Russia

• The UN Security Council on Tuesday held a meeting on the bombings of the Nord Stream natural gas pipelines that connect Russia to Germany. AWC
• President Biden on Wednesday said Russian President Vladimir Putin made a “big mistake” by suspending Russia’s participation in the last nuclear arms control treaty between the US and Russia, known as the New START. AWC
• Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev warned Wednesday that Russia is willing to defend itself by any means, including by using nuclear weapons. AWC
• President Biden met with the leaders of the Bucharest Nine countries in Warsaw, Poland, on Wednesday and vowed to defend “literally every inch” of NATO territory, calling Article Five of the alliance’s treaty that outlines mutual defense “sacred.” AWC
• Ukraine’s military intelligence agency has shared photos of a Black Hawk helicopter. The American-made aircraft was painted with a Ukrainian flag, and the intel org suggested it was used in military operations. The Institute
• Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that Chinese President Xi Jinping will be visiting Moscow soon as China and Russia continue to draw closer together in the face of similar Western pressure. AWC

Israel

• According to a report from Israeli TV, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a series of meetings over the past few weeks with his top military and intelligence officials on the possibility of attacking Iran. AWC
• Iran’s Foreign Ministry reports that IAEA officials are in Tehran for ongoing talks to resolve questions and ambiguities created by a UN inspector. The situation involves the discovery of 84% purity uranium particles, the “highest” level putatively found in Iran, and well above the 60% purity level to which Iran admits enriching. AWC

Somalia  

• US Africa Command (AFRICOM) has announced that its forces launched an airstrike against al-Shabaab in Somalia on Tuesday, marking the third known US strike in the country this month and the sixth of the year. AWC