The Latest Breaking News from State Department

South Florida mayors back bid to dissolve travel visa backlog

More than a half dozen South and Central Florida mayors have hopped aboard a national travel industry campaign to persuade the U.S. State Department to speed up visa application interviews abroad for international travelers.

Tribune News Service · Feb 21, 2023

New START: last US-Russia arms control treaty in jeopardy

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s announcement that Moscow is suspending its participation in the last remaining U.S.-Russia arms control treaty will have an immediate impact on U.S. visibility into Russian nuclear activities

The Independent UK · Feb 21, 2023

Putin halts nuke pact with US, vows to push war in Ukraine

President Vladimir Putin said Russia will suspend its observation of the New START treaty with the U.S., dealing a blow to the last accord limiting their nuclear arsenals, as he vowed to press on with his faltering invasion of Ukraine.

Tribune News Service · Feb 21, 2023

Blinken rebukes China’s top diplomat on balloon, Ukraine

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken rebuked China’s top diplomat in their first in-person meeting since the uproar over an alleged spy balloon, telling Wang Yi that the craft’s entry into U.S. airspace was an “irresponsible act that must never again occur.”

Tribune News Service · Feb 18, 2023

Top Chinese diplomat: U.S. response to balloon "absurd and hysterical"

"This incident doesn't show American strength but the opposite," Wang Yi said.

Axios · Feb 18, 2023

Washington Denies Imposing Sanctions on Lebanon’s Central Bank Governor

The US State Department denied on Saturday that it was considering imposing sanctions on Lebanon’s central bank governor Riad Salameh. “We have seen these rumors, and while we generally are not discussing any possible sanctions, I can confirm that these rumors are not based on facts,” a US State Department…

Asharq Al-Awsat · Feb 18, 2023

California lawmaker leads delegation to Taiwan amid already high US-China tensions

WASHINGTON — Despite heightened tensions between Washington and Beijing over the recent spy balloon downing , a U.S. congressional delegation led by California Rep. Ro Khanna plans to visit Taiwan this weekend, a move sure to be seen by China as a provocation.

Los Angeles Times · Feb 18, 2023

Meetings in Washington Pave Way for Establishment of Strategic Iraqi-US Ties

Iraq and the United States concluded on Wednesday week-long negotiations in Washington that tackled the future of relations between their countries in line with their 2008 Strategic Framework Agreement (SFA). Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein and Secretary of State Antony Blinken co-chaired a Higher Coordinating Committee (HCC), in accordance with…

Asharq Al-Awsat · Feb 17, 2023

UN draft resolution demands halt to Israeli settlements

A Palestinian-backed U_N_ resolution that could be put to a vote in the Security Council early next week would demand an immediate halt to all Israeli settlement activities, condemn Israeli attempts to annex settlements and outposts, “and call for their immediate reversal.”

The Independent UK · Feb 17, 2023

Blinken conveys U.S. concern over Indonesia criminal code

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed Washington's concern about certain provisions in Indonesia's new criminal code in a call Thursday with the country's foreign minister, Retno Marsudi, the State Department said.

Reuters · Feb 16, 2023