US News
- The Department of Defense announced it will send the Avenger air defense system to Ukraine. The White House has approved over $1 billion in security assistance for Kiev in the past three weeks. The Institute
- US special operations forces on Wednesday dropped a long-range missile out of a C-130 transport plane in Arctic Circle in what US military officials described as an “intentional provocation” toward Russia. AWC
- Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said upcoming talks in Egypt on nuclear weapons are unlikely to lead to any significant breakthrough. The Kremlin views the current arms control environment as a long-term problem that will take time to resolve. AWC
- Kiev is planning a buildup of its weapons industry to produce more sophisticated arms, with Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov saying government takeovers of several companies will help Kiev to create an “army of drones” and other NATO-caliber weapons. The defense chief noted that growing military ties between Kiev and the West makes Ukraine a de facto NATO partner. AWC
- Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley said on Wednesday that he sees an opportunity for negotiations between Russia and Ukraine now that Moscow has announced its retreat from Kherson and that the two sides should “seize the moment.” AWC
China
- The White House announced Thursday that President Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping will hold a meeting on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in Indonesia this Monday. AWC
Middle East
- The US deployed two B-52 bombers to the Middle East on Thursday that were escorted through Israeli airspace by Israeli F-35 fighter jets in the latest show of force aimed at Iran. AWC
- Thursday’s quarterly report from the IAEA once again details Iran’s stockpile of uranium. As usual, the watchdog overstated the seriousness of the enrichment of uranium for civilian use. AWC
- A UN special rapporteur on Thursday called for the removal of US and other Western sanctions on Syria as they are having a devastating impact on the civilian population and preventing the country from rebuilding after 11 years of war. AWC
