POLITICO reports that Russia and the United States are expected to hold talks on Ukraine in Miami this coming weekend.

US and European officials have finalized a “platinum standard” security pact for Ukraine following two days of negotiations in Berlin, aimed at establishing a legally binding defense framework similar to US treaties with Japan and South Korea, sources familiar with the discussions told The Telegraph. The agreement would see the deployment of a US-led monitoring mission to mediate ceasefire disputes, while providing a strategic “backstop” involving US Air Force F-35 Lightning IIs and BGM-109 Tomahawk Land Attack Missile (TLAMs) cruise missiles stationed in NATO territory to carry out counterstrikes if Russia breaches the armistice.

A US Navy F/A-18E “Super Hornet” fighter jet, assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron 31 (VFA-31) of Carrier Air Wing Eight (CVW-8) embarked onboard the USS Gerald R Ford (CVN 78), is currently operating over the Southern Caribbean Sea just miles off the coast of Caracas. The flight is being conducted alongside a pair of EA-18G “Growler” electronic warfare aircraft with Electromagnetic Attack Squadron 142 (VAQ-142).

The US is preparing a fresh round of sanctions on the Russian energy sector aimed at targeting vessels in the so-called “shadow fleet” and the traders facilitating Moscow’s oil transactions, with the measures could be unveiled as early as this week, and intended to increase economic pressure on President Vladimir Putin should the Kremlin reject a peace agreement with Ukraine, according to Bloomberg.

🔗 Bloomberg

The UK Government announced the delivery of the GRAVEHAWK short-range air defense system (SHORAD) to Ukraine, which is used to counter drones and helicopters and uses Soviet R-73 missiles and other legacy munitions possessed by the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU), with the system reusing missile launch rails from Ukrainian Su-27 and MiG-29 fighter aircraft, and was manufactured by the UK and Denmark.

🔗 UK MoD

Three Russian border guards operating a hovercraft on the Narva River illegally crossed the temporary control line into Estonian territory near the Vasknarva breakwater yesterday morning, with surveillance footage released by the Estonian Police and Border Guard (PPA) showing the men disembarking onto the stone pier before returning to the Russian side.

The first regiment equipped with the S-500 "Prometheus" long-range air-defense system has entered combat duty within the Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS), with Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov announcing the formation of a first-of-its-kind air and missile defense (PVO-PRO) division during the ministry's year-end board meeting.

Footage released by Ukraine’s General Staff show the destruction of two S-400 “Triumf” surface-to-air defense systems with their full ammunition loads in the positional area of the Russian 568th Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment near Raevka, Belgorod region, carried out by soldiers of the 15th Separate Artillery Reconnaissance Brigade “Chorniy Lis”.

"Intelligence Falcons" Cells, part of Iraq's Ministry of Interior, conducted a special airborne operation in northeastern Syria, in coordination with the Syrian Government and the US-led coalition, which provided CH-47 "Chinooks" and Helicopters, arresting two high-ranking targets wanted by the Iraqi judiciary.

Personnel assigned to Task Force 59 with the US Naval Forces Central Command/US 5th Fleet (NAVCENT/C5F) successfully launched a LUCAS one-way attack drone from the flight deck of the Independence-class littoral combat ship USS Santa Barbara (LCS 32).

The “Alpha” drone unit also hit a Oman-flagged oil tanker, part of Russia’s “shadow fleet” and named QENDIL in the Mediterranean Sea.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is preparing to present potential military strike options against Iran to US President Donald Trump during an upcoming meeting at Mar-a-Lago, with Israeli officials increasingly concerned that Tehran is rebuilding damaged facilities and expanding its ballistic missile production to a capacity of 3,000 units per month, according to NBC News.

Footage shows the destruction of a Russian Geran-2 UAV somewhere in Ukraine using a Soviet “Igla”/SA-16/18 man-portable air-defense system (MANPAD).