The big picture: Ivan Kuliak won the bronze medal in the parallel bars at a World Cup competition while Ukraine's Illia Kovtun won gold. Kuliak wore a 'Z' symbol taped to his leotard on the podium next to Kovtun.
The U.S. embassy in Kyiv will resume operations three months after officials relocated operations to western Ukraine, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday.
The big picture: The embassy left Kyiv "due to the dramatic acceleration in the buildup of Russian forces," Blinken said at the time. Russia invaded Ukraine days later.
A 21-year-old Russian soldier on trial in Kyiv for committing war crimes during Moscow's invasion of Ukraine pleaded guilty to killing an unarmed civilian in the Sumy region, according to CNN.
Finland and Sweden handed over their NATO applications on Wednesday to Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, who hailed the "historic moment" and urged all 30 allies to move quickly to ratify the Nordic countries' membership.
Why it matters: NATO's ninth enlargement since its founding in 1949 will fundamentally transform European security, adding 830 miles of border with Russia along the Finnish frontier and reversing 200 years of Swedish military non-alignment.
Turkey's threat to oppose Finland and Sweden's accession to NATO has massively raised the stakes of it long-simmering tensions with the West, and given Ankara new leverage to extract concessions from its own purported allies.
Why it matters: Critics have accused Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of employing a "hostage-taking" tactic also practiced by Hungary, which for weeks has been singlehandedly blocking the European Union from imposing an embargo on Russian oil.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky alluded to Charlie Chaplin's "The Great Dictator" and Francis Ford Coppola's "Apocalypse Now" in a virtual address at the Cannes Film Festival opening ceremony on Tuesday, as he urged cinema "not to be silent" amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The big picture: In speeches before various governments and bodies, Zelensky has made a point of tailoring his words to the particular audience.
The Israeli military in two weeks will begin a wide-ranging exercise to train for a possible attack on Iran's nuclear facilities, senior Israeli officials said Tuesday.
Why it matters: It will be the first time in at least five years that the Israeli military will engage in such an exercise. The goal is to redevelop a credible military option against Iran's nuclear program, the Israeli officials said in a briefing with reporters.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with Brittney Griner's wife, Cherelle Griner, a State Department spokesperson confirmed to Axios Tuesday.
The big picture: Blinken told Cherelle Griner the case is a top priority for the State Department and that she should reach out if there is anything she is not getting, per CNN.
The Biden administration is moving to ease some economic sanctions on Venezuela to encourage peaceful negotiations between the opposition and Nicolás Maduro's regime, senior administration officials said Tuesday.
Driving the news: Officials told reporters that they are taking these measures "at the request" of the Venezuelan interim government led by Juan Guaidó, who the U.S. still recognizes as the country's legitimate president.
Chinese investment projects across Latin America are booming, but they can cause significant damage to the environment and indigenous communities, one advocate tells Axios.
The big picture: China is South America's top trade partner, and Chinese banks and companies have built roads, dams, mines, solar power plants, and even a space mission control center in countries across the continent.
Top French officials rarely lambast China publicly, but in recent years, France has come to see one of its most important economic partners as a competitor, a security concern and, in some cases, a threat.
Why it matters: The Biden administration is trying to build trans-Atlantic consensus on a more assertive agenda to counter Beijing's growing power. Paris, in some ways, doesn't need persuading.
Saudi Deputy Minister of Defense Khalid bin Salman is visiting Washington this week for security talks with senior White House and Pentagon officials, two U.S. officials tell Axios.
Why it matters: The U.S. is trying to improve relations with Saudi Arabia as it pushes the kingdom to increase its oil output, and ahead President Biden's upcoming visit to the Middle East toward end of June.
President Biden will meet with the leaders of Finland and Sweden on Thursday as bothcountries are poised to apply for NATO membership.
Why it matters: The addition of Finland and Sweden to the NATO alliance would dramatically change the security landscape in Europe and more than double the length of the alliance's borders with Russia, Axios' Erin Doherty writes.
Ukraine said Monday that it had stopped fighting at a steel plant besieged by Russian forces in the port city of Mariupol and evacuated more than 250 soldiers through a humanitarian corridor to Russian-controlled areas.
Why it matters: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his nightly address that the evacuation was necessary to save the soldiers, who have endured a months-long defense of the plant, though he stressed that bringing them back to Ukrainian-controlled areas "requires delicacy and time."
North Korea officially claimed zero COVID-19 cases until last Thursday. Now, Pyongyang says 1.2 million people have feverish, COVID-like symptoms, 50 people have died and the entire country is under lockdown.
Why it matters: North Korea has a 0% vaccination rate and meager health facilities, and it was already struggling to feed its population. Leader Kim Jong-un has called the outbreak the "greatest turmoil" since North Korea's founding, but he has yet to accept foreign assistance.
