Assange 

• The State Department refused to acknowledge on Wednesday, which marked World Press Freedom Day, that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is a journalist. AWC

Russia

• The Russian government said Wednesday that Ukraine tried to kill President Vladimir Putin in a drone attack that targeted the Kremlin and that Russia has the right to respond “whenever and wherever it sees fit.” AWC
• The Biden administration on Wednesday announced a new $300 million arms package for Ukraine using the Presidential Drawdown Authority, which allows President Biden to ship weapons to the country directly from Pentagon stockpiles. AWC
• Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday that Ukraine’s military is capable of launching a counteroffensive and regaining territory from Russia despite what Pentagon documents leaked on Discord have revealed. AWC
• Kiev appears frustrated with the White House over the leaks of highly classified documents. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he learned of the leak through the media and has not yet spoken with President Joe Biden regarding the trove of documents. The Institute 

China

• A group of US weapons makers attended the Taiwan-US Defense Industry Forum in Taipei on Wednesday and pledged to increase cooperation with Taiwan. AWC
• Nicholas Burns, the US Ambassador to China, warned Beijing about supporting Moscow and called for talks during a speech on Tuesday. The Institute 

Middle East

• Iranian forces seized a Panamanian-flagged oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz Wednesday, marking the second such incident within a week. AWC
• US Central Command said Wednesday that it launched an airstrike in northwest Syria that killed an al-Qaeda leader but did not name the target or release other details of the strike, and local reports suggest a civilian was killed. AWC