As reports of atrocities emerge from Ukrainian cities of Bucha, Irpin, Borodyanka and others, calls are growing to label Russia's actions in Ukraine genocide.
The big picture: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly accused Russia of carrying out "genocide," and on Tuesday President Biden agreed, saying it's become clear that Russian President Vladimir Putin is "trying to wipe out even the idea of being Ukrainian."
Commercial truckers bringing in produce and other goods from Mexico are protesting a new rule by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott requiring additional inspection, resulting in extremely long wait times and the shutdown of at least one border crossing.
The latest: Abbott announced Wednesday that he will end the mandate at the Laredo border crossing to Nuevo León after Nuevo León Gov. Samuel García agreed to bolster border security in Mexico. Other ports of entry must continue to adhere to the order, which the Texas Trucking Association slammed earlier in the day.
President Biden announced Wednesday that he has approved the transfer of helicopters, artillery systems and armored vehicles as part of a package of $800 million in additional military aid to Ukraine.
Why it matters: The U.S. and its European allies are drastically ramping up the scale and scope of their military assistance ahead of a massive Russian offensive in the eastern Donbas region, which officials believe will dictate the trajectory of the rest of the war.
Russia has imposed sanctions on 398 members of the U.S. House, Russia's Foreign Ministry announced in a statement Wednesday.
Why it matters: The sanctions mark yet another escalation in reprisals from Russia in response to mounting U.S. sanctions over the unprovoked invasion in Ukraine.
A humanitarian ceasefire in Ukraine "doesn't seem possible" at this time, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said Wednesday during a press conference.
Why it matters: Peace negotiations between Ukraine and Russia have recently hit a dead end, with Russian President Vladimir Putin vowing Tuesday to continue the invasion of Ukraine until victory, according to Reuters.
ANKARA, Turkey — Turkey and the U.S. recently announced the launch of a "strategic mechanism" aimed at repairing relations and unlocking potential cooperation in areas of defense, the economy and counter-terrorism.
Why it matters: Relations between the two NATO allies have been strained in recent years over a number of issues, including Turkey’s purchase of Russia's S-400 missile defense systems, U.S. support for the Kurds in Syria and human rights issues.
State Department hostage envoy Roger Carstens asked Israel for help locating American journalist Austin Tice, who was kidnapped in Syria in 2012, during a recent visit to Israel, two Israeli sources tell Axios.
Behind the scenes: Last week, Carstens met with Israel's hostage team, which includes negotiators and experts from agencies including military intelligence and Mossad. Like the U.S, Israel does not have diplomatic relations with Syria, but Israel's intelligence services monitor the neighboring country closely.
Secretary of State Tony Blinken apologized to Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed last month for the U.S. response to January's Houthi attacks against the United Arab Emirates, two sources briefed on the issue tell Axios.
Why it matters: The Emiratis were disappointed by what they saw as a weak and slow U.S. response to the attacks, while the Biden administration was subsequently disappointed by the Emirati response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Blinken’s apology helped to ease those tensions.
The city of Jenin in the northern occupied West Bank has become the epicenter of the latest escalation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Why it matters: Israeli and Palestinian Authority officials have expressed concerns that if the situation escalates even more in Jenin, it could spill over to the rest of the West Bank and could lead to a flare-up in Gaza.
A Jersey court froze $7 billion in assets believed to be connected to Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich.
Why it matters: It's a massive freeze by the English Channel tax haven, equivalent to half of the billionaire’s publicly estimated wealth, per Bloomberg.
ANKARA, Turkey — Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu told Israeli reporters on Wednesday that "sustainable relations" between Israel and Turkey will require Israel to "respect the international law on the Palestinian issue."
Why it matters: Israeli-Turkish relations were frozen for most of the past 13 years, but are now beginning to improve. Past crises in the relationship were almost all linked to the Israel-Palestinian conflict — particularly flare-ups in Gaza — and Çavuşoğlu warned that such events could also undermine the current normalization process.
Ukraine's water system is "at risk of complete collapse" as Russia prepares for a new offensive in the eastern part of the country, the United Nations warned on Wednesday.
Driving the news: UNICEF said 1.4 million people in Ukraine no longer have access to piped water and 4.6 million people are at risk of losing their water supply.
Dubai Electricity & Water Authority, a state-owned utility, raised $6.1 billion in its local IPO, and then saw its shares rise by as much as 20% in aftermarket trading.
Why it matters: Dubai has long sought to be considered a major global bourse, or at least competitive with regional rivals in Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi, and this IPO could be the tipping point.
Russia abused human rights and violated international humanitarian law in its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, according to a report the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe released Wednesday.
Driving the news: "Taken as a whole, the report documents the catalog of inhumanity perpetrated by Russia’s forces in Ukraine," Michael Carpenter, U.S. ambassador to the OSCE, said. "This includes evidence of direct targeting of civilians, attacks on medical facilities, rape, executions, looting, and forced deportation of civilians to Russia."
What they're saying: "I offer the Russian Federation to exchange this guy of yours for our boys and our girls who are now in Russian captivity," Zelensky said. "It is therefore important that our law enforcement officials and military also consider this possibility."
Two probable Russian military resupply and maintenance bases have been established in southern Ukraine and Crimea, Maxar satellite images show, and probably are being used to help reinforce and resupply operations in and near Mariupol.
Why it matters: Russian ground forces continue moving into eastern Ukraine, where the stage is being set for a massive offensive in the Donbas region, Maxar says in a note to reporters.
Confirmed COVID-19 cases have now surpassed 500 million worldwide, according to Johns Hopkins University data.
State of play: The actual number of cases among the world's population of 7.9 billion is believed to be much higher, but many are going unreported — and experts are concerned this will worsen as testing is scaled down in some countries, including the U.S., the New York Times reports.
A prominent Russian opposition activist and Washington Post contributor who denounced the invasion of Ukraine was sentenced to 15 days in jail in Moscow Tuesday for "disobeying a police order," per NPR.
Why it matters: U.S. officials and the Washington Post are calling for the release of Vladimir Kara-Murza, who was detained near his Moscow home on Monday — hours after CNN published an interview with the reportedly twice-poisoned Putin critic in which he called the Kremlin "a regime of murderers."
More than a dozen yachts owned by sanctioned Russian oligarchs have been seized — or identified for seizure — since the invasion of Ukraine began, according to public reports reviewed by Axios.
Why it matters: The fleet of yachts impounded around the world so far is worth more than $2.5 billion. That's, ultimately, a drop in the bucket of sanctioned Russian assets, yet one that's garnered outsized publicity as a symbol of the plundered wealth enjoyed for so long by Vladimir Putin's cronies.
The defeat of Russian forces near Kyiv — and the trail of atrocities they left behind — have fueled a Western willingness to provide Ukraine with military aid once thought too provocative and cumbersome for a war Russia was expected to win in weeks.
Why it matters: Fears of angering a nuclear-armed Vladimir Putin or undermining peace talks with the Russian president have faded. Most NATO allies are now giving Ukraine whatever it needs to prevail in Act Two: a bloody, protracted battle expected in the eastern Donbas region.
