US News

• A federal judge denied Massachusetts Airman Jack Teixeira’s motion to be released while he waits for his trial to begin. Teixeira is accused of leaking classified documents on Discord that undermine the narrative put forward by the US government that the war in Ukraine was going well. The judge explained the authorities have been unable to find Teixeira’s hard drive, cell phone, or any of the documents he is accused of leaking. The Institute 
• A delegation of Australian lawmakers will visit Washington later this month to lobby for the freedom of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who faces up to 175 years in prison if extradited to the US and convicted for exposing US war crimes. AWC

Russia

• NATO member Romania has strongly denied a Ukrainian claim that a Russian drone detonated in Romanian territory during an overnight bombardment on one of Ukraine’s ports on the Danube River. AWC
• Amidst a deluge of corruption scandals, particularly with regards to military graft, Ukraine’s Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov resigned on Monday. President Volodymyr Zelensky announced he will be replaced a day earlier. This comes as some US lawmakers have cited graft as a reason to impose limits on military and financial aid to Kiev for its war with Moscow. The Institute 
• Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday and said Moscow would return to the Black Sea grain deal if sanctions against Russia’s agricultural industry are lifted. AWC
• On Sunday, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said an independent inquiry found no evidence that a Russian cargo ship that docked in South Africa last year was loaded with weapons despite US claims. AWC
• NATO members that border Russia and Belarus are afraid that growing opposition to the proxy war in Ukraine inside the United States will put pressure on the Ukrainians to pursue peace talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, The Hill reported on Tuesday. AWC
• As the proxy war in Ukraine continues raging, people are being killed and wounded by cluster bombs at a higher rate than anywhere else in the world including Syria, according to the Cluster Munition Coalition. The Institute 

Korea

• South Korea’s intelligence services believe that Russia, China and North Korea are preparing to conduct joint military drills. Moscow, Beijing, and Pyongyang have all frequently complained about American war games near their borders. The Institute 

China

• The US and Philippine navies conducted a joint patrol in the disputed South China Sea on Monday, a step that increases the chance of a dangerous encounter between US and Chinese vessels. AWC

Middle East

• On Tuesday, the State Department said Secretary of State Antony Blinken held separate phone calls with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas amid a US push to broker a normalization deal between Israel and Saudi Arabia. AWC
• A report from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) shows Iran has slowed its enrichment of uranium at 60% purity, The Associated Press reported on Monday. AWC
• A senior Iraqi military official speaking to The New Arab said the US has violated the terms of its agreement to maintain a military footprint in Iraq due to the presence of “offensive weapons” at an American base. AWC

Niger

• A French source told AFP on Tuesday that France is holding talks with Niger’s post-coup government on the withdrawal of “certain military elements” from the West African country. AWC