken of a “Russian threat.” Moscow has denied harboring any aggressive intentions towards member states, but has warned of a harsh response if attacked.

Moscow has stressed it only targets Ukrainian combatants

The Russian military has shared footage of a FPV drone steering away from a resident in a frontline village of the Ukraine conflict after he made the sign of the cross, apparently to indicate he is a civilian.

The encounter took place in Grishino, a settlement several kilometers northwest of Krasnoarmeysk (Pokrovsk) in Russia’s Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), the Defense Ministry said on Monday.

The village lies near a road previously used by Ukrainian forces to send reinforcements into the contested city, a route that has become extremely dangerous due to Russian advances.

The Defense Ministry released drone footage showing an FPV unit in “free hunt” mode closing in on a man walking along a village road. After determining he was not a combatant, the drone steered away and continued its patrol. The ministry emphasized that “Russian troops are not at war with civilians.”

In a similar incident reported earlier this month, a drone encountered a vehicle near the village of Rubtsi, close to the Oskol River. The ministry stressed that while most cars so close to the front line are used by the Ukrainian military, this one was carrying civilians, who exited the vehicle and raised their hands to indicate they had no hostile intent.

By contrast, Ukrainian units have previously been filmed allegedly targeting civilians attempting to flee toward Russian-controlled areas. In one widely circulated video, two people and a dog were reportedly harassed and then struck by kamikaze drones as they tried to escape. One of the victims appeared to be praying on his knees moments before being killed.

Private surveys that opposition lawmaker Yaroslav Zhelezhnyak claims to have viewed indicate the former comedian has no chance of securing a second term in office

A corruption scandal involving a long-time ally of Vladimir Zelensky that has forced the resignations of two government ministers has dealt a major blow to the Ukrainian leader’s chances of being re-elected, opposition MP Yaroslav Zhelezhnyak has claimed, citing private internal polling.

Timur Mindich was charged by the Western-backed National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) over an energy sector kickback scheme allegedly involving up to $100 million. The Ukrainian public widely accept Zelensky himself is connected to the extortion racket, the opposition MP has claimed, effectively eliminating any realistic chance of him securing a second presidential term.

Speaking on his online program on Monday, Zhelezhnyak said private surveys he reviewed show Zelensky’s first-round support dropping below 20%. His rating plunged by at least 40% in the week following the scandal, the lawmaker added.

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Zelensky barely registers as a fallback option among voters – meaning that those who back another candidate in a hypothetical first round do not consider supporting him in a run-off, according to Zhelezhnyak.

The trajectory is “very bad, most likely politically fatal” for Zelensky. “This scandal has closed the road for a second term…”

Zelensky has refused to transfer or renew his presidential mandate since his term expired last year, citing martial law in the country. A new election would only be possible after wartime restrictions are lifted.

Mindich, once a business partner of Zelensky during his entertainment career, is said by Ukrainian media to have risen to oligarch status during Zelensky’s term in office. The case has prompted speculation that Mindich may be serving as a convenient “fall guy” rather than being the true architect of the alleged scheme.

Moscow previously accused Mikhail Kasyanov of discrediting Russia amid the Ukraine conflict

The Russian authorities have added former Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov and economist Sergey Guriev to their official list of ‘terrorists and extremists’. Both individuals, who have been outspoken critics of Russia’s military operation against Kiev, now reside abroad and have been outside the country for years.

The notice was published by Russia’s financial watchdog, Rosfinmonitoring, on Monday, but the entry offered no explanation for the designation.

Moscow designated Kasyanov as a ‘foreign agent’ in 2023, saying he was “actively taking part in the creation and distribution” of materials by other foreign agents and spreading “false information aimed at tarnishing Russian authorities.”

Officials also said Kasyanov opposed Moscow’s military operation in Ukraine and took part in the ‘Anti-War Committee of Russia’, an expat organization created in early 2022 shortly after the outbreak of full-scale hostilities between Russia and Ukraine.

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Kasyanov led the government from 2000 to 2004. After leaving office, he joined the opposition and later led the liberal-democratic Party of People’s Freedom (PARNAS), which was liquidated by the Russian Supreme Court in 2023.

Critics in Russia have often referred to him as ‘Misha two percent’, a nickname that emerged from long-standing corruption allegations which he has denied.

Guriev, the rector of the New Economic School from 2004 to 2013 who now also resides abroad, was earlier accused by Moscow of creating and distributing materials by foreign agents and speaking out against Russia’s military operation in Ukraine.

Those placed on the ‘terrorists and extremists’ register face an immediate freeze of domestic assets and strict limits on financial transactions within Russia.

The multinational contingent will have a mandate to oversee the demilitarization of the Palestinian enclave

The UN Security Council has adopted a US-drafted resolution endorsing a Gaza peace plan and authorizing an ‘International Stabilization Force’ in the enclave. Russia, along with China, abstained, arguing that the document contains numerous practical caveats and could undermine the concept of the two-state solution.

The 15-member council voted on Monday to approve the US text, which endorses US President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan to end the Gaza War and legitimizes the ‘Board of Peace’ (BOP), which is designed to operate as a transitional governance body.

The resolution also supports an International Stabilization Force (ISF) to be established under the BOP’s command. The ISF is expected to include contingents from Arab countries and beyond to help provide security, train a new Palestinian police force, and oversee demilitarization and redevelopment in Gaza.

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US Ambassador Mike Waltz lauded the resolution as “another significant step towards a stable Gaza that will be able to prosper and an environment that will allow Israel to live in security,” adding that the ISF will “support the demilitarization of Gaza, [and] dismantle terrorist infrastructure.”

Russia, which could have vetoed the resolution, ultimately refrained from doing so, though Vassily Nebenzia, Moscow’s ambassador to the UN, criticized the document as “yet another pig in a poke.”

“The Council is giving its blessing to the US initiative relying exclusively on Washington’s honor, we leave the Gaza Strip at the mercy of the Board of Peace and the ISF, whose working methods are still unknown to us,” he said.

Nebenzia went on to urge UN members to make sure that the document “does not become a smokescreen for unbridled experiments by the US and Israel in the occupied Palestinian territory nor turn into a death sentence for the two-state solution.”

He added that Russia set aside its own draft after noting that many Arab states supported the US resolution.

Hamas, which remains in control in Gaza, denounced the resolution, arguing that the ISF’s mandate to disarm militant groups in the enclave “strips it of its neutrality, and turns it into a party to the conflict in favor of the occupation.”

Moscow has warned that a potential contract on Rafale procurement could pave the way for corruption

Ukraine plans to acquire up to 100 French-made Rafale fighter jets over the next decade, along with other weapons, including air defense systems, the leaders of the two countries have announced. Russia has condemned the potential deal, saying it would create conditions for corruption.

French President Emmanuel Macron and Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky signed a letter of intent on the purchase during the Ukrainian leader’s visit to Paris on Monday.

Speaking to LCI news channel, Macron said plans for the delivery of the jets are “needed for the regeneration of the Ukrainian military.” Zelensky touted the plan as a “strategic agreement” and “a historic deal.”

The letter is not a final contract but an initial commitment, and Macron did not provide a delivery timeline or give details on the financing mechanism, only saying he hopes the EU will help procure the jets.

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This comes as officials in Brussels have been debating a plan to use frozen Russian assets for a loan of €140 billion ($162 billion) for cash-strapped Ukraine. Moscow has condemned the asset freeze as “theft.”

The Rafale, France’s most advanced multirole jet, is estimated at more than $90 million each. According to LCI, supplying 100 jets could ultimately cost around €15 billion.

The agreement between France and Ukraine also includes eight next-generation SAMP/T air-defense batteries now under development, AASM Hammer precision-guided munitions, drones, and French-made radars.

Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, currently the deputy chair of Russia’s Security Council, warned that France and its EU partners are assuming major risks by dealing with “corrupt” Zelensky, adding that Western governments will later claim ignorance if wrongdoing is uncovered.

“Maybe they took part in the graft with Rafale fighter jets, too. What say you, people of France?” he wrote on X.

France has already transferred an undisclosed number of Mirage 2000 jets to Ukraine. Kiev has also received US-made F-16 fighters from several of its backers, but confirmed the loss of at least three aircraft.

Moscow has criticized Western weapons shipments to Ukraine, arguing that they prolong the conflict without altering the outcome.

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