U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent:

China is a large buyer of Russian oil, as they are of Iranian oil, as they were of Venezuelan oil.

But guess what, Maria? No more Venezuelan oil for them.

Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov:

Our objective is to kill 50,000 Russians per month. Last month, 35,000 were killed — all of these losses are verified on video.

Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov:

Our task is to eliminate Russian drone operators from the battlefield. To form units that hunt specifically for drone operators.

Such units are already being created, but we need to scale the experience gained.

Carney and Macron meet in Davos.

Macron is still wearing his sunglasses indoors.

Türkiye’s state energy company Turkish Petroleum Corp (TPAO) is in talks with Chevron Corp to jointly explore oil and gas, including seismic studies and drilling.

Source: Bloomberg

LATEST MAP: This is what’s left of SDF/PKK in Syria approximately.

Syrian Army’s rapid advance continues, the map is already outdated.

BREAKING: The Syrian Presidency announced a joint understanding with the SDF on the future of Hasakah Governorate.

Key points:

The SDF has four days to consult and present a detailed integration plan.

Syrian forces will not enter central Hasakah or Qamishli, remaining on the outskirts.

No Syrian military presence in Kurdish villages; local security forces only.

Mazloum Abdi will nominate candidates for Deputy Defense Minister, Hasakah Governor, parliamentary representation, and state employment.

All SDF military and security forces will be integrated into the Ministries of Defense and Interior; civil institutions will join the state structure.

Decree No. 13 on Kurdish linguistic, cultural, and citizenship rights will be implemented.

Implementation begins today at 8:00 PM local time.

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Uganda military chief Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba issued threats against opposition leader Bobi Wine, who's in hiding, giving him 48 hours to surrender.

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The same Danish MEP said the same thing to Trump last year, on January 21, 2025.

BREAKING: US Envoy Tom Barrack:

The original purpose of the SDF as the primary anti-ISIS force on the ground has largely expired, as Damascus is now both willing and positioned to take over security responsibilities, including control of ISIS detention facilities and camps.

Canadian PM Mark Carney:

It seems that every day we are reminded that we live in an era of great power rivalry.

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US Envoy Tom Barrack:

The US has no interest in long-term military presence in Syria; it prioritizes defeating ISIS remnants, supporting reconciliation, and advancing national unity without endorsing separatism or federalism.

US Envoy Tom Barrack:

The post-Assad transition offers Syria’s Kurds their best opportunity yet: full integration into a unified Syrian state with citizenship, political participation, and cultural protections long denied under Assad.

The US-SDF partnership was always tactical, built to defeat ISIS when no viable central government existed. That mission has largely ended. Syria now has a recognized central government, has joined the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, and is prepared to assume security responsibilities.

The United States is facilitating this shift. A January 18 agreement outlines the integration of SDF fighters into the national military, transfer of key infrastructure and ISIS detention facilities to Damascus, and an end to parallel governance. Washington seeks stability, not separatism or a permanent military presence.

For the Kurds, integration offers more durable gains than wartime autonomy—citizenship, constitutional protections for language and culture, and a role in national governance. Despite risks, this US-backed process represents the strongest path to lasting Kurdish rights and security in Syria.

US Envoy Tom Barrack:

At the time, there was no functioning central Syrian state to partner with—the Assad regime was weakened, contested, and not a viable partner against ISIS due to its alliances with Iran and Russia.

Today, the situation has fundamentally changed. Syria now has an acknowledged central government that has joined the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS (as its 90th member in late 2025), signaling a westward pivot and cooperation with the US on counterterrorism.

US Envoy Tom Barrack:

Integration, backed by US diplomacy, represents the strongest chance yet for Kurds to secure enduring rights and security within a recognized Syrian nation-state.

US Envoy Tom Barrack:

In Syria, the United States is focused on: 1) ensuring the security of prison facilities holding ISIS prisoners, currently guarded by the SDF; and 2) facilitating talks between the SDF and the Syrian Government to allow for the peaceful integration of the SDF and the political inclusion of Syria’s Kurdish population into a historic full Syrian citizenship.

BREAKING: Syrian Army:

We announce a ceasefire in all operational sectors of the Syrian Arab Army, effective from 20:00 this evening, Tuesday, 20 January 2026.

This decision will remain in effect for four days from its date, in commitment to the understandings announced by the Syrian state with the SDF, and in pursuit of the success of the national efforts being made.

The Ministry of Defense affirms that it will remain the shield of the Syrian people in all their components, and that it will spare no effort in this path, in a manner that preserves the security and stability of the Syrian community in its entirety.

Canadian PM Mark Carney:

Great powers have begun using economic integration as weapons, tariffs as leverage, financial infrastructure as coercion, supply chains as vulnerabilities to be exploited.

You cannot live within the lie of mutual benefit through integration when integration becomes the source of your subordination.

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Canadian PM Mark Carney:

If great powers abandon even the pretense of rules and values for the unhindered pursuit of their power and interest, the gains from transactionalism will become harder to replicate.

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Canadian PM Mark Carney:

In the past few days, we have concluded new strategic partnerships with China and Qatar.

We are negotiating free trade pacts with India, ASEAN, Thailand, Philippines, and Mercosur.

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Carney: We stand firmly with Greenland and Denmark…

Audience applauds.

Trump will make a speech here tomorrow.

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