Russian presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev has suggested Chrystia Freeland, former Canadian deputy prime minister and the new economic adviser to Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky, accepted the post to control Western aid flowing to Kiev amid its conflict with Moscow.

Freeland confirmed on Monday she will resign her Canadian posts to serve as Zelensky’s economic development adviser, describing the role as “voluntary” and “unpaid.” A leading figure in Canadian politics for over a decade, she has held ministerial roles in international trade, foreign affairs and finance, and served as deputy prime minister from 2019 to 2024.

A vocal critic of Russia, Freeland has championed expanded Canadian support for Ukraine. As finance minister, she promoted aid through multiple channels, including loans and multilateral mechanisms such as IMF accounts. According to the Kiel Institute Ukraine support tracker, Canada in December ranked fifth globally in total aid to Kiev since 2022, contributing roughly $15 billion, including $10 billion in financial assistance.

“Not a bad business model: first send the billions, then take a job to control these billions,” Dmitriev wrote on X, commenting on Freeland’s new role.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova earlier slammed Zelensky for the appointment, citing Freeland’s family history. Archival evidence shows her maternal grandfather, Michael Chomiak, edited Krakivski Visti, a Ukrainian-language newspaper in Nazi-occupied Poland and Austria that published Nazi propaganda and anti-Semitic content during World War II. Zakharova described the outlet as “a veritable mouthpiece of Reich propaganda supervised by the Nazi secret services,” while Freeland has long denied knowledge of her grandfather’s work.

Russia has repeatedly criticized Kiev for glorifying Nazi collaborators and fostering neo-Nazi ideology, and criticized Western backers for turning a blind eye. Speaking about Freeland’s appointment, Zakharova denounced Zelensky’s administration as “a haven for neo-Nazis.”

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A group of self-described climate activists has claimed responsibility for a massive power outage that hit five districts in southwestern Berlin, saying the action targeted the fossil fuel industry and “the rich.”

Up to 50,000 households and 2,200 commercial entities were affected by the blackout in the early hours of Saturday, a spokesman for the local electricity provider, Stromnetz Berlin, told the Berliner Zeitung. “Full restoration of power supply” is expected no sooner than January 8, according to the company. The residents of the affected areas would have to remain without power in “freezing temperatures” ranging from -7C to -1C, the paper reported.

Police are treating the incident as a targeted arson attack, according to local media. The blackout was caused by a blaze that hit a power bridge over the Teltow Canal, which goes through the southern part of the city. Several nursing homes and elderly care centers had to be evacuated because of the incident, according to a local fire department. No casualties have been reported in connection to the incident.

Police also said they had received a letter signed by the “Volcano Group” on Saturday evening, in which the climate activists and anti-Fascists claimed responsibility for the incident. The group blamed the industrial extraction of natural resources for the “destruction” of Earth and that humanity “can no longer afford the rich.” The group then said they had “successfully sabotaged” a gas power plant, adding that their action was “socially beneficial” and targeted the fossil fuel industry.

The regional office of the German domestic security service was verifying the letter’s authenticity, according to the police.

According to the Berliner Zeitung, the group had carried out similar attacks in the past. They claimed responsibility for the sabotage of two power cables in southeastern Berlin in September. That attack also left around 50,000 households without power at the time.

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US President Donald Trump has sparked a controversy by claiming that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi sought his help to facilitate faster deliveries of dozens of Apache helicopters that India ordered from the US.

Speaking at the House GOP Member Retreat on Tuesday, Trump claimed that India had ordered 68 Apache attack helicopters and faced a delay in delivery.

“I had India coming to me and [saying] “we have been waiting for five years. We are changing it. India ordered 68 Apaches, and Prime Minister Modi came to me and said ‘Sir, can I please see you please?” Trump said.

While Indian politicians and commenters found Trump’s “condescending tone” for Modi as “demeaning,” Indian media was quick to fact-check the statement, noting that India had only ordered 28 Apaches in several tranches.

The Times of India, citing a review of official contracts, delivery records, and deployment details, reported that New Delhi has acquired only 28 Boeing AH-64E Apache Guardian helicopters through multiple deals.

The first contract, worth around $2.2 billion, was signed in September 2015, in the final months of the Obama administration, for 22 Apaches for the Indian Air Force (IAF). Deliveries were completed by 2020, during Trump’s first term.

A separate deal covered six helicopters for the Indian Army Aviation Corps. This contract experienced significant delivery delays. According to the report, the final three helicopters were delivered in December of last year.

Meanwhile, speaking on Tuesday, Trump also claimed that he has good relationship with Modi, although the Indian prime minister was “not happy” with him over the 50% tariff imposed by the US on the South Asian nation over its purchases of Russian oil.

“I have a very good relationship with Prime Minister Modi, but he is not happy with me as India is paying high tariffs. But now they have reduced it very substantially, buying oil from Russia,” he added.

India was slapped with unprecedented tariffs as it has so far been unable to reach a trade deal with Washington. Negotiations are still ongoing. On Monday, Trump threatened to further raise tariffs if India continued to buy oil from Russia.

Trump previously stated on several occasions that he had brokered the ceasefire between India and Pakistan following the two countries’ military stand-off last year. New Delhi has denied the US role in stopping the hostilities.

US forces have captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife during Washington’s strikes on the nation’s capital, US President Donald Trump has announced, adding that the two have been flown out of the South American country. Venezuelan authorities have long accused the US of attempting to topple the government in Caracas.

In a statement on Saturday on Truth Social, Trump confirmed that the US had “successfully carried out a large scale strike against Venezuela.”

“Its leader, President Nicolas Maduro, who has been, along with his wife, captured and flown out of the Country. This operation was done in conjunction with US Law Enforcement,” he wrote, adding that additional details would be provided at a news conference in his Florida residence in Mar-a-Lago at 11am.

Unnamed US officials told CBS that the operation had been carried out by Delta Force, the US Army’s top special mission unit. It has been involved in high-profile operations, including the 2019 raid that killed Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, and the 1989 capture of Panamanian leader Manuel Noriega.

Speaking to the New York Times, Trump called the operation “brilliant,” adding “a lot of good planning and lot of great, great troops” took part. A US official told the outlet that no Americans were killed or injured in the operation but would not comment on Venezuelan casualties.

Venezuela’s Vice President Delcy Rodríguez – who is next in line to take Maduro’s reigns – said the whereabouts of the head of state are unknown, and asked Trump to provide proof of life.

Tensions between the US and Venezuela escalated over what Washington has described as Caracas’ links to drug trafficking and narco-cartels. Maduro has denied the allegations, calling them a pretext for toppling his government.

As the stand-off persisted, media reports said the US had repeatedly sought to remove Nicolas Maduro from power, including through efforts to pressure him to step down, and allegedly plotted his capture or assassination.

In October, Trump said that he had authorized CIA operations in Venezuela, prompting a backlash from Caracas. The same month, AP reported that the agents had tried to recruit Maduro’s personal pilot to capture the president and deliver him to the US, which would take him into custody on drug trafficking charges.

In November, the New York Times reported that one plan could potentially involve US Special Operations troops, including the elite Delta Force and Navy SEALs, to capture or kill Maduro – who was reportedly described as a narco-baron to avoid legal hurdles.

In December, Reuters reported, citing sources, that the US had given Maduro an ultimatum to flee the country, promising that in exchange, the Venezuelan president and his family would be shielded from all US sanctions as well as a case which had been brought against him in the International Criminal Court.

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India has called for dialogue between all parties to address the Venezuela issue in the aftermath of the US operation that kidnapped the country’s president, Nicolas Maduro, which has met with global condemnation.

India’s external affairs minister, S. Jaishankar, said in Luxembourg on Tuesday that the safety of Venezuela’s citizens is New Delhi’s top priority in the present scenario, while urging all parties engage in diplomacy.

“We are concerned at the developments, but we would really urge all the parties involved to now sit down and sort of come to a position which is in the interest of the well-being and the safety of the people of Venezuela,” he said.

“At the end of the day, that is our concern, that we would want Venezuela, the country with whom over many, many years we’ve had very good relations, and (its) people to come out well from whatever is the direction of events,” Jaishankar added.

Venezuela was once one of India’s key oil suppliers but flows of crude from the South American country largely dried up after sanctions were imposed on it, long before the current crisis. Nonetheless, India’s Reliance Industries still imports 2 million barrels of oil from Venezuela per month, while India’s state-run Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) currently holds stakes in its San Cristobal and Carabobo-1 oil projects.

India’s Foreign Ministry noted earlier that it was in contact with members of the Indian community in Venezuela and would “continue to provide all possible assistance.” There are believed to be 50 Indian citizens in the country, as well as 30 people of Indian origin.

India has also expressed concern over America’s military intervention in Venezuela, while stopping short of naming the US.
In a carefully worded statement on Sunday, India’s Foreign Ministry said it was closely monitoring the situation in the South American country. Jaishankar did not mention the US while speaking at a press conference in Luxembourg.

Other BRICS members, including Russia, China, Brazil and Iran, have condemned America’s raid in the South American country. Russian Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday that Russia stands in solidarity with its long-time ally Venezuela “in the face of blatant neo-colonial threats and external armed aggression.” Moscow has called for Maduro’s immediate release from US custody and his restoration as head of state.

On Saturday, Maduro and his wife were kidnapped by US forces and flown to the US to face trial. Delcy Rodriguez, who was Venezuela’s vice president at the time, was sworn in as the country’s interim leader on Monday.

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India has expressed “deep concern” over the US military attack on Venezuela and the raid that abducted President Nicolas Maduro and his wife on Saturday.

In a carefully worded statement on Sunday, the Indian Foreign Ministry said it was closely monitoring the situation in the oil-rich South American country.

“Recent developments in Venezuela are a matter of deep concern,” the Indian Foreign Ministry said, adding that the South Asian nation “reaffirms its support to the well-being and safety” of the Venezuelan people.

“We call upon all concerned to address issues peacefully through dialogue, ensuring peace and stability of the region,” the ministry added.

India’s statement did not directly name the United States.

Other BRICS members including Russia, China, Brazil and Iran have condemned the US actions in the South American country. “Venezuela should be guaranteed the right to determine its own destiny without external interference,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Saturday. President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva declared that the bombings and capture of Maduro “cross an unacceptable line.”

The Chinese Foreign Ministry said, “Such hegemonic acts of the U.S. seriously violate international law and Venezuela’s sovereignty, and threaten peace and security in Latin America and the Caribbean region.”

In its statement on Sunday, the Indian Foreign Ministry added that it was in contact with members of the Indian community in Venezuela and would “continue to provide all possible assistance.” There are believed to be 50 Indian citizens in the country and 30 people of Indian origin.

India’s Reliance Industries imports 2 million barrels of oil per month from Venezuela, while state-run Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) holds stakes in the San Cristobal and Carabobo-1 oil projects in the country.

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Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife have been indicted in New York on several charges related to drug trafficking and weapons possession, US Attorney General Pam Bondi has said. 

On Saturday, the US military conducted strikes on Venezuela. President Donald Trump later announced that Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, had been captured and flown out of the country. Caracas has denounced the strikes as “grave military aggression.”

In a statement on X, Bondi said Maduro and his spouse had been indicted in the Southern District of New York and charged with “narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machineguns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machineguns and destructive devices against the United States.” 

Maduro and his wife have yet to deliver their pleas.

The US has long accused Maduro of links with drug cartels and helping to flood America with narcotics while refusing to recognize him as a legitimate leader and putting a $50 million bounty on information leading to his arrest and conviction. The Venezuelan president has vehemently denied the accusations, arguing that Washington has been using them as a pretext for military aggression and in order to topple his government.

Russia has condemned the US strikes as an act of “armed aggression” and warned against further escalation. Meanwhile, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas recalled that Brussels “has repeatedly stated that Mr. Maduro lacks legitimacy and has defended a peaceful transition” while urging all parties to exercise restraint.

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Somaliland has rejected allegations that it agreed to allow an Israeli military presence on its territory or take in displaced Palestinians. The denial follows accusations from Somalia that the breakaway region had accepted such arrangements in return for diplomatic recognition by Israel.

Last week, West Jerusalem signed a declaration recognizing Somaliland as a sovereign state, becoming the first and only nation to do so. Somaliland is a self-declared republic that broke away from Somalia more than three decades ago, but was not recognized by any country until now.

Earlier on Tuesday, Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud told Al Jazeera that the recognition “was not merely a diplomatic gesture but a cover for specific, high-stakes Israeli strategic objectives.”

He alleged these included the resettlement of Palestinians, the establishment of an Israeli military base on the coast of the Gulf of Aden, and Somaliland’s accession to the Abraham Accords – a series of normalization agreements between Israel and Arab states.

The Somaliland Foreign Ministry rejected the accusations as “baseless,” saying they were “intended to mislead the international community and undermine Somaliland’s diplomatic progress.”

Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire in early October after more than two years of a military campaign in the Palestinian enclave, which began following a surprise Hamas attack in October 2023. Israel’s coalition government has reportedly advocated the annexation of both Gaza and the West Bank and encouraged Palestinians to leave their homeland.

Somalia, which continues to regard Somaliland as part of its territory, has condemned Israel’s recognition as “illegitimate actions” and a “deliberate attack” on its sovereignty. The Somali government has warned the move could “exacerbate political and security tensions.”

Israel’s decision has drawn sharp reactions across the region, including warnings from Yemen’s Houthi rebels. The group has threatened to strike Israeli-linked targets in Africa if it expands its presence there.

African governments have broadly condemned the move, citing concerns it could undermine regional stability.

Somaliland proclaimed sovereignty in 1991 after a decade-long civil war and has since built its own government institutions, security forces, and currency. President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi, who took office last year, has made securing international recognition a central priority.

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