US News
- The FBI bought the Israeli spyware Pegasus. The FBI Director Chris Wray says the spyware was never deployed. NYT
Russia
- Citing unnamed administration officials, the report said that Secretary of State Antony Blinken and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan disagree with Milley and don’t think it’s time to make a serious push for peace talks. AWC
- Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said Sunday that she believes some sanctions will remain on Russia even if Moscow reaches a peace deal with Kyiv, demonstrating that the US wants to keep pressure on Russia’s economy for the long term. AWC
- Ukraine calls for attacks on Iran. Grayzone
- According to a report from POLITICO, the Biden administration has been reassuring Ukraine that peace talks with Russia don’t need to happen anytime soon. AWC
- CIA Director William Burns met with the head of Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) in Ankara, Turkey, on Monday, marking the highest-level face-to-face meeting between US and Russian officials since the February 24 invasion of Ukraine. AWC
- The US on Monday announced new Russia-related sanctions that target a network of people and companies accused of helping Moscow procure weapons. AWC
China
- President Biden on Sunday said that he’s looking to establish what the US and China’s “red lines” are in a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping that is scheduled for Monday. AWC
- Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo took over the chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on Sunday and vowed not to let the region turn into a proxy between two powers, referencing the growing tensions between the US and China. AWC
- The U.S. and Japan are set to kick off large-scale joint war games on Thursday. The military drills will involve over 35,000 troops and take place just days after President Joe Biden met with Chinese President Xi Jinping aimed at lowering tensions. The Institute
- The Washington Post reported Sunday that Congress drafted a plan with input from the White House to authorize $1 billion in military aid for Taiwan annually under the presidential drawdown authority, which allows the US to ship weapons directly from Pentagon stockpiles. AWC
- President Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday held a long-awaited in-person meeting in Bali, Indonesia, amid simmering tensions between the US and China. AWC
Middle East
- Turkey’s interior minister on Monday rejected condolences from the US on a deadly bombing in Istanbul and suggested that Washington was complicit in the attack due to its support for Kurdish militant groups in northeast Syria. AWC
- Syrian air defenses were active Sunday, intercepting Israeli missiles during an attack on the major Shayrat air base in the central city of Homs. AWC
- US Africa Command said Friday that it launched an airstrike in Somalia on November 9 in support of the US-backed Mogadishu-based government, marking the second known US airstrike in the country this month. AWC
