• South Korea and the United States have reached an agreement under which Seoul will not develop nuclear weapons in exchange for gaining a greater voice on a potential American nuclear response to a North Korean attack. Nuclear weapons would still remain under U.S. control and the Biden administration is not planning to deploy any weapons to the Korean peninsula. (The Wall Street Journal)
• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he spoke with Chinese President Xi Jinping for the first time since Russia invaded Ukraine, saying the call was “long and meaningful” without revealing details. Xi, who has attempted to pivot to a peacemaker image in recent weeks, said China would send a special representative to Ukraine for negotiations on resolving the crisis, state media reported. (The Washington Post)
• Sudan’s army said the country’s former dictator, Omar al-Bashir, is being held in a military hospital after reports emerged that his whereabouts were unknown following fighting around the prison where he was being held. (The Guardian) A 72-hour cease-fire announced yesterday has not held but residents in Khartoum described a lower intensity of violence, allowing many to emerge from their homes to seek food and water. (The Associated Press)
• Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov hinted at the possibility of a prisoner swap involving detained Americans Paul Whelan and Evan Gershkovich. Speaking at a press conference at the United Nations on Tuesday, Lavrov said a channel is in place to discuss the exchange and that “publicity here will only complicate the process.” (The New York Times)

Happening today (all times Eastern):

• 3 p.m. The Hoover Institution hosts a discussion of China’s infrastructure development diplomacy. 

American Companies Risk Boycotts in China if Biden Bans TikTok

Morning Consult

South Africa vows to quit International Criminal Court over Putin warrant

Joseph Cotterill, Financial Times 

Russia’s president has been invited to Brics summit in August.

Russia’s Lavrov warns EU becoming militarized now, like NATO

Edith M. Lederer, The Associated Press

Russia’s top diplomat warned Tuesday that the European Union “is becoming militarized at a record rate” and aggressive in its goal of containing Russia.

Moscow hosts more Turkey-Syria rapprochement talks

Vladimir Isachenkov, The Associated Press

Russia’s defense minister hosted his counterparts from Iran, Syria and Turkey on Tuesday for talks that were part of the Kremlin’s efforts to help broker a rapprochement between the Turkish and Syrian governments.

China’s ‘wolf warrior’ envoy threatens Xi Jinping’s plan to woo EU

Joe Leahy et al., Financial Times 

Challenge to sovereignty of ex-Soviet states undermines efforts to portray Beijing as peacemaker in Ukraine.

World Bank calls on countries to improve their pitch to foreign workers

Delphine Strauss, Financial Times 

Multilateral lender says economies with ageing populations must compete to attract and retain talent.

Taiwan drills to focus on piercing blockade, get ‘Five Eyes’ intelligence link 

Ben Blanchard and Roger Tung, Reuters 

Taiwan’s annual military drills this year take into account China’s recent war games and focus on breaking a blockade, the defense ministry said on Wednesday, as a senior security official said Taiwan now had a “Five Eyes” intelligence link.

Australia PM says Sydney to host Quad leaders’ summit on May 24

Renju Jose, Reuters 

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Wednesday that Sydney will host the 2023 Quad Leaders’ summit on May 24, the third in-person meeting of the leaders of Australia, the United States, India and Japan.

India hosts ‘1.5’ informal Myanmar talks amid flurry of diplomacy

Thompson Chau, Nikkei Asia 

Critics say engagement undercuts ASEAN’s freeze on generals.

Honda Motor taps TSMC to ensure ‘stable’ supply of chips

Sayumi Take, Nikkei Asia 

Strategic partnership comes as automaker steps up EV push.

Sri Lanka seeks $17 billion debt reduction by restructuring

Krishan Francis, The Associated Press

Sri Lanka’s president urged lawmakers Wednesday to approve a four-year International Monetary Fund program to restructure the country’s $17 billion in foreign debt.

Singapore Hangs Man for Conspiring to Traffic 2 Pounds of Cannabis

Yan Zhuang, The New York Times 

Human rights groups called the punishment far too severe and raised questions about due process.

Taliban Kill Head of ISIS Cell That Bombed Kabul Airport 

Karoun Demirjian and Eric Schmitt, The New York Times 

Thirteen U.S. service members and scores of Afghan civilians died in the bombing as the United States was evacuating in August 2021.

Russia seizes more Western assets, narrowing options for company exits

Essi Lehto and Anna Ringstrom, Reuters 

Russia seized temporary control of assets of Finnish energy group Fortum and its former German subsidiary Uniper, sowing confusion over the fate of other Western companies in Russia as pressure grows to hit Moscow with more sanctions over Ukraine.

Future U.S. Aid to Ukraine Turns on Kyiv’s Success on the Battlefield 

Sabrina Siddiqui and Gordon Lubold, The Wall Street Journal 

As Kyiv prepares for its spring offensive, Americans’ support for assistance is eroding.

Ukraine launching tech cluster to boost military capability

Hanna Arhirova, The Associated Press

The Ukrainian government is launching an initiative Wednesday to streamline and promote innovation in the development of drones and other technologies that have been critical during Russia’s war in Ukraine.

EU to deploy mission to Moldova to combat threats from Russia

Gabriel Gavin, Politico

Brussels is stepping in after intelligence agencies warned Moscow’s agents are planning to sow chaos in the country.

Sweden expels 5 Russian Embassy staff on suspicion of spying 

The Associated Press

Sweden informed Russia on Tuesday that five employees of the Russian Embassy in Stockholm were asked to leave the country because they were suspected of spying.

A grain glut leaves some Eastern European countries caught between solidarity with Ukraine and survival.

Andrew Higgins, The New York Times 

Market forces, turbocharged by profiteering, have turned an ambitious effort by the European Union to help Ukraine export its harvest and ease what the United Nations described last year as an “unprecedented global hunger crisis” into a source of political division and economic distress in Europe’s formerly communist eastern lands.

EU agrees rules to boost use of sustainable fuels in aviation

Laura Dubois, Financial Times 

Move to cut airlines’ emissions aims to encourage production of alternatives such as e-kerosene.

Neighborhood fights Haiti gangs after vigilante killings

Evens Sanon, The Associated Press

Armed with machetes, bottles, and rocks, residents in the hilly suburbs of Haiti’s capital fought back against encroaching gangs Tuesday, a day after a crowd burned 13 suspected gangsters to death in a gruesome outburst of vigilante violence.

Venezuela’s Juan Guaidó not seeking political asylum in US

Regina Garcia Cano, The Associated Press

Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó on Tuesday said he is not seeking political asylum in the United States and has not ruled out the possibility of running in a presidential primary in his homeland planned for October.

US, EU, Latin American countries meet to encourage Venezuela elections

Luis Jaime Acosta and Oliver Griffin, Reuters 

A summit meant to reinvigorate talks between the Venezuelan government of Nicolas Maduro and opposition political parties, attended by representatives from 19 countries and the European Union, produced no concrete results on Tuesday, though a further meeting was planned.

Colombia’s president says majority in congress lost over reform setbacks

Joe Daniels, Financial Times 

Leftist Gustavo Petro requested cabinet resignations after coalition partners opposed health overhaul.

Chile, US miner Albemarle hold talks on lithium nationalization plan

Fabian Cambero, Reuters 

Chile’s state development office Corfo said on Tuesday it met with U.S.-based miner Albemarle (ALB.N) to discuss the South American country’s plan to nationalize the lithium industry.

Turkish president cancels campaign stops over health issue

The Associated Press

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced he was canceling a day of election campaigning on Wednesday to rest at home, a day after he was forced to briefly interrupt a television interview over a stomach complaint.

U.S. Says Russia’s Military Actions in Syria Raise Risk of Escalation 

Dion Nissenbaum, The Wall Street Journal

Russian jet fighters have repeatedly flown dangerously close to American jet fighters in the Middle Eastern country, U.S. officials say.

Iran says senior cleric on Assembly of Experts shot dead

The Associated Press

A senior Shiite cleric in Iran was shot and killed Wednesday in an attack in a northern province along the Caspian Sea, authorities said.

Mass killing of civilians by security forces in Burkina Faso

Sam Mednick, The Associated Press

At least 150 civilians may have been killed and many others injured in the violence, said the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Ravina Shamdasani, in a statement Tuesday. 

In Tanzania, Ethiopia begins talks with violent Oromo rebels

The Associated Press

Ethiopia’s federal government and a rebel group from the country’s Oromia region opened peace talks on Tuesday in the Tanzanian island archipelago of Zanzibar, according to a spokesperson for the militants.

Republican debt ceiling bill delayed in U.S. House panel, prospects uncertain

David Morgan and Katharine Jackson, Reuters 

A Republican bill authorizing a $1.5 trillion increase to the U.S. debt ceiling, coupled with deep spending cuts over a decade, hit a snag late on Tuesday, as a key committee delayed advancing the legislation to the full House of Representatives for debate and passage.

U.S. Cyber Plans Are Built to Endure Political Winds, Senior Security Official Says 

James Rundle, The Wall Street Journal

Kemba Walden, acting national cyber director, said broad bipartisan agreement means national cybersecurity agenda will survive administrations.