Russia

• Key Republican members of Congress are launching a two-front campaign to pressure the Biden administration to send Ukraine more advanced weapons, Defense One reported Saturday, citing people familiar with the plan. AWC
• Several North Atlantic Treaty Organization members have pledged to send over 200 Leopard-series main battle tanks to Ukraine. However, much of the armor will not see the warzone for years. The Institute
• UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned Monday that the world is heading toward a “wider war” as the conflict in Ukraine continues to escalate. AWC
• Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu on Tuesday said the US and NATO were trying to prolong the war in Ukraine and that their military aid and other support for Kyiv threatens an “unpredictable escalation.” AWC
• The State Department on Tuesday notified Congress that it approved a potential $10 billion rocket launcher sale to Poland as the US’s European allies continue to ramp up military spending. AWC
• The head of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s Servant of the People party in Ukraine’s parliament said Monday that Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov will not be removed this week. AWC

China

• The Japanese Defense Ministry told Stars and Stripes that the US is not ready to deploy a variety of new missiles to Japan. AWC
• In his State of the Union address on Tuesday night, President Biden took aim at China and said winning the “competition” with Beijing should “unite all of us.” AWC

Syria

• After a devastating earthquake hit Syria and Turkey, killing thousands of people, the US State Department showed no interest in lifting crippling economic sanctions on Syria that are specifically designed to prevent the country’s reconstruction. AWC
• The head of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) on Tuesday called for the lifting of US and other Western economic sanctions on Syria following a massive earthquake that has killed over 7,000 people in Syria and Turkey. AWC
• US Central Command announced last week that it was involved in 43 operations against ISIS in Iraq and Syria in the month of January. AWC