President Joe Biden said Friday that the U.S. would respond “forcefully” to protect its personnel after U.S. forces retaliated with airstrikes on sites in Syria used by groups affiliated with Iran’s Revolutionary Guard following a suspected Iranian-linked attack Thursday that killed a U.S. contractor and wounded seven other Americans in northeast Syria.

Chinese President Xi Jinping’s trip to Russia offers a symbolic shot in the arm to his increasingly isolated Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, and highlights Xi’s determination to push back against American power in the world, experts and former U.S. officials say.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping will fly to Moscow next week to meet with President Vladimir Putin in his first visit to Russia since Putin launched his devastating invasion of Ukraine more than a year ago.

Finally, there is a peace deal of sorts in the Middle East. Not between Israel and the Arabs, but between Saudi Arabia and Iran, which have been at each other’s throats for decades. And brokered not by the United States but by China.

A top Ukraine military leader anticipated that Russia could be out of “military tools” if the country “fails in its aims” by spring.