VICTORIA NULAND

Russian President Vladimir Putin says the Kremlin has “constructive” relations with the Biden administration and has voiced hope that mutual interests would eventually help normalize U.S.-Russia ties.

Amid an epidemic of ransomware attacks, the U.S. is discussing cybersecurity strategy with 30 countries while leaving out one key player: Russia.

MOSCOW — (AP) — Russia offered the U.S. on Tuesday to roll back several rounds of sanctions that have hampered the activities of their diplomatic missions, but reaffirmed its strong opposition to any U.S. military presence in Central Asia. The Russian Foreign Ministry reiterated Moscow's readiness to respond in kind to any unfriendly U.S. actions and called for rolling back a slew of sanctions and restrictions on diplomatic missions. "We strongly reaffirmed the unacceptability to Russia of any form of U.S. military presence in Central Asian countries,” he said, according to Interfax. But Russia, which has maintained close political, economic, security and military ties with the Central Asian countries, has bristled at any such U.S. presence. The U.S. also used a base in Kyrgyzstan but that country asked the U.S. to leave in 2014 under pressure from Russia.

MOSCOW — (AP) — Russia on Tuesday reaffirmed its strong opposition to any U.S. military presence in Central Asia to a visiting senior U.S. diplomat. "We strongly reaffirmed the unacceptability to Russia of any form of U.S. military presence in Central Asian countries,” he said, according to Interfax. But Russia, which has maintained close political, economic, security and military ties with the Central Asian countries, has bristled at any such U.S. presence. It also used a base in Kyrgyzstan but it asked the U.S. to leave in 2014 under pressure from Russia. During her visit to Moscow, Nuland is also set to hold talks with Kremlin deputy chief of staff Dmitry Kozak, who acts as President Vladimir Putin's point person on Ukraine.

Russia has offered the U.S. to roll back several rounds of sanctions that have hampered the activities of their diplomatic missions, and they agreed to hold another round of talks to discuss a resolution to their diplomatic tug-of-war.

The Taliban appear to have “strategic momentum” in the fight for control of Afghanistan as American forces complete their withdrawal, the top U.S. military officer said Wednesday. (July 21)

WASHINGTON — (AP) — The United States and Germany have reached a deal that will allow the completion of a controversial Russian gas pipeline to Europe without the imposition of further U.S. sanctions, a senior U.S. official said Wednesday. However, there is strong bipartisan opposition to the pipeline in Congress as well as in Ukraine and Poland, which fear Nord Stream 2 will undermine European energy security. Like the Trump administration before it, the Biden administration also opposes the pipeline but it insists that sanctions won't stop it. Nuland, the third-ranking U.S. diplomat, told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that the U.S. and Germany would release a joint statement later Wednesday regarding the pipeline. She said Washington and Berlin had committed to imposing sanctions on Russia and German companies should Moscow use the pipeline as a political weapon.

The United States and Germany have reached a deal that will allow the completion of a controversial Russian gas pipeline to Europe without the imposition of further U.S. sanctions.

The United States and Germany have reached a deal that will allow the completion of a controversial Russian gas pipeline to Europe without the imposition of further U.S. sanctions, a senior U.S. official said Wednesday. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland told Congress that the two governments would shortly announce details of the pact that is intended to address U.S. and eastern and central European concerns about the impact of the Nord Stream 2 project. Like the Trump administration before it, the Biden administration also opposes the pipeline but it insists that sanctions won't stop it.

Top Biden administration officials have hosted a brother to powerful Saudi Arabian crown prince Mohammed bin Salman in Washington.

When Secretary of State Antony Blinken travels to Ukraine he’ll be carrying a tough anti-graft message and strong U.S. backing for the country’s response to Russian aggression. He’ll also be bringing along a familiar face in the Washington-Moscow tug-of-war over Ukraine: Victoria Nuland. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky, File) (Efrem Lukatsky)WASHINGTON — (AP) — Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Ukraine on Wednesday carrying a tough anti-graft message and strong U.S. backing for the country’s response to Russian aggression. Blinken has also brought along a familiar face in the long-running Washington-Moscow tug-of-war over Ukraine: Victoria Nuland, now the No. Yet beyond these major issues, the mere presence in Kyiv of Nuland is likely to irritate Russia.

US Ukraine Russia FILE - In this Oct. 8, 2014, file photo, Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs Victoria Nuland talks with a Ukrainian border guard general during her visit to the State Border Guard Service in Kyiv, Ukraine. When Secretary of State Antony Blinken travels to Ukraine he’ll be carrying a tough anti-graft message and strong U.S. backing for the country’s response to Russian aggression. He’ll also be bringing along a familiar face in the Washington-Moscow tug-of-war over Ukraine: Victoria Nuland. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky, File) (Efrem Lukatsky)WASHINGTON — (AP) — When Secretary of State Antony Blinken travels to Ukraine this week he'll be carrying a tough anti-graft message and strong U.S. backing for the country's response to Russian aggression. He'll also be taking along a familiar face in the Washington-Moscow tug-of-war over the former Soviet republic: Victoria Nuland.

US Ukraine Russia FILE - In this Oct. 8, 2014, file photo, Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs Victoria Nuland talks with a Ukrainian border guard general during her visit to the State Border Guard Service in Kyiv, Ukraine. When Secretary of State Antony Blinken travels to Ukraine he’ll be carrying a tough anti-graft message and strong U.S. backing for the country’s response to Russian aggression. He’ll also be bringing along a familiar face in the Washington-Moscow tug-of-war over Ukraine: Victoria Nuland. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky, File) (Efrem Lukatsky)WASHINGTON — (AP) — When Secretary of State Antony Blinken travels to Ukraine this week he’ll be carrying a tough anti-graft message and strong U.S. backing for the country’s response to Russian aggression. He’ll also be bringing along a familiar face in the Washington-Moscow tug-of-war over the former Soviet republic: Victoria Nuland.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken has arrived in Ukraine carrying a tough anti-graft message and strong U.S. backing for the country’s response to Russian aggression.

FILE - In this March 10, 2011, file photo, then-Vice President Joe Biden, left, shakes hands with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in Moscow, Russia. The Kremlin, meanwhile, focused on Putin’s response to Biden’s proposal to extend the last remaining U.S.-Russia arms control treaty. Before he spoke to Putin, Biden also called NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg to pledge U.S. commitment to the decades-old alliance founded as a bulwark against Russian aggression. Biden’s team has already reacted strongly to the crackdown on the protests, in which more than 3,700 people were arrested across Russia, including more than 1,400 in Moscow. Just from the public accounts, Biden's discussion with Putin appeared diametrically opposed to Trump's relationship with the Russian president.

Biden will nominate Wendy Sherman as deputy secretary of state and Victoria Nuland as undersecretary of state for political affairs — the second- and third-highest ranking posts, respectively. They were among the 11 officials announced to serve under the incoming secretary of state, Antony Blinken. America is back.”Among the others are:—longtime Biden Senate aide Brian McKeon, to be deputy secretary of state for management. —Derek Chollet, a familiar Democratic foreign policy hand, to be State Department counselor. Price and Porter intend to return to the practice of holding daily State Department press briefings, officials said.