Russia

• Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley predicted Thursday that Ukraine’s counteroffensive will be long and “very violent” following a meeting of military officials in Brussels. AWC
• A bipartisan group of US lawmakers introduced a piece of legislation on Thursday that would give President Biden the power to confiscate frozen Russian Central Bank assets and send them to Ukraine. AWC
• The Israeli Defense Forces are monitoring arms smuggled out of Ukraine and weapons captured by Russia over fears they could be used by Iran. A recent Pentagon report found insufficient tracking of weapons shipped to Ukraine via Poland. The Institute 
• Putin shows a document to African leaders showing a signed agreement with Ukraine from the early days of the war. AWC
• Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday that the first Russian tactical nuclear weapons have arrived in Belarus and that the full deployment will be completed by the end of the year. AWC
• In an interview with NBC News, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky attacked former President Donald Trump’s pledge to end the war. He argued that if Kiev does not defeat Moscow, Russia will attack a NATO member state and force the US into a direct conflict. AWC
• President Biden said Saturday that he won’t make it easy for Ukraine to join NATO as the alliance is debating what new commitments to extend to Kyiv at an upcoming summit in Vilnius that will be held from July 11-12. AWC
• The US ambassador to Turkey expects Sweden to become a NATO member by the Vilnius summit that will be held this July despite recent comments from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. AWC

China

• The US military has gained “unimpeded access” to sites in Papua New Guinea under a new military pact Secretary of State Antony Blinken signed in the Pacific island nation last month. AWC
• National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan discussed boosting military ties with India during a visit to the country this week to prepare for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s first official state visit to the US. AWC

North Korea

• North Korea launched two ballistic missiles toward its eastern waters, in a “grave provocation” on Thursday, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said. The short-range missile launches followed the fifth and final round of Washington and Seoul’s largest-ever combined live-fire joint military exercises. The Institute 

Middle East

• The State Department on Thursday said reports of a potential agreement between the US and Iran related to Iran’s nuclear program are “not true.” AWC
• Washington sent F-22 Raptor fighter jets to the Middle East in a show of force eyeing Moscow, claiming Russian aircraft have behaved aggressively in the skies above Syria in recent months. The Kremlin has similarly accused US warplanes of targeting Russian aircraft in eastern Syria. The Institute 
• An unnamed Western official speaking to Reuters said one of the US’s main objectives in recently engaging with Iran and reaching some sort of agreement on its nuclear program is to prevent an Israeli attack on the Islamic Republic. AWC