Russia

• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky held a call with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday, marking the first time the two leaders spoke since Russia launched its invasion last year. On Twitter, Zelensky said the conversation was “meaningful.” AWC
• British Armed Forces Minister James Heappey has confirmed that Ukraine received controversial depleted uranium from the UK for use with British-made Challenger 2 tanks. AWC
• Leaked US military documents show the US believes Russia will be able to continue funding its war in Ukraine for at least another year despite Western sanctions, The Washington Post reported Wednesday. AWC
• Russian President Vladimir Putin signed an order Wednesday that gives Russia temporary control over Russian subsidiaries of two Western energy firms, a response to the US and EU freezing Russian assets. AWC
• Two leading GOP congressmen renewed calls for the White House to send cluster bombs to Ukraine. Representative Mike Rogers (R-MS) claimed the US has 3 million rounds of the controversial munitions in stock that will have to be destroyed if they are not sent to Kiev. The Institute 
• Legislation introduced by Representative Matt Gaetz (R-FL) which calls on the White House to release documents related to the war in Ukraine passed a voice vote on Wednesday. With debate on the resolution divided along party lines, the House Foreign Affairs Committee is set to vote on the measure on Friday. The Institute 
• The top American diplomat in Hungary attacked Budapest for insufficient commitment to the NATO proxy war against Russia, with the ambassador claiming that support for a ceasefire in Ukraine was “cynical.” The Institute 

China

• A Taiwanese national security official said Wednesday that the island now has a “real time” intelligence-sharing link with the Five Eyes, the Western intelligence alliance that includes the US, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and Britain. AWC

Korea

• The US will dock nuclear-armed submarines in South Korea for the first time since the 1980s in a significant escalation that will raise tensions on the Korean Peninsula and risk provoking a response from Pyongyang. AWC

Syria

• A Turkish official has said the condition for a Turkish withdrawal from Syria is the end of the “YPG threat” in the country, referring to the primary military component of the SDF, the Kurdish-led group that is backed by the US. AWC