US News

• The US government predicts it will run out of covid vaccination in January. After supplies are depleted, the White House will transfer distribution to the private market. It has enough anti-covid treatment to last through mid-2023. Reuters
• The Air Force awards a contract worth nearly $1 billion to Raytheon to upgrade Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM). Defense Post
• USAID announces $20 million for Ecuador to promote “democracy and governance.” Press Release

Spain

• The Catalan separatist movement scored a symbolic victory with a UN report Madrid violated the rights of four government officials for holding an independence referendum. AJ

Russia

• The UK delivered six underwater mine detecting drones to Kiev. US and UK forces will provide joint training. Defense Post
• Russian and Ukrainian officials tentatively agreed on a potential peace deal during negotiations back in April 2022, according to a Foreign Affairs article by Fiona Hill and Angela Stent that cited former US officials. AWC
• Retired brigadier general Mark Arnold says the US should give Kiev weapons to strike Russia. Newsweek
• A team of inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) arrived in the Ukrainian-held city of Zaporizhzhia in southern Ukraine on Wednesday en route to the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP), which has been under Russian control since March. AWC
• Tehran presented Moscow with an unnamed European leader’s proposal for a “peace initiative” to end the war in Ukraine, Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian confirmed on Wednesday, according to a report in Al Jazeera. The Institute 
• Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said Wednesday that the US and Russia were discussing the possibility of resuming talks on New START, the last nuclear arms control treaty between the two powers. AWC
• Ukrainian President Zelensky warned Europe peace will be under threat if it doesn’t limit Russian Visas. Pravda
• Poland signs a contract with South Korea to buy nearly $6 billion in tanks and howitzers. Defense Post
• The US claims Russia is planning to hold referendums in Ukrainian territory it holds. US News
• About 1.5 million tonnes of food have left Ukrainian ports since the UN/Turkey-brokered agreement was signed. Reuters
• Russia says Western sanctions are preventing gas exports via the Nord Stream 1 pipeline. Reuters

China

• Lockheed Martin will sell 12 Sikorsky MH-60R Seahawk helicopters to Australia for about $500 million. The contract could be worth up to $1 billion. Defense Post
• Taiwan’s military issues a strong warning to China on Wednesday, saying that it will launch “counterattacks” if Chinese military planes or ships enter Taiwan’s territorial waters or airspace, both of which extend 12 nautical miles from the island’s coast. AWC
• Taiwan says dozens of Chinese planes and ships continue to operate in the waters surrounding the island. Reuters
• The head of Germany’s armed forces told Reuters on Wednesday that Berlin plans to expand its military presence in the Asia Pacific as it has its eye on Chinese forces in the region. AWC
• The Solomon Islands bars all foreign navy ships from its ports. US navy hospital ship Mercy docked in Honiara shortly before the moratorium took effect. Guardian 

Afghanistan 

• Last August, America ended its 20-year military occupation of Afghanistan. During the waning days of the Afghan War, the US and its allies evacuated more than  100,000 Afghans. A year later, thousands of refugees languish in camps run by the US and its partners worldwide. Still, tens of thousands of people remain in Afghanistan who aided the nation-building effort and are seeking Washington’s approval to come to the US. The Institute 
• The UN warns six million Afghans are nearing starvation. More than one-half of Afghanistan’s 40 million people need humanitarian assistance. The UN is seeking $770 million to provide immediate assistance to Afghanistan. AJ

Middle East

• Japan and Israel sign an agreement to step up military cooperation. Times of Israel
• Iran briefly captured an unmanned US sea drone in the Persian Gulf. Iranian forces released the drone as other American military forces approached. AP
• Israeli airstrikes have been carried out against the Syrian city of Aleppo and the capital city of Damascus. The primary target was the Aleppo airport, while some air defenses reported strikes against military targets in and around Damascus. AWC

Africa

• Two local sources said at least 40 civilians have been killed in a string of attacks in the eastern Congo. Reuters
• Burkina Faso says one soldier and 28 terrorists were killed in two military operations. Defense Post 
• A UN report finds at least 50 civilians were killed by the Milian Army and foreign troops during operations in April. 500 people were also arrested. AJ