Venezuela

• The US might soon grant Chevron a license to pump oil in Venezuela in a move that would ease crippling sanctions that were imposed on the South American country by the Trump administration. AWC

Russia

• Poland said Monday that Germany will deploy a US-made Patriot air defense missile system to the Polish border with Ukraine. AWC
• Finland’s foreign minister said Saturday that last week’s bombing in Istanbul, which Ankara has blamed on the Kurdish militant group PKK, could hinder talks with Turkey on joining NATO. AWC
• Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said Thursday that Hungary supports Sweden and Finland joining NATO and that the parliament will formally ratify their memberships early next year. AWC
• The Polish government has rebuffed an offer from Germany to deploy Patriot air defense missiles to Poland by suggesting that they should be sent to Ukraine instead, which would significantly escalate NATO involvement in the war with Russia. AWC
• Despite the increase in dialogue between the US and Russia and a shift in messaging from the Biden administration, there’s still no sign of peace talks between Russia and Ukraine. AWC
• The European Union’s parliament on Wednesday voted to label Russia as a “state sponsor of terrorism” in a symbolic move as the EU has no legal framework for the label. AWC
• President Biden on Thursday said that negotiations between the US and its allies to set a price cap on Russian oil are “in play” as a December 5th deadline to implement the plan is approaching, Axios reported. AWC
• A group of bipartisan senators is urging the Biden administration to provide Ukraine with advanced MQ-1C Gray Eagle drones that would give Kyiv longer-range capability. AWC
• Russian missiles pounded energy infrastructure across Ukraine again on Wednesday, leaving most Ukrainians without power, according to the country’s Energy Ministry. AWC
• The Pentagon announced on Wednesday a new $400 million weapons package for Ukraine, marking the 26th drawdown of equipment from US military stockpiles for the Ukrainians. AWC
• The CIA’s deputy director of intelligence made his first public appearance this week and used the opportunity to say the agency is looking to recruit Russians who are unhappy with the war in Ukraine, The Wall Street Journal Reported Tuesday. AWC
• Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen announced Tuesday an additional $4.5 billion in direct budgetary aid for the Ukrainian government. AWC

China

• The US Navy sent a warship through the Taiwan Strait on November 5, but the transit was not made public at the time, the commander of the US Pacific Fleet told reporters on Friday, according to USNI News. AWC
• Vice President Kamala Harris on Monday reaffirmed that an attack on Philippine vessels in the South China Sea would trigger a US response under the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty between the US and the Philippines. The warning to Beijing came as she was visiting Manila. AWC
• The US will likely return to Subic Bay, Philippines, 30 years after closing what was once the largest US military base in Asia, Kyodo News reported on Thursday. AWC
• Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin met with his Chinese counterpart, Wei Fenghe, in Cambodia on Tuesday as the US and China continue to maintain high-level dialogue following the meeting between President Biden and President Xi Jinping. AWC

Iran

• The head of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) returned to Israel on Thursday after five days of talks with US officials in Washington that were focused on Iran and said joint military operations between the US and Israel will be “significantly expanded.” AWC
• The head of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) is pressing the US to step up planning for joint attacks against Iran, The Times of Israel reported on Tuesday. AWC
• After weeks of relative calm on the border, Iran has once again struck Peshmerga in Iraqi Kurdistan, claiming them to be separatist elements. AWC

Syria

• Turkey’s interior minister on Monday said that three people were killed after rockets hit the Turkish district of Karkamis, near the Syrian border, in an attack likely carried out by Kurdish militants. AWC
• The Pentagon said Wednesday that Turkish airstrikes against Kurdish militants in northeast Syria threaten the safety of US troops in the region as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed the operation will continue. AWC
• The White House said Tuesday that Turkey has the “right to defend themselves” from Kurdish militant groups in northern Syria and Iraq following massive Turkish airstrikes in the region. AWC
• Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday threatened to launch a ground offensive against Kurdish groups in northern Syria “as soon as possible.” AWC