This week, world leaders commemorated the fourth anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the U.S. and Iran held nuclear talks which are slated to continue next week, Pakistan declared “open war” with Afghanistan following an exchange of cross-border attacks, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing.

This week, President Trump announced he will decide in 10-15 days on whether to take military action against Iran after nuclear talks in Geneva ended without a deal, the Board of Peace held its inaugural meeting, U.S.-brokered peace talks between Ukraine and Russia ended without a breakthrough, and Indian Prime Minister Modi and French President Macron met in Mumbai.

This week, the Munich Security Conference took place, President Trump discussed nuclear talks with Iran during his meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu, U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright met with Acting President of Venezuela Delcy Rodríguez to tour oil producing facilities, and NATO launched a new military effort to strengthen its presence in the Arctic.

This week, the last remaining arms control agreement between Russia and the U.S. (New START) expired; the U.S., EU, and Japan announced they will coordinate on action plans for critical mineral supply chain resilience; Russia and Ukraine exchanged prisoners following U.S.-brokered peace talks in Abu Dhabi; the U.S. and Iran held nuclear talks in Oman; and the U.S. and India agreed to a trade deal.

This week, the EU and India signed a free trade agreement, a U.S. aircraft carrier strike group arrived in the Middle East, China purged two of its top military leaders, President Putin hosted Syrian President al-Sharaa in Moscow, and President Trump nominated Kevin Warsh to be the next chairman of the Federal Reserve.

This week, world leaders gathered in Davos for the World Economic Forum where President Trump announced the framework for a future deal on Greenland and signed the founding charter of his proposed Board of Peace; Ukraine, Russia, and the U.S. began the first trilateral peace talks since the start of the war in Ukraine following a meeting between senior U.S. officials and President Putin; and TikTok finalized a deal to create a new American entity following talks between the White House and China.

This week, the U.S. prepared to send military assets to the Middle East following the Iranian regime's deadly crackdown on protestors, European nations sent troops to Greenland following inconclusive talks between Danish, Greenlandic, and U.S. officials in Washington, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing, and Taiwan agreed to invest $250 billion in the U.S. semiconductor industry in exchange for a reduction in tariffs.

This week, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro pleaded not guilty on narco-terrorism charges in a Manhattan courthouse following his arrest by the U.S. in Caracas, the U.S. Coast Guard seized a fifth oil tanker in the Caribbean, the White House said the U.S. is exploring options to acquire Greenland, and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing.

As 2025 comes to a close, we want to share our gratitude for your support of our work this year.

This week, Congress passed the National Defense Authorization Act, two gunmen with alleged ties to ISIS killed 15 people at a Hanukkah celebration in Bondi Beach, Chile elected conservative José Antonio Kast as its next president, President Trump ordered a blockade of sanctioned oil tankers going in and out of Venezuela, the U.S. announced its largest ever arms sales package to Taiwan, and European leaders agreed on a €90 billion loan to Ukraine.

This week, the 2025 Aspen Security Forum: DC Edition brought together top national security voices, experts, business leaders, and innovators from across the political spectrum and around the globe in Washington, DC. We were proud to host over 250 in-person attendees, including many from our Rising Leaders Program, which fosters the next generation of national security and foreign policy leaders.

This week, the Trump administration released a new National Security Strategy, President Macron and President Xi met in Beijing, Israeli and Lebanese diplomats held direct talks for the first time since 1993, and leaders from the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda signed a peace agreement in Washington.