Donald Trump’s push to end the war in Ukraine is increasingly shaped by his impatience with Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders who he believes are obstructing peace and future US–Russia economic ties. Stating that ‘Russia has the upper hand’ (a claim disputed by experts), he insisted Zelensky must ‘play ball’. Meanwhile, Zelensky and European partners worked to revise the US-led peace proposal, removing provisions which they considered unacceptable and stressing the need for firm security guarantees. Many commentators, alarmed by Trump’s pressure on Kyiv and his favourable posture toward Moscow, warn that conceding to Russia would reward aggression and endanger broader European security. In reply to Trump’s claim that Zelensky is using the war as an excuse to avoid holding elections, Zelensky has offered to do so if security could be guaranteed, although it would mean altering the constitution: see
Donald Trump has intensified his criticism of Europe, portraying the continent as weak’, ‘decaying’, and threatened by immigration. Using inflammatory language, he echoed ‘great replacement’ conspiracy themes, claiming that European countries risk becoming non-viable due to immigration. He insisted European cities such as London and Paris have fundamentally altered, and once again made a personal attack on London’s mayor Sadiq Khan. His remarks followed the recent release of a new US national security strategy warning of Europe’s supposed ‘civilisational erasure’ and signalling support for nationalist parties. European leaders reacted with dismay: Germany’s chancellor Friedrich Merz rejected the idea that Europe needs saving, calling parts of the strategy unacceptable. Pope Leo XIV also cautioned that the shift in US policy risks damaging the long-standing transatlantic alliance, and European Council president António Costa warned Trump not to interfere in Europe’s affairs (see).
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) report that 2025 was the third consecutive year in which Israel was identified as the deadliest country for journalists; 29 Palestinian reporters were killed amid Israel’s ongoing military campaign in Gaza. The organisation stated that 67 journalists were killed worldwide, noting that many deaths occurred in conflict zones where reporters were ‘targeted for their work’. It criticised what it called a failure of international bodies to protect journalists, and highlighted a global decline in governmental courage to defend press freedom. Mexico ranked second with nine journalist deaths, while Ukraine and Sudan also remained highly dangerous environments for media workers. RSF also said that 503 journalists are currently imprisoned globally, with China (121), Russia (48), and Myanmar (47) leading in detentions; 135 journalists are missing, and twenty are being held hostage. Press freedom groups continue to condemn Israel’s restriction of independent media access to Gaza, where monitoring groups claim that hundreds of journalists have been killed over the past two years.
US military strikes on alleged Venezuelan drug boats are facing intense criticism after reports that a ‘double tap’ attack on 2 September killed survivors clinging to a burning vessel. The White House confirmed a second strike was ordered by Admiral Frank Bradley, saying it was lawful and authorised by defence secretary Pete Hegseth, though officials denied he instructed forces to ‘kill everybody’. More than eighty people have died in similar Caribbean operations since September, yet the USA has provided little hard evidence of drug trafficking. Lawmakers from both parties are demanding investigations, with some Democrats arguing the second strike might constitute a war crime if incapacitated survivors were deliberately targeted. The administration insists it is acting in self-defence against ‘narco-terrorist’ groups, while Venezuela has condemned the strikes as unlawful aggression.
Fighting between Thailand and Cambodia has escalated into a third consecutive day of violence, forcing more than half a million civilians to flee their homes. Both governments accuse each other of reigniting the conflict, which has already killed soldiers and civilians and triggered mass evacuations from border provinces. Reports describe rockets landing near hospitals, air raids conducted by Thai F-16 jets, and Cambodian artillery targeting Thai territory, leaving thousands in makeshift shelters with limited supplies. The clashes are the deadliest since five days of fighting in July which killed dozens and displaced some 300,000 people on both sides of the border before a shaky truce was agreed, following an intervention by Donald Trump. Trump said late on Tuesday that he would make a phone call to stop the renewed fighting. Even so, analysts say that the lack of willingness to negotiate suggests the conflict may be prolonged. Latest news - three civilians have been killed inside Thailand: see
A confrontation between federal agents and residents in a Somali neighbourhood of Minneapolis has heightened fear and tension within the community. Witnesses reported that ICE agents used pepper spray to disperse a crowd of protesters after checking identifications in restaurants, on the streets, and at a senior housing complex. The crackdown follows the decision by Donald Trump to end temporary protected status for Somalis, calling them ‘garbage’ and saying he does not want them in the country. The move has drawn denunciations from leaders of the Somali community and governor Tim Walz. About 84,000 of the 260,000 Somalis in the country live in the Minneapolis-St Paul area, the overwhelming majority of them US citizens. Over half were born in the U.S., and 87 per cent of those born elsewhere are naturalised citizens. Federal officials justify the operation as targeting criminals, giving details of nine criminals who have been arrested recently, but local leaders argue that such actions unfairly stigmatise an entire community.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has sentenced former Janjaweed commander Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-Al-Rahman, better known as Ali Kushayb, to twenty years in prison for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Darfur in 2003–04. Convicted on 27 charges, he is the first person tried by the ICC for atrocities linked to the Darfur conflict. Judges found that he both ordered and personally participated in attacks aimed at ‘wiping out’ non-Arab communities, including killings, mass displacement and widespread sexual violence. Survivors testified to villages being burned and families destroyed. The ruling comes as Sudan faces renewed conflict, with the Rapid Support Forces (successors to the Janjaweed) accused of carrying out similar abuses today. While the ICC hopes the sentence will offer justice and deterrence, experts question its immediate impact, noting that millions of survivors remain displaced and key figures, including former president Omar al-Bashir, are still wanted. The verdict nevertheless stands as a significant acknowledgment of long-ignored suffering.
“Together for His Glory: Advancing Prayer in 2026”
As we come to the close of another year of God’s extraordinary grace, I would like to thank you from the bottom of my heart for your faithful partnership in prayer and for your steadfast encouragement. I’d also like to update you on some recent highlights and invite you to consider sowing into the IPC vision.
Your partnership truly strengthens us all to keep pursuing the vision God has entrusted to International Prayer Connect - to help raise up 1 billion people to walk with God in prayer! It is our desire to exalt Jesus, catalyzing united prayer that will result in the transformation of peoples, cities, and nations.
2025 - A Year of Expansion and Connection
Because of your prayers and support, IPC has experienced one of our most fruitful years ever. We have seen a supernatural widening of the global prayer family and a deepening of unity across nations, denominations, and generations.
Here are a few highlights:
1. Building Global Prayer Infrastructure
- Established 24 regional prayer councils – led by leaders in those regions.
- Started raising up national prayer leaders in 150 nations, including new partnerships in China and North India.
2. Global United Prayer Initiatives
- Facilitated four Global Days of Prayer with more than 100 million people joining in united prayer.
- Focused prayer for Buddhist, Muslim, Hindu, and Jewish People to have an authentic encounter with Jesus Christ by the power and presence of the Holy Spirit.
3. Expanding 24/7 Prayer
- Helped launch 55 new 24/7 Houses of Prayer in 10 nations.
- Completed five years of continuous 24/7 prayer in the Global Family Prayer Room - day and night, unbroken.
- Hosted key prayer gatherings in Indonesia, Thailand, South Africa, Finland and Kazakhstan.
4. Discipleship and Prayer Resources
- Launched a 365-day prayer plan on the YouVersion Bible App to help believers pray daily for workers in 110 global cities.
- Jason finished a Prayer Course called 7 Keys to Effective Prayer and published two books, Pray the Word and Foundation of the Foundations – Praying together for Israel
All of this is part of our mission to:
- Pray: around the throne, around the clock, and around the globe
- Inform: believers on strategic prayer needs
- Equip: people to pray effectively
- Connect: people to pray together across nations, denominations, and generations
This work is possible because people like you stand with us in prayer and generosity.
Two Testimonies of God’s Power
1. A Global Underground House Church Movement
For the past five years, we have prayed consistently with leaders from one of the largest underground church networks in the world. Since 2021, they have grown by 22% per year. Today, they represent 8.4 million house churches with 154 million followers of Jesus. This is the fruit of united prayer. God is moving behind the scenes in places where the Gospel is most costly - this year, 1,905 believers from this movement were martyred for their Gospel witness.
2. A Move of God Among Former Muslims
During this year’s Global Day of Prayer for the Muslim World, the Holy Spirit moved mightily in a region of the Middle East. At a gathering of tribal leaders and refugee families, one leader boldly proclaimed that Jesus Christ - the
Prince of Peace - is the only way to peace in the Middle East. After hours of questions and sharing the Gospel, 8,026 former Muslims became followers of Jesus.
They renounced Islam, committed their lives to Scripture, and today they are in house churches being discipled to reach their families and tribes for Christ.
One man named Abdul received the same dream four nights in a row: women and children carrying light through his village. On the fourth night, he waited outside—and saw them coming.
“We have come with a message from God,” they told him, opening a Bible he had never seen before. “Jesus the Messiah sent us to find someone named Abdul.”
Now, 18 households in his village follow Christ, and a new house church has been planted in a nation with few known believers.
A Call to Resource IPC's Vision for 2026
As we look toward 2026, the opportunities before us are extraordinary. Across the world, God is opening doors for united, strategic, Scripture-anchored prayer like never before. Nations are shaking, harvest fields are ripening, and the global Church is awakening a longing for deeper connection, collaboration, and breakthrough.
IPC stands at the heart of this movement - linking leaders, networks, and generations together so the Body of Christ can pray with clarity, unity, and Spirit-led authority.
Your year-end gift will enable us to:
- Strengthen and expand IPC’s global prayer infrastructure - supporting regional prayer councils, national leaders, and prayer networks in more than 150 nations.
- Mobilize united prayer at scale through Global Days of Prayer, digital campaigns, and strategic intercession for unreached peoples, cities, and nations.
- Equip the next generation with new training resources, prayer courses, and discipleship tools to help children, youth, and families grow as intercessors.
- Advance 24/7 prayer by assisting Houses of Prayer, prayer networks, and new initiatives seeking to establish ongoing worship and intercession.
- Increase our capacity to inform and connect the global Church through media, communication, translation, and timely prayer alerts.
Every gift directly fuels the mission to exalt Jesus and raise up a billion people who walk with God in prayer. You are helping build a prayer movement that spans every culture, every denomination, and every generation - until the Glory of the Lord covers the earth! (Hab 2:14)
As you sow into IPC, you are investing in Kingdom infrastructure that will carry fruit for decades to come.
Would You Prayerfully Consider Partnering with Us?
As we step into a new year of mission, we need friends who will partner with us financially so we can keep building IPC - one prayer meeting at a time - until the vision of 1 billion people walking with God in prayer becomes a reality.
Would you prayerfully invest in IPC with a generous end-of-year gift?
Your giving helps us continue expanding global prayer, upholding persecuted believers, and equipping the next generation.
HOW TO GIVE...
To sow in your end-of-year gift, please visit www.ipcprayer.org/donate or scan the QR code.
Alternatively, please mail a check payable to ‘International Prayer Connect’ - to The Treasurer, IPC, 313 E Wiser Lake Road, Lynden WA, 98264 USA.
Whether it is a one-time gift or becoming a monthly partner, your Kingdom investment makes an eternal difference.
The value of Regular Patronage…
We would hugely value more regular supporters at this time - regardless of whether it’s $5 or $5,000 a month - it would mean a lot to us. If you can sow in this way, please use the PayPal regular donation option or contact us for our bank info.
You can give online at: www.ipcprayer.org/give
Thank You
As you plan your year-end giving, take a moment to remember stories like Abdul’s - moments when Jesus Himself breaks into a village, a family, or a heart through dreams, visions, and the faithful prayers of His people. These are the kinds of breakthroughs your partnership helps make possible as united prayer rises across the nations.
Thank you for standing with us, for holding the rope, and for helping prepare the way for countless others to encounter the living Christ. May your generosity this season strengthen the global prayer movement and help us bring the nations to the feet of Jesus through united, persistent prayer.
“Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.”
Ephesians 3:20-21
For the Supremacy of Jesus in all things,
Dr Jason Hubbard
International Prayer Connect (IPC)
(IPC’s Council Members)