Axios

Andriy Yermak, Volodymyr Zelensky's chief of staff, said Thursday that while the Ukrainian president appreciates Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s mediation efforts, he wants more Israeli political support, weapons and the Pegasus spyware.

Driving the news: Since the Russian invasion began, Bennett has been one of the few leaders who is in regular contact with Vladimir Putin, including passing messages between the Russian president and Zelensky in an attempt to reach a ceasefire.

President Biden said Thursday that he would support Russia being expelled from the G20 over its invasion of Ukraine, a step that would further isolate Vladimir Putin on the international stage.

Driving the news: Biden said the decision would ultimately be up to the G20, but that he has proposed allowing Ukraine to attend as an observer nation if other members do not agree to remove Russia.

President Joe Biden said Thursday that if Russia were to use chemical weapons in Ukraine, it "would trigger a response" from NATO.

Driving the news: The White House has previously warned that Russia could be preparing to use chemical or biological weapons in its war in Ukraine or to "create a false flag operation using them."

Andriy Yermak, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's chief of staff, on Thursday said there was progress in the ceasefire negotiations with Russia and expressed “cautious optimism” about the possibility of a diplomatic breakthrough to end the war.

Why it matters: Yermak is Zelensky's closest aide and one of the most powerful and influential government officials in the country.

With less than three weeks until the first round of voting in the French presidential election, the once-dominant left is hardly a factor.

Driving the news: While far-left candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon is in third place with 13% in Politico's latest poll of polls, he lags behind far-right contender Marine Le Pen (18%) and far behind centrist President Emmanuel Macron (29%). Other left-leaning candidates fare far worse.

A majority of Latinos in the U.S. say they can still reach the American dream, and over 90% say hard work and the ability to speak English are needed to succeed, a new Axios-Ipsos Latino Poll in partnership with Noticias Telemundo found.

Why it matters: The optimism comes even after two years of a pandemic that has disproportionately hit Latinos and amid deep polarization and systemic racism, the findings in our second Axios-Ipsos Latino Poll show.

Exactly one month since Russia began its invasion of Ukraine, the leaders of NATO, the G7 and the European Union have convened a trio of summits in Brussels to coordinate the next phase of the Western response.

The latest: President Biden delivered a press conference in which he expressed support for expelling Russia from the G20 and said NATO "would respond" if Russia used chemical weapons inside Ukraine (Highlights).

Russia's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine has led to the displacement of more than half of the country's children, UNICEF said Thursday.

Driving the news: 4.3 million children have been displaced, over half of the estimated 7.5 million children living in the country prior to the invasion. Additionally, 78 children have died since the start of the invasion on Feb. 24, UNICEF said, citing the UN human rights office.

Russia's ruble has rebounded sharply in recent weeks, as officials cobbled together an unorthodox defense of the currency after it collapsed from Western sanctions over Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

Driving the news: The latest effort to shore up support came in the form of a direct demand from President Vladimir Putin that Europe — or as he put it, "unfriendly countries" — pay for Russian natural gas using rubles, rather than dollars or euros.

North Korea, for the first time since 2017, tested what is suspected to have been an intercontinental ballistic missile, according to South Korean and Japanese officials — raising new alarms about its ability to strike the United States.

Why it matters: The banned long-range missile, which Japan says flew to an altitude of 3,728 miles and covered a distance of 596 miles, threatens to destabilize the region at a time when the Biden administration and much of the world are consumed by the war in Ukraine.

Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) has placed a “hold” on Eric Garcetti’s nomination to be ambassador to India, demanding details about how the Los Angeles mayor handled allegations of sexual harassment by his staff — and whether he's been honest explaining them to the Senate.

Why it matters: India has tried to remain neutral in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, frustrating the White House. It's also a vital ally for the U.S. in its efforts to contain China. Yet more than a year into the Biden administration, the United States has no ambassador to the world's largest democracy.

The U.S. has assessed that Russia's forces are committing war crimes in Ukraine, Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced Wednesday.

Driving the news: "We’ve seen numerous credible reports of indiscriminate attacks and attacks deliberately targeting civilians, as well as other atrocities," Blinken said in a statement. "We are committed to pursuing accountability using every tool available, including criminal prosecutions."

Europe's resistance to imposing sanctions on Russian energy has only hardened 28 days into the invasion of Ukraine, driving a wedge into a Western alliance initially hailed for acting with unprecedented speed and unity.

Why it matters: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has pleaded with the West to impose new sanctions "every week until the Russian military machine stops," but appetite for major sectoral restrictions appears to be withering.

Foreign propaganda organs — including those from Russia and China — have used a visa program designed to lure high-skilled workers to the U.S. to place reporters, editors and producers at their American outposts, records show.

Why it matters: The H-1B program is designed to bolster U.S. competitiveness by seeding American firms with educated workers from abroad. Government data shows it's also being used to boost foreign state media operations on U.S. soil.