Russia

• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday said Ukraine needs to secure the supply of new weapons from its Western backers and that arms deliveries need to speed up. AWC
• Adm. Rob Bauer, the head of NATO’s Military Committee, said that NATO is “ready” for a direct confrontation with Russia, citing the alliance’s recent efforts to boost its presence in Eastern Europe. AWC
• On Saturday, Russia accused Ukrainian forces of killing 14 people and injuring 25 in a strike on a hospital in the eastern Luhansk oblast using US-provided HIMARS rocket systems. AWC
• Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday suggested for the first time that Turkey could approve Finland’s NATO membership without also approving Sweden’s. AWC
• The US is preparing another major escalation of military aid to Ukraine as Reuters reports the next arms package will include rockets that have a range of 94 miles, almost double the range of the munitions Ukraine was provided for the HIMARS rocket systems. AWC
• Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said Tuesday that Ukraine expects to receive between 120 and 140 Western-made tanks in the “first wave” of deliveries. AWC
• Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Tuesday said that his Egyptian counterpart delivered a message from Secretary of State Antony Blinken calling on Russia to “stop” its war in Ukraine. AWC
• The RAND Corporation issued a new report that warns against a “protracted conflict” in Ukraine and says a prolonged war is against US interests, breaking from the view of many hawks in Washington that the US should support the fight against Russia for the long term. AWC
• Polish officials said Monday that Warsaw is willing to send US-made F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine but only in coordination with NATO. AWC

China

• A four-star US Air Force general thinks a war between the US and China is only two years away and has ordered his forces to start preparing for the conflict. AWC
• The head of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization visited Tokyo on Tuesday and called for NATO to forge a stronger partnership with Japan as the alliance has its eyes on the region after labeling China a “systemic challenge.” AWC

Korea

• The US and South Korea on Tuesday agreed to ramp up joint military exercises, a step that will raise tensions on the Korean Peninsula and likely provoke more North Korean weapons tests. AWC

Middle East

• The Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday that Israel was behind an overnight drone inside Iran that targeted a military facility in the city of Isfahan. AWC
• Airstrikes targeting a convoy of trucks launched by unidentified aircraft were reported on the Syria-Iraq border on Sunday. AWC
• A suspected US drone strike killed three alleged al-Qaeda members in the Yemeni province of Maarib, AFP reported Tuesday, citing officials from the Saudi-backed Yemeni government. AWC

Africa

• US Africa Command (AFRICOM) on Monday said it conducted an airstrike in Somalia against al-Shabaab in support of the Mogadishu-based government on January 25. AWC
• A US drone gave support to an assault against jihadists in the Lake Chad basin region of Africa that involved the governments of Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon, and Niger, AFP reported on Monday. AWC