Nov 12, 2026, 07:00 PM UTC

United States mediators Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow following negotiations in Abu Dhabi. The American envoys urged the Kremlin to allow European representatives to join upcoming peace talks to help ensure long-term regional stability.

However, during the discussions, Putin maintained a firm stance on territorial concessions, insisting that any future border between the two countries must align with Russia's constitutionally claimed limits. These official boundaries include the Crimean Peninsula, annexed in 2014, as well as four Ukrainian regions partially occupied by Russian forces since the 2022 invasion. Following their Kremlin consultations, the US negotiators are slated to confer with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to continue shuttle diplomacy efforts.

Sources: Der Spiegel, Der Standard, FAZ, ORF, Tagesschau

Baltic authorities have cancelled air raid alarms after NATO fighter jets scrambled overnight to monitor several drones entering regional airspace. The disruptions occurred while Ukraine launched a series of long-range drone strikes against Russian energy infrastructure.

At least four drones reportedly strayed into Baltic airspace during the operation. In response, Finland temporarily imposed airspace and maritime restrictions before reverting to normal security measures. The regional alert coincided with a targeted Ukrainian strike on the Kirishi oil refinery near St. Petersburg, recognized as Russia's second-largest fuel processing plant. Explosions at the facility sparked a fire that local emergency services subsequently extinguished. Russian authorities reported one fatality near the refinery caused by falling debris from an intercepted drone.

Sources: Delo, Siol.net

Spain has experienced a nationwide general strike marked by uneven participation across economic sectors and heightened political friction. Mainstream trade unions focused mobilization efforts heavily on younger demographics, centering demands on soaring housing costs and the broader cost-of-living crisis.

Industrial plants and major logistics hubs reported substantial disruptions, while service sector activity remained comparatively steady. Clashes occurred between informative pickets and law enforcement officers in key distribution centers, including Mercamadrid. Politically, commentators frame the mobilization as an attempt to influence electoral dynamics ahead of potential right-leaning government coalitions. Business leaders declared participation reached historic lows based on energy consumption metrics, while left-wing political figures sharply criticized the police response to demonstrators.

Sources: Canarias7, El Mundo, La Vanguardia, Marca

Preparations for France's 2027 presidential election are gathering momentum as prospective contenders across the political spectrum outline their strategies.

Following a November 12 public service debate featuring eight potential candidates, Édouard Philippe reiterated his refusal to join a center-right primary despite slipping behind Jean-Luc Mélenchon in recent opinion polls. On the left, negotiations over a potential majority agreement between La France Insoumise and Les Écologistes are progressing ahead of an upcoming Green strategy vote.

Meanwhile, Reconquête! leader Éric Zemmour formally confirmed his candidacy during an interview on TF1. Former Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire publicly expressed frustration over the early influx of declared candidates, remarking that they "poussent comme des champignons," though he left open the possibility of a future bid.

Sources: La Tribune, Le Figaro, Le Monde, Le Soir, Libération.

Military operations between Moscow and Kyiv escalated ahead of scheduled bilateral negotiations, with Russian forces targeting Ukraine's power grid while Ukrainian strikes hit a prominent Russian oil refinery. The conflict's economic fallout is altering global maritime shipping routes, as tanker vessels carrying Russian diesel redirected away from North America following recent political shifts in the United States. Concurrently, public discontent and student-led weekend protests across several Western European commercial districts have disrupted local businesses, forcing retailers to implement preventative security measures.

Sources: BalkanWeb, Gazeta Tema, Koha