Russia

• The US will allow its European partners to transfer F-16s to Kiev, according to the Washington Post. AWC
• A Russian official said Saturday that the Western plans to provide Ukraine with American-made F-16 fighter jets bring “colossal risks” after the US announced it would sign off on European countries delivering the aircraft. AWC
• President Biden on Sunday met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during the G7 summit in Hiroshima, Japan, and announced a new military aid package for Kyiv that’s worth $375 million. AWC
• Russia’s Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin has said his mercenary force captured all of Bakhmut and will hand over the city to regular Russian forces on May 25. AWC
• Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) introduced a piece of legislation last week that would formally accuse Russia of violating New START and call on the US to withdraw from the treaty. AWC
• The US on Friday announced new sanctions on Russia that were imposed in coordination with the Group of Seven, but they fall far short of what the Biden administration was hoping to achieve. AWC
• NATO is drawing up plans on how to fight a war with Russia for the first time since the Cold War. AWC
• One of two Israeli-manufactured Iron Dome batteries owned by the Pentagon is ready to be deployed to Ukraine, a US general told the Senate on Thursday. The Institute 
• According to a report from Reuters, the Pentagon overestimated the value of military equipment it sent to Ukraine by $3 billion, meaning the US could ship even more weapons to the country. AWC
• British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace confirmed on Thursday that Ukraine’s armed forces have used the Storm Shadow missiles provided by London, which have a range of more than 155 miles. AWC

China

• China’s special representative for Eurasian affairs, Li Hui, was in Ukraine on Tuesday and Wednesday to discuss the prospect of peace talks and met with senior Ukrainian officials, including Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and President Volodymyr Zelensky. AWC
• The joint communiqué released by the Group of Seven leaders during the summit over the weekend in Hiroshima, Japan, took aim at China over several issues, but President Biden said Sunday that he expects a “thaw” in relations with Beijing. AWC

Middle East

• The Middle East-based naval commanders from the US, British, and French navies transited the Strait of Hormuz on a US warship on Friday in an unusual show of force aimed at Iran. AWC
• US military officials are walking back claims that a drone strike Central Command (CENTCOM) launched on May 3 in northwest Syria killed a senior al-Qaeda leader after evidence emerged that a civilian was killed. AWC
• Reps. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) and Ro Khanna (D-CA) led 37 other House Democrats in a letter that calls on President Biden to support the diplomatic progress in Yemen by declaring the US will not provide military support to the Saudi-led coalition in the conflict. AWC