JOHN KIRBY

Former Spokesperson for the United States Department of State John Kirby discusses the U.S.'s response to North Korea launching a missile over Japan on "Special Report."

NSC Strategic Communications Coordinator John Kirby echoed Secretary of State Blinken's assessment that disagreement over the Iran nuclear deal has increased in recent weeks.

The White House reiterated the U.S. is not at war with Russia over Ukraine on "America's Newsroom," despite Putin's threat to use nuclear weapons.

WASHINGTON — (AP) — President Joe Biden met Friday with family members of WNBA star Brittney Griner and another American detained in Russia, Paul Whelan, the first face-to-face encounter that the president has had with the relatives. Whelan is serving a 16-year sentence on espionage-related charges that he and his family say are false. The U.S. government regards both as wrongfully detained, placing their cases with the office of its top hostage negotiator. Biden sat down with Elizabeth Whelan, the sister of Paul Whelan. Then the president met with Cherelle Griner, the wife of Brittney Griner, as well as the player's agent, Lindsay Colas, according to the White House.

President Biden met with the families of Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan to discuss bringing them back to the U.S. They are serving sentences in a Russian prison.

WASHINGTON — (AP) — President Joe Biden is meeting Friday with family members of WNBA star Brittney Griner and another American detained in Russia, Paul Whelan. The meetings at the White House are the first face-to-face encounter between the president and the relatives of Griner and Whelan. The meetings, held in the Oval Office, began shortly before 5 p.m. on Friday, the White House said. Biden is sitting down with Elizabeth Whelan, the sister of Paul Whelan. In a separate session, the president is meeting with Cherelle Griner, the wife of Brittney Griner, as well as the player's agent, Lindsay Colas, according to the White House.

President Joe Biden met with family members of WNBA star Brittney Griner and another American detained in Russia, Paul Whelan.

The White House on Friday revealed that Russia has not yet responded to a "substantial proposal" the U.S. made back in July for the release of Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan.

The White House was asked on Wednesday about their relationship with China, after Chinese purchases of land in North Dakota and elsewhere and the country's Russia ties.

President Joe Biden marked the 21st anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, taking part in a somber wreath-laying ceremony at the Pentagon in a somber commemoration held under a steady rain.

Elton John paid tribute to Queen Elizabeth II at his final concert in Toronto, saying he was inspired by her and is sad she is gone.

A newly downgraded U.S. intelligence finding says the Russian Ministry of Defense is in the process of purchasing millions of rockets and artillery shells from North Korea for its ongoing fight in Ukraine.

The United States says it has determined that Russia is suffering “severe manpower shortages” in its six-month-old war with Ukraine and that is has become more desperate in its efforts to find new troops to send to the front lines.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is warning that a failure to place a price cap on Russian oil would hurt the global economy.

A team of international inspectors is set to visit a huge Russian-occupied nuclear plant on the front line, as Ukraine's emboldened forces try to retake lost territory.

Russia has faced technical problems with Iranian-made drones acquired from Tehran this month for use in its war with Ukraine.

China conducted many military exercises​ in the strait as it sought to punish Taiwan after Pelosi visited the self-ruled island against Beijing's threats.

A newly released FBI document helps flesh out the contours of an investigation into classified documents at President Donald Trump’s Florida estate.

Israel's prime minister has branded the deal on the table a "bad one," and warned it will give billions of dollars to Iran and its regional militia groups.

The trading of documents marked the latest step in an apparent endgame after nearly a year and a half of negotiations over a return to the 2015 agreement.

APTOPIX China Taiwan Military Exercises Taiwan Air Force Mirage fighter jets taxi on a runway at an airbase in Hsinchu, Taiwan, Friday, Aug. 5, 2022. He declined to speak about any damage to long-term relations between China and the United States, calling that a discussion for later. Seven years later during climate talks in Glasgow, another U.S.-China deal helped smooth over bumps to another international climate deal. China and the United States are the world’s No. China routinely complains when Taiwan has direct contacts with foreign governments, but its response to the Pelosi visit — she was the highest-ranking American official in 25 years —has been unusually strong.

Beijing has reacted angrily after senior US Democrat Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan earlier this week.

Chinese Ambassador Qin Gang was called to the White House after China launched military exercises in reaction to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan.

China says it is cutting off dialogue with the U.S. on a range of vital issues from climate change to military relations and anti-narcotics efforts in retaliation for a visit this week to Taiwan by U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

President Joe Biden will keep a U.S. aircraft carrier strike group in the South China Sea longer than originally planned but postpone a scheduled missile test.

Russia Ukraine War Prison Attack FILE - In this photo taken from video a view of a destroyed barrack at a prison in Olenivka, in an area controlled by Russian-backed separatist forces, eastern Ukraine, on July 29, 2022. Russia has claimed that Ukraine’s military used U.S.-supplied rocket launchers to strike the prison in Olenivka, a settlement controlled by the Moscow-backed Donetsk People’s Republic. The Ukrainian military denied making any rocket or artillery strikes in Olenivka. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Thursday angrily dismissed the U.S. officials’ claims about Russia fabricating the evidence. “Ukrainian prisoners of war were killed by the Ukrainian military.

The White House says new intelligence suggests Russia is working to fabricate evidence concerning last week’s deadly strike on a prison housing prisoners of war in a separatist region of eastern Ukraine.

After infuriating China over her trip to Taiwan, U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has met South Korean political leaders in Seoul.

Nancy Pelosi's visit, the first by a U.S. House speaker since 1997, has drawn outrage from China, which for years has sought to diplomatically isolate Taiwan.

Officials say two people have died and homes have been destroyed in Siskiyou County, California. The McKinney Fire could be impacted by more wind and lightning.

Nancy Pelosi FILE - House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., speaks at the Capitol in Washington, July 21, 2022. But the House Speaker would be entering one of the world’s hottest spots where a mishap, misstep or misunderstanding could endanger her safety. Scott Applewhite, File)WASHINGTON — The White House tried on Monday to lower tensions over House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's expected visit to Taiwan, which China has already said would be considered a serious provocation . Pelosi is traveling to Asia on a military transport, giving the visit an official imprimatur the White House would prefer to downplay. “I can’t speak for what Speaker Pelosi may say or do on this trip,” he said.

John Kirby told reporters that China has no grounds to use Pelosi's visit as "pretext" for conflict or increased military activity near Taiwan.

During the White House press briefing on Monday, National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said the Biden administration would not “take the bait or engage in saber rattling” with China in response to the country’s criticism of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's possible trip to Taiwan.

A potential visit to Taiwan by Pelosi is seen as highly provocative by Chinese leaders, whose claims over Taiwan form a core part of their ideology.

Taiwan Pelosi FILE - House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, of Calif., speaks during a news conference on protecting women's reproductive health care, Thursday, July 28, 2022, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib, File) (Mariam Zuhaib)WASHINGTON — (AP) — There's no reason for China and the U.S. "to come to blows" should House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visit Taiwan during an Asia trip she is expected to make soon, the White House said Friday, underscoring the international tensions surrounding her travel plans. China has objected strenuously to any Taiwan visit by Pelosi, warning of “resolute and strong measures” if she does. Biden said earlier this month that the Pentagon thinks a Pelosi trip to Taiwan is "not a good idea right now." Pelosi's itinerary has also become a domestic political issue, with some Republicans urging her to visit Taiwan as a show of standing up to Beijing.

The White House says there’s no reason for China and the U.S. “to come to blows” should House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visit Taiwan during an Asia trip she is expected to make soon'.

US China FILE - This combination image shows U.S. President Joe Biden in Washington, Nov. 6, 2021, and China's President Xi Jinping in Brasília, Brazil, Nov. 13, 2019. The call began at 8:33 a.m. EDT and ended at 10:50 a.m. EDT, according to the White House. It took place as Biden aims to find new ways to work with the rising global power as well as strategies to contain China's influence around the world. John Kirby, a U.S. national security spokesman, said Wednesday that it was important for Biden and Xi to regularly touch base. “The president wants to make sure that the lines of communication with President Xi remain open because they need to,” Kirby told reporters at a White House briefing.

US China FILE - This combination image shows U.S. President Joe Biden in Washington, Nov. 6, 2021, and China's President Xi Jinping in Brasília, Brazil, Nov. 13, 2019. It took place as Biden aims to find new ways to work with the rising global power as well as strategies to contain China's influence around the world. Biden last week told reporters that U.S. military officials believed it was "not a good idea" for the speaker to visit the island at the moment. John Kirby, a U.S. national security spokesman, said Wednesday that it was important for Biden and Xi to regularly touch base. “The president wants to make sure that the lines of communication with President Xi remain open because they need to,” Kirby told reporters at a White House briefing.

US China FILE - This combination image shows U.S. President Joe Biden in Washington, Nov. 6, 2021, and China's President Xi Jinping in Brasília, Brazil, Nov. 13, 2019. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, Eraldo Peres, File) (Alex Brandon)WASHINGTON — (AP) — President Joe Biden was speaking Thursday morning with China's Xi Jinping, the fifth conversation of their presidencies, as the two leaders chart the future of their complicated relationship at a time of simmering economic and geopolitical tensions. Biden last week told reporters that U.S. military officials believed it was “not a good idea” for the speaker to visit the island at the moment. John Kirby, a U.S. national security spokesman, said Wednesday that it was important for Biden and Xi to regularly touch base. “The president wants to make sure that the lines of communication with President Xi remain open because they need to,” Kirby told reporters at a White House briefing.

US China FILE - This combination image shows U.S. President Joe Biden in Washington, Nov. 6, 2021, and China's President Xi Jinping in Brasília, Brazil, Nov. 13, 2019. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, Eraldo Peres, File) (Alex Brandon)WASHINGTON — (AP) — President Joe Biden will speak Thursday morning with China's Xi Jinping, the fifth conversation of their presidencies, as the two leaders chart the future of their complicated relationship at a time of simmering economic and geopolitical tensions. Biden last week told reporters that U.S. military officials believed it was “not a good idea” for the speaker to visit the island at the moment. John Kirby, a U.S. national security spokesman, said Wednesday that it was important for Biden and Xi to regularly touch base. “The president wants to make sure that the lines of communication with President Xi remain open because they need to,” Kirby told reporters at a White House briefing.

US China FILE - This combination image shows U.S. President Joe Biden in Washington, Nov. 6, 2021, and China's President Xi Jinping in Brasília, Brazil, Nov. 13, 2019. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, Eraldo Peres, File) (Alex Brandon)WASHINGTON — (AP) — President Joe Biden’s conversation with China's Xi Jinping on Thursday morning will be the fifth of their presidencies as the two leaders chart the future of their complicated relationship at a time of simmering tensions. The White House said the call will take place at 8:30 a.m. EDT and that it would provide a readout afterward. John Kirby, a U.S. national security spokesman, said Wednesday that it was important for Biden and Xi to regularly touch base. “The president wants to make sure that the lines of communication with President Xi remain open because they need to,” Kirby told reporters at a White House briefing.

President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping could meet in person for the first time since Biden took office, a senior administration official says.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi launched a political career being tough on China.

"There's issues where we can cooperate with China," White House spokesman John Kirby said ahead of a high stakes call between Biden and Xi Jinping.

Ukrainian forces have damaged a bridge that is key to supplying Russian troops in southern Ukraine.

Russia is already forcing residents to apply for Russian citizenship according to the National Security Council.

Meanwhile, the Biden administration is preparing a new security assistance package for Ukraine.

Committee members approved the expansion by voice vote. The vote sets the expansion up for a decision by the full Senate as soon as next week. The NATO expansion proposal marks a rare moment of Republican and Democratic agreement on a substantive issue before Congress. Senate Minority leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said in May that lawmakers were moving the membership applications at a faster pace than is usual for NATO expansion bids. The applications by Finland and Sweden initially had been expected to win easy approval from other NATO members as well.

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee has given easy bipartisan approval to admitting Finland and Sweden into NATO.

President Joe Biden is heading to the Middle East for the first time since taking office last year.

Once-unthinkable coordination between Israeli and Arab militaries is coming into greater focus as Joe Biden heads into his first Middle East trip as president.

President Joe Biden says the U.S. is enhancing its military presence in Europe for the long haul to bolster regional security after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Germany G7 Summit U.S. President Joe Biden, right, waves as he walks past Bavarian mountain riflemen and traditional costumers after his arrival at Franz-Josef-Strauss Airport near Munich, Germany, Saturday, June 25, 2022, ahead of the G7 summit. Biden is in Germany to attend a Group of Seven summit of leaders of the world's major industrialized nations. Biden arrived in Germany's picturesque Bavarian alps early Sunday morning for the annual meeting of the leading democratic economies, where the reverberations from the brutal war in Ukraine will be front and center in the discussion. He and the allies aim to present a united front in support of Ukraine as the conflict enters its fourth month. Officials were also to discuss how to maintain commitments to address climate change while also solving critical energy supply needs as a result of the war.

President Joe Biden and Western allies at a three-day summit in the Bavarian Alps say they're intent on keeping economic fallout from the war in Ukraine from fracturing the global coalition working to punish Russia’s aggression.

President Joe Biden is aiming to sustain the global alliance punishing Russia for its invasion of Ukraine as he embarks on a five-day trip to Europe.

The families of 27-year-old Andy Tai Ngoc Huynh and 39-year-old Alexander Drueke fear the men may be Russian prisoners of war.

The families of 27-year-old Andy Tai Ngoc Huynh and 39-year-old Alexander Drueke fear the men may be Russian prisoners of war.

Two U.S. veterans from Alabama who were in Ukraine assisting in the war against Russia haven’t been heard from in days and are missing.

Efforts are underway at the Idaho-Oregon border to ensure safe travel for women seeking out-of-state abortions in a post-Roe v. Wade America.

Efforts are underway at the Idaho-Oregon border to ensure safe travel for women seeking out-of-state abortions in a post-Roe v. Wade America.

U.S. to send long-range artillery systems to Ukraine

When Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, it had hoped to overtake the country in a blitz lasting only days or a few weeks.

Pentagon Kirby Pentagon spokesman John Kirby speaks during a media briefing at the Pentagon, Thursday, May 19, 2022, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) (Alex Brandon)WASHINGTON — (AP) — President Joe Biden on Friday named Pentagon press secretary John Kirby to be the new National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications. Kirby "will coordinate interagency efforts to explain United States policy and will serve as a senior administration voice on related matters," the White House said in a statement. Kirby has been a fixture on cable news, particularly during the Ukraine crisis, and is valued in the administration for seeming to handle even the thorniest foreign policy questions with ease. The NSC under Biden has not previously had someone in a dedicated, high-level strategic communications role.

President Joe Biden has named Pentagon press secretary John Kirby to be the new National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications.

The veteran Defense Department spokesman will appear at White House briefings occasionally, in the same manner as other top officials like national security adviser Jake Sullivan.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy devoted his nightly video address to Ukraine’s demand that Russia be held financially responsible for the damage its forces are inflicting on Ukraine.

Pentagon Kirby Pentagon spokesman John Kirby speaks during a media briefing at the Pentagon, Thursday, May 19, 2022, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) (Alex Brandon)Pentagon press secretary John Kirby is joining the White House, according to a person familiar with the matter, adding star power to the President Joe Biden's National Security Council. The person familiar with the matter confirmed Kirby's move to the White House on the condition of anonymity before it was announced publicly. Kirby is expected to be working closely with new press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, including making occasional appearances in the White House briefing room, the person said. He was said to have been one of the contenders to replace former White House press secretary Jen Psaki.

Pentagon press secretary John Kirby is joining the White House, according to a person familiar with the matter, adding star power to the West Wing’s foreign policy communications team.

Pentagon press secretary John Kirby is joining the White House, according to a person familiar with the matter, adding star power to the President Joe Biden's National Security Council. Kirby, who also served as the top spokesman at the Pentagon and the State Department during the Obama administration, is expected to take handle strategic communications for the NSC, as the West Wing navigates a range of foreign policy challenges, from Russia's invasion of Ukraine to North Korea's nuclear program. Kirby has been a fixture on cable news, particularly during the Ukraine crisis, and is valued in the administration for seeming to handle even the thorniest foreign policy questions with ease.

Placeholder while article actions loadPentagon spokesman John Kirby will move to the White House in a senior communications role, according to two people familiar with the personnel move. Kirby’s move to the White House comes after Karine Jean-Pierre took over as White House press secretary from Jen Psaki, who left the administration last week. Kirby met with President Biden at the White House the day after he offered the press secretary job to Jean-Pierre. On May 16 White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said “representation matters” during her first, historic briefing serving in the role. (Video: The Washington Post)Kirby is expected to be heavily involved in White House communications, including working closely with the National Security Council.

The U.S. military committed a number of procedural mistakes in the aftermath of a 2019 airstrike in Syria that killed dozens, including women and children, but a new investigation has concluded that U.S. troops did not violate the law of war or deliberately cause civilian casualties.

Russia Ukraine FILE - In this photo provided by the Russian Defense Ministry Press Service, Russian navy missile cruiser Moskva is on patrol in the Mediterranean Sea near the Syrian coast on Dec. 17, 2015. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP, File) (Uncredited)WASHINGTON — (AP) — The Biden administration sought Friday to downplay the role of American intelligence in the high-profile sinking of the Russian missile cruiser Moskva, distancing itself from any direct role in one of the greatest embarrassments for Russia since it attacked Ukraine. “We had no prior knowledge of Ukraine’s intent to target the ship,” White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said. “The Ukrainians have their own intelligence capabilities to track and target Russian naval vessels, as they did in this case. As the war has gone on, the White House has ramped up its military and intelligence support, removing some time and geographic limits on what it will tell Ukraine about potential Russian targets.

The Pentagon says it provided intelligence to Ukraine before the Russian missile cruiser Moskva was struck by missiles and sank last month.

President Joe Biden on Friday authorized the shipment of another $150 million in military assistance for Ukraine for artillery rounds and radar systems in its fight against Russia’s invading forces.

The U.S. says it shared intelligence with Ukraine about the location of the Russian missile cruiser Moskva before the strike that sank the warship.

The Biden administration sought Friday to downplay the role of American intelligence in the high-profile sinking of the Russian missile cruiser Moskva, distancing itself from any direct role in one of the greatest embarrassments for Russia since it attacked Ukraine.

Dozens more civilians have been rescued from the tunnels under the besieged steel plant where Ukrainian fighters in Mariupol are making their last stand.

Intelligence the U.S. provided showed the location of the Moskva, but the U.S. had no role in the decision to strike it.

Intelligence the U.S. provided showed the location of the Moskva, but the U.S. had no role in the decision to strike it.

The United States provided Ukraine with intelligence that helped Kyiv add: identify, attack and sink the flagship of Russia’s Black Sea fleet, the Moskva, in one of the most dramatic battlefield successes of the 71-day old war, according to people familiar with the matter.

Pentagon says Russia's attempts to hit Western weapons flowing into Ukraine having 'no impact'

President Joe Biden is crediting the assembly line workers at a Javelin missile plant for doing lifesaving work in building the antitank weapons that are being sent to Ukraine.

The Ukrainian military says it destroyed a Russian command post in Kherson, a southern city that fell to Russian forces early in the war.

The Biden administration’s decision to dramatically ramp up delivery of artillery guns to Ukraine eight weeks into the war signals a deepening American military commitment at a pivotal stage of fighting for the country’s industrial heartland.

The Russian military says it has successfully performed the first test of a new intercontinental ballistic missile, a weapon President Vladimir Putin said would make the West “think twice” before harboring any aggressive intentions against Russia.

The next chapter of the war in Ukraine could see Russia bringing in greater numbers of battle-hardened fighters from Syria, observers say.

President Joe Biden approved $800 million in new military assistance to Ukraine, including artillery and helicopters, to bolster its defenses against an intensified Russian offensive in the country’s East.

Western weaponry pouring into Ukraine helped blunt Russia’s initial offensive and seems certain to play a central role in the approaching battle for Ukraine’s contested Donbas region.

President Vladimir Putin has vowed that Russia’s bloody offensive in Ukraine would continue until its goals are fulfilled.

Kyiv was a Russian defeat for the ages.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Ukrainian troops retaking areas around Kyiv and Chernihiv are not allowing Russians to retreat without a fight, but are “shelling them.

A new report says the U.S. military needs to adjust its planning, targeting and use of weapons in order to better avoid widespread civilian deaths and damage such as the devastating 2017 battle to liberate the Syrian city of Raqqa from Islamic State militants.

Ukrainian authorities at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant say Russian forces have left the damaged plant.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says his country is at a “turning point” in the war with Russia.

The Black Sea port of Odesa is mining its beaches and rushing to defend itself from a Mariupol-style fate.

Russian forces in Ukraine appear to have shifted their focus from a ground offensive aimed at Kyiv to instead prioritizing what Moscow calls liberation of the contested Donbas region.

NATO is estimating that 7,000 to 15,000 Russian soldiers have been killed in a month of fighting in Ukraine.

As it continued its barrage of the besieged city of Mariupol, Russia demanded that Ukrainians put down their arms and raise white flags on Monday in exchange for safe passage out of town.

More than three weeks into his invasion of Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin's initial aim of an easy change in government in Ukraine is long gone.

President Joe Biden’s national security adviser has warned a top Chinese official about China’s support for Russia in the Ukrainian invasion — even as the Kremlin denies anew that it has requested Chinese military equipment.