Russia

• Russian officials on Wednesday said they intend to recover the debris of the US MQ-9 Reaper drone that was downed in the Black Sea on Tuesday after being intercepted by Russian fighter jets. AWC
• Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin spoke with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Shoigu, on Wednesday over the downing of the US MQ-9 Reaper drone in the Black Sea. AWC
• Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly said last week that regime change in Moscow is “definitely” the goal when announcing Canada was banning the import of Russian steel and metal as part of its sanctions campaign against Russia. AWC
• Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) called for the US to start shooting down Russian planes that encounter US aircraft in response to the downing of the MQ-9 Reaper drone over the Black Sea. AWC
• A bipartisan group of senators sent a letter to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin urging that the US should take a “hard look” at sending F-16 fighter jets to Kyiv. AWC
• President Volodymyr Zelensky met with his top military advisers and announced that Ukrainian troops will continue to fight for the Donbas city of Bakhmut. The nine-month battle has recently been described as a “meat grinder,” and Kiev’s Western backers are concerned that Ukraine is losing too many troops and weapons in the fight. The Institute 

China

• A Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) official assesses that China’s growing pessimism over its relationship with the US is making Beijing prepare for a future war it would rather not fight, Voice of America reported Wednesday. AWC

Middle East

• China, Russia and Iran hold joint war games in the Gulf of Oman. AP
• The UN’s special envoy for Yemen said Wednesday that he sees a renewed momentum toward ending the war following the surprise normalization deal between Saudi Arabia and Iran that was brokered by China. AWC

Africa

• The IAEA reports 2.5 tonnes of Uranium was stolen from Libya. VOA
• During a trip to Ethiopia, Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced over $300 million in aid. Press Release