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Ukraine drops NATO bid: Will Kyiv get security guarantees from the West? | Russia-Ukraine war News
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said he is prepared to abandon Ukraine’s pursuit of NATO membership in exchange for tighter Western security guarantees. His comments came as he has been holding talks with United States and European envoys aimed at ending Ukraine’s war with Russia.
US President Donald Trump, who has opposed NATO membership for Ukraine, has been pressuring Kyiv to sign a deal with Russia on terms that experts say favour Moscow.
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The move marks a big shift for Ukraine. Zelenskyy described the latest proposal as a concession by Kyiv, after years of pressing for NATO membership as the strongest deterrent against future Russian attacks.
So will Kyiv be able to get security guarantees from its Western allies? And what would be the parameter of the security deal?
What did Zelenskyy actually say?
In audio messages shared with journalists via a WhatsApp group ahead of the meeting, Zelenskyy said that Kyiv now expects alternative security guarantees comparable to those enjoyed by NATO alliance members.
“From the very beginning, Ukraine’s desire was to join NATO; these are real security guarantees. Some partners from the US and Europe did not support this direction,” Zelenskyy said.
“Bilateral security guarantees between Ukraine and the US, Article 5-like guarantees for us from the US, and security guarantees from European colleagues, as well as other countries – Canada, Japan – are an opportunity to prevent another Russian invasion,” he said.
“These security guarantees are an opportunity to prevent another wave of Russian aggression,” he said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has long said that Ukraine’s NATO aspirations are a threat to Russian security.
Zelenskyy said that Ukraine, the European Union and the US were reviewing a 28-point plan that could culminate in a ceasefire, though he reiterated that Kyiv was not holding direct talks with Russia.
Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff said “a lot of progress was made” as he and the US president’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, met with Zelenskyy in the German capital city of Berlin on Sunday.
The Ukrainian president also stressed that new security guarantees must be legally binding and endorsed by the US government. Looking ahead, he said he was expecting feedback following talks between Ukrainian and American officials in Germany.
For their part, however, many Ukrainians remain sceptical of this latest round of talks. Reporting from Kyiv, Al Jazeera’s Audrey MacAlpine said that “it’s been months and months of false hope when it comes to diplomatic discussions. Many of them have historically fizzled out. So … the reality of peace still seems far away.”
On Monday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that “this [NATO] issue is one of the cornerstones and requires special discussion”, and that Moscow is now waiting for Washington “provide us with the concept that is being discussed in Berlin”.
What will be the likely contours of a new security guarantee?
The security guarantees now under discussion would fall short of NATO’s Article 5 – meaning an attack on one is an attack on all. Instead of joining NATO, Ukraine would receive bespoke guarantees from the US and key European powers – set out in bilateral or plurilateral treaties.
These guarantees would likely commit partners to swift and tangible support if Ukraine were attacked again, including military assistance, intelligence sharing, arms supplies, sanctions and financial aid.
Unlike in Article 5, however, the guarantees would not trigger automatic collective defence. Each guarantor’s obligations would be defined separately, potentially with conditions, and without NATO’s integrated command structures.
The final version of the deal, however, would only be known after Kyiv’s Western allies agree on it. It is still unclear how much progress has been made on the issue.
What obstacles still remain?
For months, Washington has tried to balance the competing demands of Russia and Ukraine. Trump has been pushing hard for a conclusion to the war, and is said to be growing increasingly frustrated with delays.
Efforts to find common ground have faced significant hurdles, including the future of Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, much of which is under Russian occupation.
Putin has made it a central condition for peace that Ukraine withdraw its forces from the remaining areas of Donetsk under Kyiv’s control – a demand Ukraine has consistently rejected.
Zelenskyy said the US had proposed that Ukraine pull out of Donetsk and turn the area into a demilitarised free economic zone, an idea he dismissed as impractical. “I do not consider this fair, because who will manage this economic zone?” he said.
“If we are talking about some buffer zone along the line of contact … only a police mission should be there, and troops should withdraw, then the question is very simple. If Ukrainian troops withdraw 5-10 kilometres [3-6 miles], for example, then why do Russian troops not withdraw deeper into the occupied territories by the same distance?”
Calling the matter “very sensitive,” Zelenskyy said a freeze along the existing line of contact would be preferable, adding that “today a fair possible option is we stand where we stand”.
On the flip side, Putin’s foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov told the business newspaper Kommersant that Russian police and national guard forces would remain in parts of Donetsk even if the region were designated a demilitarised zone under a future peace plan.
Ushakov cautioned that reaching a compromise could take considerable time, arguing that US proposals reflecting Russian demands had been “worsened” by revisions suggested by Ukraine and its European partners.
In remarks broadcast Sunday on Russian state television, Ushakov said that “the contribution of Ukrainians and Europeans to these documents is unlikely to be constructive”, warning that Moscow would have “very strong objections”.
He also said territorial issues were a major topic when Witkoff and Kushner met with Putin earlier this month. “The Americans know and understand our position,” Ushakov said.
Are other discussions also taking place?
On Sunday, Zelenskyy said he spoke with French President Emmanuel Macron shortly before meeting Trump’s envoys, thanking him on X for his support and noting, “We are coordinating closely and working together for the sake of our shared security.”
Macron responded, noting that “France is, and will remain, at Ukraine’s side to build a robust and lasting peace – one that can guarantee Ukraine’s security and sovereignty, and that of Europe, over the long term.”
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who has led European support efforts alongside Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, said on Saturday that “the decades of the ‘Pax Americana’ are largely over for us in Europe and for us in Germany as well.”
However, he warned that Putin’s objective is “a fundamental change to the borders in Europe, the restoration of the old Soviet Union within its borders… If Ukraine falls, he won’t stop,” Merz said at a party conference in Munich on Saturday.
Putin has denied any intention to reestablish the Soviet Union, or to attack European allies.
However, for years, Putin has decried the expansion of NATO around Russia’s borders. On February 24, 2022, the day Russia launched its full-scale invasion, Putin said in a televised address: “Any further expansion of the North Atlantic alliance’s infrastructure or the ongoing efforts to gain a military foothold of the Ukrainian territory are unacceptable for us.”
What’s happening on the battlefront?
Over the weekend, Ukraine’s air force said that Russia had launched ballistic missiles and 138 attack drones overnight. Of those, 110 were intercepted or destroyed, though missile and drone strikes were recorded at six locations.
Zelenskyy said on Sunday that hundreds of thousands of families in the southern, eastern and northeastern regions of Ukraine remain without electricity, and that officials were working to restore power, heat and water after a large-scale attack the previous night.
He added that Russia had fired more than 1,500 strike drones, 900 guided aerial bombs and 46 missiles of various types at Ukraine over the past week. Russia’s Defence Ministry said its air defences shot down 235 Ukrainian drones late Saturday and early Sunday.
In the Krasnodar region, drones struck the town of Afipsky, which houses an oil refinery. Authorities said blasts shattered windows in residential buildings but reported no damage to the refinery.
Fighting has also intensified in the Black Sea. Russian forces recently struck Ukrainian ports, damaging Turkish-owned vessels, including a ship carrying food supplies. An attack on Odesa set grain silos ablaze, according to Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister Oleksii Kuleba.
WORLD NEWS
Trump receives $250 million offer to run for third term as he discusses options with impeachment lawyer
Donald Trump has discussed the possibility of running for a third presidential term, inspiring one of his largest donors to offer him a quarter of a billion dollars.
The president was hosting a reception with Miriam Adelson Tuesday night when he opined about serving four more years in the White House – a move that would be unprecedented and largely considered unconstitutional.
Adelson, the wife of late Israeli-American billionaire Sheldon Adelson, gave over $100million to Trump during the last election cycle. She even pitched a third White House run to Trump’s impeachment lawyer Alan Dershowitz – who loved the idea.
‘I met Alan Dershowitz and he said the legal thing about four more years and I said, “Alan, I agree with you.” So, we can do it. Think about it!’ she said at the Hanukkah reception.
Trump briefly looked for Dershowitz in the crowd before suggesting Adelson was ready to pony up more campaign cash, all while the crowd chanted ‘four more years.’
The president quipped: ‘She said think about it, I’ll give you another $250million!’
As the crowd laughed, Adelson could be heard saying: ‘I will give.’
Dershowitz, the famous lawyer who defended Trump during his impeachment trial, has written a new book about whether the president can run again and even discussed it with Trump.
Donald Trump briefly discussed whether he could Constitutionally run for a third term, inspiring one of his largest donors to offer him a quarter of a billion dollars to do it
Alan Dershowitz (pictured),the famous lawyer who defended Trump during his impeachment trial, has written a new book about whether the president can run again and even discussed it with Trump
‘I said it’s not clear if a president can become a third term president and it’s not clear if it’s permissible,’ Dershowitz admitted to the Wall Street Journal.
The attorney gave Trump a copy of his upcoming book, titled Could President Trump Constitutionally Serve a Third Term? and said the the president seemed engaged.
‘He found it interesting as an intellectual issue. Do I think he’s going to run for a third term? No, I don’t think he will run for a third term,’ the lawyer said.
Adelson, however, was much more motivated when they met at the White House, according to Dershowitz, asking him: ‘Is this real? Oh, my God, I hope this can happen.’
A spokesperson for the president didn’t say yes or no to another run but hyped the president’s accomplishments in his second term.
‘There has never been an Administration that has accomplished as much in less than one year than the Trump Administration,’ Abigail Jackson told Axios.
‘The American people would be lucky to have President Trump in office for even longer.’
The 79-year-old president last brought the issue up in late October, when he largely poured cold water on it.
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What would it mean for American democracy if a president served more than two terms?
The president (pictured left) joked at a White House reception with Miriam Adelson (pictured right) Tuesday night about the possibility, which has been discussed and largely dismissed as Trump goes through his first year back in office
‘I have the best numbers for any president in many years, any president, and I would say, you read it, it’s pretty clear I’m not allowed to run,’ Trump said about the Constitution. ‘It’s too bad. But we have a lot of great people.’
Earlier that same week, he was asked about comments by Steve Bannon saying there was a ‘plan’ in place.
‘I would love to do it,’ he then said. ‘I have my best numbers ever.’
When a reporter asked the president if he was not ruling it out, he repeated the question back.
‘Am I not ruling it out? You’ll have to tell me,’ the president answered.
Trump did say he wouldn’t try to utilize a possible loophole and run for vice president instead.
‘I think the people wouldn’t like that. It’s too cute. It wouldn’t be right,’ he said.
Democrats and critics of Trump in his own party have called out his third term talk, pointing to what happened during the transition period after the Republican lost reelection in 2020 to President Joe Biden.
Trump attempted to stay in power by falsely claiming Biden had stolen the election using widespread voter fraud.
In reality, Biden won the election but Republicans were angry that so many state legislatures allowed for the proliferation of mail-in ballots, something that was being done due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
The 22nd Amendment to the US clearly states that ‘no person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice.’
Donald Trump addressed the nation in a televised speech outlining his review of the past year and his upcoming priorities – but not all viewers are convinced with some going as far to say he sounded ‘desperate’
03:11, 18 Dec 2025
Trump’s first year-end address to the nation of his second term,(Image: POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Donald Trump tried, and failed, to convince the American people that they are wrong to worry about the U.S. economy, saying any challenges are being repaired.
In the first year-end address to the nation of his second term, the president shouted into a microphone trying to convince Americans that the economy is on an upswing despite widespread reports of financial hardships. He says since returning to the presidency, “in a few short months, we went from worst to best”.
In the speech he discussed his achievements and touched on some of his agenda for next year and beyond. It comes as Trump is trying to rebuild his steadily eroding popularity, as public polling shows most Americans are frustrated with his handling of the economy.
President Donald Trump raised a few eyebrows with his speech(Image: POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
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One X user wrote: “Trump and his speech full of half-truths and too many lies.” While another wrote: “No president that knows they’re winning & has the support of his followers comes on TV & gives a speech like Trump did. He’s desperate. This run on sentence of a speech was pathetic.”
A third said: “Why is Trump shouting at his audience ? Does he think people cant hear him in their own living rooms ? The president needs to exude calm and control through his speech. Trump sounds flustered and angry.”
Others were more positive about the speech saying: “Trump was really strong in his speech. He has been working his tail off and is delivering for the American People.” Another said: “Trump’s speech was spot on! His message resonates with Americans who value strong leadership and putting America first. It’s refreshing to hear a President who truly cares about our country.”
US President Donald Trump addresses the nation from the Diplomatic Reception Room (Image: POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Sky News even went as far as to call it “Trump’s greatest hits” as the US President spent minutes merely rambling awkwardly about what he believed were huge successes in his power in 2025. Mark Stone, the broadcaster’s US correspondent, said Mr Trump adopted an “angry and frustrated” tone during his address.
But speaking from Washington DC, he added: “There was no new announcement on Venezuela, or indeed on anything else significant. Instead, as you (the Sky News anchor) point out was his greatest hits but the context with which he made it is really important to point out because his polling numbers are really very bad indeed.
“He appears, according to some polls and anecdotally at least, to be losing the base somewhat, the base of support around the country… For me, what I came away with is a man that is saying ‘I just don’t get why you aren’t finding things cheaper, I just don’t get why you aren’t enjoying life anymore.
“I don’t get why my polling numbers are higher, and I’m really annoyed about that.That was the tone that I got from that speech. Those people that say he is losing his marbles will point to tonight and say ‘there you go, I told you so.’ He is frustrated clearly by the polling numbers, that is what tonight was about.”
Maxwell, a former British socialite and Epstein accomplice, says her conviction for trafficking a ‘miscarriage of justice’.
Published On 18 Dec 2025
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Ghislaine Maxwell, former girlfriend and accomplice of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, has asked a federal judge in the United States to set aside her sex trafficking conviction and quash her 20-year prison sentence.
Maxwell made the long-shot legal bid in a Manhattan court on Wednesday, saying “substantial new evidence” had emerged proving that constitutional violations spoiled her trial in 2021 for recruiting underage girls for wealthy financier Epstein, who died in 2019.
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In the lengthy filing, Maxwell, 63, argues that “newly discovered evidence” proves that she “did not receive a fair trial by independent jurors coming to Court with an open mind”.
“If the jury had heard of the new evidence of the collusion between the plaintiff’s lawyers and the Government to conceal evidence and the prosecutorial misconduct they would not have convicted,” Maxwell wrote.
She said the cumulative effect of the constitutional violations resulted in a “complete miscarriage of justice”.
Maxwell submitted the filing herself, not in the name of a lawyer.
Proceedings of the type brought by Maxwell are routinely denied by judges and are often the last-ditch option available to offenders to have their convictions overturned, the AFP news agency reports.
Maxwell’s filing also comes just days before records in her legal case are scheduled to be released publicly as a result of US President Donald Trump’s signing of the Epstein Files Transparency Act.
The law, which Trump signed after months of public and political pressure on his administration, requires the Department of Justice to provide the public with Epstein-related records by December 19.
The circumstances of Epstein’s death and his influential social circle, which spanned the highest reaches of business and politics in the US, have also fuelled conspiracy theories about possible cover-ups and unnamed accomplices
Critics also continue to press President Trump to address his own once-close relationship with Epstein.
The Justice Department has said it plans to release 18 categories of investigative materials gathered in the massive sex trafficking probe, including search warrants, financial records, notes from interviews with victims, and data from electronic devices.
Epstein was arrested in July 2019 on sex trafficking charges but was found dead a month later in his cell at a New York federal jail, and his death was ruled a suicide.
Maxwell, once a well-known British socialite, was arrested a year later and convicted of sex trafficking in December 2021.
In July, she was interviewed by the Justice Department’s second-in-command and soon afterwards moved from a federal prison in Florida to a prison camp in Texas.
Maxwell’s transfer from the Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) Tallahassee – a low-security prison in Florida – to the minimum-security Federal Prison Camp in Bryan, Texas, was carried out without explanation at the time.
Dan Bongino has said he will leave his role as the FBI’s deputy director in January.
In a post on X, he thanked President Donald Trump, as well as the director of the FBI and the attorney general “for the opportunity to serve with purpose”.
It comes after Trump said earlier on Wednesday that the former podcast host “did a great job” in office, and “wants to go back to his show”.
Bongino, who was appointed to the role by Trump in February, was previously a New York City police officer and a US Secret Service agent assigned to protect Barack Obama. In recent years, he built a large following through his podcast and other media appearances.
Bongino, a staunch Trump ally, was considered a surprise pick for the role – which had previously been held by career agents – because he had no prior experience with the agency.
The FBI Agents Association, which represents around 14,000 current and former agents, had opposed his appointment to the position.
Announcing his decision in a social media post on Wednesday, he said: “I will be leaving my position with the FBI in January. I want to thank President Trump, AG [Pam] Bondi, and Director [Kash] Patel for the opportunity to serve with purpose.
“Most importantly, I want to thank you, my fellow Americans, for the privilege to serve you. God bless America, and all those who defend Her.”
Before joining the agency, Bongino had echoed disinformation and conspiracy theories about Trump’s false claim that he won the 2020 election, and about the 6 January 2021 pipe bomb investigation.
Bongino had previously called the pipe bomb case an “inside job”. After taking office he pushed to make the investigation, which Attorney General Bondi said had “languished”, a priority for the FBI.
Earlier this month, a man with no known ties to the government was arrested, nearly six years after the pipe bombs were discovered outside the national headquarters for the Republican and Democratic parties.
FBI Director Patel, in a social media post on Wednesday praising Bongino’s tenure, said he had “served as the people’s voice for transparency, and delivered major breakthroughs in long unsolved cases like the pipe bomb investigation”.
“He not only completed his mission – he far exceeded it,” Patel wrote.
Bongino also appeared to change his mind about the death of sex offender Jeffrey Epstein once he became a leader at the FBI.
As a commentator, he had questioned whether Epstein took his own life in a New York prison cell in 2019 while awaiting trial. Then, in May, Bongino said: “I have seen the whole file. He killed himself”.
In July, the US justice department and FBI released a memo that said Epstein did take his own life, and did not have a “client list”.
The memo frustrated many of Trump’s supporters, who echoed the Epstein conspiracy theories and rejected the justice department’s findings.
According to the BBC’s media partner CBS News, the memo led to a contentious meeting between him and Bondi.
Bondi, who oversees the FBI, wrote in a brief post on X on Wednesday that “Americans are safer” because of Bongino’s FBI service.
Skip next section Trump’s approval rating slumps over affordability concerns
12/18/2025December 18, 2025
Trump’s approval rating slumps over affordability concerns
US President Donald Trump’s speech comes amid his falling popularity and concerns over rising costs.
His approval rating decreased from 41% to 39% in a new Reuters/Ipsos poll published on Tuesday.
Just one-third (33%) of Americans approve of how he is handing the economy, the poll found.
A November survey by US broadcaster CBS News and YouGov showed that nearly two-thirds (or 65%) of Americans felt Trump’s policies were making the cost of groceries go up.
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Skip next section Welcome to our coverage12/18/2025December 18, 2025
Welcome to our coverage
US President Donald Trump previewed his speech to reporters on Wednesday, saying, “The message this evening is we inherited a mess, and we’ve done a great job, and we continue to, and our country is going to be stonger than ever before very soon.”
White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt told reporters that Trump may tease policy moves that are likely to come next year, too.
Follow us as we bring you the news from the Trump administration and the United States.
https://p.dw.com/p/55Znr
WORLD NEWS
White House adds plaques below Biden and Obama portraits calling them ‘the worst President in American history’ and ‘divisive’
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White House staff updated the so-called “Presidential Walk of Fame” Wednesday by adding lengthy descriptions of each former president, in rhetoric that aligns with President Donald Trump’s – such as calling former President Joe Biden “the worst President in American History.”
As part of the president’s ongoing effort to customize the White House to his liking, Trump set his well-known opinions of each former president in stone by adding plaques underneath the portraits that now hang along the colonnade.
But rather than neutrally describing each president, Trump chose to invoke more color – claiming former President Barack Obama is “one of the most divisive political figures” and asserting former President Ronald Reagan “was a fan.”
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said, “The plaques are eloquently written descriptions of each President and the legacy they left behind. As a student of history, many were written directly by the President himself.”
“Sleepy Joe was, by far, the worst President in American History,” the plaque underneath Biden’s portrait, which is an autopen as opposed to his official portrait, reads. “Taking office as a result of the most corrupt Election ever seen in the United States.”
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The plaque underneath a photo of an autopen brands Biden ‘by far, the worst President in American History’ (AP)
As part of Obama’s description, the White House wrote: “As President, he passed the highly ineffective ‘Unaffordable’ Care Act, resulting in his party losing control of both Houses of Congress, and the Election of the largest House Republican majority since 1946.”
For former President Bill Clinton, the White House attributed his legislative successes to “Republicans in Congress,” and boasted that Trump terminated the North American Free Trade Agreement, the trade deal struck under Clinton. The White House also included a line about how Hillary Clinton lost the 2016 presidential election in Bill Clinton’s description.
However, some former presidents, more aligned with Trump on policies, such as Reagan, receive more of a doting description.
For Reagan, the White House wrote: “Known as ‘The Great Communicator,’ he was re-elected in a landslide in 1984, and left office with high approval… He was a fan of President Donald J. Trump long before President Trump’s Historic run for the White House. Likewise, President Trump was a fan of his!”
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The White House’s description of Reagan claims the former president ‘was a fan of President Donald J. Trump before President Trump’s Historic run for the White House’ (AP)
Under former President Richard Nixon, the description claims Nixon had “one of the greatest political comebacks in American History” and “won the largest popular vote victory in American History.”
The White House seemingly gave props to former President Gerald Ford in his description for issuing a “brave Pardon to Richard Nixon.”
The new plaques are part of the White House’s “Wall of Fame” – a once-blank wall outside the West Wing that now hangs portraits of every president in order of office. The only one exempt is Biden, whose portrait was replaced with a photo of the autopen – a reference to the claims by Republicans that Biden staffers utilized the device in the former president’s place.
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On the ‘Presidential Wall of Fame,’ the White House offered praise of Nixon and called Ford’s pardon ‘brave’ (AP)
Since returning to the White House in January, the Trump administration has used its prominence to “troll” the opponents of Trump through social media, speeches and other means.
The new “Wall of Fame” plaques appear to be the latest format for the administration to lash out at specific former presidents or policies that do not align with the current president.
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The White House included a line about Hillary Clinton, the former first lady, losing the 2016 presidential election to Trump in former President Bill Clinton’s description (AP)
Under former President George W. Bush, the White House included lines such as: “President Bush created the Department of Homeland Security, but started wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, both of which should not have happened;” and “Shortly before the end of his Administration, a Global Financial Crisis and major Recession took place.”
But to describe former President George H. W. Bush, the White House only included his accomplishments.
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White House ‘Wall of Fame’ plaques for former Presidents George H. W. Bush (left) and George W. Bush (right) contain different representations of the father and son as leaders (AP)
Former President John F. Kennedy’s plaque acknowledges the “failed Bay of Pigs Invasion,” and former President Lyndon B. Johnson’s says “discontent over the Vietnam War led to National unrest and greatly damaged his Presidency.”
To describe Former President Jimmy Carter, the White House listed mostly negative events such as the Iran hostage crisis, inflation, the spread of Communism, the Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan and more. But the description ends by acknowledging Carter did “wonderful things for Humanity” after leaving office.
California Governor Gavin Newsom, no stranger to mocking Trump online, slammed the stunt.
“Inflation is up. Unemployment is up. Grocery prices are up. Electricity costs are up. And Donald Trump is spending his time doing this bull***t,” he wrote on X.
Retired US Army General Barry R McCaffrey also took to X to share his disbelief.
“Appalling. Embarrassing. Juvenile. Something very wrong here,” he wrote on X.
Nice pajamas are wildly underrated in my book. We spend basically a third of our lives in them after all, which means they should feel and look good. The best pairs I own have a relaxed, breathable fit with soft material that doesn’t bunch up when I toss and turn during the night. They’re the quiet MVP of my bedtime routine that makes climbing into bed feel even more enticing.
Gwyneth Paltrow gets it. On Instagram, she showed off her $252 navy jaguar-print pajama set by Desmond & Dempsey while cooking breakfast. Her exact pair is on sale at both Nordstrom and Bloomingdale’s but practically sold out in every size. The good news? We were still able to track down her exact pair on sale with plentiful stock, as well as several under-$50 styles inspired by Paltrow that have a similarly polished, expensive look and feel.
Gwyneth Paltrow-Inspired Luxe Pajama Sets
Desmond and Dempsey Jag Navy Long Pyjama Set, $202 at checkout
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Paltrow’s exact pjs have a tailored look with a relaxed fit. They’re 100 percent organic cotton with a notched collar and button-down front. The pants have deep pockets for stashing your phone or lip balm. And, as proven by Paltrow, they’ll make you look pulled together, even when you’re flipping omelets in the kitchen.
Brosloth Satin Pajama Set
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This similar pajama set is silky-soft and has a relaxed drape that feels cool and breathable. The V-neck button-down comes with elastic-waist bottoms for extra comfort. A shopper raved that the set “feels luxurious” and “looks expensive,” while another called them “very luxurious for a low price.”
Sheshow Cheetah Navy Satin Pajamas
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This classic set of cheetah print pajamas was described by a reviewer as looking and feeling “way more expensive than they are.” They added that the silky feel of the set is “super comfortable” and they “fit perfectly.”
Thankfully, you don’t need a Goop-level budget to channel the Oscar winner’s luxe pajama style. Keep scrolling for more rich-looking sets that feel splurge-y but ring in under $50.
Ekouaer Striped Satin Pajama Set
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Nordstrom Classic Cotton Pajamas
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Nordstrom Rack Tranquility Pajama Set
Nordstrom Rack
Escalier 3-Piece Silky Floral Pajama Set, $31 with coupon
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Auden Cozy Ribbed Notch-Collar Pajama Set
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WORLD NEWS
Anthony Albanese’s huge announcement to change Australia forever after Bondi Beach attack
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has unveiled major reforms to combat hate speech, division and radicalisation following the Bondi Beach terror attack.
Speaking from Canberra on Thursday, Albanese announced that the National Security Committee has approved five sweeping changes to address hate-driven violence in Australia.
The measures include a new aggravated hate speech offence targeting preachers and community leaders who incite violence, as well as tougher penalties for hate speech that actively encourages violent acts.
Hate will also become an aggravating factor in sentencing for online threats and harassment, ensuring offenders face stiffer consequences.
Attorney-General Michelle Rowland and Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke will lead the push for stronger federal hate crime laws, including the creation of a new vilification offence, a longstanding demand from Australia’s Jewish community.
As part of the reforms, Burke will be granted expanded powers to cancel or refuse visas for individuals spreading anti-Jewish hate, while a new system will be introduced to formally list and target extremist groups, such as Islamist organisation Hizb-ut Tahrir.
UNSW chancellor David Gonski has been appointed to a 12-month taskforce alongside anti-Semitism envoy Jillian Segal to address rising anti-Semitism across Australian universities.
Australians are ‘shocked and angry,’ Albanese said.
New laws to crackdown on hate preachers and antisemitism were announced on Thursday
‘I am angry. It is clear we need to do more to combat this evil scourge. Much more.’
Among the new laws, aggravated hate speech offences will be aimed at religious and community leaders who promote violence.
Penalties for hate speech that encourages violence will be sharply increased, sending a firm message that incitement will no longer be tolerated.
Courts will now treat hate as an aggravating factor when sentencing for crimes related to online threats and harassment, leading to stricter punishments.
A formal framework will be established for publicly listing organisations whose leaders incite racial hatred or violence, effectively naming and shaming extremist groups.
In addition, a narrowly defined federal offence for serious racial vilification or advocating racial supremacy will be introduced to close current legal gaps.
Burke will also be given more powers to cancel and reject visas for those advocating hatred.
Burke said he would prioritise tackling hate preachers who spread extremist Islamic views.
Krissy Barrett (pictured) said officers are investigating hate preachers promoting violence
‘We have seen vision of hate preachers and we are shocked that it is happening in Australia,’ he said.
‘It is not representative of what people are expecting and are not representative of the Muslim community.’
Australian Federal Police Commissioner Krissy Barrett revealed officers are already investigating leaders promoting violence.
‘The AFP has ongoing investigations into people who have been described as hate preachers,’ she said.
‘These individuals who spew hatred and cause fear are on my radar, and I have had the counter-terrorism and special investigations command reviewing information and other material in relation to these individuals since I became the commissioner.’
Albanese hit back at criticism that his government failed to protect Jewish Australians after the October 7 terror attack in Israel.
‘There is always more that can be done, always,’ he said. ‘It’s clear there’s more to do, and beyond these announcements, we will do even more.’
Albanese stopped short of confirming whether Parliament will be recalled before its scheduled February sitting to fast-track the new laws.
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Anthony Albanese’s huge announcement to change Australia forever after Bondi Beach attack
Zulma Guzman Castro, 54, is accused of killing two schoolgirls with poisoned chocolate-covered raspberries in Colombia – and was rescued from the River Thames after fleeing her home country
00:09, 18 Dec 2025
Zulma Guzman Castro, 54, is accused of poisoning two schoolgirls in Colombia
A businesswoman accused of killing two schoolgirls in Colombia with poisoned raspberries has been found hiding in London after her Buxton water bottle gave her location away.
Zulma Guzman Castro was rescued from the River Thames near Battersea Bridge early on Tuesday morning after being named in her homeland as the alleged killer of Ines de Bedout, 14, and 13-year-old Emilia Forero.
An Interpol Red Notice had been issued for the 54-year-old after she was linked to the delivery of the dessert, which was laced with heavy metal thallium. Castro is expected to face extradition proceedings when she is deemed fit to travel.
An Interpol Red Notice was issued for the 54-year-old’s arrest(Image: Interpol)
Ms Guzman Castro was accused of killing the schoolgirls in a likely “act of vengeance” after an affair with Ines’ dad Juan de Bedout. She denies any involvement in her deaths – but over the weekend she raised suspicions in her homeland she might be in the Britain by constantly drinking from a bottle of Buxton mineral water during an exclusive interview with Colombian news outlet Focus Noticias.
Newspaper El Tiempo was one of the first to pick up on the fact that the water bottle could offer a clue to her current whereabouts, and a source said: “The bottle of water she drank from was Buxton Natural Mineral Water, a reputed product which is mainly commercialised in the UK, although it can be purchased online.”
“The size of the bottle she was drinking are sold in street shops, which would indicate Guzman is in an apartment or house and not in a hotel.”
Investigators are said to have followed this up, ruling out the earlier line of enquiry which suggested she was in Argentia, where she initially fled. The businesswoman, who founded a car-sharing firm called Car-B, admitted to having an affair with the girls’ dather Juan de Bedout in her Focus Noticias interview, as well as confessing she had put a GPS tracker on his car.
A picture of Castro standing in front of a car(Image: Youtube/Autos Rodando)
She said: “Regrettably I was his lover for many years, more than six. The relationship with him was basically clandestine and we would see each other in my house or elsewhere in Bogota. Our relationship ended at the beginning of 2020.”
Confirming she had tried to track his movements, she added: “I committed an error many years ago. Precisely when I was in a relationship with Juan, out of jealousy and because I was entangled in all the lies, he challenged me, saying that I wasn’t capable of knowing where he was hiding.
“I told him that I was capable, and that’s when I looked for a way to put the GPS in the car.”
Denying any involvement in the schoolgirls’ poisoning, she said: “I am a mother, and that must be unbearable pain, and I understand that for that reason they want to find the culprit and use all possible means to do so, but I am not that culprit.”
“The strategy is clearly to completely destroy me before any legal proceedings, to destroy my image and give a version that would destroy me without any trial, without any guarantee of a fair trial at this time.”
Colombian authorities have made a request to the UK for her capture and it is understood a warrant was issued by Westminster Magistrates Court for her arrest earlier this week.
She was rushed to hospital yesterday after being rescued from the Thames near London Bridge, with rescuers said to have lit up the river with searchlights before locating her.
A Met Police spokesman said of yesterday morning’s rescue: “Police were called at 06:45hrs on Tuesday, 16 December to reports of a woman in distress on Battersea Bridge.
“The Met’s Marine Policing Unit recovered a woman in her 50s from the water at 07.14hrs and she was taken to hospital, where her injuries have since been deemed not life-threatening or life-changing.”
WORLD NEWS
Pivotal talks for the future of the Ukraine war take place today – here’s why they matter | World News
EU leaders will meet in Brussels today to try to agree the release of €210bn (£184bn) to help fund Ukraine’s war with Russia.
The money, which comes from Russian assets frozen after Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, is mostly held in the Belgian-headquartered clearing house, Euroclear.
The money is seen as vital to Ukraine’s ability to keep fighting, because the country faces bankruptcy in early 2026 if it doesn’t receive more international assistance. That means Kyiv would no longer be able to pay soldiers, police and civil servants or buy weapons to defend itself.
Latest updates on Ukraine war
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Sir Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. Pic: Reuters
Last night, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who is expected to brief the EU leaders today, wrote on X: “The result Europe produces – must make Russia feel that its desire to continue the war next year is pointless, because Ukraine will have support. This rests entirely with Europe.”
The Belgian government has so far prevented the move amid fears it will expose the small country to Russian legal action in the future.
The EU is racing to find solutions to Belgium‘s concerns, including passing an emergency bill that secures the sanctions against Russia indefinitely, superseding the need to renew them every six months and thereby insulating it from veto votes from Russian-leaning EU member states like Hungary and Slovakia.
Belgium also wants guarantees that all EU members will share any financial cost of Russian action against it.
Starmer tells Abramovich to pay £2.5bn
Why the push to use Russian assets?
The US, which has so far given billions of dollars to Kyiv, is losing interest under Donald Trump and can no longer be relied upon for financial support.
Previously, the EU had been giving the interest generated from the frozen assets to Ukraine, but was worried it might destabilise the Eurozone economy if it touched the assets itself.
That has changed, however, as Ukraine’s need has become more acute and fears over Russia’s wider imperialist ambitions have grown in recent months.
This unlocking of seized Russian assets is also being seen as a way to buy Brussels more leverage in peace negotiations, as well as reducing Kyiv’s dependency on Washington.
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Friedrich Merz. Pic: Reuters
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who has been leading the campaign to release the funds, warned that “Europe would be severely damaged for years” if they fail to pass the vote and “this step is not about prolonging the war but about bringing the war to an end as soon as possible”.
In short, the consequences of using the frozen assets are now considered less risky than the consequences of not taking this action.
What’s at stake?
Trump wanted the money to be invested in two US investment funds, something the EU rejects. The US president has recently been scathing of European leaders, and the EU sees Thursday’s meeting as an opportunity to show its strength and unity.
In theory, the EU could pass the policy by majority vote, thereby sidelining the Belgian government, but officials are reluctant to go down this path for fear of alienating Belgium and causing a diplomatic rift in the alliance.
Much is riding on the meeting. If the EU fails to pass the vote, its credibility will take a severe blow. It will likely become even more irrelevant in peace talks, and Vladimir Putin might look to take advantage of a divided Europe.