SECURITY: Putin May Supply Belarus With 'Oreshnik' Missiles

Russian President Vladimir Putin has indicated openness to deploying Oreshnik missiles to Belarus. The Oreshnik, a new intermediate-range ballistic missile system capable of delivering a nuclear payload, was combat-tested in Ukraine last month, raising concerns over an escalation of the war. 

• IFX reports that Putin said it's "possible to deploy Oreshnik in Belarus in the second half of 2025."
• The comments come amid increasing diplomatic activity suggesting negotiations to end the war could get underway shortly after US President-elect Donald Trump takes office. Trump VP, JD Vance, and key members of Trump’s team, including National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and Special Envoy Keith Kellog, met with a delegation of senior Ukrainian officials on Wednesday.
• Politico reports the meeting was meant to "start developing personal relationships ahead of Trump taking office in January," with a source saying the Ukrainian side "left satisfied with how things went.”
• The report notes that Andriy Yermak, a key advisor of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, “also made a quick stop down to Mar-a-Lago on Wednesday where he huddled with incoming White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles.”
• New reports revealed that Russian Chief of General Staff Gerasimov and US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Brown held their first-ever call on November 27. Brown’s spokesperson said “at the request of General Gerasimov, General Brown agreed to not proactively announce the call,” noting that the two men “discussed a number of global and regional security issues, to include the ongoing conflict in Ukraine,”