Donald Trump signed a proclamation to increase U.S. imports of beef from Argentina, while Cuba expressed willingness to engage in talks with the U.S., and Canada and France opened consulates in Greenland, according to reports on Friday, February 7, 2026. These developments occurred amidst ongoing tensions in various global hotspots, including the Russia-Ukraine war and the detention of a key Maduro ally in Venezuela.
Trump's decision to hike low-tariff imports of Argentine beef, announced on Friday, was met with criticism from U.S. cattle ranchers. Economists, however, suggested the move would likely have little impact on prices for consumers. A White House official had previously indicated the move in October, sparking immediate backlash.
Meanwhile, Cuba's President Miguel Díaz-Canel stated his government was open to talks with Washington, despite months of threats from the U.S. This announcement came as the island nation faced a deepening economic crisis. Díaz-Canel's statement followed a U.S. operation in Venezuela that resulted in the seizure of Nicolás Maduro.
In a show of support for Denmark and Greenland, Canada and France opened diplomatic consulates in Nuuk, Greenland. This move came after the U.S. made efforts to secure control of the semi-autonomous Danish territory. The opening of the consulates was seen as a response to the hardening of opposition to the U.S. in Western Europe following the Greenland threat. Canada had previously promised to open a consulate in Nuuk in 2024.
In Venezuela, a joint operation by the Venezuelan intelligence agency and the FBI resulted in the detention of Alex Saab, a close associate of the deposed Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro. Saab, a wealthy Colombian-Venezuelan businessman, was considered Maduro's frontman. Reports indicated that Saab could be extradited to the U.S. within days. At the same address, the FBI and Venezuelan intelligence also reportedly arrested billionaire media mogul Raúl Gorrín.
Elsewhere, fighting continued on the front lines between Russian and Ukrainian forces, despite frigid winter temperatures, according to Al Jazeera. Ukraine's Commander in Chief Oleksandr Syrskii reported that the front line now stretched approximately 1,200km (750 miles) in length along eastern and southern parts of Ukraine. The ongoing conflict saw increasing technological improvements in drone warfare on both sides. In Moscow, Russian General Vladimir Alekseyev was shot several times.
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