In this story, there’s no substitute for hard news.

To learn of US envoy Steve Witkoff and his Russian interactions is to understand the handbrake turn towards Moscow.

If there was much surprise and confusion about the origins of a peace proposal that had Russian fingerprints all over it, there is less now.

The Bloomberg report of Witkoff’s recent involvement distills eye-watering detail of his contact with Yuri Ushakov, Vladimir Putin’s senior adviser on foreign policy.

Among the revelations, it tells of the American advising the Russian on dealing with Trump.

In a phone call last month, Witkoff told Ushakov that Zelenskyy was coming to visit the White House, and suggested Putin speak to Trump beforehand.

Witkoff reportedly said: “The president will give me a lot of space and discretion to get to the deal.”

He spoke of Trump’s 20-point Gaza peace plan and suggested that “maybe we do the same thing with you”.

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A good impression of a useful idiot

Subsequently, Witkoff drafted the controversial peace proposal with his Russian counterparts, and the US pressured Ukraine to accept it.

The report paints an unflattering picture of Trump’s envoy doing a good impression of a useful idiot.

There must be serious questions surrounding his engagement with the Russians and serious concerns around consequences that are potentially catastrophic.

Moscow’s threat to Ukraine and to the security infrastructure of Western Europe is strengthened on his handshake.

He’ll press the flesh in Russia once more – Donald Trump is sending Witkoff back to Moscow for further talks aimed at bridging the Ukraine-Russia impasse.

Scandal isn’t what it used to be

Putin has given the Americans little to no encouragement around their reworked plan and Kyiv will shudder at what Trump’s “Mr Fixit” might fix next.

They will despair of his continued involvement at any level and what it says about Trump’s perspective and where his loyalties lie.

In any other job, Witkoff might have been sacked for being irredeemably compromised.

At any other time, this would have been viewed, universally, as a major scandal.

But under Donald Trump, scandal isn’t what it used to be.

The president and his point man continue to consort with Vladimir Putin.

On the evidence of Steve Witkoff’s interaction, the power dynamic leans less Trump than we might have thought.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has vowed to defy any US attempt to overthrow his government – telling crowds that “failure is not an option”.

The 63-year-old brandished a sword as he addressed supporters during a march in Caracas, against a backdrop of growing tensions with Donald Trump’s administration.

Dressed in camouflage fatigues, Mr Maduro said: “We must be ready to defend every inch of this blessed land from imperialist threat or aggression, no matter where it comes from.”

Since September, US military forces have been conducting a series of strikes against vessels suspected of drug trafficking in international waters, killing at least 80 people.

Washington has claimed that several of these boats had departed from Venezuela, with Mr Maduro describing the deployment as an assault on the nation’s sovereignty.

‘Stop this madness’

Yesterday, Cuba also accused the US of seeking a violent overthrow of Mr Maduro’s government – and called its military presence in the region “exaggerated and aggressive”.

The country’s foreign minister, Bruno Rodriguez, said ousting Venezuela’s leader would be extremely dangerous and irresponsible, not to mention a violation of international law.

He added: “We appeal to the people of the United States to stop this madness. The US government could cause an incalculable number of deaths and create a scenario of violence and instability in the hemisphere that would be unimaginable.”

Reports suggest the US is planning to launch a new phase of Venezuela-related operations in the coming days.

Critics have questioned the legality of America’s campaign and argue it amounts to extrajudicial killings, with a recent poll suggesting just 29% of voters support this policy.

Officials within Maduro’s government have claimed that Washington’s actions are being driven by economic motives.

Venezuelan minister Delcy Rodriguez said: “They want Venezuela’s oil and gas reserves. For nothing, without paying. They want Venezuela’s gold.

“They want Venezuela’s diamonds, iron, bauxite. They want Venezuela’s natural resources.”

Donald Trump, like his predecessor Joe Biden, does not recognise Mr Maduro as the country’s leader.

He is currently on his third term after being declared the winner of last year’s presidential election, despite evidence that the opposition defeated him by a two-to-one margin.

Mr Maduro and senior officials have been repeatedly accused of human rights violations against real and perceived government opponents.

Earlier this week, the US designated Venezuela’s Cartel de los Soles – Cartel of the Suns in English – as a foreign terrorist organisation for importing illegal drugs to the States.

The Trump administration has claimed that Maduro is part of this group, but Venezuelan officials have described its mere existence as a “ridiculous fabrication”.

Speaking to reporters on Air Force One as he travelled to Florida for Thanksgiving, the president suggested he might be planning to talk to Mr Maduro.

“If we can save lives, if we can do things the easy way, that’s fine,” the US president said. “And if we have to do it the hard way, then that’s fine too.”

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Carlos Diaz Rosillo, a former US deputy assistant secretary of defence during the first Trump administration, does not believe America will go to war with Venezuela.

He told The World With Dominic Waghorn: “What I do see is a strategy of maximum pressure on the regime. I do think if there’s any change, that change has to come from within the military.”

Dr Rosillo said the official position of the US government is not regime change, but Mr Trump would like to see that happen in Venezuela.

Taiwan will prepare itself for combat within the next two years amid “intensifying” threats from China, the nation’s president has declared.

Lai Ching-te held a news conference on Wednesday morning amid a ramping up of military and political pressure by Beijing, which views the democratically-governed island as its own territory.

Speaking after announcing plans to boost defence spending with a “special” $40bn (£30.6bn) budget, Mr Lai said Xi Jinping’s regime was “speeding up military preparations to take Taiwan by force”.

It comes after Mr Xi used a phone call with Donald Trump to describe Taiwan’s return to mainland China as “an integral part of the post-war international order”.

Taiwan has rejected that assertion, and the prospect of becoming part of China.

China has offered Taiwan a “one country, two systems” model, but this position is not supported by any mainstream political party.

That model is the principle under which Hong Kong has been governed by Beijing, but recent years have seen an increasing erosion of civil liberties there.

Such an arrangement is not supported by any mainstream political party in Taiwan.

Mr Lai said the government will work to counter any attempts at “repression” by China, and achieve a “high level of combat preparedness” by 2027.

The supplementary defence budget will be spent on equipment including missiles and drones, as well as investment in artificial intelligence, with greater cooperation with the US.

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The US has not taken a side when it comes to Taiwan’s sovereignty, but is opposed to any use of force to seize the territory. However, the Trump administration has also been ambiguous over whether it would deploy troops if any war broke out in the Taiwan Strait.

Washington has been pressuring Taiwan to increase its own defence spending, much as it has its allies in Europe.

Mr Lai – who described relations with the US as “rock solid” – warned any attempt at compromise in the face of aggression “will only bring war”.

He described “the most threatening scenario” not as military action, but giving up.