Reliable, Not Reckless: Why Washington’s measured support for Ukraine reassured the world    

Lauren Sukin, Stephen Herzog, and Alexander Lanoszka | Foreign Policy   

Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 posed a blunt test for Washington—one that many said it failed. ... New evidence suggests that Biden’s calculated approach was the right one. According to a sweeping new survey of public opinion, which polled 27,250 individuals across 24 countries on six continents, the United States’ reputation was strengthened, not weakened, by its response to Russian aggression throughout 2022 and early 2023. Survey results suggest that the United States’ determined, but restrained, decision to bolster NATO, impose major sanctions, and provide aid to Ukraine all enhanced trust in the country as a responsible security partner and ally.   

How China Raced Ahead of the U.S. on Nuclear Power  

Brad Plumer and Harry Stevens | The New York Times   

China is quickly becoming the global leader in nuclear power, with nearly as many reactors under construction as the rest of the world combined. While its dominance of solar panels and electric vehicles is well known, China is also building nuclear plants at an extraordinary pace. By 2030, China’s nuclear capacity is set to surpass that of the United States, the first country to split atoms to make electricity.  

Russia acquired Western technology to protect its nuclear submarine fleet  

Greg Miller | The Washington Post  

Russia is protecting its nuclear submarine fleet in the Arctic with an undersea surveillance system built using high-tech equipment acquired from U.S. and European companies through a secret procurement network, according to newly uncovered financial records, court documents and Western security officials.  

Lockheed To Test Golden Dome Space-Based Missile Interceptor In Orbit By 2028  

Joseph Trevithick | TWZ  

Lockheed Martin is aiming to conduct an on-orbit demonstration of at least one space-based anti-missile interceptor design no later than 2028. Interceptors deployed in space have been billed as a key element of the Trump administration’s Golden Dome missile defense initiative, but present considerable technical hurdles. Lockheed Martin CEO Jim Taiclet talked about his company’s space-based interceptor plans and other work relating to Golden Dome during a quarterly earnings call today.  

Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant reconnected to external power from Ukraine  

Dan Sabbagh and Artem Mazhulin | The Guardian  

Russian engineers have reconnected the occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant to external electrical power from Ukraine, ending a month-long emergency that had plunged the future of the six-reactor site into doubt.    

U.S. Lifts Key Restriction on Ukraine’s Use of European Long-Range Missiles  

Lara Seligman, Michael R. Gordon and Alexander Ward | Wall Street Journal  

The Trump administration has lifted a key restriction on Ukraine’s use of some long-range missiles provided by Western allies, enabling Kyiv to step up attacks on targets inside Russia and increase pressure on the Kremlin, U.S. officials said Wednesday. ... The unannounced U.S. move to enable Kyiv to use the missile in Russia comes after authority for supporting such attacks was recently transferred from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth at the Pentagon to the top U.S. general in Europe, Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, who also serves as NATO commander.