Welcome to World Brief: Holiday Edition! For the next two weeks, an extended World Brief will land in your inbox on Monday, focused on today’s biggest stories and the trends to watch tomorrow. The newsletter will take a break for the rest of the week as we at FP enjoy some end-of-year cheer.

Today, we’re looking at the new U.S. special envoy to Greenland, the killing of a senior Russian military official, and Israel approving more Jewish settlements in the West Bank.

Welcome to World Brief: Holiday Edition! For the next two weeks, an extended World Brief will land in your inbox on Monday, focused on today’s biggest stories and the trends to watch tomorrow. The newsletter will take a break for the rest of the week as we at FP enjoy some end-of-year cheer.

Today, we’re looking at the new U.S. special envoy to Greenland, the killing of a senior Russian military official, and Israel approving more Jewish settlements in the West Bank.

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Copenhagen summoned the U.S. ambassador to Denmark on Monday after U.S. President Donald Trump appointed a special envoy to the Nordic country’s largest territory, Greenland. The new position—given to Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry, a Trump loyalist—further signals the White House’s intention to seek control of (and potentially annex) Greenland.

“Jeff understands how essential Greenland is to our National Security, and will strongly advance our Country’s Interests for the Safety, Security, and Survival of our Allies, and indeed, the World,” Trump wrote on Truth Social late Sunday. Landry echoed his sentiment, posting on X that he plans “to make Greenland a part of the U.S.”

Trump has repeatedly threatened to take over Greenland, arguing that the resource-rich, strategically situated territory is vital to U.S. national security; the island is a semiautonomous region of Denmark that is largely self-governed. Despite Copenhagen being a NATO ally, Trump has not ruled out using military force or economic coercion to achieve his aims.

Throughout 2025, the White House has exerted pressure on both Greenland and Denmark to push this agenda forward. In March, a U.S. delegation including Vice President J.D. Vance, then-National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, and Energy Secretary Chris Wright traveled to the........

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