Russia

• Progressive Democrats in the House have retracted a letter to President Biden calling for talks with Russia after facing backlash for suggesting the idea of pursuing diplomacy to end the war in Ukraine. AWC
• The US has accelerated plans to deploy an upgraded version of its primary nuclear gravity bomb to Europe amid heightened tensions with Russia over the potential use of nuclear weapons. AWC
• Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday observed military exercises that involved simulating a retaliatory “massive nuclear strike,” which coincided with NATO nuclear exercises being held in Europe. AWC
• The Washington Post reported Wednesday that the US’s European allies are concerned that the US may dial back its support for Ukraine if Republicans are victorious in the upcoming midterm elections. AWC
• The US has accelerated plans to deploy an upgraded version of its primary nuclear gravity bomb to Europe amid heightened tensions with Russia over the potential use of nuclear weapons. AWC
• NATO nuclear weapons could potentially be placed on Russia’s border with Finland if Helsinki joins the Western military alliance, Newsweek reported on Wednesday, citing a Finnish newspaper. AWC
• The White House said Wednesday that it sees no prospects for negotiations between Russia and Ukraine and that it’s up to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to decide when talks will happen. AWC
• US and other Western officials are finalizing a plan to impose a price cap on Russian oil despite warnings that attempting to implement the policy could send global prices soaring, Reuters reported on Wednesday. AWC
• Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday said that Moscow has no plans to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine and warned the world is facing the most dangerous decade since World War II. AWC
• Russian President Vladimir Putin believes Kiev was unwilling to accept a peace deal in March because of pressure from Washington. Putin joins a growing list of sources who say the war nearly ended after a month, but Western influence prodded Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to keep fighting. AWC
• The Joe Biden administration said the Department of Defense will send $275 million in arms to Ukraine. The shipment is the twenty-fourth since Russian forces invaded in February. The White House has provided Kiev with tens of billions in military aid. AWC
• Amid ever escalating tensions over the West’s proxy war in Ukraine and the devastating inflation ripping Europe apart, Czech protesters gathered in Prague demanding the coalition government’s resignation, the Associated Press reports. AWC

China

• China on Thursday responded to a US call for the resumption of military communication channels that Beijing suspended in response to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) visiting Taiwan in August. AWC
• The Pentagon on Thursday released its 2022 National Defense Strategy (NDS), which names China as the “most comprehensive and serious challenge to US national security strategy” even as the US is spending tens of billions on a proxy war with Russia. AWC

Korea

• The US, Japan, and South Korea on Wednesday agreed that a North Korean nuclear weapons test would be met with an “unprecedentedly strong response” as tensions continue to rise on the Korean Peninsula. AWC

Middle East

• The US on Wednesday announced new sanctions on Iranian officials for their alleged role in cracking down on protesters inside Iran as demonstrations and violence continue across the country. AWC
• For the third time since Friday, Israel has launched missile attacks against the Syrian capital of Damascus. There had been a brief period without attacks. Now Israel seems to be re-escalating, though as usual they are providing no reason. AWC
• After carrying out three attacks on Syria in the past week, Israel issued a statement Thursday threatening even further ramping up of such operations going forward. AWC
• Apart from a few outlying territories, the Syrian War is for all intents and purposes over. The rebels are defeated and Assad endures. The war being over doesn’t appear to impact the US plans however. AWC

Somalia

• According to a report from The New York Times, the US is considering expanding drone strikes in Somalia after a request was made by the US-backed Mogadishu-based government. AWC