US News

• Biden says Elon Musk’s foreign relationships should be looked at. NBC
• Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency said there were no threats to the midterms that undermined the integrity of the results. Def One
• The Pentagon plans to award a $9 billion cloud contract next month. Def One

Russia

• The State Department said Tuesday that the US and Russia have agreed to hold talks on the New START nuclear arms control treaty for the first time since the February 24 Russian invasion of Ukraine. AWC
• The European Union’s European Commission on Wednesday proposed a massive aid package for Ukraine worth 18 billion euros ($18.06 billion) meant to help cover the country’s budget deficit for 2023. AWC
• Ukrainian lawmakers are planning to send a delegation to Washington in December to meet with newly elected members of Congress to ensure bipartisan support for spending on the war in Ukraine continues, The New York Times reported on Wednesday. AWC
• The State Department said Tuesday that the US and Russia have agreed to hold talks on the New START nuclear arms control treaty for the first time since the February 24 Russian invasion of Ukraine. AWC
• Russia announced on Wednesday that it is pulling out of areas in the southern Ukrainian region of Kherson on the west bank of the Dnieper River, which includes the city of Kherson. AWC
• Ukraine is seeking C-RAM air defense systems from the US. Def One
• A three-star general will lead a new command the US military will establish in Germany to oversee the arming and training of Ukraine’s forces to support the war against Russia, Stars and Stripes reported on Tuesday. AWC
• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said late Monday that he is open to talks with Russia but only under conditions that are non-starters for negotiations with Moscow. AWC
• Some US and Western officials believe this winter will provide an opportunity for diplomacy between Russia and Ukraine as they don’t think either side can fully achieve their goals in the war, NBC News reported on Wednesday, citing anonymous sources. AWC

China

• Chinese warplane activity near Taiwan hit a three-month high on Monday as a British minister visited the island, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. AWC
• The US and Taiwan kicked off two days of talks in New York on Tuesday aimed at reaching a new pact to deepen trade and economic cooperation despite strong objections from Beijing. AWC

Middle East

• Outgoing Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz said Wednesday that he expects Benjamin Netanyahu, who is the presumed incoming prime minister, to take a “levelheaded” approach to the prospect of attacking Iran. AWC
• Airstrikes were launched Tuesday night against a fuel truck convoy on the Qaim border between Iraq and Syria. At least 10 people were reported killed, though some report as many as 14, with many injured and the toll likely to rise. AWC
• Truck convoys heading into Syria from Iraq are not uncommon: Iran sends fuel convoys to Lebanon and Syria a couple of times per month. On Tuesday night, one such convoy was hammered by Israeli airstrikes. AWC