US News

• The Pentagon’s comptroller said that the department has failed its fifth consecutive audit. AWC

Russia

• Poland’s president and the leader of NATO both said on Wednesday that Ukrainian air defenses, not Russia, likely fired the missile that hit Polish territory on Tuesday, killing two people. AWC
• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Wednesday that he’s confident the missile didn’t come from his country even after NATO, Poland, and the US said it was likely fired by Ukrainian air defenses. AWC
• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s reaction to the missile that hit Poland and killed two people led the Biden administration to warn his government to “tread carefully,” sources told CNN. AWC
• The Kremlin said on Thursday that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s calls for public negotiations with Russia show that he’s not serious about pursuing diplomacy. AWC
• The US and Russia will hold talks on the last nuclear arms control treaty that remains between the powers, the New START, from November 29 to December 6 in Cairo, Egypt. AWC
• Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said Russian missile strikes across Ukraine last week disabled nearly half of the country’s energy infrastructure, leaving millions of Ukrainians without power. AWC
• Russia on Sunday said that Ukrainian forces renewed the shelling of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) in Russian-controlled southern Ukraine. AWC
• Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday announced that the deal between Ukraine and Russia that allows the export of Ukrainian grain will be extended for 120 days. AWC
• For months now, Ukraine has been asking the US to supply powerful MQ-1C Gray Eagle drones, but Washington has held back. AWC
• Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley reaffirmed on Wednesday that he sees an opportunity for peace talks between Russia and Ukraine and that the chances of a Ukrainian military victory happening anytime soon are “not high.” AWC
• At the end of the Group of 20 summit in Bali, Indonesia, the group released a joint declaration that said “most members” condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine but acknowledged there are differing views, as Moscow is a G20 member. AWC
• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Wednesday that he has received “signals” from Western partners that Russian President Vladimir Putin desires direct negotiations with Ukraine. AWC
• Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Thursday that the US and Russia have no intention of using nuclear weapons and that Turkey is urging more dialogue between the two countries, Hurriyet Daily News reported. AWC
• A group of House Republicans introduced a bill Thursday to audit the funds that Congress has approved to spend on the war in Ukraine. AWC

China

• Vice President Kamala Harris will visit a Philippine island on the South China Sea that is near waters at the center of a maritime dispute between China and several Southeast Asian countries that all have overlapping claims. AWC

Korea

• Tensions continue to flare on the Korean peninsula as the US and South Korea staged another show of force after North Korea launched an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). AWC

Middle East

• The White House and State Department say they are not behind the decision to investigate the death of American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh. Axios
• US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced Saturday that a US-led task force will deploy over 100 unmanned vessels to the Persian Gulf by 2023 as part of a regional effort against Iran. AWC
• US and Israeli officials have accused Iran of being behind an attack off the coast of Oman without providing evidence for the claim. AWC
• The IAEA’s issues with uranium particles in Iran remain unresolved, with the body voting once again to condemn the Iranian Republic for “lack of cooperation” on the questions of the particles. This is the second condemnation and both China and Russia voted against it. AWC
• Continuing the trend of the past several weeks, Israel has again attacked Syria, targeting military posts around the country’s west, between Homs and Hama. AWC
• Turkey carried out dozens of airstrikes in northern Syria and Iraq on Sunday against Kurdish groups it blamed for a recent deadly bombing in Istanbul. AWC