Axios

Global military spending topped $2 trillion in 2021 for the first time, with the U.S. accounting for 38% of that total, according to an annual report from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

The big picture: China's spending rose for the 27th consecutive year, and it's more than doubled over the past decade. China's growing power and Russia's increasing aggression have spurred other countries in Asia and Europe to increase their own defense budgets.

The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals has delayed the execution of Melissa Lucio, who was scheduled to be executed Wednesday for the death of her 2-year-old daughter.

The big picture: Lucio and her lawyers say she is innocent, pointing to new evidence they say shows her daughter, Mariah, died from falling down the stairs. Her case has drawn widespread outrage, with over 100 Texas lawmakers, celebrities and criminal justice advocates voicing their support for Lucio in recent weeks.

President Biden announced on Monday that he intends to nominate Bridget Brink to serve as U.S. ambassador to Ukraine.

Driving the news: The U.S. has not had an ambassador to Ukraine since former President Trump removed Marie Yovanovitch from the position in 2019.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Monday that the U.S. would like to see Russia's military "weakened to a degree."

The big picture: Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv on Sunday.

Russia is "failing" in its war aims and "Ukraine is succeeding," U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters Monday from an undisclosed location in Poland near its border with Ukraine, hours after visiting Kyiv.

The big picture: Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said after also meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the country's capital that Ukraine could win the war against Russia "if they have the right equipment, the right support," pledging the U.S. would "do everything we can" to help.

Secretary of State Tony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during talks that U.S. diplomats will begin returning to Ukraine this week, State Department spokesperson Ned Price confirmed Monday.

Why it matters: The resumption of American diplomatic operations in Ukraine for the first time since Russia launched its invasion was among key steps announced during Blinken and Austin's trip to Kyiv on Sunday. The others include further aid and plans to nominate the first U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine since 2019.

The U.S. and Israel will hold a new round of strategic talks this week focusing on Iran's nuclear program and countering its activity in the region, Israeli and U.S. officials said.

Why it matters: The talks will take place amid a deep stalemate in indirect negotiations between the U.S. and Iran over reviving the 2015 nuclear agreement.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin met with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv late Sunday, according to AP.

Why it matters: This is the first time top U.S. officials have traveled to Ukraine since the unprovoked Russian incursion began.

A top adviser to Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky said Sunday that United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres is "not really" authorized to speak on behalf of Ukraine in discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The big picture: The comment comes as Guterres prepares to meet with Putin and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Tuesday, before meeting with Zelensky and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba on Thursday.

• "We need urgent steps to save lives, end the human suffering and bring about peace in Ukraine," Guterres wrote in a tweet announcing the meetings on Friday.

Driving the news: “This is not good idea to travel to Moscow. We did not understand his intention to travel to Moscow and to talk to President Putin,” Igor Zhovkva, Zelensky's top diplomatic adviser, told NBC's "Meet the Press."

• "Any peace talks are good if they end with a result," Zhovkva said. "I really doubt if those peace talks organized by secretary-general of the UN will end up with any result."
• Zhovkva added that he believes the UN "is lagging behind in Ukraine in terms of humanitarian support to my country," he said. "So it would be good if UN secretary-general would concentrate on these things as well."

Reliance Industries of India said it cannot fully implement its $3.4 billion purchase of retailer Future Group, after Future Group's secured creditors objected.

Why it matters: It's something of a win for Amazon, which has been fighting the merger since it was announced nearly two years ago. But it's a catastrophic loss for Future Group, once India's second-largest retailer with more than 1,500 stores, which may go bankrupt.

French President Emmanuel Macron defeated far-right leader Marine Le Pen to win re-election Sunday, with projections as polls closed showing him winning 58% to 42%.

Why it matters: Macron is the first French president in 20 years to win a second term. While polls consistently showed him in the lead, there will be relief in Washington and Brussels as his victory is confirmed.

Ukrainians observed Orthodox Easter on Sunday as the Russian invasion enters its third month.

The big picture: Many Ukrainians celebrated the holiday away from home this year, as more than 5 million have fled while their country remains under siege, according to the UN refugee agency.

Shanghai authorities have erected fences outside of residential areas with COVID-19 cases, according to Reuters.

Driving the news: The move has sparked public outcry on social media, where people have compared the decision to enclosing residents in "like domestic animals." Others questioned whether the fencing is a fire hazard, per Reuters.

The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe on Saturday said it's working on the "release" of members of its Special Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, who have been “deprived of their liberty.”

What they're saying: “The OSCE is extremely concerned that a number of SMM national mission members have been deprived of their liberty in Donetsk and Luhansk and is using all available channels to facilitate their release,” the OSCE tweeted.

The International Committee of the Red Cross said on Sunday that it is "deeply alarmed" by the situation in Mariupol.

Driving the news: The Red Cross called for "immediate and unimpeded humanitarian access" to the eastern Ukrainian city to allow for safe passage of civilians and the wounded out of the city, including from the Azovstal steel plant.

Ukrainian officials said Russian forces killed at least eight people in missile strikes on the Black Sea port city of Odessa on Saturday — including a 3-month-old baby.

Between the lines: If Putin's forces were to take the port city of Odessa it would effectively cut Ukraine off from the Black Sea. Sea cargo makes up 70% of all of Ukraine's imports and exports, with Odessa processing about 65% of this, per Al Jazeera.

Luxury cars are among 8,000 new vehicles stranded at Belgium's Port of Zeebrugge due to European Union sanctions on Russia over the invasion of Ukraine, the Wall Street Journal reported Saturday.

Why it matters: The stranding of Russia-bound vehicles including Cadillac, Mercedes and Lexus models, since the start of April highlights "confusion at key European ports over how to interpret and enforce sanctions" against the country, per the WSJ.