NEW: Eastern European leaders are throwing their weight behind Ukraine's accelerated NATO membership ahead of a summit in Lithuania this summer.

But U.S. lawmakers are more hesitant. A brief 🧵

nationaljournal.com/s/720272/easte… Lithuanian, Ukrainian, and Polish parliamentarians, including @radekfogiel and @ZygisPavilionis, were in Washington this week pushing for U.S. support for Ukraine's eventual NATO membership.

@BorisJohnson also brought up the issue w/U.S. lawmakers this week.

NEW: U.S. lawmakers and other officials are debating more money and weapons for Ukraine following its stunning counteroffensive.

Some Republican lawmakers still oppose Ukraine funding.

This piece is paywalled, so here's a 🧵 with takeaways.

nationaljournal.com/s/718832/washi… Ukraine says it needs more modern weaponry quickly if it’s going to win the war. The wish list includes:

• Long-range artillery like ATACAMS
• More HIMARS
• Modern tanks like Abrams
• More NASAMS, which are short to medium-range ground-based air-defense systems.

NEW: Lawmakers introduced bipartisan legislation directing the Biden administration to develop a strategy for the Black Sea.

My latest for @nationaljournal. Here's a quick 🧵:

nationaljournal.com/s/718289/the-r… As the war in Ukraine entered its fifth month, Sens. @SenatorShaheen and @MittRomney introduced bipartisan legislation directing the Biden administration to develop a “more robust foreign policy” toward the Black Sea region.

The legislation has several bipartisan co-sponsors.

Ukraine's first major political upheaval since the start of the war raised alarm bells among anti-corruption activists and political analysts.

Some fear it could tarnish Ukraine's image.

This story is locked, so here's a quick 🧵 thread: nationaljournal.com/s/718251/a-sha… By now, we all know the news.

Zelensky announced he was removing Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova and the head of Ukraine’s security services, Ivan Bakanov, due to concerns that dozens of their employees are working with the Russian invaders in occupied parts of Ukraine.

The current fighting in Eastern Ukraine is likely Russia’s last offensive before it exhausts its available manpower

This article is locked, so here's a quick 🧵 with some of the takeaways:

nationaljournal.com/s/717490/russi… Russia called up at least 100,000 reservists during the first phase of its war in Ukraine, but experts assess there are not many still waiting to fight.

The Russian military announced a spring recruitment effort last month that will last into June.

I wrote about what's happening in Moldova and whether Russia's war in Ukraine will entangle the pro-Russian breakaway territory of Transnistria.

The article is locked, so here's a brief 🧵

nationaljournal.com/s/717460/the-w… Ukrainian intelligence officials have been warning that Russia could use Transnistria to launch an attack on the city of Odesa.

They also warn that Moscow is preparing a complete takeover of the region.

This piece is locked, so here's a 🧵with the main points:

Most Latin American leaders are clinging to a neutral position toward Ukraine, Russia, and the U.S.

This approach was popularized by former Chilean foreign minister Jorge Heine, who coined it “active non-alignment.”

https://twitter.com/CrisLeeMaza/status/1513978098101936134

In the days leading up to the invasion of Ukraine, Putin met personally with leaders from Argentina and Brazil.

But even in countries with some vocal support for Russia among the political classes, major internal divisions have become evident in recent weeks.

I had quite an interesting interview w/@radeksikorski on one of his recent visits to Washington. The interview is locked, so here's a 🧵with the main points.

First, he said Putin lost the war to take all of Ukraine. Now the aim is to grab territory.

nationaljournal.com/s/717102/wedne… .@radeksikorski noted that the U.S. Congress is "captured by special interests, including the tech companies."

"The European Union is the last hope of humanity to regulate tech issues in a sensible way that allows tech companies to make money but protects privacy..'"

In an apparent effort to combat Chinese influence in the Indo-Pacific, the U.S. has prioritized its relationship with Australia and left key European allies fuming. My latest @nationaljournal nationaljournal.com/s/714998/biden… Main takeaways from the piece:

• Australia is now central to the Biden admin’s foreign policy goals
• Europe is no longer Washington's most important ally
• Washington thinks it was Australia's job to communicate with the French.
• Lawmakers from both parties support AUKUS

“The Trump Administration’s interactions with Saudi Arabia have been shrouded in secrecy, raising significant questions about the nature of the relationship,” according to a memo by the House Oversight Committee released today newsweek.com/jared-kushner-… The so-called “the Middle East Marshall Plan” being floated by the Trump administration involved Michael Flynn and Thomas Barrack, the Trump inauguration chairman who recently defended Saudi Arabia's murder of Jamal Khashoggi newsweek.com/jared-kushner-…