Axios

A new poll of nine big countries finds a strong preference for the U.S., rather than China, to be the leading superpower.

Why it matters: The Eurasia Group Foundation (EGF) poll is the latest signal that many around the world are viewing China's rise with trepidation.

The U.S. Treasury Department on Thursday unveiled new sanctions against a network of Iranian petrochemical producers, as well as front companies in China and the United Arab Emirates that help support the brokering of international sales of Iranian petrochemicals.

Driving the news: The new sanctions come as negotiations between the U.S. and Iran over reviving the 2015 nuclear deal have hit a stalemate.

The leaders of France, Germany and Italy met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv Thursday and expressed support for granting Ukraine candidate status for accession to the European Union.

Why it matters: Zelensky this week urged Western countries to quickly deliver more arms as Ukraine attempts to fend off Russian forces in the country's east.

A fisherman confessed to the killing of missing British journalist Dom Phillips and Indigenous expert Bruno Pereira and led police to a site with human remains, Brazilian police said Wednesday, per AP.

Driving the news: The grim development came 10 days after the pair went missing, sparking a search that involved the police, army and navy, per the BBC.

The Netherlands' security service said Thursday it uncovered a plot by a member of Russia's military intelligence service to use a false identity to infiltrate the International Criminal Court (ICC) through an internship.

Why it matters: Netherland's security service said the man would have had access to the headquarters and systems of the ICC, which is investigating war crimes committed during Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

Federal prosecutors in New York have moved to seize more than $5.3 million from the U.S. bank account of sanctioned Russian oligarch Konstantin Malofeyev, according to a court document filed Wednesday.

Driving the news: The seizure relates to Malofeyev's indictment in early April by the Department of Justice, which announced at the time that it would seek to seize "millions of dollars from a U.S. financial institution" as proceeds traceable to the violations.

A senior leader of the Islamic State militant group has been captured in Syria during a U.S.-led coalition raid, the Pentagon said Wednesday.

Driving the news: "The detained individual was assessed to be an experienced bomb maker and facilitator who became one of the group's top leaders in Syria," per a statement from the Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve, which noted no civilian or military member was harmed during the operation.

There are now a record 100 million people around the world who have been forced to flee their homes, according to the U.N.

The big picture: That number — which represents more than the total population of France, Turkey or Vietnam — means 1 in every 78 people on earth has been forcibly displaced. The Taliban takeover in Afghanistan and Russia's invasion of Ukraine have exacerbated the crisis.

State Department energy envoy Amos Hochstein, who is mediating between Israel and Lebanon in their maritime border dispute, ended his visit to Beirut Tuesday with more room for diplomacy.

Why it matters: The U.S. has expressed deep concern that rising tensions between Lebanon and Israel over the maritime border dispute of a potentially gas-rich area in the Mediterranean Sea could lead to an escalation in the region.

Iran suspects Israel is behind a series of assassinations of Iranian military officers and scientists. Now, Israel claims Iran is planning attacks on Israeli targets around the world.

What's happening: At least seven individuals associated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) or Tehran's nuclear, missile or drone programs have died in suspicious circumstances over the past three weeks.

The Biden administration has approved roughly $5.6 billion in security assistance for Ukraine since the start of Russia's unprovoked invasion in February, according to the Department of Defense.

Driving the news: President Biden announced a new $1 billion military aid package for Ukraine on Wednesday, the largest single amount approved thus far in the war.

Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny said Wednesday he was moved from the prison where he was serving out a sentence since February 2021 to a high-security facility.

Why it matters: Navalny supporters, including his lawyer, were unaware of his whereabouts for several hours on Tuesday because of the abrupt transfer, which came after he recently received a new nine-year sentence and charges that could add up to 15 additional years.

Up to 1,000 Ukrainian soldiers are being killed or wounded each day in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine, with 200 to 500 killed on average and many more wounded, a top Ukrainian official said on Wednesday.

The big picture: President Volodymyr Zelensky said on June 1 that 60 to 100 Ukrainian troops were being killed daily as Russia stepped up its Donbas offensive. Over the past two weeks that number has climbed significantly according to David Arakhamia, who leads Ukraine's negotiations with Russia and is one of Zelensky's closest advisers.

The Biden administration announced Wednesday that the U.S. will provide Ukraine with an additional $1 billion in military aid to help the country defend itself from Russia.

Driving the news: The aid comes as Ukraine and Russia engage in a fierce battle for control of Severodonetsk, the last remaining major city still under Ukrainian control in the Luhansk region of the Donbas.

The U.S. Treasury Department unveiled new sanctions on Wednesday against members of the white supremacist Russian Imperial Movement, which the State Department designated a terrorist group in 2020.

What they're saying: "RIM and its supporters continue to exacerbate Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine through their fundraising efforts," Brian Nelson, the undersecretary of the Treasury for terrorism and financial intelligence, said in a statement.

Want to make a venture capital or private equity investment in China? The U.S. government might soon have a problem with that, and a mechanism to stop it.

Driving the news: Congress is hammering out final details of a bill that some refer to as "reverse CFIUS." It would be included in a massive domestic semiconductor production bill, known as the CHIPS Act, that may be passed before the August recess.

The U.S. asked Israel to refrain from any actions in the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem that could create tensions ahead of President Biden’s visit next month, four Israeli, U.S. and Palestinian officials told Axios.

Why it matters: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is frustrated over recent contentious Israeli moves in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem and furious about the U.S. policy on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid said in a briefing with reporters Wednesday that President Biden’s trip to the Middle East next month could lead to a warming of relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia, which don't have official ties.

Why it matters: Saudi Arabia wasn’t part of the Abraham Accords that were brokered by the Trump administration and led to normalization agreements between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan.

The Department of Homeland Security and State Department announced on Tuesday that they would expand the number of terrorism-related exemptions to allow Afghan evacuees who worked with and supported the U.S. government to qualify for protection and immigration benefits.

Why it matters: Existing exemptions from terrorism-related inadmissibility grounds (TRIG) include providing material support under duress and voluntary medical care to terrorist groups.