That’s a wrap – thank you for reading the Need to Know blog today. These were some of the main stories:

• Australia to hold talks over China’s Darwin port lease: Australian officials will meet with local authorities this week to discuss the future of the Port of Darwin, currently leased for 99 years to Chinese-owned company Landbridge Group, as concerns remain over foreign ownership of the strategic asset.

• Cruises expected to be diverted from Brisbane due to cyclone: A major cruise ship scheduled to arrive in Brisbane on Thursday is preparing to be diverted as Tropical Cyclone Alfred bears down on south-east Queensland.

• Trump orders a ‘pause’ of US military aid for Ukraine: Donald Trump has directed a “pause” to US assistance to Ukraine after a disastrous Oval Office meeting.

• Albanese open to more Ukraine peacekeeping proposals: Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he was “open to consideration” on any peacekeeping proposals regarding assisting Ukraine in their war against Russia.

• WFH ban is not gender discrimination: Peter Dutton doubled down on the Coalition’s proposed ban on public servants working from home.

• No budget meetings cancelled this week: Finance Minister Katy Gallagher says she is unaware of any budget meetings being cancelled, after media reports said they had been, which would point to an April 12 election date.

• Coaltion’s planned WFH ban is ‘stolen from the US’: Katy Gallagher says the Coalition’s proposal to cut working from home for public servants was “stolen from the United States”.

• China is being ‘more assertive’: Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles says Australia is tailing Chinese naval ships in international waters south-west of Perth.

• US ‘won’t put up with Zelensky much longer’: President Donald Trump tore into Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky again on Monday (Tuesday AEDT), saying “this guy doesn’t want there to be peace”.