Kosovo

• Serbia has formally asked NATO if it can deploy up to 1,000 troops into northern Kosovo, where Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic says ethnic Serbs are being “terrorized” by the Kosovo government based in Pristina. AWC

Russia

• The Senate on Thursday night passed the massive $858 billion National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) in a vote of 83-11. The spending bill has already been approved by the House and now heads to President Biden’s desk for his signature. AWC
• The Pentagon is planning a major expansion of the number of Ukrainian troops that it will train in Germany and aims to start the new program in early 2023, US officials told The New York Times on Thursday. AWC
• The White House believes Ukraine’s military could retake the Crimean Peninsula from Russia. However, officials say the offensive may cross Moscow’s “red lines” and prompt a nuclear strike. AWC

Israel

• Israel’s incoming prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said Thursday that the US must “reaffirm” its alliance with Saudi Arabia and that he will seek normalization with Riyadh once in office. AWC

Iran

• The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is sending a delegation to Iran on December 18 over an inquiry into uranium traces at undeclared Iranian nuclear sites the nuclear watchdog has been pursuing for years. AWC