The Day Putin Joined Trump’s Peace Council

On January 19, Russian media shifted focus from the previous day's Arctic tensions to a new diplomatic alignment. Morning headlines were dominated by the deepening rift between Washington and Europe over Greenland, with state media reporting on a 'trade bazooka' and the emergency withdrawal of German troops. However, by midday, editorial priority transitioned to a major geopolitical pivot: the announcement that President Trump had invited Vladimir Putin (and later Alexander Lukashenko) to join a Gaza 'Peace Council' scheduled for the Davos summit. While state outlets like TASS and RIA Novosti amplified this invitation as a move toward a multipolar order, business media such as Kommersant highlighted the domestic economic strain, reporting a nearly 25% drop in oil and gas revenues. By evening, the narrative of Western fragmentation solidified as editors prioritized Moldova’s formal initiation of its withdrawal from the CIS and reports of a potential European defense alliance intended to exclude the United States.