US News

• Over the weekend, President Biden declared “journalism is not a crime” at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, a statement that rings hollow as his Justice Department is seeking the extradition of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange for exposing US war crimes. AWC

Russia

• Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Russian mercenary group Wagner, renewed a call on Monday for Russia to provide more ammunition to his forces who are fighting for control of the Donbas city of Bakhmut. AWC
• Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Tuesday that US estimates of Russian losses in Ukraine had no basis and were “plucked from thin air.” AWC
• Ukraine is waiting for better weather before it launches its long-awaited spring counteroffensive, the Ukrainian ambassador to the UK told Sky News on Tuesday. AWC
• A Russian governor says explosions rocked his region over two consecutive days. On Sunday, the governor of Bryansk Oblast posted on Telegram that four civilians had been killed by Ukrainian shelling. The next day, a train was derailed by an explosion. The Institute 
• Ukraine’s military on Tuesday vowed to continue defending Bakhmut as Russian officials claim Russian forces now control nearly 90% of the eastern Donbas city. AWC
• The White House is becoming frustrated with its partners in the Group of 7’s (G7) refusal to commit to its economic war against the Kremlin. The Institute 
• The US and Finland are working out a deal that would allow the US to establish a military presence in the Nordic country, as Helsinki is now a member of NATO. AWC
• Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX), chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said Monday that future US support for Ukraine depends on Kyiv’s looming counteroffensive. AWC

China

• President Biden hosted Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. at the White House on Monday amid heightened tensions with China and told him that the US commitment to defending the Philippines is “ironclad.” AWC
• The head of the US Pacific Fleet has said the US is “ready” to help the Philippines resupply a grounded naval ship in the South China Sea, Nikkei Asia reported on Monday. AWC
• Former American national security adviser John Bolton completed a week-long tour of Taiwan by meeting President Tsai Ing-wen. During the meeting, Tsai claimed Taiwan was on the frontline in the fight for democracy and, as such, Taipei needs stronger ties with like-minded nations. The Institute 

Middle East

• House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) offered strong support to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a visit to Israel, saying he’ll invite the Israeli leader to address Congress if President Biden doesn’t invite him to the White House. AWC
• A bipartisan group of lawmakers in the House and the Senate on Monday introduced a bill that would make a law authorizing sanctions on Iran permanent. AWC
• The foreign ministers of Syria, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Egypt met in Amman on Monday to discuss a solution to the crisis in Syria in the latest step towards Damascus fully normalizing with regional countries. AWC
• Israeli airstrikes put Syria’s Aleppo airport out of service and hit other targets on the outskirts of the city on Monday night, Syria’s SANA news agency reported. AWC