Axios

The U.S. will give Ukraine $1.1 billion in additional security aid as Russia's invasion of the country reaches the seven-month mark, the Department of Defense announced Wednesday.

Driving the news: The new aid package will go toward rock launchers, armored vehicles, radars, communications and surveillance systems, body armor and other field equipment, and funding for training, maintenance and sustainment, among other capabilities, according to the Defense Department.

After Hurricane Ian tore into western Cuba leaving the island without electricity on Tuesday, officials said Wednesday they had begun to restore some power, AP reports.

Driving the news: Cuba's Energy and Mines Ministry announced it had restored energy to three regions, including parts of the capital, Havana, after activating two large power plants in Felton and Nuevitas, per AP.

• Officials were still working to get other provinces and regions back online.

The big picture: Ian made landfall as a Category 3 storm at 4:30am ET Tuesday in Pinar del Río province, western Cuba — where officials set up shelters and rushed in emergency personnel to help protect crops in the nation’s main tobacco-growing region.

• As of Wednesday afternoon, two people were reported to have been killed in Pinar del Río, according to local media cited by AP.

In photos

Go deeper:

• Hurricane Ian leaves Cuba without any power
• Live updates: Hurricane Ian just below Category 5 intensity, nears Florida

The mysterious leaks in the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines detected Tuesday were the "result of a deliberate act," the EU's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said in a statement Wednesday on behalf of the union's 27 members.

Driving the news: While Borrell did not name a culprit, he added that "safety and environmental concerns are of utmost priority. These incidents are not a coincidence and affect us all."

Iran's demand that the International Atomic Energy Agency close its investigations into its alleged past undeclared nuclear activity is the last "huge obstacle" to restoring the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, a senior European diplomat tells Axios.

Behind the scenes: Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi focused his address to the UN General Assembly on the need for guarantees that the U.S. won't abandon the deal again. But in private meetings on the sidelines of the summit, his only demands concerned the IAEA probe, according to a senior European diplomat.

The U.S. and Israel launched on Wednesday a "high-level strategic dialogue on technology cooperation" amid concerns from the Biden administration about Chinese investments in Israel's tech sector and involvement in research at Israeli universities.

Why it matters: The new platform is intended to boost U.S.-Israel civilian technology cooperation, which had decreased in recent years, senior Israeli officials say.

With a little over a month to go before the Israeli elections, opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc is inching closer to getting the support it needs to win a majority on Nov. 1.

Why it matters: If Netanyahu's bloc manages to get 61 seats in the Knesset, the former prime minister will likely move ahead with decisions and legislation that would suspend his ongoing corruption trial on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust.

American citizens in Russia should seek to depart the country "immediately" amid Russia's push to conscript 300,000 more men to help bolster its war effort in Ukraine, the U.S. Embassy in Moscow warned in a security alert Wednesday.

Why it matters: While this is not the first time the U.S. embassy has warned citizens in Russia to leave the country since the start of Russia's war in Ukraine, the alert warns that dual U.S.-Russian citizens may be subject to the new draft.

North Korea fired a ballistic missile toward South Korea's eastern waters on Wednesday, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff announced in a statement, AP reported.

Why it matters: The move comes a day before Vice President Kamala Harris is set to arrive in South Korea as part of her trip to Asia, which will include a stop at the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).

All of Cuba was without power late Tuesday after Hurricane Ian swept through in the morning and severely flooded the Caribbean island.

The latest: Work was under way to restore power to the nation of 11 million after the electrical grid collapsed due to the major hurricane, per a statement from Cuba's Electric Union.

Sweden's national seismic network said Tuesday that it registered two explosions near mysterious leaks on the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines, which have prompted concerns of sabotage.

Why it matters: The Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines, crucial to delivering Russian natural gas to Germany, have been central to the energy crisis that has enveloped Europe in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The U.S. will introduce a UN Security Council resolution condemning Russia's "sham" referendums in four occupied regions of Ukraine, U.S. Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield said Tuesday.

Driving the news: As expected, Russian state media reported Tuesday that large majorities in the areas either fully or partially controlled by Moscow voted in favor of joining Russia.