SERGEY LAVROV

Jake Sullivan insisted Sunday that Moscow's threats are just the latest indication that Russia is struggling in its war.

Serbia’s foreign minister has sought to play down the importance of an agreement with Russia, after the Balkan state that is seeking European Union membership faced criticism for signing it

Russia accused the West of aiming to “destroy and fracture Russia."

The speech came amid voting in Russian-occupied parts of eastern and southern Ukraine on whether to join Russia. Moscow characterizes the referendums as self-determination, but Kyiv and its Western allies view them as Kremlin-orchestrated shams with a foregone conclusion. The aim was “to remove the threats against our security, which NATO has been consistently creating in Ukraine,” he explained. Regardless, he declared that his forces will ultimately oust Russian troops from all of Ukraine. The next month, members agreed by a smaller margin to suspend Russia from the U.N. Human Rights Council.

Russia has told the world that it has “no choice” but to take military action in Ukraine.

Russia made its case to the world Saturday for its war in Ukraine, repeating a series of grievances about its neighbor and the West to tell the U.N. General Assembly meeting of world leaders that Moscow had “no choice” but to take military action. At the heart of Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's address was a claim that the United States and its allies — not Russia, as the West maintains — are aggressively undermining the international system that the U.N. represents. The war has largely dominated the discussion, with many countries laying into Russia for its Feb. 24 invasion, nuclear threats, allegations of atrocities and war crimes, and ratcheting up its campaign by mobilizing some of its reserves even as the assembly met.

The tide of international opinion appears to have decisively shifted against Russia, as a number of non-aligned countries joined the United States and its allies in condemning Russia’s war in Ukraine and its threats to the principles of the international rules-based order.

"If Russia stops fighting, the war ends. If Ukraine stops fighting, Ukraine ends," U.S. tells world leaders at the U.N.

After days of speeches by world leaders taking subtle and not-so-subtle shots at Russia for its invasion of Ukraine during the annual U.N. General Assembly, in walked Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov

UNITED NATIONS — (AP) — The United States urged other nations to tell Russia to stop making nuclear threats and end “the horror” of its war in Ukraine as all three countries' top diplomats spoke — but didn't quite meet — at a high-profile U.N. Security Council meeting Thursday. Held alongside the annual U.N. General Assembly gathering of world leaders, the session followed a striking development in the war this week: Russia called up a portion of its reserves for the first time since World War II. “Every council member should send a clear message that these reckless nuclear threats must stop immediately,” he said. Tell him to stop putting his interests above the interests of the rest of the world, including his own people,” Blinken added. Regardless, no one expects the council to act against Russia, since Moscow has veto power as a permanent member.

UNITED NATIONS — (AP) — The United States called on other nations to tell Russia to stop making nuclear threats and end “the horror” of its war in Ukraine as all three countries' top diplomats spoke — but didn't quite meet — at a high-profile U.N. Security Council meeting Thursday. Held alongside the annual U.N. General Assembly gathering of world leaders, the session followed a striking development in the war this week: Russia called up a portion of its reserves for the first time since World War II. “Every council member should send a clear message that these reckless nuclear threats must stop immediately,” he said. He added that Ukraine had become “an anti-Russia staging ground to create threats against Russian security” and his country wouldn't accept it. Regardless, no one expects the council to act against Russia, since Moscow has veto power as a permanent member.

The United States is urging other nations to tell Russia to stop making nuclear threats and end “the horror” of its war in Ukraine.

The head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency says he'll meet with Ukraine’s and Russia’s foreign ministers in a bid to establish a safety and security zone around a nuclear plant in southeastern Ukraine that is Europe’s largest.

After two years of virtual and hybrid summits, the world will once again convene in New York this week for the U.N. General Assembly.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has vowed to press his attack against Ukraine despite its latest counteroffensive.

EUROPEAN PRAVDA - SUNDAY, 11 SEPTEMBER 2022, 16:49 Sergey Lavrov, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, said that Moscow is not opposed to negotiations with Ukraine. Source: European Pravda, citing RBC (Russian Business Consulting), a Kremlin-aligned Russian news outlet Quote from Lavrov: "We are not opposed to negotiations, but those who are must realise that the longer they delayed this process, the more difficult it would be for them to reach an agreement with us.

Russia’s U.N. ambassador says it’s “alarming” that less than three weeks before the annual meeting of world leaders at the U.N. General Assembly not a single member of the 56-member Russian advance team and delegation headed by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has received an entry visa to the United States

Russia’s U.N. ambassador says it’s “alarming” that less than three weeks before the annual meeting of world leaders at the U.N. General Assembly not a single member of the 56-member Russian advance team and delegation headed by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has received a U.S. entry visa. Vassily Nebenzia said in a letter to U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres obtained Friday night by The Associated Press that “this is even more alarming since for the last several months the authorities of the United States have been constantly refusing to grant entry visas to a number of Russian delegates assigned to take part in the official United Nations events.”

Fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces is raging near Europe’s biggest nuclear power plant in a Russian-held area of eastern Ukraine.

MOSCOW — (AP) — Russia's foreign minister warned Thursday that any actions seen as endangering a Russian peacekeeping contingent in a separatist region of Moldova would be considered as an attack on Russia itself. Sergey Lavrov's statement in an address at Russia's top foreign affairs school underlined concerns that Moldova's Transnistria region, which borders Ukraine, could be drawn into the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Russia has stationed peacekeepers there since the 1992 end of a three-month war that left Transnistria outside Moldovan control. Russian forces also guard a large ammunition dump in the region. In April, tensions in Moldova soared after a series of explosions in Transnistria.

Russia’s foreign minister is warning that any actions seen as endangering a Russian peacekeeping contingent in a separatist region of Moldova would be considered as an attack on Russia itself

Vulin has said that Serbia should abandon its EU membership goal and instead turn to Moscow, and he has often blasted Serbia’s neighbors and their leaders, calling them derogatory names. Serbian independent media reported that at their meeting in Moscow late last year, Vulin handed to Patrushev wiretaps from a Belgrade meeting held by members of the Russian opposition. Shortly afterwards, some of those who attended the meeting in Belgrade were arrested in Russia. Most believe that his trip to Russia was organized by Moscow as a way to pressure Belgrade to include him in the new Cabinet. Lavrov had planned to visit Belgrade in June, but Serbia’s NATO-member neighbors have refused to allow his plane to fly over their territory.

Vulin has said that Serbia should abandon its EU membership goal and instead turn to Moscow, and he has often blasted Serbia’s neighbors and their leaders, calling them derogatory names. Serbian independent media reported that at their meeting in Moscow late last year, Vulin handed to Patrushev wiretaps from a Belgrade meeting held by members of the Russian opposition. Shortly afterwards, some of those who attended the meeting in Belgrade were arrested in Russia. Most believe that his trip to Russia was organized by Moscow as a way to pressure Belgrade to include him in the new Cabinet. Lavrov had planned to visit Belgrade in June, but Serbia’s NATO-member neighbors have refused to allow his plane to fly over their territory.

Serbia’s interior minister has met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Moscow in a rare visit by a state official from Europe.

Agreements to unblock Ukrainian grain stuck at Black Sea ports for nearly six months of war also gave a boost to Russia's food and fertilizer.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in South Africa that President Joe Biden's administration sees Africa’s 54 nations as “equal partners” in tackling global problems.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken began his three-nation tour of Africa Sunday by visiting a museum in Soweto commemorating how South Africa’s Black youths helped to end white racist rule.

"The U.S. already has made mistakes, trying to solve such problems via 'microphone diplomacy.' They are not solved that way," Kremlin spokesman said.

The Kremlin says it’s open to talking about a possible prisoner exchange involving American basketball star Brittney Griner but strongly warned Washington against publicizing the issue.

As the Biden administration spells out often, the problems have all been compounded by Russia invading Ukraine, deepening food shortages and raising prices everywhere. She watched relief workers give emergency food to children, always among the first to die in food crises, and announced new food aid. He dismissed "the so-called food crisis" on the continent being hit hardest. “This, I can't say it more starkly, is the worst food crisis of our lifetimes,” Power said. Tellingly, a GoFundMe-run account that Power announced in mid-July for ordinary people to help out in the global food crisis showed just $2,367 in donations on Friday.

Blinken is on a ten day trip to Cambodia, Philippians, South Africa, Congo, and Rwanda. “China has chosen to overreact and use Speaker Pelosi’s visit as a pretext to increase provocative military activity in and around the Taiwan Strait," Blinken said at a news conference in the Cambodian capital. Blinken also said the U.S. stands in “strong solidarity” with Japan following the “dangerous actions China has taken.”THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. The East Asia Summit of the ongoing Association of Southeast Asian Nations meetings in Cambodia's capital was the first time the three men were scheduled to take part in the same forum. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi patted Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on the shoulder as he entered the room and gave the already-seated Lavrov a quick wave before taking his own seat.

The AP Interview Samantha Power USAID Administrator Samantha Power is interviewed by the Associated Press, Thursday, Aug. 4, 2022, at USAID Headquarters in Washington. She watched relief workers give emergency food to children, always among the first to die in food crises, and announced new food aid. He dismissed "the so-called food crisis" on the continent being hit hardest. “This, I can't say it more starkly, is the worst food crisis of our lifetimes,” Power said. Tellingly, a GoFundMe-run account that Power announced in mid-July for ordinary people to help out in the global food crisis showed just $2,367 in donations on Friday.

Samantha Power's job as the top official in charge of U.S. food aid includes a new task since Russia invaded Ukraine — countering Russia's messages abroad.

Blinken is on a ten day trip to Cambodia, Philippians, South Africa, Congo, and Rwanda. The East Asia Summit of the ongoing Association of Southeast Asian Nations meetings in Cambodia's capital was the first time the three men were scheduled to take part in the same forum. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi patted Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on the shoulder as he entered the room and gave the already-seated Lavrov a quick wave before taking his own seat. Ahead of the Phnom Penh talks, the U.S. State Department indicated Blinken had no plans to meet one-on-one with either man during the course of the meetings. The East Asia Summit's chair, Cambodian Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn, opened the 2 1/2 hour talks saying he hoped that all delegates would use the forum as a “means of engagement and communication” with one another.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken says China’s military exercises aimed at Taiwan, including missiles fired into Japan’s exclusive economic zone, represent a “significant escalation” and that he has urged Beijing to back down.

Now that WNBA star Brittney Griner has been convicted of drug possession and sentenced to nine years in prison, attention turns to the prospect of a prisoner swap between the United States and Russia that could get her home.

Russia Griner WNBA star and two-time Olympic gold medalist Brittney Griner awaits the verdict standing in a cage in a courtroom in Khimki just outside Moscow, Russia, Thursday, Aug. 4, 2022. Judge Anna Sotnikova said the time Griner has served in custody since her arrest in February would count toward the sentence. While recapping the evidence and giving her findings Thursday, the judge said the 31-year-old Griner illegally brought drugs into Russia. “Today, American citizen Brittney Griner received a prison sentence that is one more reminder of what the world already knew: Russia is wrongfully detaining Brittney. Blagovolina asked the court to acquit Griner, noting that she had no past criminal record and hailing her role in "the development of Russian basketball."

Iran Nuclear FILE - Iran's top nuclear negotiator Ali Bagheri Kani listens to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov during a meeting in Tehran, Iran, June 23, 2022. The resumption of the Vienna talks, suddenly called Wednesday, Aug. 3, 2022, appears not to include high-level representation from all the countries part of Iran's 2015 deal with word powers. The resumption of the Vienna talks, suddenly called Wednesday, appeared not to include high-level representation from all the countries that were part of Iran's 2015 deal with world powers. Iran struck the nuclear deal in 2015 with the U.S., France, Germany, Britain, Russia and China. The IAEA inspectors also verified that Iran had completed installation of three advanced IR-6 cascades at the plant, each comprising up to 176 centrifuges.

Negotiators from Iran, the United States and the European Union have resumed monthslong, indirect talks over Tehran’s tattered nuclear deal.

A judge in Russia convicted American basketball star Brittney Griner of drug possession and smuggling.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is stressing his country’s efforts to strengthen ties with Southeast Asian countries at a meeting with their foreign ministers, which comes as Beijing seeks to expand its influence in the region.

The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations is heading to Africa, saying she is going to focus on how the United State can help Uganda, Ghana and Cape Verde deal with the food crisis that has hit the continent particularly hard — not to compete with China and Russia.

The man accused of killing seven people and wounding dozens more in a shooting at an Independence Day parade in suburban Chicago pleaded not guilty on Wednesday, a week after prosecutors announced he faces 117 felony counts in the attack.

Parts of Kentucky were hit with overnight storms as many people are trying to recover from the deadly flooding. Justin Michaels from The Weather Channel reports.

American basketball star Brittney Griner is back in court for her trial for cannabis possession amid U.S. diplomatic efforts to secure her release.

Since Brittney Griner last appeared in her trial for cannabis possession, the question of her fate expanded from a tiny and cramped courtroom on Moscow’s outskirts to the highest level of Russia-US diplomacy

Since Brittney Griner last appeared in her trial for cannabis possession, the question of her fate has expanded from a cramped courtroom on Moscow’s outskirts to the highest level of Russia-U.S. diplomacy.

The U_S_ ambassador to the United Nations says there should no longer be any doubt that Russia intends to dismantle Ukraine “and dissolve it from the world map entirely.”.

The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations said Friday there should no longer be any doubt that Russia intends to dismantle Ukraine “and dissolve it from the world map entirely.” Linda Thomas-Greenfield told the U.N. Security Council that the United States is seeing growing signs that Russia is laying the groundwork to attempt to annex all of the eastern Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk and the southern Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions, including by installing “illegitimate proxy officials in Russian-held areas, with the goal of holding sham referenda or decree to join Russia.” Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov “has even stated that this is Russia’s war aim,” she said.

It was the first time he and Sergey Lavrov have spoken since Russia invaded Ukraine six months ago.

U.S. officials have in recent days publicized their efforts to get back Griner, a WNBA star, and Whelan, a corporate security executive, whose cases have drawn widespread national attention. Blinken did not provide details of Lavrov's response to what he had previously called a "substantial proposal" for Russia to release Whelan and Griner. Blinken had publicly requested the call and revealed the existence of the offer to Russia. People familiar with the offer say the U.S. wants to swap Whelan and Griner for convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout. Whelan, a corporate security executive from Michigan, was sentenced to 16 years in prison on espionage charges in 2020.

US Japan Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks during the U.S.-Japan Economic Policy Consultative Committee (EPCC) at the State Department in Washington, Friday, July 29, 2022. Blinken did not provide details of Lavrov’s response to what he had previously called a “substantial proposal" for Russia to release Whelan and Griner. Blinken had publicly requested the call and revealed the existence of the offer to Russia — which people familiar with it say involves a swap for Whelan and Griner with convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout. “I urged Foreign Minister Lavrov to move forward with that proposal. “I don’t want to characterize any of Foreign Minister Lavrov’s responses.”Copyright 2022 The Associated Press.

US Japan Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks during the U.S.-Japan Economic Policy Consultative Committee (EPCC) at the State Department in Washington, Friday, July 29, 2022. (Tom Brenner/Pool Photo via AP) (Tom Brenner)WASHINGTON — (AP) — Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he spoke to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov by phone on Friday and urged Moscow to accept a U.S. offer to release two Americans detained in Russia. Blinken did not provide details of Lavrov’s response to what he had previously called a “substantial proposal" for Russia to release the two U.S. citizens: Paul Whelan and Brittany Griner. Blinken had publicly requested the call and revealed the existence of the offer to Russia — which people familiar with it say involves a swap for Whelan and Griner with convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken says he has spoken to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and urged Moscow to accept a U.S. proposal to release WNBA star Brittney Griner and another American detainee, Paul Whelan.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken is headed to Asia and Africa as the U.S. and rivals China and Russia intensify their battle for global influence.

Uzbekistan Shanghai Cooperation Organisation In this handout photo released by Russian Foreign Ministry Press Service, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, and Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova attend a foreign ministers meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Friday, July 29, 2022. (Russian Foreign Ministry Press Service via AP) (Uncredited)MOSCOW — (AP) — Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Friday that he's open to a call with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to discuss a possible prisoner swap involving American basketball star Brittney Griner. Speaking on a visit to Uzbekistan, Lavrov said his ministry had received an official U.S. request for a call after Blinken made the statement. Lavrov said he was open to discussing the prisoner exchange, even though the Foreign Ministry hasn't been involved in previous discussions on the issue. Asked Thursday about the U.S. offer, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov replied that prisoner swaps were typically negotiated discreetly behind the scenes.

Russia's top diplomat says he’s open to a call with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to discuss a possible prisoner swap involving American basketball star Brittney Griner.

The Biden administration likes to say Russia is isolated internationally because of its invasion of Ukraine.

The Kremlin has warned that a possible prisoner swap with the United States involving American basketball star Brittney Griner needs to be negotiated quietly without fanfare.

Russia's Foreign Minister and France's President are visiting this week along with visits by U.S. officials in what some say is the most intense competition for influence there since the Cold War.

Strikes were reported outside of Kyiv and in several other regions. Meanwhile, Kyiv’s efforts to retake Kherson gathered steam.

Russia Ukraine War FILE - Secretary of State Antony Blinken sits with Linda Thomas-Greenfield, United States ambassador to the United Nations, as they meet with African ministers at United Nations headquarters, May 18, 2022. Russian, French and American leaders are crisscrossing Africa Wednesday, July 27, 2022, to win support for their positions on the war in Ukraine, an intense competition for influence the continent has not seen since the Cold War. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and French President Emanuel Macron are each visiting several African countries this week. Moscow's influence in Africa was on display in March during the U.N. vote to condemn Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Lavrov voiced support for reform of the U.N. Security Council to give African countries permanent seats and greater influence.

Russian, French and American leaders are crisscrossing Africa to win support for their positions on the war in Ukraine, waging what some say is the most intense competition for influence on the continent since the Cold War

Russian, French and American leaders are crisscrossing Africa to win support for their positions on the war in Ukraine, waging what some say is the most intense competition for influence on the continent since the Cold War.

The seeming expansion of Russia’s territorial ambitions comes as a sign of relative military weakness, not strength.

French President Emmanuel Macron visited Cameroon this week, calling the entire continent out for “hypocrisy." The leader’s remarks showed a sharp contrast with those of another current visitor to the continent: Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

The U.S. has offered a deal to Russia aimed at bringing home WNBA star Brittney Griner and another jailed American, Paul Whelan, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday.

Russia Griner WNBA star and two-time Olympic gold medalist Brittney Griner is escorted to a courtroom for a hearing, in Khimki just outside Moscow, Russia, Wednesday, July 27, 2022. American basketball star Brittney Griner returned Wednesday to a Russian courtroom for her drawn-out trial on drug charges that could bring her 10 years in prison of convicted. (Evgenia Novozhenina/Pool Photo via AP) (Evgenia Novozhenina)WASHINGTON — (AP) — The Biden administration has offered a deal to Russia aimed at bringing home WNBA star Brittney Griner and another jailed American Paul Whelan, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday. Blinken did not offer details on the proposed deal, which was offered weeks ago, though it is unclear if it will be enough for Russia to release the Americans. Should the call take place, it would be the first conversation that Blinken and Lavrov have held since Feb. 15, about a week before Russia invaded Ukraine.

It is unclear what the deal is, or whether it will be enough for Russia to release the Americans.

The U.S. has offered a deal to Russia aimed at bringing home WNBA star Brittney Griner and another jailed American, Paul Whelan, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday. In a sharp reversal of previous policy, Blinken also said he expects to speak with his Kremlin counterpart for the first time since before Russia invaded Ukraine. The statement marked the first time the U.S. government has publicly revealed any concrete action it has taken to secure the release of Griner, who was arrested on drug-related charges at a Moscow airport in February and testified Wednesday at her trial.

KAMPALA, Uganda — (AP) — Russia's foreign minister said his country supports reforming the U.N. Security Council to give a more powerful role to developing nations, including African countries. Sergey Lavrov spoke Tuesday in Kampala, the Ugandan capital, after meeting with Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni. "We confirmed our positions when it comes to the reforming of the U.N. Security Council," Lavrov said. Lavrov will end his trip with a visit to Ethiopia, the headquarters of the 54-nation African Union. African leaders in recent months have pressed for Africa's permanent representation on the U.N. Security Council.

Russia’s foreign minister said his country supports reforming the U.N. Security Council to give a more powerful role to developing nations, including African countries

Russia’s foreign minister said his country supports reforming the U.N. Security Council to give a more powerful role to developing nations, including African countries.

Lavrov argued that Russia was ready to negotiate a deal to end hostilities in March when Kyiv changed tack and declared its intention to rout Russia on the battlefield. “The West insists that Ukraine must not start negotiations until Russia is defeated on the battlefield,” Lavrov said. It was not yet clear when grain shipments would resume following Russia and Ukraine's signing of agreements with the United Nations and Turkey on Friday. The deals are aimed at clearing the way for the shipment of millions of tons of desperately needed Ukrainian grain, as well as the export of Russian grain and fertilizer. In the eastern Donetsk region, the focus of the Russian offensive, Russian artillery struck the cities of Avdiivka, Kramatorsk and Kostiantynivka.

Russia Egypt In this handout photo released by Russian Foreign Ministry Press Service, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov gestures during a joint news conference with Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Shoukry, following their talks in Cairo, Egypt, Sunday, July 24, 2022. The remark from Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov comes amid Ukraine's efforts to resume grain exports from its Black Sea ports, something that would help ease global food shortages, under a new deal tested by a Russian strike on Odesa over the weekend. The deals are aimed at clearing the way for the shipment of millions of tons of desperately needed Ukrainian grain, as well as the export of Russian grain and fertilizer. In the eastern Donetsk region, the focus of the Russian offensive, Russian artillery struck Avdiivka, Kramatorsk and Kostiantynivka. In the city of Chuhuiv, a Russian strike ruined the building of a local club and rescue workers removed several people from under the debris.

Russia’s top diplomat says Moscow’s overarching goal in Ukraine is to free its people from its “unacceptable regime,” expressing the Kremlin’s war aims in some of the bluntest terms yet.

Russia appears to have reversed itself after the country's top diplomat said Moscow's overarching goal is to topple the government of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as Russian artillery barrages and air strikes continue to pummel cities across Ukraine. The remark from Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov comes amid Ukraine's efforts to resume grain exports from its Black Sea ports, something that would help ease global food shortages, under a new deal tested by a Russian strike on Odesa over the weekend.

African counties are among those most affected by ripples of the war.

Russian defense ministry officials are insisting that an airstrike on the port of Odesa — less than a day after Russia and Ukraine signed an agreement on resuming grain shipments from there — hit only military targets.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is in Cairo for talks Sunday with Egyptian officials as his country seeks to break diplomatic isolation and sanctions by the West over its invasion of Ukraine.

CAIRO — (AP) — Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is in Cairo for talks Sunday with Egyptian officials as his country seeks to break diplomatic isolation and sanctions by the west over its invasion of Ukraine. The Egyptian Foreign Ministry said Foreign Minister Sameh Shukry was holding talks with Lavrov Sunday morning. Egypt, the Arab World’s most populous country, refused to take sides since the war in Ukraine began in February as it maintains close ties with both Moscow and the west. Egypt is among the world’s largest importers of wheat, with much of that from Russia and Ukraine. Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi has cultivated a close personal rapport with Russia President Vladimir Putin.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is in Cairo for talks with Egyptian officials as his country seeks to break diplomatic isolation and sanctions by the West over its invasion of Ukraine.

Russian missiles have struck Ukraine’s Black Sea port of Odesa just hours after Moscow and Kyiv signed deals to allow grain exports to resume from there.

Russian shelling has pounded a densely populated area in Ukraine's second-largest city, as well as several other cities across the country.

The deliveries of Western arms have been crucial for Ukraine’s efforts to fend off Russian attacks in the nearly five-month-old war.

The U.S. and allies are committing more rocket systems, ammunition and other military aid to Ukraine, as American defense leaders say they see the war to block Russian gains in the eastern Donbas region grinding on for some time.

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

Top financial officials from the Group of 20 leading rich and developing nations are meeting on the Indonesian island of Bali seeking strategies to counter the repercussions from the war in Ukraine, inflation and other global crises.

Deeply divided top diplomats from the world's richest and largest developing nations have failed to find common ground over Russia's war in Ukraine and its global impacts.

The contest to succeed British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has begun after he announced he is resigning as Conservative Party leader.

Foreign ministers from the Group of 20 leading rich and developing nations are gathering in Indonesia’s resort island of Bali for talks bound to be dominated by the conflict in Ukraine despite an agenda focused on global cooperation and food and energy security.

The Treasury Department said Wednesday that it has sanctioned a group of front companies and individuals tied to the sale and shipment of Iranian petroleum and petrochemical products to East Asia.

Foreign ministers from the world’s largest nations are looking to address Russia's war in Ukraine and its impact on global energy and food security when they meet in Indonesia this week.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken will see his Chinese counterpart this week at a Group of 20 foreign ministers meeting that may well exacerbate divides over Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Indirect negotiations between Iran and the U.S. over Tehran’s tattered nuclear deal with world powers have ended after failing to make significant progress.

Tensions between Russia and the West are aggravating talks about the future of one of the United Nations’ biggest and most perilous peacekeeping operations, the force sent to help Mali contend with a decade-long Islamic extremist insurgency.

Russian hostilities in Ukraine are preventing grain from leaving the “breadbasket of the world.”.

Day after day, Russia is pounding the Donbas region of Ukraine with relentless artillery and air raids, making slow but steady progress to seize the industrial heartland of its neighbor.

Two British citizens and a Moroccan have been sentenced to death by pro-Moscow rebels in eastern Ukraine for fighting on Ukraine’s side.

Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro has been welcomed in the Turkish capital one the same day as the foreign minister of Russia, a key ally of the ostracized Latin American regime, was also visiting the city.