Ukraine Update…452 days into the Russian move on Ukraine…Globe trotting Zelensky getting what he wants….

Here’s the latest on the war and its ripple effects across the globe.

• Secretary of State Antony Blinken was a major force within the administration in pushing to allow U.S. allies to make the transfers and had also worked extensively with countries within NATO to move the policy forward, said U.S. officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive matter.
• Blinken played a similar role when NATO was at an impasse over whether to provide sophisticated tanks to Ukraine. At the time, Germany was hesitant to approve the transfer of Leopard 2 tanks — a roadblock overcome when Blinken pushed for the United States to approve the transfer of M1 Abrams tanks, making sure allies on both sides of the Atlantic were making major commitments to the war effort in tandem.
• The U.S. said it will join efforts to provide fighter jet training to Ukrainian pilots, national security adviser Jake Sullivan said, adding that it would be “a safe bet President Biden will meet” Zelensky.

• President Volodymyr Zelensky urged Arab nations to work with Kyiv to secure the release of Ukrainians in Russian detention, in an address at the Arab League summit in Jiddah, Saudi Arabia, on Friday. Even “if there are people here at the summit who have a different view of the war on our land, calling it a conflict, I am sure that we can be united in saving people from the cages of Russian prisons,” he said. Zelensky is set to meet with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
• Zelensky criticized unnamed countries in the Arab League and the world for “turn[ing] a blind eye to those cages and illegal annexations” — in an apparent rebuke of nations including Russian ally Syria. Bashar al-Assad, Syria’s president, returned to the meeting for the first time since his country’s civil war began 12 years ago. “I’m here so that everyone can take an honest look,” Zelensky said. “No matter how hard the Russians try to influence, there must be independence.”

• Zelensky’s visit to Saudi Arabia follows his recent whirlwind trip to G-7 member states Italy, Germany, France and Britain, where he secured pledges for more weapons and military aid. He is set to address the G-7 meeting virtually on Friday before appearing in person, according to people familiar with his plans, although he has not confirmed the trip publicly.
• In Japan, President Biden and other leaders of the Group of Seven nations gathered for a three-day summit, with the Russian invasion of Ukraine among the top agenda items. On Friday, in coordination with the G-7, the U.S. Treasury Department announced new sanctions meant to curb Russian efforts to bypass existing ones. “Today’s actions will further tighten the vise on [Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s ability to wage his barbaric invasion and will advance our global efforts to cut off Russian attempts to evade sanctions,” Treasury Secretary Janet L. Yellen said in a statement.
• G-7 leaders, at the beginning of their summit, pledged to strengthen sanctions against Russia, saying in a joint statement Friday that they will take steps “to increase the costs to Russia and those who are supporting its war effort.” On Thursday, a senior White House official said the U.S. package would include more than 300 new sanctions to target circumvention and people supporting Russia’s war. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, meanwhile, tweeted that his country will ban all imports of Russian diamonds, copper, aluminum and nickel.

• Air-raid alerts were heard in different parts of Ukraine early Friday. Kyiv municipal authorities warned residents to take cover. In Lviv, Mayor Andriy Sadovy said on Telegram that there were no casualties following drone attacks on the western city’s critical infrastructure.
• Russian forces have been fortifying their positions in and around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in recent weeks, according to the Reuters news agency. In addition to digging new trenches around the Russian-held plant, the troops have laid more mines, Reuters reported, citing four witnesses. The United Nations has repeatedly called for urgent action to avert the threat of a major accident at the nuclear power plant, Europe’s largest.
• The Patriot air defense system that was damaged by a Russian strike in Ukraine has been repaired, Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said Thursday. The United States provided “some assistance” in fixing the system, Singh added, but declined to share further details.
• Ukraine has reclaimed territory in Bakhmut, according to Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar.She said on Telegram that Ukrainian troops control the southwestern part of the hotly contested city and that troops have advanced 500 meters in some areas of the northern outskirts. The Washington Post could not verify the claims.
• Kyiv and two other northern regions were under air alert on Saturday , apparently because of drones. Heard many loud explosions now in Kyiv. Most likely air defense.

• Russia’s Interior Ministry placed the International Criminal Court’s top prosecutor, Karim Khan, on its wanted list. In March, the ICC issued an arrest order for Putin and Russia’s commissioner for children’s rights, Maria Lvova-Belova. The Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation opened an investigation into the ICC’s prosecutors and lawyers several days later.
• Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced a travel ban for 500 Americans, describing it as a countermeasure to Western sanctions. The list of banned Americans includes White House staff, think tank and NGO members, as well as late night comedians such as Stephen Colbert, Seth Meyers and Jimmy Kimmel. President Barack Obama is also on the list. Celebrities including Ben Stiller, Sean Penn and Morgan Freeman have been sanctioned by Russia in the past as well.
• Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin is set to visit Beijing next week, the Russian news agency Tassreported Friday. During the trip, he is scheduled to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping, who visited Moscow in March.
• Russia called a U.N. Security Council meeting to criticize what it described as “uncontrolled” arms proliferation by Western governments shipping weapons to Kyiv. Responding to the statements, U.S. Ambassador Robert A. Wood, alternate representative for special political affairs, said Russia’s remarks were “underscoring its own hypocrisy.” The provision of weapons is “not extending or exacerbating this conflict,” he said, but helping “repel Russia’s invasion of its neighbor and prevent an even further invasion of Ukraine’s sovereign territory.”….

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