US national security adviser Jake Sullivan visits Kyiv as stalemate in Washington holds up aid

KYIV, Ukraine — President Joe Biden’s top foreign policy adviser Jake Sullivan sought to reassure Ukrainians during an unannounced visit to Kyiv Wednesday that the U.S. will continue to support their efforts to fend off Russia’s two-year-old invasion. The national security adviser expressed optimism that lawmakers in Washington will break a monthlong logjam and approve … Read more

Doing business in China is growing tougher, more uncertain, European business group says

BEIJING — Uncertainty and “draconian regulations” have drastically raised risks for foreign businesses in China, a report by a European business group said Wednesday. The lengthy paper by the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China urges China’s leaders to do more to address concerns that it says have “grown exponentially” in recent years. “This … Read more

Blinken to underline ‘ironclad’ support for Philippines as it clashes with China in disputed sea

MANILA, Philippines — Secretary of State Antony Blinken will underscore Washington’s “ironclad commitment” to its alliance with the Philippines on Tuesday, as clashes between Chinese and Filipino forces in the disputed South China Sea turn more hostile, the U.S. State Department said. Blinken, the latest high-level official to visit the U.S. treaty ally, met his … Read more

US military operations across the Sahel are at risk after Niger ends cooperation

DAKAR, Senegal — The United States scrambled on Sunday to assess the future of its counterterrorism operations in the Sahel after Niger’s junta said it was ending its yearslong military cooperation with Washington following a visit by top U.S. officials. The U.S. military has hundreds of troops stationed at a major airbase in northern Niger … Read more

Poland’s president calls on NATO allies to raise spending on defense to 3% of GDP

WARSAW, Poland — Poland’s president on Monday called on other members of the NATO alliance to raise their spending on defense to 3% of their gross domestic product as Russia puts its economy on a war footing and pushes forward with its invasion of Ukraine. President Andrzej Duda made his call in remarks directed at … Read more

US is constantly assessing expansion of chip export controls that can boost China’s military

MANILA, Philippines — The United States is constantly assessing the need to expand export controls to stop China from acquiring advanced computer chips and manufacturing equipment that could be used to boost its military, U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said Monday. The U.S. export controls were first launched in 2022 to counter the use of … Read more

US forces fly in to beef up security at embassy in Haiti and evacuate nonessential personnel

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — The U.S. military said Sunday that it had flown in forces to beef up security at the U.S. Embassy in Haiti and allow nonessential personnel to leave. The aircraft flew to the embassy compound, the U.S. Southern Command said, meaning that the effort involved helicopters. It was careful to point out that … Read more

A top EU official says a ship is preparing to leave for Gaza as test of new humanitarian corridor

LARNACA, Cyprus — A ship was preparing Friday to leave Cyprus and head for Gaza with humanitarian aid, the European Commission president said, as international donors launch a sea corridor to supply the besieged territory facing widespread hunger and shortages of essential supplies after five months of war. The vessel, belonging to Spain’s Open Arms, … Read more

Hamas says cease-fire talks to resume next week, making a truce before Ramadan unlikely

CAIRO — Hamas said Thursday that its delegation has left Cairo and that talks on a Gaza cease-fire and hostage release will resume next week, making it extremely unlikely that mediators will broker a deal before the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Egyptian officials had earlier said the negotiations reached an impasse over Hamas’ demand … Read more

Gaza cease-fire talks fail to achieve a breakthrough with Ramadan just days away, Egypt says

CAIRO — Three days of negotiations with Hamas over a cease-fire in Gaza and the release of Israeli hostages failed to achieve a breakthrough on Tuesday, Egyptian officials said, less than a week before the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, the informal deadline for a deal. The nearly five months of fighting … Read more