US News

• An Afghan prisoner who was held in US custody for nearly 15 years without charge was released from the Guantanamo Bay detention center and returned to Afghanistan. [Link]

Ukraine War 

• President Joe Biden said Sunday that the Group of Seven will ban Russian imports of gold in retaliation to Moscow’s war against Ukraine. [Link]
• The New York Times reports CIA officers are in Kiev to pass intelligence to Ukrainian officials, and special operations forces from several allied countries are training Ukrainian troops near the battlefield. The covert operations in Ukraine are a part of a significant effort by Western governments to weaken Russia. [Link]
• US-supplied HIMARS rocket systems are already working and hitting targets in Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine, according to a top Ukrainian general. [Link]
• A Russian lawmaker called for strikes on the US embassy in Kiev in response to the US delivering HIMARS to Ukraine. [Link]
• Russia targeted Kiev with four missiles. [Link]
• UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Russia’s victory in Ukraine would have “consequences for the world are absolutely catastrophic…Joe Biden is currently spending $46 billion to help Ukraine, I would argue that is a price worth paying for democracy and freedom.” [Link]
• G7 leaders mocked Putin over shirtless photos. [Link]
• Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan will attend talks with the leaders of Sweden and Finland ahead of the NATO summit in Madrid. [Link]
• NATO leaders will urge Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan to lift his veto over Finland and Sweden’s bid to join the military alliance. [Link]

China

• The US is confident that NATO’s new strategy document will include “strong” language on China, a White House official said. [Link]
• The G7 announce a $600 billion global infrastructure initiative to combat China’s Belt and Road. [Link] Biden said the United States would mobilize $200 billion in grants, federal funds and private investment over five years to support projects in low- and middle-income countries. [Link]

Iran

• A high-ranking EU official says talks with Iran will restart in a few days. [Link]
• Iran and Iraq have agreed to seek stability in the Middle East, Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi said in Tehran on Sunday, a day after he visited Saudi Arabia in a bid to revive talks between the regional rivals to ease years of hostility. [Link]
• The U.S. convened a secret meeting of top military officials from Israel and Arab countries in March to explore how they could coordinate against Iran. [Link]

Sudan

• Sudan’s military has accused the Ethiopian army of executing seven Sudanese soldiers and a civilian who were captives. [Link]