ANTONY BLINKEN

U_S_ Secretary of State Antony Blinken has warned that a weekslong standoff over Ukraine is at a “critical moment.”.

Short of an all-out invasion, Russian President Vladimir Putin could take less dramatic action in Ukraine that would vastly complicate a U.S. and allied response.

President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will hold their first formal talks on Friday as the two leaders face fresh concerns about North Korea’s nuclear program and China’s growing military assertiveness.

He said he thinks Moscow will invade and warned Putin that Russia would pay a "dear price" in lives lost and a possible cuttoff from global banking.

An array of lethal and non-lethal weapons systems have been approved to give Ukraine the means to defend itself.

The Friday meeting between top U.S. and Russian diplomats comes as Western officials expect Moscow to soon launch an invasion in Ukraine.

U_S_ Secretary of State Antony Blinken says talks with Iran over its nuclear program are at a “decisive moment.”.

U_S_ officials say the CIA believes it's unlikely that Russia or another foreign adversary is using microwaves or other forms of directed energy to attack hundreds of American diplomats and intelligence officers who attribute their brain injuries and other symptoms to what's come to be known as “Havana syndrome.”.

A CBS News poll ​found that one year into Kamala Harris' term, Americans have given her a 44% approval rating—the same as President Biden.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken is trying to keep NATO allies on the "same page" after Mr. Biden said it was his "guess" that Putin would order forces to "move in" to Ukraine.

The Biden administration hopes to make deeper inroads in Southeast Asia but lags far behind China, which has already built up major trade ties, as well as roads and a high-speed rail.

U.S. President Joe Biden says any Russian troop movements across Ukraine’s border would constitute an invasion, saying Moscow would “pay a heavy price” for such an action.

Russia has announced sweeping naval drills in several parts of the world this month, and claims the West is plotting “provocations” in neighboring Ukraine where the Kremlin has been accused of planning aggressive military action.

The Biden administration is unlikely to answer a further Russian invasion of Ukraine by sending U.S. combat troops.

President Joe Biden is not planning to answer a further Russian invasion of Ukraine by sending combat troops. The United States has no treaty obligation to Ukraine, and war with Russia would be an enormous gamble, given its potential for expanding in Europe, destabilizing the region, and escalating to the frightening point of risking a nuclear exchange. It might suggest an acquiescence to future Russian moves against other countries in eastern Europe, such as the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, although as NATO members those three have security assurances from the United States and the rest of the alliance.

The talks in Geneva and a related NATO-Russia meeting in Brussels last week were held as Russia has amassed an estimated 100,000 troops near Ukraine.

The talks in Geneva and a related NATO-Russia meeting in Brussels last week were held as Russia has amassed an estimated 100,000 troops near Ukraine.

The U.S. Secretary of State says Russia is poised "to take further aggressive action against Ukraine" but hopes Putin will choose diplomacy.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as Russia continues amassing troops along the Ukrainian border.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as Russia continues amassing troops along the Ukrainian border.

Russia has maintained a tough posture amid the tensions over its troop buildup near Ukraine.

French President Emmanuel Macron says the European Union should quickly draw up a new security plan containing proposals to help ease tensions with Russia.

"We are committed to Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity and will continue to provide Ukraine the support it needs," a senior State Department official said.

President Joe Biden says he thinks Russia will invade Ukraine and is warning President Vladimir Putin that his country would pay a “dear price” in lives lost and a possible cutoff from the global banking system if it does.

President Joe Biden has rallied European allies to pledge as one that they will take tough measures against Russia if it rolls troops into Ukraine.

Ukrainian officials have warned that Russia could launch an attack on Ukraine from several directions, including from its ally Belarus.

Ukrainian officials have warned that Russia could launch an attack on Ukraine from several directions, including from its ally Belarus.

U.S. officials warned Tuesday that Russia could launch an attack at any point.

The meeting follows inconclusive diplomatic talks between Moscow and the West in Europe that failed to resolve.

The meeting follows inconclusive diplomatic talks between Moscow and the West in Europe that failed to resolve.

The Kremlin has previously denied that it was preparing for an invasion of Ukraine.

Russian officials say Moscow is sending an unspecified number of troops from the country’s far east to Belarus for major joint military drills.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken will meet with his Russian counterpart in Switzerland this week as tensions between the U.S. and Russia escalate over a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine.

New Zealand and Australia have sent military surveillance flights to assess the damage caused by a huge undersea volcanic eruption in Tonga.

The failure of last week’s high-stakes diplomatic meetings to resolve escalating tensions over Ukraine has put Russia, the United States and its European allies in uncharted post-Cold War territory.

Senate Democrats have defeated a bill by Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz that would have slammed sanctions on a Russian natural-gas pipeline to Germany.

North Korea has fired what appears to be two short-range ballistic missiles in its third weapons launch this month in an apparent reprisal for fresh sanctions imposed by the Biden administration.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken says the U.S. is planning "things we've not done in the past" if Russia invades Ukraine. Where do things stand now and what can the U.S. do at this point?

Senate Democrats are proposing new sanctions against Russia if it invades Ukraine.

Last week’s unrest in Kazakhstan was a godsend just as negotiations with the U.S. over Russia’s security demands were about to start in Geneva.

There is an alarming number of children being hospitalized with COVID-19. Among children under 5 years old, who are not eligible for the vaccine, four in 100,000 are currently in the hospital, a pandemic record, according to the CDC. Janet Shamlian reports from the ICU at Texas Children's Hospital, where cases of children with COVID are soaring.

Tensions remain higher than ever over Ukraine but both sides have already warned prospects for a resolution are low.

The U.S. and its European allies want Russia to reduce troop buildup along the Ukraine border. Russia wants U.S. troops out of Eastern Europe. Both sides say those demands are non-starters.

A top Russian diplomat has predicted “difficult” talks with the United States this week after holding a working dinner with U.S. officials in Geneva.

With the fate of Ukraine and potentially broader post-Cold War European stability at stake, the United States and Russia are holding critical strategic talks that could shape the future of not only their relationship but the relationship between the U.S. and its NATO allies.

Russia’s decision to send paratroopers into Kazakhstan, where a crackdown on violent anti-government protests has left dozens dead, injects additional uncertainty into upcoming talks over a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Russia’s decision to send paratroopers into Kazakhstan, where a crackdown on violent anti-government protests has left dozens dead, injects additional uncertainty into upcoming talks over a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine. The question is whether the unrest in Kazakhstan has changed the calculations of Russian President Vladimir Putin as he weighs his options in Ukraine. The instability in Kazakhstan may even add new urgency to Putin's desire to shore up Russia's power in the region.

NATO and other European leaders are pleading for diplomacy ahead of face-to-face talks between the U.S. and Russia in Geneva next week.

Albanian police have intervened to move away protesters at the headquarters of the country’s main opposition party.

The United States and NATO are roundly rejecting Russian demands that the alliance not admit new members amid growing concerns that Russia may invade Ukraine, which aspires to join the alliance.

NATO foreign ministers on Friday discussed Russia’s military build-up around Ukraine amid skepticism about the credibility of President Vladimir Putin’s offer to ease tensions, ahead of a week of high-level diplomacy aimed at ending the standoff. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and his counterparts held online talks to prepare for the first meeting of the NATO-Russia Council in more than two years. It’s all part of a flurry of meetings involving NATO, senior U.S. and Russian officials and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe set for next week.

The Biden administration has slapped a travel ban on eight Cuban officials it says have been complicit in the repression of opposition protesters and other dissidents.

Top U.S. and Japanese officials are highlighting new defense agreements, including a five-year deal on sharing the cost of the American military presence in Japan.

The U.S. State Department says its special envoy to the Horn of Africa will end his appointment “in the coming days” after a year marked by deadly crises in Ethiopia and Sudan.

American forces have been criticized due to a spike in cases in areas where they're based in large numbers, including Okinawa and Iwakuni, both in southern Japan.

Germany has found itself facing a series of challenges in its relations with Russia and China that have been testing the foreign policy mettle of the new government since it took office last month.

Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi has asked that the U.S. military in Japan stay inside its bases to prevent the further spread of COVID-19.

The United States and Germany are backing Lithuania in its spat with China, saying the pressure exerted by Beijing against the tiny Baltic nation is unwarranted, Lithuania broke with diplomatic custom last year by letting the Taiwanese office in Vilnius bear the name Taiwan, instead of Chinese Taipei.

The United States and Germany say that Russia’s military buildup near Ukraine’s border poses an “immediate and urgent challenge" to European security and that any intervention will draw severe consequences.

Abdalla Hamdok said Sunday that he will step down in the wake of protests denouncing a military coup that derailed Sudan's move to democratic rule. Over 50 protesters have died since the October coup.

Sudan’s Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok has announced his resignation amid political deadlock and widespread pro-democracy protests following a military coup that derailed the country’s fragile transition to democratic rule.

After tough talk between Presidents Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin over the Russian troop buildup on the Ukraine border, both sides insist they are hopeful that a pathway to easing tensions could open during diplomatic talks set for January.

President Joe Biden has warned Russia’s Vladimir Putin that the U.S. could impose new sanctions against Russia if it takes further military action against Ukraine.

President Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin will speak Thursday as the Russian leader has stepped up his demands for security guarantees in Eastern Europe.

The charity says two of its workers, both new fathers, are among the 35 bodies found on 24 December.

Wall Street delivered another strong year in 2021, as a spike in consumer demand fueled by the reopening of the global economy pumped up corporate profits.

New measures loosen sanctions, aim to prevent economic collapse and mass starvation.

Russia’s top diplomat says that Russian and U.S. negotiators will sit down for talks early next year to discuss Moscow’s demand for Western guarantees precluding NATO’s expansion to Ukraine.

Russia's natural gas pipeline to Europe is built and filling with gas.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping has endorsed Hong Kong's first legislative elections held under new laws ensuring that only “patriots” loyal to Beijing could run as candidates.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced the appointment of Foreign Secretary Liz Truss to become lead negotiator with the European Union.

The global surge in coronavirus infections wreaked havoc with Secretary of State Antony Blinken's round-the-world diplomatic journey last week.

Pakistan is rallying Muslim countries to help Afghanistan stave off an economic and humanitarian disaster.

When a journalist tested positive for COVID, the State Department disclosed it to the press. It did not reveal that two flight crew members had also tested positive.

A positive COVID-19 test among U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s traveling party has cut short the top diplomat’s first official tour of Southeast Asia.

Myanmar's military regime ousted its former leader Aung San Suu Kyi in a coup in February, sparking fierce clashes between her supporters and the army.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken says the Biden administration is weighing tough new sanctions on Myanmar to pressure the country's military leaders to restore a democratic path interrupted by a February coup.

Paul voted against relief for those impacted by Superstorm Sandy in 2013 and in 2017 voted against relief after Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria.

European diplomats say the Iranian delegation is wasting time with demands they consider unacceptable.

European diplomats say the Iranian delegation is wasting time with demands they consider unacceptable.

European diplomats are expressing frustration with Iran’s stance in talks aimed at salvaging Tehran's tattered 2015 nuclear deal, saying they are wasting “precious time” dealing with new Iranian demands and that “time is running out.”.

In his first stop in Indonesia, the top diplomat called on U.S. allies and partners in the region to defend the rules-based order.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken says the United States will expand its military and economic relationships with partners in Asia to push back against China's increasing assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has arrived in Indonesia to find a top aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin already in Jakarta for security talks.

Fresh from delivering a stern new warning to Russia over Ukraine, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Indonesia on Monday to find a top aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin already in Jakarta for security talks. Just a day after joining his Group of Seven foreign minister colleagues in issuing the blunt demand for Russia to step back from a military escalation near the Ukrainian border, Blinken began a 48-hour visit to Indonesia with his plane parking in the shadow of that of Putin’s national security adviser Nikolay Patrushev.

The Group of Seven economic powers have told Russia to “de-escalate” its military buildup near the Ukrainian border, warning that an invasion would have “massive consequences” and inflict severe economic pain on Moscow.

Top diplomats from the Group of Seven nations were meeting in Liverpool for talks dominated by Russia’s military buildup near its border with Ukraine and what host country Britain called Moscow’s “malign behavior" around the world.

The U.S. issued financial sanctions and visa bans on former and current government officials and entities in nine countries Friday — including China, Myanmar and Russia — as part of coordinated actions with Canada and the U.K. to coincide with International Human Rights Day.

As Iran resumes negotiations to revive the crumbling nuclear deal, the U.S. is running out of patience, and considering "alternatives we may be forced to pursue."

The Biden administration said it is consulting with Congress and allies on options aimed at dissuading Russia from carrying out a potential attack on Ukraine.

The Kremlin voiced concern Thursday about what it described as belligerent rhetoric of the Ukrainian leadership, saying it raises concerns about a possible escalation of fighting in a separatist conflict in eastern Ukraine. Ukrainian and Western officials have worried about a Russian troop buildup near Ukraine, fearing it could herald an invasion. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Thursday that “the Ukrainian authorities' aggressive and increasingly intensive provocative action on the line of contact” gives grounds for concerns about a possible flare-up of hostilities.

A group of Hong Kongers clashed with Chinese protesters who were holding a rally against racism over the weekend in London. The Chinese side: Human rights group Min Quan Legal Centre and several organizations were conducting a rally against anti-Asian hatein London’s Chinatown on Saturday when a group of Hong Kong immigrants arrived and held a counter-rally against them, reported The Standard. Groups that participated in the protest included the Monitoring Group, the Federation of UK Fujian Chinese and the London Chinatown Chinese Association.

The U.S. and other officials have been sounding the alarm over Russia amassing troops near its border with Ukraine.

By refusing to meet with U.S. representatives, Tehran is signaling that it wants the negotiations in Vienna to fail.

The Biden administration told Congress it will remove the terror designation but issue new ones for at least one splinter group.

The Stockholm-based International IEDA organization says a "visible deterioration" of democratic principles began in the U.S. in 2019.

Traveling across Africa, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken saw firsthand the limits of America’s influence abroad. Blinken confronted authoritarianism, growing threats from newly energized extremists, and persistent challenges posed by COVID-19 and climate change, all of which have stubbornly resisted various U.S. interventions. Before leaving the continent at his last stop in Senegal, Blinken said he had been well received by all three leaders he met.

The deaths, only one of which Sudan's post-coup regime acknowledges, came on the deadliest day since generals toppled the civilian government, and amid increasing outcry from the U.S.

3-nation visit is part of a long-delayed mission aimed, at part, in answering China's outreach to the continent, but it comes amid war in Ethiopia and a military takeover in Sudan.

Moscow insists it's "no threat to anyone," but amid a troop buildup along Ukraine's border and snap paratrooper drills with Belarus, Washington and Europe are warning Moscow against any "serious mistake."