Politics
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told his European counterparts Friday they have no grounds for reactivating UN sanctions after they threatened to do so in coming months unless there is progress in nuclear talks. “If EU/E3 want to have a role, they should act responsibly and put aside the
Politics
Russian troops have taken control of three villages in three different parts of the frontline running through Ukraine, the Defense Ministry said on Thursday. Official Ukrainian reports of activity along the 1,000-km (600-mile) front disputed part of the Russian account, particularly concerning a key village in the southeast. Reuters
Politics
Taiwan does not seek conflict with China and will not provoke confrontation and Beijing’s “aggressive” military posturing was counterproductive, Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim said on Friday. China considers democratic Taiwan as part of its own territory and calls President Lai Ching-te a “separatist.” Taiwan’s government disputes China’s
Politics
President Donald Trump’s ultimatum to Russia to accept a peace deal in Ukraine within 50 days or face bruising sanctions on its energy exports has given the Kremlin extra time to pursue its summer offensive. The dogged Ukrainian resistance, however, makes it unlikely that the Russian military will make
Politics
Syria’s interim President Ahmed Al-Sharaa said on Thursday that protecting Druze citizens and their rights is “our priority,” as Israel vowed to destroy Syrian government forces attacking Druze in southern Syria. In his first televised statement after powerful Israeli air strikes on Damascus on Wednesday, Sharaa addressed Druze citizens
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US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the foreign ministers of France, Germany and the UK agreed in a phone call on Monday to set the end of August as the de facto deadline for reaching a nuclear deal with Iran, Axios reported, citing three sources. If no deal is
Politics
US President Donald Trump will meet with Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani on Wednesday to discuss negotiations over a Gaza ceasefire deal, Axios reporter Barak Ravid posted on X. Israeli and Hamas negotiators have been participating in the latest round of ceasefire talks in Doha since
Politics
US President Donald Trump said he was “not done” with Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to a BBC interview published on Tuesday, hours after he said he was disappointed in Putin and threatened Moscow with sanctions. Trump told the BBC he thought a Ukraine deal was on the cards with
Politics
An Israeli ultra-Orthodox party that has been a key governing partner of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said early Tuesday it was leaving the coalition government, threatening to destabilize the Israeli leader’s rule at a pivotal time in the war in Gaza. United Torah Judaism’s two factions said they
Politics
Japan raised strong caution against China’s rapid acceleration of military activity in extensive areas from around its southwestern coasts to the Pacific, describing the moves as the biggest strategic challenge. China’s growing joint operations with Russia also pose serious security concerns to Japan, along with increasing tension around
Politics
Iran will react to any reimposition of United Nations sanctions over its nuclear program, the country’s foreign ministry spokesperson said on Monday, without elaborating on what actions Tehran might take. A French diplomatic source told Reuters last week that European powers would have to restore U.N. sanctions on
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US President Donald Trump said on Sunday he will send Patriot air defense missiles to Ukraine, saying they are necessary to defend the country because Russian President Vladimir Putin “talks nice but then he bombs everybody in the evening.” Trump did not give a number of Patriots he plans to
Politics
US President Donald Trump told reporters on Sunday that talks are ongoing over Israel’s conflict in Gaza and he hopes for progress in the next week, even as ceasefire negotiations in Doha stalled. “Gaza — we are talking and hopefully we’re going to get that straightened out over the
Politics
A Syrian and an Israeli official met face to face in Baku Saturday on the sidelines of a visit to Azerbaijan by President Ahmed Al-Sharaa, a diplomatic source in Damascus said. The meeting marked a major step for the two countries which have been foes for decades, and comes after
Politics
US President Donald Trump said on Thursday the United States would supply weapons to Ukraine via NATO and that he would make a “major statement” on Russia on Monday. In recent days, Trump has expressed frustration with Russian President Vladimir Putin over the lack of progress toward ending the war
Politics
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US top diplomat Marco Rubio held “frank” talks on the Ukraine war during a meeting Thursday, both sides said, as Washington hit out at Moscow’s lack of “flexibility.” The US secretary of state said Lavrov shared new ideas on resolving the conflict which