Russia
- The White House has come out against a ceasefire in Ukraine ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s trip to Moscow to potentially mediate between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his counterpart in Kyiv. AWC
- Slovakia on Friday joined Poland in pledging to send Ukraine Soviet-made MiG-29 fighter jets, making the European countries the first two NATO members to provide warplanes to Kyiv. AWC
- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced Saturday that the deal between Russia and Ukraine allowing the export of grain from Ukraine’s Black Sea ports has been extended. AWC
- In the first international charges issued since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began, the International Criminal Court (ICC), based in the Hague, issued arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and another Russian official over the alleged kidnapping and unlawful deportation of Ukrainian children as well as teenagers, Axios reported on Friday. AWC
Europe
- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Ankara would approve Finland’s NATO application before the country’s May election. Erdoğan made the announcement after meeting with Finnish President Sauli Niinisto in Ankara. AWC
- The leaders of Serbia and Kosovo met in North Macedonia on Saturday to discuss a deal put forward by the EU to improve ties between Belgrade and Pristina. AWC
Middle East
- Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has welcomed an invitation from Saudi King Salman to visit Riyadh following a China-brokered normalization deal between the two countries. AWC
- As the 20th anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion and occupation of Iraq approaches, a leading research institute on Wednesday said that “the total costs of the war in Iraq and Syria are expected to exceed half a million human lives and $2.89 trillion” by 2050. AWC
