US, Allies Challenge China, Russia, and Venezuela

The United States launched a new initiative to counter China's dominance in the critical minerals industry, while also facing diplomatic developments in the Arctic and ongoing challenges in international relations. The State Department hosted the first Critical Minerals Ministerial event on Wednesday, bringing together countries and organizations including the UK, European Union, Japan, India, South Korea, Australia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, according to BBC Technology.

The US effort aims to establish a trade zone for critical minerals essential for manufacturing items like smartphones and weapons. Delegates discussed the availability of and access to these crucial minerals. Simultaneously, Canada and France announced plans to open consulates in Greenland's capital, Nuuk, demonstrating support for Denmark and the Arctic island, as reported by The Guardian. This move follows previous US interest in securing control of the semi-autonomous territory.

In other international developments, Cuba's president, Miguel Díaz-Canel, expressed his government's willingness to engage in talks with Washington amid the island's deepening economic crisis, as stated in The Guardian. This comes after months of threats from Donald Trump.

Meanwhile, Ukraine braced for further attacks on its energy infrastructure as winter temperatures plummeted, and sought to adapt its defenses against Russian drones, according to Al Jazeera. Ukraine's energy minister, Denys Shmyal, warned Ukrainians to prepare for more power blackouts in the coming days as Russian air attacks continued.