This week in photos: Destruction continues, U.S. to leverage Russia-Ukraine bloc against China as the war wages on
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Thursday that U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration is aiming to lead the international bloc opposed to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine into a broader coalition to counter what it sees as a more serious, long-term threat to global order from China.
US aims to leverage Russia-Ukraine bloc against China
US Kazakhstan Blinken Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets with Kazakhstan's Foreign Minister Mukhtar Tileuberdi at the State Department in Washington, Friday, May 20, 2022. The officials spoke to reporters on the condition of anonymity to preview Blinken's speech to be delivered at George Washington University. The speech follows President Joe Biden's just-concluded visits to South Korea and Japan, where China loomed large in discussions. Blinken will say that the administration intends to leverage its success in rallying support for Ukraine against Russia to align U.S. allies and partners to counter China, according to the officials. The Biden administration has largely kept in place confrontational policies toward China adopted by its predecessor in response to Chinese actions in its western Xinjiang region, Hong Kong, Tibet and the South China Sea.
wftv.comBlinken: US to leverage Russia-Ukraine bloc against China
Secretary of State Antony Blinken says the Biden administration is aiming to lead the international bloc opposed to Russia's invasion of Ukraine into a broader coalition to counter what it sees as a more serious, long-term threat to global order from China.
The AP Interview: New Pakistani FM seeks better ties with US
United Nations-Pakistan-Interview Pakistani Foreign Minister Bhutto Zardari speaks during his meeting with Secretary of State Antony Blinken at United Nations headquarters, Wednesday, May 18, 2022. Bhutto Zardari called the meeting with Blinken "very encouraging and very positive and productive." President Joe Biden has strengthened ties with Pakistan’s arch-rival India, but Bhutto Zardari said Pakistan is not “jealous” of their relationship. In the interview with the AP, Bhutto Zardari recalled the legacy of his mother and grandfather. “These are the ideals that we hold dear and we work towards every day,” Bhutto Zardari said.
wftv.comThe AP Interview: New Pakistani FM seeks better ties with US
United Nations-Pakistan-Interview Pakistani Foreign Minister Bhutto Zardari speaks during his meeting with Secretary of State Antony Blinken at United Nations headquarters, Wednesday, May 18, 2022. Bhutto Zardari called the meeting with Blinken "very encouraging and very positive and productive." U.S. President Joe Biden has strengthened ties with Pakistan’s arch-rival India, but Bhutto Zardari said Pakistan is not “jealous” of their relationship. Bhutto Zardari said he didn’t think the growing relationship with the United States would hurt its ties to Beijing. “These are the ideals that we hold dear and we work towards every day,” Bhutto Zardari said.
wftv.comUS accuses Russia of weaponizing food in Ukraine war
U_S_ Secretary of State Antony Blinken is accusing Russia of weaponizing food and holding grain for millions of people around the world hostage in order to help accomplish what its invasion of Ukraine has not -- “to break the spirit of the Ukrainian people.”
washingtonpost.comJordan offers to station firefighting aircraft in Cyprus
NICOSIA, Cyprus — (AP) — Jordan’s King Abdullah II has offered to station firefighting aircraft in Cyprus through the summer fire season, the Cypriot foreign minister said Monday. Cyprus, Greece and Israel have often assisted each other in recent years by sending firefighting teams, gear and aircraft to help combat massive wildfires. The Cypriot proposal would streamline and speed up the dispatching of such assistance. Greece struggled to fight massive wildfires last year. Cyprus, Jordan and Greece have a trilateral cooperation arrangement that aims to strengthen their defense and security ties.
wftv.comLive updates | UN Chief: War in Ukraine driving world hunger
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Wednesday he's in “intense contacts” with Russia and other countries to stop escalating global hunger exacerbated by the war in Ukraine by allowing the export of grain stored in Ukrainian ports and ensuring Russian food and fertilizers have unrestricted access to world markets.
In meeting with US, Turkey gives mixed signals on wider NATO
US Turkey U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu at the United Nations Wednesday, May 18, 2022. In a meeting with Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the United Nations, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu offered mixed signals. “Turkey has been supporting the open-door policy of NATO even before this war," he said. Without acknowledging Erdogan's complaints about Finland and Sweden, Blinken stressed that Washington would work to ensure the NATO expansion process is successful. So against that background it would be a very dramatic step if Turkey in fact vetoes the application of Finland and Sweden."
wftv.comTop US and Pakistan diplomats say they want stronger ties
UNITED NATIONS — (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Pakistan’s new Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari met for the first time Wednesday and both said they want to strengthen ties between the two countries. Bhutto Zardari flew to New York to attend a ministerial meeting at U.N. headquarters called by the United States later Wednesday that will be chaired by Blinken on growing food insecurity around the world, which has been exacerbated by Russia’s war on Ukraine. Bhutto Zardari, the son of former Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto who was killed in 2007, is co-chair of one of the two largest opposition parties that ousted former prime minister Imran Khan on April 11. Pakistan’s parliament elected opposition lawmaker Shahbaz Sharif as the country’s new prime minister and he appointed Bhutto Zardari as foreign minister on April 27. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
wftv.comAustralia says Chinese spy ship has been hugging west coast
Dutton said Friday, May 13, 2022, that a Chinese warship with spying capabilities had been hugging the western coastline in what amounted to an "aggressive act." “Its intention, of course, is to collect intelligence right along the coastline," Dutton said. “I think it is an aggressive act, and I think particularly because it has come so far south,” Dutton said. Tensions between China and Australia have been heightened recently after China signed a security pact with the Solomon Islands. Australia's Defence Force identified the ship as a Dongdiao Class Auxiliary Intelligence ship named Haiwangxing.
wftv.comUS sanctions alleged IS child trafficking financiers
U.S. Treasury says the actors are pivotal to helping extremists travel to Syria and other regions where IS operates. The sanctions, imposed by the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, block any property or other assets the individuals have in the U.S. and those who engage in business with the sanctioned people could receive secondary sanctions. The announcement comes just two days ahead of a meeting of foreign ministers from the global anti-IS coalition that is happening in Morocco on Wednesday. The U.S. government refers to the group as ISIS, which stands for the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
wftv.comBlinken tests positive for COVID; has mild symptoms
Blinken FILE - Secretary of State Antony Blinken testifies during a Senate Foreign Relations committee hearing, April 26, 2022, on Capitol Hill in Washington. Spokesman Ned Price said Blinken tested positive in a OPCR test on Wednesday afternoon. Price said Blinken is fully vaccinated and is experiencing only mild symptoms. Blinken tested negative Tuesday and again earlier Wednesday morning. He is the latest Biden administration figure to test positive.
wftv.comMexico will take back more Cubans and Nicaraguans expelled by U.S.
The deal is potentially significant because the Mexican government has more latitude to carry out deportation flights to Cuba and Nicaragua, nations whose frosty relations with Washington severely limit the United States’ ability to return their citizens.
washingtonpost.comLive updates | UN: More than 300 evacuated from Mariupol
The United Nations says more than 300 civilians from the besieged southeastern city of Mariupol and four other towns have been evacuated to Ukrainian-held Zaporizhzhia in a second successful operation to get civilians out of areas subject to Russian shelling and attacks.
US to spotlight war-caused food insecurity at 2 UN events – WFTV
Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield told a news conference that U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will chair a ministerial meeting on food insecurity across the globe on May 18 to review current and future humanitarian needs. It will include foreign ministers from many regionally diverse donor nations and countries most affected by the increasing difficulty to provide adequate food to their people, she said. Russia and Ukraine together produce 30% of the world’s wheat supply, 20% of its corn, and export about three-quarters of the world’s sunflower seed oil. The U.N. food chief said in mid-April that some 30 million metric tons of grain bound for export are unable to be shipped because of the war. Beasley said WFP was feeding 125 million people around the world before the Russian invasion and has had to start cutting rations because of rising food, fuel and shipping costs.
wftv.comLive updates | Blinken: War worsens problems in Americas
___KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian officials say the Russian military has struck railroad infrastructure across the country. The Ukrainian military also reported strikes on railways in the Kirovohrad region, saying there were unspecified casualties. ___LVIV, Ukraine — Russian strikes have apparently targeted the western Ukraine city of Lviv. The call came three days after Macron last spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Johnson said Ukraine had “exploded the myth of (Russian President Vladimir) Putin’s invincibility,” and expressed confidence Ukraine would win the war.
wftv.comJan. 6 panel wants interviews with Brooks, Biggs, Jackson
House Blinken Rep. Ronny Jackson, R-Texas, questions Secretary of State Antony Blinken during a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday April 28, 2022, to review the U.S. Department of State's foreign policy priorities and fiscal year 2023 budget request. The select committee sent letters to Reps. Andy Biggs, Mo Brooks and Ronny Jackson — three members of the ultra-right House Freedom Caucus that have in recent years aligned themselves with Trump. “The Select Committee has learned that several of our colleagues have information relevant to our investigation into the facts, circumstances, and causes of January 6th," committee chairman Bennie Thompson and vice-chair Liz Cheney said in a statement. "We urge our colleagues to join the hundreds of individuals who have shared information with the Select Committee to get to the bottom of what happened on January 6th.“Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
wftv.comLive updates l Blinken says US diplomats to visit Kyiv again
Russia Ukraine War Oleksiy Onoschenko, 42, rescues books from his house destroyed during the Russian occupation in Irpin, in the outskirt of Kyiv, Ukraine on Saturday, April 30, 2022. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti) (Emilio Morenatti)LVIV, Ukraine — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken says American diplomats are making plans to return to Ukraine as soon as possible. An overnight statement Sunday said Blinken told Kuleba that America “plans to return to Kyiv as soon as possible.”He said diplomats had been making “initial visits” to Lviv to prepare. The U.S. evacuated its embassy in Kyiv in February just before Russia launched its war on the country. ___KYIV, Ukraine — Ukraine’s national grid operator says it has has restored “reliable” power supply in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, around the site of the 1986 nuclear reactor disaster.
wftv.comUkraine 'can win' the war 'if they have the right equipment': Pentagon chief
Ukraine can win the war against Russia "if they have the right equipment", Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin says as he returns from a trip to Kyiv with US State Secretary Antony Blinken. "The first step in winning is believing that you can win. And so they believe that we can win," Austin told a group of journalists after he and Blinken had both met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. "We believe that we can win, they can win if they have the right equipment, the right support." ++ COMPLETES VIDI328W8PK_EN ++
news.yahoo.comLive updates | UN urged to oversee steel mill evacuation
(Anonymous socurce via AP) (Uncredited)KYIV, Ukraine -- Ukraine has said the United Nations should step in to oversee an evacuation route for civilians from the besieged steel mill in Mariupol which is Ukrainian troops’ last stronghold in the port city. He also noted that they should focus on exposing “open provocations” against the Russian military allegedly involving international media and social platforms. The oil depot is owned by Transneft-Druzhba, a subsidiary of the Russian state-controlled company Transneft that operates the western-bound Druzhba (Friendship) pipeline carrying crude oil to Europe. ___KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian officials say the Russian military has unleashed a series of strikes on the country’s railways. ___LVIV, Ukraine — A fire has erupted at a Russian oil depot near the border with Ukraine.
wftv.comBiden nominates Bridget Brink to be Ambassador of Ukraine
WASHINGTON —President Biden announced Monday that he plans to nominate Bridget Brink for Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Ukraine. Ambassador since 2019, when then-President Trump removed Marie Yovanovitch, The Washington Post reported. She was nominated to her current post in 2019 by Trump and confirmed by a voice vote, according to The Hill. Brink holds Master’s degrees in International Relations and Political Theory from the London School of Economics and Political Science. According to her profile page on the U.S. Embassy in Slovakia website, Brink speaks Russian and Serbian, as well as basic Georgian and French.
wftv.comRussia hits rail, fuel facilities in attacks deep in Ukraine
(Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP) (Uncredited)KYIV, Ukraine — (AP) — Russia unleashed a string of attacks against Ukrainian rail and fuel facilities Monday, striking crucial infrastructure far from the frontline of its eastern offensive, which Britain said has yet to achieve a significant breakthrough. Meanwhile, two fires were reported at oil facilities in western Russia. “When it comes to Russia’s war aims, Russia is failing. Russia also destroyed an oil refinery in Kremenchuk in central Ukraine, along with fuel depots there, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said Monday. Zelenskyy criticized Guterres for visiting Russia before Ukraine.
wftv.comUS promises more Ukraine aid, Biden announces veteran envoy
“The first step in winning is believing that you can win," Austin said. Russia has sought as its principal aim to totally subjugate Ukraine, to take away its sovereignty, to take away its independence. That has failed.”As expected, President Joe Biden announced on Monday his nomination of Bridget Brink to serve as U.S. ambassador to Ukraine. Biden has accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of genocide for the destruction and death wrought on Ukraine. Just on Thursday, Biden said he would provide a new package of $800 million in military aid to Ukraine that included heavy artillery and drones.
wftv.comLive updates | Blaze at oil storage facility in west Russia
(AP Photo/Alex Brandon, Pool) (Alex Brandon)MOSCOW — Russian authorities say a fire has engulfed an oil storage facility in western Russia. The oil depot is owned by Transneft-Druzhba, a subsidiary of the Russian state-controlled company Transneft that operates the western-bound Druzhba (Friendship) pipeline carrying crude oil to Europe. Russian news reported that another oil storage facility in Bryansk also caught fire early Monday, and that the cause wasn’t immediately known. ___LVIV, Ukraine — A fire has erupted at a Russian oil depot near the border with Ukraine. The Russian report said oil storage tanks at the facility caught fire around 2 a.m. local time.
wftv.comLive updates | Russia strikes hit railways across Ukraine
Russia Ukraine War Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin speak with reporters Monday, April 25, 2022, in Poland, near the Ukraine border, after returning from their trip to Kyiv, Ukraine, and meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, Pool) (Alex Brandon)KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian officials say the Russian military has unleashed a series of strikes on the country’s railways. Oleksandr Kamyshin, the head of the state-run Ukrainian Railways, said a total of five rail facilities in central and western Ukraine have been hit by the Russian strikes. Austin said that “the world has been inspired” by Ukraine in the war and that America would continue its support. Ukraine President Volodomyr Zelenskyy said he planned to meet with the U.S. officials in Kyiv on Sunday, but the Biden administration refused to confirm that or discuss any details of a possible visit.
wftv.comPrettier in pink: the push to remake Japan's cherry blossoms
Japan's famed cherry blossom season blankets the country in the delicate white flowers of the prized "somei-yoshino" tree. The popular somei-yoshino strain accounts for more than 90 percent of the cherry trees planted in Japan but some want change as the strain is prone to disease and tends to grow too large to be well managed in urban settings.
news.yahoo.comU.S. promises more aid, return of diplomats in Kyiv visit
Because the nature of the fight has evolved, so have Ukraine's military needs, and Zelenskyy is now focused on more tanks, artillery and other munitions. “We had an opportunity to demonstrate directly our strong ongoing support for the Ukrainian government and the Ukrainian people," Blinken said. Russia has sought as its principal aim to totally subjugate Ukraine, to take away its sovereignty, to take away its independence. Austin and Blinken announced a total of $713 million in foreign military financing for Ukraine and 15 allied and partner countries; some $322 million is earmarked for Kyiv. Just on Thursday, Biden said he would provide a new package of $800 million in military aid to Ukraine that included heavy artillery and drones.
wftv.comLive updates | UK: Russian offensive slowed by supply issues
The ministry also says Russian defense officials have proposed that compensation payments to the families of service personnel should be overseen by military rather that civilian authorities. Austin said that “the world has been inspired” by Ukraine in the war and that America would continue its support. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin informed Ukraine’s president of a more than $300 million package of foreign military financing and a $165 million sale of ammunition. ___LVIV, Ukraine — A fire has erupted at a Russian oil depot near the border with Ukraine. Moscow previously has blamed Ukraine for attacks on the Russian region of Bryansk, which borders Ukraine.
wftv.comDemocrats blast Mexico's president for assailing judiciary
Democrats in Congress are sounding the alarm over what they claim is mounting evidence that Mexico’s chief prosecutor is assailing the nation’s independent judiciary and selectively targeting for prosecution opponents of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.