This is Beirut - US Secretary of State

Russia Tells US It Opposes Any NATO Member Sending Troops to Ukraine

This is Beirut, 18/02 16:36 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

USA Ukraine Donald Trump US Secretary of State Russia

Russia told the United States in talks on Tuesday that it opposed any NATO member sending troops to Ukraine as part of a ceasefire, Moscow's foreign minister said. "The appearance of troops of armed forces from the same NATO countries, whether under a foreign flag, under the flag of the European Union or under national flags, does not ...

Marco Rubio in Israel on First Leg of Mideast Tour

This is Beirut, 16/02 10:40 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Israel Donald Trump Benjamin Netanyahu US Secretary of State Hamas Gaza

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Israel's prime minister in Jerusalem on Sunday for talks on the Gaza ceasefire, launching a Middle East tour a day after the latest hostage-prisoner exchange. On his first visit to the region as Washington's top diplomat, Rubio is expected to push US President Donald Trump's widely condemned ...

Trump Wants to Jail American Citizens in Salvador

This is Beirut, 05/02 04:45 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Donald Trump United States US Secretary of State USA

President Donald Trump on Tuesday backed an offer by El Salvador to take in prisoners -- including US citizens -- despite clear legal problems with such an outsourcing under American law. "If we had the legal right to do it, I would do it in a heartbeat," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. "It's no different than our prison system, except ...

Rubio to make debut in Panama as Trump threatens to take canal

This is Beirut, 01/02 09:50 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Donald Trump US Secretary of State USA United Nations United States

Marco Rubio heads Saturday to Panama on his debut trip abroad as US Secretary of State as he looks for how to follow up on President Donald Trump's extraordinary threat to seize the Panama Canal. Rubio's travel comes the same day that Trump's promised tariffs on the three largest US trading partners -- Canada, Mexico and China -- are set to come ...

Syria's New Rulers Urge Russia to Fix Past Mistakes

This is Beirut, 29/01 15:15 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

US Secretary of State Damascus European Union Middle East Saudi Arabia

Syria's new leadership on Wednesday urged Moscow to "address past mistakes" during talks with visiting Russian officials -- the first since former president Bashar al-Assad, a Kremlin ally, was toppled last month. The visit came with Russia keen to secure the fate of two military bases in Syria and after Russian President Vladimir Putin denied ...

Rubio Widens Exemption for US Aid After Freeze

This is Beirut, 29/01 10:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

USA Donald Trump US Secretary of State

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday widened exemptions in a sweeping freeze on foreign assistance, saying the United States would keep funding humanitarian items such as shelter and medicine. President Donald Trump on returning office last week ordered a 90-day pause to review assistance by the United States, the world's largest donor in ...

Egypt And Israel Exempt From a Near-Total Freeze On US Foreign Aid

This is Beirut, 25/01 02:40 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Israel USA Donald Trump US Secretary of State Hamas

The United States has frozen its foreign aid, with the exception of that provided to Egypt and Israel, as well as emergency food aid, while it carries out a complete review to see whether it is in line with the policy that Donald Trump intends to pursue. ‘No new funds will be committed (...) until every proposed new allocation or extension has ...

The Head Of US Diplomacy Pledges ‘Unwavering Support’ For Israel

This is Beirut, 23/01 05:40 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Israel USA Donald Trump Benjamin Netanyahu US Secretary of State

The new head of US diplomacy, Marco Rubio, pledged ‘unwavering support’ for Israel in a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the State Department said on Wednesday. Rubio spoke with Netanyahu to ‘underscore that continued unwavering US support for Israel is a top priority for President Donald Trump,’ State Department ...

Italian Foreign Minister Meets Syria’s New Leader in Damascus

This is Beirut, 10/01 13:20 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Damascus Antony Blinken European Union US Secretary of State Europe

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani met Syria's new ruler Ahmad al-Shareh in Damascus Friday, state media said, in the latest such visit from a European diplomat since the fall of Bashar al-Assad. State news agency SANA did not give further details about Tajani and Shareh's discussions, just over a month after Islamist-led rebels seized ...

On His Final Trip, Blinken And the Europeans Try to Avoid a New Syrian Turmoil

This is Beirut, 10/01 04:55 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Antony Blinken US Secretary of State Syria

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and his European counterparts insisted in Rome on Thursday on the need to stabilise Syria a month after Islamist rebels overthrew the country's leader, Bashar al-Assad, amid clashes with Turkey. Mr Blinken dined in Rome on Thursday evening with his British, French, German and Italian counterparts, on the last ...

Blinken in Paris to Discuss Mideast

This is Beirut, 08/01 09:50 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Antony Blinken Donald Trump Emmanuel Macron US Secretary of State

Outgoing US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday began a visit to Paris in which he will receive France's highest honor and seek further coordination on the turbulent Middle East. The top US diplomat arrived early on Wednesday in Paris after stops in Japan and South Korea on what is expected to be his final trip before he is slated to ...

Blinken Says US-Japan Ties Rock Solid Despite Rift Over Steel Deal

This is Beirut, 07/01 09:25 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Antony Blinken USA Donald Trump US Secretary of State United States

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken insisted during a visit to Tokyo on Tuesday that ties with Japan were stronger than ever, days after President Joe Biden blocked Nippon Steel's takeover of US Steel. Business groups say the decision could have a chilling effect on Japan's standing as the biggest foreign investor in the United States, just as ...

US Secretary of State