Russia

• Financial Times reported Thursday that the US is pushing back against an effort by some of its European allies to provide Ukraine with a “road map” toward NATO membership at an alliance summit this July that will be held in the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius. AWC
• NATO is preparing to hold its largest-ever air exercises this June, known as Exercise Air Defender, that will involve 220 aircraft and 10,0000 personnel from 24 nations. AWC
• A Ukrainian official said Thursday that Kyiv’s goal of kicking Russia out of Crimea hasn’t changed after an aide to President Volodymyr Zelensky suggested Ukraine might be open to negotiating the issue. AWC
• French President Emmanuel Macron told Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Thursday that he can count on the Chinese leader to bring Russia to “its senses” and bring the warring sides in Ukraine to the negotiating table. AWC
• A Pentagon document that has appeared on the internet as part of a trove of leaks shows the number of NATO special operations forces that are inside Ukraine, according to The Guardian. AWC
• The Times of London on Friday published a report detailing a failed Ukrainian attack on the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) that took place in October 2022. AWC
• The White House plans to send a clear message to its European partners in the economic war against Russia, “you are either with us or against us.” Two US Treasury officials will visit European and Central Asian partners next month to demand all sanctions on Russia be implemented. AWC
• NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Wednesday that in order for Ukraine to become a NATO member, it must prevail in its war with Russia and become more interoperable with the Western military alliance. AWC
• An advisor to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told Financial Times that Kyiv would be “ready” to negotiate the status of Crimea with Russia if it launches a successful counteroffensive and captures the territory Russia controls that borders the peninsula. AWC
• Belarusian troops have begun training on Russia’s nuclear-capable Iskander missiles after President Vladimir Putin announced he would deploy tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus. AWC
• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited Warsaw on Wednesday and said he believes Poland will form a coalition of NATO countries to send warplanes to Kyiv as the Polish led the charge to provide Western-made tanks. AWC

China

• The Chinese military launched three days of major military exercises in the Taiwan Strait in response to US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (D-CA) meeting with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen in California. AWC
• French President Emmanuel Macron said Sunday that Europe should not follow the US and risk a confrontation with China over Taiwan as he was returning to France from a visit to Beijing, where he met with Chinese President Xi Jinping. AWC
• Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX), the chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, has said sending troops to fight China over Taiwan would be “on the table” as a response to a Chinese attack. AWC
• Secretary of State Antony Blinken is looking to reschedule his trip to China that he canceled over the Chinese balloon that wound up floating over the US, but Beijing is rebuffing the effort, POLITICO reported Wednesday. AWC

Middle East

• The US Navy has deployed a guided-missile submarine capable of carrying up to 154 Tomahawk missiles to the Middle East in a show of force amid heightened tensions with Iran. AWC
• CIA Director William Burns visited Saudi Arabia earlier this week to express frustration over Riyadh’s surprise normalization deal with Tehran that was brokered by Beijing, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday. AWC
• The head of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said Wednesday that Israel is “ready” to attack Iran and could do so without help from the US. AWC
• Warring parties in Yemen could soon sign a deal to renew a ceasefire that would last until the end of 2023, The New Arab reported Thursday. AWC
• A Saudi delegation has arrived in the Yemeni city of Sanaa to negotiate with the Houthis, as multiple reports have indicated a peace deal between the warring sides is near. AWC