The annual display of the national Christmas tree in Washington is meant to be a way for students to show pride in their state. For children of service members living overseas, it can also be a way to feel connected to home at a time of year when being away can be particularly difficult. 

Prime Minister Keir Starmer is set to appoint Peter Mandelson, a veteran Labour Party figure and trade specialist, as the UK’s ambassador to the US, in an effort to spare Britain from being hit by tariffs by Donald Trump.

But Putin has set strict conditions for any deal, including keeping Ukraine permanently out of NATO, significantly reducing its military and hanging on to Ukrainian territory. Analysts see little hope for a peace deal, given Putin’s maximalist position and Trump’s wariness of looking weak if he gives too much to Russia.

Meanwhile, Ukraine’s air force said that it intercepted five Iskander short-range ballistic missiles fired at Kyiv. The attack killed at least one person and knocked out heating to 630 residential buildings, 16 medical facilities and 30 schools and kindergartens, the city administration said.

It’s been a tumultuous month for France and its relationship with former colonies in Africa, as its influence on the continent faces the biggest challenge in decades.

An Uzbek citizen accused of acting on behalf of Ukraine has been charged by Russian authorities with this week’s assassination of a senior Russian general and his assistant in a bombing claimed by Ukraine’s security services, state media said Thursday.

The Bulgaria-based joint unit, comprised of 1,200 to 1,300 soldiers, was set up as part of NATO’s commitment to reinforcing its southeastern flank against potential threats from Russia. Half of the soldiers are from Italy.

President Vladimir Putin said he’s willing to hold talks with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, though he said they haven’t spoken in more than four years.