Russian President Vladimir Putin warned Finnish President Sauli Niinistö during a phone call on Saturday that a Finnish application for NATO membership "could have a negative effect on Russia-Finland relations," according to a statement released by the Kremlin’s press service.
Why it matters: Russia's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, a non-NATO country, has galvanized the historically neutral countries of Sweden and Finland into seeking membership in the defensive alliance, and Russia has responded with half-veiled threats.
Vice President Kamala Harris will lead a U.S. delegation to the United Arab Emirates on Monday to offer condolences after the death of President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, according to a senior administration official.
What they're saying: "In addition to honoring the memory and the legacy of Sheikh Khalifa, the Vice President will underscore the strength of the partnership between our countries and our desire to further deepen our ties in the coming months and years," the administration official said.
Why it matters: While Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed at the onset of the invasion that Moscow didn't intend to occupy Ukraine, Kremlin-installed occupation authorities in certain regions have started taking steps to be illegally recognized as part of Russia.
U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell led a congressional delegation to Kyiv to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, CNN reports.
Driving the news: McConnell is the latest high-ranking U.S. official to visit the country amid Russia's ongoing invasion. The trip comes as the Senate is weighing a $40 billion aid package for Ukraine that the House has already passed.
The ruling council of the United Arab Emirates appointed Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan as the country's new president after Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan died on Friday.
The big picture: MBZ was widely expected to take over the post. He had been acting as the de facto ruler of the UAE since his brother, Sheikh Khalifa, became ill after suffering a stroke in 2014.
The U.S. is "deeply troubled by the images of Israeli police intruding into the funeral procession" of Palestinian American Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh in Jerusalem on Friday, Secretary of State Tony Blinken said in a statement.
Driving the news: Footage aired live on Al Jazeera shows Israeli police beating Palestinian mourners, including some carrying the coffin of Abu Akleh, with batons and firing stun grenades as they tried to leave a Jerusalem hospital at the start of the procession.
Israeli police beat mourners carrying the casket of Shireen Abu Akleh during the start of the Palestinian American journalist's funeral procession on Friday.
The big picture: The death of the veteran Al Jazeera journalist, who was shot dead Wednesday while covering an Israeli military raid in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin, sent shockwaves throughout the Middle East and across the rest of the world.
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin spoke Friday with Russian Minister of Defense Sergei Shoigu in the leaders' first conversation since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine.
Driving the news: Austin "urged an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine and emphasized the importance of maintaining lines of communication," Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby said in a statement.
Group of 7 nations should seize Russian assets and hand them over to Ukraine to help the country's rebuilding effort, Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told reporters Friday.
Driving the news: The cost of the ongoing war has already topped $94 billion worth of direct damage to civilian and military infrastructure in Ukraine and leeched hundreds of billions of dollars from the country's economy.
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Friday that his government does not support Finland and Sweden joining NATO, claiming the Scandinavian countries are home to Kurdish "terrorist organizations."
Why it matters: A formal objection by Turkey would derail Finland and Sweden's expected NATO applications, which must be approved by all 30 NATO allies. Finland's leaders on Thursday officially expressed support for applying to NATO "without delay," while Sweden's ruling party is expected to follow suit on Sunday.
United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan died Friday at the age of 73, state media reported.
The big picture: Sheikh Khalifa had rarely been seen in public since suffering a stroke in 2014. His brother, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed, has been considered the de facto ruler of the country since then.
Senior U.S. officials are huddling weekly to assess and share information on the environmental threats Ukraine faces due to Russia's invasion, Axios has learned.
The goal of the interagency group, which is comprised of 21 federal agencies, is to assist the Ukrainian government with tracking and mitigating environmental hazards, some of which could last for years after fighting ends.
Russian President Vladimir Putin's rumored mistress, Alina Kabaeva, is among the targets of a new round of sanctions announced by U.K. Foreign Secretary Liz Truss on Friday, aimed at Putin's inner circle.
Why it matters: The U.K.'s decision to sanction Kabaeva, a former Olympic gymnast, comes several weeks after U.S. officials made a "last-minute" decision to exclude her from U.S. sanctions for fear of further escalating tensions between the U.S. and Moscow, the Wall Street Journal reported.
President Biden is hosting the leaders of eight countries in Southeast Asia on Thursday and Friday, underscoring the importance of the region by holding a summit with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) at the White House for the first time.
Why it matters: Home to some of the world’s fastest-growing economies and most contested waters, Southeast Asia is an epicenter of U.S.-China competition.
Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador and Bolivian President Luis Arce have threatened to reject Biden's invitation to the Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles on June 6–10 if the leaders of Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela are excluded.
Why it matters:Last held in 2018 and returning to U.S. soil for the first time since 1994, the Summit of the Americas is the preeminent gathering of regional leaders — but López Obrador and Arce aren't the only ones considering skipping it.
The cost of direct damage to civilian and military infrastructure in Ukraine since the war began totals more than $94 billion, according to an analysis of public sources by the Kyiv School of Economics (KSE).
Why it matters: The sheer scale of destruction is sometimes overshadowed by the media and government's intense focus on territorial gains and human atrocities. The tally is another index of the challenge Ukraine will face to rebound — whenever the shooting stops.
