"Trump's 'Center of the Universe' and Macron's cozy celebrations: how global leaders ring in the New Year."

CBS recently aired a live broadcast of 82-year-old Joe Biden lighting the Christmas tree at the White House for the last time as president. Last year, American media humorously reported on the festive tree falling victim to strong winds. The incident was described by the media as a reflection of the country's leadership situation. This year, the tree was reinforced, but local journalists couldn't help but notice the image of the soon-to-be former president. As noted by the New York Post, when Mr. Biden removed his hat, his hair stood up, making him look "like a zombie." Regardless, the president has already departed with his family for their traditional holiday getaway on Santa Cruz Island.

Meanwhile, Donald Trump hosted a grand party at Mar-a-Lago, as Sky News presenter Gabriella Power reported recently: "He stood behind the DJ booth and performed several songs from the famous musical 'The Phantom of the Opera,' as well as Elvis Presley songs. He concluded his performance with the track Y.M.C.A., executing the famous 'Trump dance.' It's worth noting that tickets for the Christmas party cost $350. 'Surely, people would pay significantly more to see the Republican. He is becoming a sort of cultural icon, a cool politician for the youth. Although he is already 78 years old, people can't get enough of his dance moves,' stated the German tabloid Bild.

Interestingly, Donald Trump was so caught up in the festivities that he seemingly accidentally posted a personal message to Elon Musk on his Truth Social page, as CNN noted. The post, which began with the question "Where are you? We miss you...", referred to the event as the "center of the universe."

Meanwhile, French President Macron is celebrating the holidays in a small circle at his southern residence in Fort Brégançon. He spent Christmas with his wife, Brigitte Macron, without her children and grandchildren, who they celebrated with a bit earlier. On New Year's Eve, at eight PM Kyiv time, he will address the nation. The past year has been politically very unstable for Mr. Macron: the dissolution of the National Assembly, elections, the appointment of a prime minister, and his dismissal... As noted by Le Monde, it is likely that 2025 will also not be a gift for the French leader, at least at the start: 'The government, which was formed literally "under the Christmas tree," is yet to find mass approval. In general, there is still a lot to be done for 2025 to be more stable for France.'

However, for our country, the current focus of the occupant of the Élysée Palace on internal political turmoil is not particularly beneficial, given that Emmanuel Macron is a global proponent of sending European peacekeepers to Ukraine and keeps this topic in constant focus, both for Kyiv's allies and its adversaries.

Speaking of adversaries, the Kremlin revealed how Putin plans to celebrate the New Year. "The president usually celebrates at home if he doesn't travel anywhere. You know he often goes to places where he is most needed... But yes, a Christmas tree is traditionally set up in his office," noted Putin's spokesperson, Peskov. Formal New Year's receptions at the Kremlin have not been held since 2022.

In contrast, Putin's ally Lukashenko has had a more eventful program. Over the past few days, he managed to speak at a charity event for children, where he compared life to a sailor's striped shirt ("some stripes are lighter, some darker") and advised the children to study hard. Additionally, "Luka" participated in the traditional New Year's ball at the Palace of Independence: amidst the lights of garlands and spotlights, Lukashenko, embracing one of the debutantes of the event, performed either a waltz or a rumba, as reported by Belta.

Modestly and at home, as western media ironically remark, the exiled Syrian president Bashar Assad will celebrate in his apartments in "Moscow-City." As is known, anti-government forces in Syria, which began their offensive on the capital on November 27, swiftly overthrew Assad's government. Friendly external forces such as Iran and Russia were unable to throw him a lifeline when his own army refused to continue resisting. Commenting on the change of power in Syria, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu noted that neither Iran nor Hezbollah, both of which suffered significant losses this year, were able to find additional resources to deploy to the suddenly active Syrian front. Netanyahu referred to this situation as his achievement: "This is a direct result of the strikes we have delivered against Iran and Hezbollah - the main supporters of Assad's regime. This has triggered a chain reaction throughout the Middle East among those who wanted to free themselves from this repressive and tyrannical regime. This certainly opens up new, very important opportunities for the state of Israel."

By the way, Ahmed al-Sharaa – the leader of the Syrian armed groups that have come to power in Damascus, recently stated: "The Iranian project is harmful, and what has happened in Syria is a victory over the dangerous Iranian project for the region." "We are not hostile towards the Iranian people. Our problem was with the policy that harmed our country," he added, completely ruling out the possibility of restarting relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran, which is viewed in Ukraine solely as a supplier of drone "hardware" to the Russian Federation.

The fall of Damascus has shifted the regional balance of power in favor of Ankara, but it is essential to remember that the attempts of Syria's de facto leader Abu Muhammad al-Julani to please the international community and move towards moderation may encounter internal resistance from those factions of the Syrian opposition advocating for the establishment of Sharia law in the country. Western analytical centers have unequivocally warned of this threat, stating that it creates a new factor of instability.

In this context, the recent threats from the aforementioned key supporter of Bashar Assad – Iran, take on special significance. "The youth and resilient people of Syria will not remain silent in the face of foreign occupation, aggression, and the internal totalitarianism of one group," wrote Major General Mohsen Rezaei, who once led the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, on social media platform X. He promised that in less than a year, "the Syrians will revive their resistance in their country through other means" and neutralize the "insidious plan" of foreign states that led to the change of power in Damascus.

Regardless, 2025 promises to be eventful. And the starting high note here, without a doubt, will be the inauguration on January 20 of the 47th President of the United States Donald Trump, who has promised peace throughout the world.

Interestingly, according to a survey conducted from December 2-17 by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS), 45% of Ukrainians believe that the victory of the main Republican brings peace closer in the Russian-Ukrainian war, while nearly 14% are convinced that peace is becoming more distant. However, of the 45%, only 15% think that peace is getting much closer, while the remaining 30% say it is becoming slightly closer.

On the other hand, 14% say that peace, on the contrary, is becoming more distant (5% say significantly distant, 9% say somewhat distant). The remaining 40% either believe that nothing will change or could not determine their opinion.

Sociologists also asked whether Ukraine can expect a just peace under Trump. Only 7% of respondents answered that peace could be entirely fair for Ukraine, while 11% believe it will be entirely unfair. "The majority of Ukrainians find themselves between these extreme views, and the question is more about the proportion – whether there will be more fulfillment of Ukraine's demands or, conversely, more fulfillment of Russia's demands," noted KIIS.

Overall, 23% of our compatriots believe that under Trump, peace will be predominantly or entirely fair for Ukraine. At the same time, 31% are convinced that peace will be predominantly or entirely unfair. Another 29% believe there will be both fulfillment of Ukraine's demands and concessions to Russia, "but it is hard to say which will be more."