I might. I think it was a very stupid thing to do.
As the war in Ukraine enters its third year, the transition of American power casts a long shadow over the battlefield and the negotiating table alike. Donald Trump's dismissal of Biden's long-range strike authorization as 'stupid' raises the oldest of geopolitical questions: whether commitments made by one government bind the next. Meanwhile, the arrival of North Korean soldiers on a European front line marks a quiet but consequential expansion of the conflict's geography, reminding the world that wars rarely stay within the borders where they begin.
- Trump's open hint that he may reverse Biden's authorization for Ukrainian long-range strikes has injected deep uncertainty into Kyiv's military calculus before he has even taken office.
- North Korean troops have now suffered their first combat deaths fighting Ukrainian forces in Russia's Kursk region, confirming that a 10,000–12,000-strong foreign deployment is no longer theoretical — it is bleeding.
- Germany's defense minister has signaled Berlin's readiness for a peacekeeping role in any future ceasefire, but acknowledged that the fundamental terms of any deal remain entirely unresolved.
- Russia is tightening internal control, sentencing a 23-year-old to 19 years for attempted sabotage, while simultaneously claiming it is expanding its ballistic missile arsenal to global reach.
- An aging Russian tanker has broken apart off occupied Crimea, spilling oil into the Black Sea and adding an environmental catastrophe to a conflict already measured in human and territorial loss.
Speaking as president-elect on Monday, Donald Trump signaled he may undo Biden's authorization allowing Ukraine to strike deeper into Russian territory with American long-range weapons — a decision he called 'stupid.' When pressed on whether he would reverse it, Trump left the question deliberately open. The White House pushed back, with national security spokesperson John Kirby stressing that the decision had been months in the making and that its reasoning had already been shared with Trump's transition team.
The war itself delivered a grim new milestone: North Korean soldiers deployed to Russia have been killed in combat against Ukrainian forces for the first time. Both Ukraine's military intelligence and the Pentagon confirmed the deaths, solidifying what had been announced weeks earlier — that North Korea had sent between 10,000 and 12,000 troops to support Russia's war effort. American officials now assess those soldiers are actively engaged on the front lines in Russia's Kursk border region, where Ukraine has held ground since a summer offensive.
Germany's defense minister, Boris Pistorius, suggested Berlin would likely play a role in any future ceasefire arrangement, though he cautioned that the shape of such a deal remained far from clear. He noted that both sides would need to accept any peacekeeping mandate, and that the most fundamental questions about terms were still unanswered.
Inside Russia, a military court sentenced 23-year-old Vasily Zharkov to 19 years in prison for treason and attempted sabotage after he allegedly made contact with a banned unit of Russians fighting for Ukraine and entered a military base outside Moscow intending to set a fire — arrested before he could act.
Off occupied Crimea, an aging Russian tanker broke apart in heavy seas, spilling oil into the Black Sea. A second vessel ran aground nearby. Ukraine called it an environmental disaster and urged the international community to act against Russia's sanctions-busting oil fleet. At the same time, a senior Russian military commander claimed the country was expanding its ballistic missile arsenal and developing a new intercontinental missile, even as Putin appeared to walk back earlier claims about the mass production of the Oreshnik missile already used against Ukraine in November.
Donald Trump, speaking on Monday as president-elect, signaled he may undo one of Joe Biden's final decisions on the Ukraine war. Biden had authorized Ukrainian forces to strike deeper into Russian territory using American long-range weapons—a move Trump dismissed as "stupid." When asked directly whether he would reverse it, Trump left the door open: "I might. I think it was a very stupid thing to do." The White House defended the decision as the product of months of careful deliberation that predated the November election. John Kirby, the national security spokesperson, emphasized that officials had explained the logic to Trump's team in post-election conversations, laying out the reasoning behind the authorization.
Meanwhile, the war itself was escalating in a new and stark way. North Korean soldiers deployed to Russia had been killed in combat against Ukrainian forces for the first time, according to both Ukraine's military intelligence and the Pentagon. The deaths confirmed what had been announced weeks earlier—that North Korea had sent between 10,000 and 12,000 troops to support Russia's nearly three-year war. The White House now assessed that these soldiers were on the front lines and actively engaged in combat operations in Russia's Kursk border region, where Ukrainian forces have held territory since a summer offensive.
Germany's defense minister, Boris Pistorius, suggested on Monday that his country would likely have a role in any future ceasefire arrangement, though he cautioned that the shape of such an agreement remained far from clear. If Russia and Ukraine reached a ceasefire, he said, the Western alliance and potentially the United Nations would need to discuss how to enforce and secure it. As Europe's largest economy, Germany would naturally be part of those conversations. But Pistorius stressed that both sides would need to accept any peacekeeping mandate, and that fundamental questions about the terms of any deal remained unanswered.
Russia, for its part, was tightening its grip on dissent. A military court sentenced 23-year-old Vasily Zharkov to 19 years in prison on charges of treason, attempted sabotage of strategic infrastructure, and membership in a terrorist organization. Zharkov had been arrested in November 2023 after prosecutors said he made contact with the Freedom of Russia Legion, a banned unit of Russians fighting for Ukraine, and acted on their instructions. He had entered a military base outside Moscow with plans to set a fire but was arrested before carrying out the act.
The environmental cost of the war was also mounting. An aging Russian tanker, the Volgoneft-212, broke apart in heavy seas off occupied Crimea on Sunday, spilling oil into the Black Sea in what Ukraine called an environmental disaster. A second tanker, the Volgoneft-239, ran into trouble in the same area and eventually ran aground near the port of Taman. Ukraine called on the international community to act against Russia's sanctions-busting oil fleet, which had been operating despite Western restrictions.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, speaking at a conference of Baltic and Northern European leaders in Estonia, acknowledged that Ukraine's appetite for military support was only growing. He planned to visit British troops stationed near Russia's border and said that all allied nations had increased their contributions of equipment and capability to Ukraine. The demand, he noted, was relentless and justified.
Russia, meanwhile, was doubling down on its military modernization. A senior Russian military commander claimed the country was expanding its ballistic missile arsenal and planning maximum-range launches of new strategic systems. Sergei Karakayev told Russian state media that Russia's missiles could reach anywhere on Earth and that the country was developing a new intercontinental ballistic missile called the Osina. Vladimir Putin had announced that Russia would soon begin mass-producing the Oreshnik, a ballistic missile that Russia had already used against Ukraine in November, though Putin appeared to be walking back earlier claims that it was already in full production.
Citas Notables
All I can assure you is that in the conversations we've had with them since the election, we have articulated to them the logic behind it, the thinking behind it, why we were doing it.— John Kirby, White House national security spokesperson
If there is a ceasefire, then of course the western community, Nato partners, potentially the United Nations and the European Union will have to discuss how such a peace can be secured. And it is obvious that Germany, as Europe's biggest economy, would play a role there.— Boris Pistorius, German defense minister
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
Why does Trump's comment about reversing the long-range strike authorization matter so much right now?
Because it signals a fundamental shift in how the next administration might approach the war. Biden spent months deliberating before making that decision. Trump is suggesting, casually, that he might undo it in days. It's a statement of intent about his entire approach to Ukraine.
And the North Korean troops—is their presence in combat a surprise, or was this expected?
It was expected in the sense that we knew they were there. But seeing them killed in actual combat is different. It confirms they're not just training or in reserve. They're on the front lines right now, dying in a war that has nothing to do with their country.
What does Germany's cautious language about peacekeeping tell us?
That even the Europeans who might be most involved in enforcing a ceasefire don't know what one would look like yet. Pistorius is being honest—there are more questions than answers. That's a sign of how far apart Russia and Ukraine still are.
The Russian court sentencing—is that typical?
It's typical of how Russia handles dissent during wartime. A 23-year-old who contacted the wrong people gets 19 years. It's a message: the state is watching, and the consequences are severe.
What about the tanker disaster?
It's a reminder that this war has consequences beyond the battlefield. An aging ship breaks apart, oil spills into the sea, and Ukraine is left asking the world to do something about Russia's ability to circumvent sanctions. But the world has limited tools.