Russia

• The Biden administration is now leaning toward sending its M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine despite recent comments from Pentagon officials about how they would be difficult for Ukrainian forces to maintain, The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday. AWC
• The risk of nuclear annihilation is at its highest point in history, according to the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists. The group said the war in Ukraine was the largest factor in its assessment that the potential for a global ending event was now closer than ever before. The Institute 
• Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said Monday that there are still no dates set for talks between the US and Russia on the last remaining nuclear arms control treaty between the two powers, known as New START. AWC
• Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday said that Sweden should not expect support from Ankara on its NATO bid in response to anti-Islam protests that took place in Sweden over the weekend. AWC
• The Pentagon is planning to boost its production of artillery ammunition by 500% over the next two years as the US is depleting its military stockpiles by sending millions of shells to Ukraine, The New York Times reported Tuesday. AWC
• In South Africa on Monday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said the conflict in Ukraine is no longer a “hybrid war” between Russia and the West but is turning into a “real war.” AWC
• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday cited US military aid as an example of the “big business” opportunities American corporations can find in his country. AWC
• Several senior Ukrainian officials resigned on Tuesday after being forced out over a corruption scandal that has rocked Ukraine, resulting in the biggest government shake-up since Russia’s invasion. AWC

China

• House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) is planning to visit Taiwan later this year, and the Pentagon is preparing for his trip, Punchbowl News reported on Monday. AWC

Israel

• On Monday, the US and Israel launched massive military drills, which one Pentagon official speaking to NBC News described as the “most significant exercise between the United States and Israel to date.” AWC
• Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) told The Times of Israel that the US should sell F-35 fighter jets to Arab countries that have normalized with Israel under the Abraham Accords in exchange for investments that could benefit the Palestinians. AWC
• A top Human Rights Watch official warned Monday that restrictions recently placed by Israel’s apartheid government on “foreigners” – including Palestinians – seeking entry into the West Bank could turn the illegally occupied territory into “another Gaza,” which is often described as the “world’s largest open-air prison.” AWC