Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says he learned through the press — not any direct heads-up — that President Biden had decided to stop trying to block a Russian pipeline that Ukraine sees as a dire national security threat.
Driving the news: Zelensky used an hourlong Zoom interview with Axios on Friday to beseech Biden to meet with him face to face before a June 16 summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin — offering to join him "at any moment and at any spot on the planet."
Panama is struggling to handle a surge of migrants crossing the deadly jungles of the Darién Gap separating the country from Colombia — many bound for the U.S., government officials, migration experts and members of Congress tell Axios.
Why it matters: Vice President Kamala Harris departed Sunday on her first trip to Central America after being tasked with the migration crisis. Most migrants reaching the U.S. border still hail from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras or El Salvador. But more people than before from farther-flung points are fleeing their homes and trying to enter the U.S.
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the first woman and first African to become director-general of the World Trade Organization, forged her strength through traumas few political leaders could imagine — let alone endure.
Driving the news: In a remarkable interview with "Axios on HBO" — her first extended, in-person TV interview since taking the job in March — the MIT-trained economist and development expert opened up about her nearly "impossible job" and the experiences that shaped her, including her mother's kidnapping.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken told "Axios on HBO" the Biden administration is determined to "get to the bottom" of COVID-19's origins, and said the U.S. will hold China accountable.
Why it matters: "The most important reason we have to get to the bottom of this is that's the only way we're going to be able to prevent the next pandemic or at least do a better job in mitigating it," he said during a wide-ranging interview in the State Department's Benjamin Franklin State Dining Room.
Colombian President Ivan Duque on Sunday announced plans to modernize the country's police force after weeks of protests, which have sparked an international outcry over alleged human rights abuses, Reuters reports.
Why it matters: The mass anti-government protests have entered their second month in the country. Last month UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet called for investigations into deaths of protestors at the hands of the police.
The sinking of a cargo ship carrying containers of harmful chemicals and plastics off the coast of Sri Lanka last week is shaping up to be an environmental disaster for the country.
The state of play: The ship, the X-Press Pearl, caught fire on May 20 and burned for two weeks before finally beginning to sink. Toxic debris from the fire has blanketed miles of the country's western coastline.
Chancellor Angela Merkel’s center-right party came out the winner in a local election in eastern Germany on Sunday, giving a hopeful boost to the party ahead of September's national elections, the Associated Press reports.
The state of play: Exit polls from Sunday indicate that Merkel's Christian Democratic Union garnered about 36% of the vote, while the far-right Alternative for Germany brought in 22%, per AP.
As Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu approaches what may be the end of his leadership, U.S. lawmakers and interest groups alike are trying to figure out what this change could signal for the United States, the Washington Post reports.
Why it matters: The U.S.-Israel relationship has become more divisive with recent events in Gaza as well as ongoing criticism from some Democrats over Netanyahu's hard-right policies.
Nikki Haley — former U.S. ambassador to the U.N., and South Carolina governor — is headed later this week to Israel, where she'll tour an Iron Dome air-defense location, and meet with top government and defense officials.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Sunday that he would urge world leaders to commit to vaccinate the global population at the Group of Seven wealthy democracies' summit next week, AP reports.
Why it matters: Johnson said he expects the global population to be mostly vaccinated by the end of 2022, an act he says would be "the single greatest feat in medical history."
Pope Francis said on Sunday that he was saddened over the discovery of the remains of 215 indigenous students at a Catholic-run boarding school in Canada — but he didn't apologize, AP reports.
Why it matters: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had criticized the Church for its silence and called on it to "step up and take responsibility for its role in this."
El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele said Saturday he will send a bill to the Central American country's Congress next week to make bitcoin legal tender.
Why it matters: If the legislation is passed by lawmakers, El Salvador would become the first country to formally adopt the digital currency.
United Nations chief Antonio Guterres on Saturday condemned a "heinous attack" by gunmen in northern Burkina Faso that left at least 132 people dead — including seven children.
Details: No group has claimed responsibility for Friday night's attack on Solhan village, but the West African nation's government has blamed militants linked to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State terrorist groups, per Reuters.
The U.S. will donate 750,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses to Taiwan, Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) announced after arriving in the capital, Taipei, on a bipartisan congressional visit Sunday.
Why it matters: The island state is facing spiking coronavirus cases, and officials say their efforts to obtain vaccines are being impeded by China's government, which considers Taiwan to be part of its territory.
