As expected, there wasn’t much in the way of progress made in the ongoing negotiations between the United States and Russia when Secretary of State Antony Blinken held a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Geneva Friday. The meeting lasted roughly 90 minutes. “The discussion today with Minister Lavrov was frank and substantive,”…

The Treasury Department announced the sanctions of four Ukrainian officials accused of being part of an effort from Russia to set the pretext for an invasion of Ukraine Thursday. Two of the four officials are current members of Ukraine’s parliament. “The individuals designated today act at the direction of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB),…

The CIA believes it is unlikely Russia or another foreign adversary has used microwaves or other forms of directed energy in targeted attacks on American officials overseas. Hundreds of U.S. intelligence officers, diplomats and military personnel have reported symptoms associated with brain injuries to what’s come to be known as “Havana Syndrome.” The most common…

Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy Wednesday. The trip is part of an effort to send more diplomatic support to Ukraine amid ongoing tensions with Russia. Two days prior, a bipartisan group of senators met with Zelenskyy. Blinken said Russia could soon double the 100-thousand troops already present along the…

Update (Jan. 18, 2022): The State Department announced Tuesday that Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to Ukraine to meet with President Volodymyr Zelensky. That meeting “to reinforce the United States’ commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity” is set for Wednesday. “The Secretary will also meet with the employees and families of the U.S.…

The United States will send $308 million to Afghanistan for humanitarian aid, White House national security council spokesperson Emily Horne announced in a Tuesday statement. The announcement comes more than four months after the U.S. ended its longest war by withdrawing its troops from Afghanistan. “The new humanitarian assistance by the United States Agency for…

For the third time in the last month, delegates from the United States and Russia met to discuss the security demands Russia announced last month. The first two meetings were between President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Monday’s meeting was between Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman and Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov. “The…

Two former editors with the Hong Kong pro-democracy news outlet Stand News were charged with sedition Thursday. Chung Pui-kuen and Patrick Lam are set to remain in jail after their bail requests were denied. The video above shows police taking Chung Pui-kuen to court. “This is such a pity. Of course, we had expected this, but we…

Update (Dec. 29, 2021): National Security Council spokeswoman Emily Horne announced Wednesday that President Joe Biden will speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin Thursday about, among other things, Russia’s demands for security guarantees in Eastern Europe. According to Horne, this is just part of “a range of topics that will be discussed.” “The Biden administration…

Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced a new coordinator for the State Department’s investigation into Anomalous Health Incidents, formerly known as Havana Syndrome. The video above shows clips from Friday’s announcement. Jonathan Moore replaces Pamela Spratlen, a retired diplomat temporarily called back into service by Blinken before leaving in September. “Jonathan brings decades of experience…