The Latest Breaking News from State Department

China hosts Russia, U.S. officials for talks on Afghanistan

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov on Wednesday in the eastern Chinese province of Anhui, where China was set to host two days of meetings on Afghanistan, state broadcaster CGTN reported.

Reuters · Mar 30, 2022

US Advises that Moscow May 'Detain' Americans in Russia

The US State Department issued a travel advisory on Tuesday warning that Moscow "may single out and detain US citizens in Russia" and repeating earlier warnings for Americans not to travel to the country. The warning was "due to the unprovoked and unjustified invasion of Ukraine by Russian military forces"…

Asharq Al-Awsat · Mar 30, 2022

As it happened: Russia regrouping forces from Kyiv to focus on 'key fronts and Donbas'

A day after Russia vowed to scale back military operations, shelling continued in Kyiv and Chernihiv amid reports Russian forces were regrouping to focus attention on their main goal: the breakaway region of Donbas. In an interview with FRANCE 24, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said Russia has now…

France 24 · Mar 30, 2022

Blinken will test for COVID after having met Bennett, spokesperson says

U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken will test for COVID-19 on Monday after having met Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett in Jerusalem the previous day, a State Department spokesperson said.

Reuters · Mar 28, 2022

Madeleine Albright: First female secretary of state

Before Albright, the inner sanctum of US foreign policymaking had been an almost exclusively male domain

The Independent UK · Mar 27, 2022

U.S. to provide $100 million in civilian security assistance to Ukraine- State Dept

The United States intends to provide Ukraine with an additional $100 million in civilian security assistance, the State Department said on Saturday.

Reuters · Mar 26, 2022

Blinken Visits Mideast, North Africa to Tackle Ukrainian War, Iran, Peace Deals

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel next week to the Middle East and North Africa where he will discuss a range of regional and global priorities, including Ukraine, Iran, the Abraham Accords and normalization agreements with Israel, preserving the prospects for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,…

Asharq Al-Awsat · Mar 26, 2022

Commentary: How to lead with diplomacy, and not just in Ukraine

President Joe Biden and his top foreign policy advisers have demonstrated how effective diplomacy can be in a crisis. They have worked tirelessly to build a powerful, coordinated response to Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine. Though this has not yet ended the war, it has greatly increased the cost to…

Chicago Tribune · Mar 26, 2022

US Condemns 'Reckless' Houthi Terrorist Attacks on Saudi Arabia

The United States strongly condemned on Friday the Iran-backed Houthi militias' attacks on Saudi Arabia. "We strongly condemn this week’s multiple Houthi terrorist attacks on Saudi Arabia, including today’s that struck an Aramco facility in Jeddah, which is clearly civilian infrastructure," said the State Department. "At a time when the parties should be focused on de-escalation and bringing needed…

Asharq Al-Awsat · Mar 26, 2022

American Tyler Jacob released from Russian captivity after trying to flee Ukraine

Minnesota man was removed from bus at checkpoint in Crimea as he tried to get to Turkey

The Independent UK · Mar 26, 2022