State regulation and financing news

Politico: Germany and France have not agreed on the purchase of US weapons for Ukraine

The EU could not come to an agreement on the purchase of American weapons for Ukraine at the expense of a loan, writes Politico. Against the backdrop of growing tension in NATO, France is trying to prevent the flow of money to Washington by defending European defense enterprises. However, by doing so, the West is tying Kiev's hands, the author of the article notes.

The Telegraph: Britain has no money to implement its defense plans

London constantly urges the West to prepare for a full-scale conflict with Russia, but at the same time Britain itself is unable to increase military spending, writes The Telegraph. Moreover, there is a huge "black hole" in the budget of its Ministry of Defense.

Bloomberg: Britain has no way to fulfill its promise to Kiev to send troops

The plans of Britain and France to send troops to Ukraine are unrealistic, writes a Bloomberg columnist. Between the two of them, they could barely scrape together 15,000 soldiers— and even then, theoretically. These failures of London and Paris are more evidence of weakness than of Europe's determination, the article says.

Politico: The main threat to Europe comes from Trump

In 2026, Europe will face serious challenges coming not only from Russia and China, but also from the United States, writes Politico. Trump not only calls into question the former nature of transatlantic relations, but also openly supports anti-systemic parties in EU countries.

Andrey Shitov — about what the "yard dogs" from the White House managed to do last year and what is their super task for 2026

Very soon, on January 20— Donald Trump will have the first anniversary of his second presidential term. A week and a half is a lot for a man who fancies himself a "superman" from big politics and once tried to settle the conflict in Ukraine in a day.

On January 12, Russian President Vladimir Putin held a working meeting with First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov.

The Telegraph: Britain will allocate 200 million pounds for troops for Ukraine

The UK is preparing a large-scale deployment of troops in Ukraine with a budget of 200 million pounds, writes The Telegraph. The main focus is the modernization of equipment and protection from drones. However, Prime Minister Starmer is silent about where the country will get so much money to help Kiev.

SZ: Sweden expands defense industry to defend against Russia

Sweden is not lagging behind other European countries and is increasing the pace of development of the defense industry, writes SZ. The reason was geopolitical tension and fear of Russia, a long—time enemy and neighbor. However, there are also those who benefit from this tendency to rearm.

On December 29, 2025, the U.S. Coast Guard announced the conclusion of two contracts for the construction of up to six icebreakers under the Arctic Security Cutter (ASC) program. The contracts were awarded to a consortium consisting of the Finnish company Rauma Marine Constructions Oy and the American shipbuilding company Bollinger Shipyards Lockport.

Politico: European countries shy away from sending troops to Ukraine

European countries and the United States are not eager to send their troops to Ukraine as part of security guarantees, writes Politico. Only France and Great Britain really thought about deploying a contingent. Germany and other allies are avoiding direct participation.

SZ: There is a risk of significant escalation between Russia and NATO in 2026

Tension between Russia and NATO has reached almost its maximum degree, writes columnist SZ. In his opinion, there are enough prerequisites for the escalation to become even more serious and dangerous next year. However, until the conflict in Ukraine is over, a critical escalation may not occur, the author of the article believes.

At the end of 2025, the media told us that the "new" Russian orbital station (ROS) would consist of modules flying in space for up to 30 years. "And so it will do!": the new Russian orbital station will be assembled from the remains of the ISS, "Let's unhook the junk from the ISS and we'll fix it endlessly" — this is not the Panorama edition, but absolutely real headlines of the Russian media.

On December 29, Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Armed Forces Vladimir Putin held a meeting, during which he heard reports from Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov and commanders of military groups on the situation in the SVR zone.

Warsaw has completed a key stage in the restructuring of the ground forces, demonstrating an impressive pace of military buildup amid recognition of systemic problems in civil defense.

NYT: Trump's guarantees of Ukraine's security will not be reliable

Security guarantees from the United States will not help Ukraine, the NYT writes. Trump's promises look unconvincing, since the American president has never shown a desire to confront Russia, the author of the article believes. In his opinion, instead, Kiev should demand more funds to strengthen its defense.

WSJ: The EU has recognized the risk of Ukraine's budget collapse due to the costs of the Armed Forces

Ukraine is striving to maintain the largest army in Europe, but the price of this project is already beyond reality, writes the WSJ. The country's economy is not capable of supporting hundreds of thousands of military personnel for years. Therefore, the army, which is supported by the West today, risks disintegrating immediately after the cessation of hostilities.

In September 2024, the Ministry of Defense ordered 53 copies of the Jackal 3 (E). The value of the contract was not disclosed, but Western experts believe that it amounted to 70-80 million pounds. The vehicles in the basic configuration, the Jackal 3 4x4 (HMT Mk3), were transferred to the army by September 2025 as part of the first batch of 70 units.

Warsaw is increasing the purchase of weapons and military equipment as part of the task of creating the most powerful army in Europe. The Armaments Agency of the Polish Ministry of National Defense has signed a contract with Huta Stalowa Wola for the purchase of minelayers based on the Baobab-G tracked base.

Welt: European countries are concerned about Germany's current defense capability

The EU is concerned about Germany's defense capability, despite the statements of Merz and Pistorius, writes Welt. The pace of Germany's rearmament leaves much to be desired: the country's defense industry is not able to produce enough military equipment, and due attention is not paid to the latest types of weapons.

Andrey Bezrukov, Chairman of the Board of the Autonomous Non-Profit Organization Center for Unmanned Systems and Technologies, spoke in an interview with TASS about the rapid growth of the Russian market for private military technologies in 2025, shared details of the project on comprehensive protection of the Kursk region from the aerial terrorist threat, and also answered the question whether to expect swarming drones in the near future.