Page 10 - Antony Blinken

Blinken congratulates Saudi, Emirati partners on new economic corridor

US State Secretary Antony Blinken on Tuesday congratulated Saudi, Emirati partners on the finalization of the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor

Blinken meets China's VP as nations increase contact on sidelines of UNGA

Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Monday with China's vice president on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly as the Biden administration and Beijing step up high-level contacts ahead of what could be a leader-level summit this fall. Blinken and Vice President Han Zheng held talks Monday at the Chinese mission to the United Nations. Their discussion came as China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi was in Moscow meeting Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov after wrapping up two days of talks with US national security adviser Jake Sullivan in Malta. The quick succession of US-China contacts is fueling speculation that President Joe Biden may meet his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in November at an Asia-Pacific Economic conference in San Francisco. "I think it's a good thing that we have this opportunity to build on the recent high-level engagements that our countries have had to make sure that we're maintaining open communications and demonstrate that we are responsibly managing the

Objective is for Ukraine to succeed in regaining its sovereignity: Blinken

"The objective is for Ukraine to thrive in the future and to be able to stand strongly on its own feet"

India-US strategic partnership has never been more dynamic: Blinken

The strategic relationship between India and the United States has never been so dynamic, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said on Wednesday. Speaking days after India successfully hosted the G-20 Summit in New Delhi, Blinken said that both India and the US will benefit from several collaborations they have gotten into. The US-India strategic partnership has never been more dynamic, as we team up on everything from advanced semiconductors to defence cooperation," Blinken said in his remarks on Power and Purpose of American Diplomacy in a New Era at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) here. Blinken said the Biden Administration has elevated the Quad partnership with India, Japan, and Australia to deliver for the countries and the world on everything from manufacturing vaccines to strengthening maritime security to addressing climate challenges. And just this past week at the G20, President Biden and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced ...

Russia holds elections in occupied Ukrainian regions to tighten its grip

For Russia, it is important to go on with the voting to maintain the illusion of normalcy, despite the fact that the Kremlin does not have full control over the annexed regions, political analyst said

US Secy Blinken meets Ukraine Prez Zelenskyy in Kyiv; announces $1 bn aid

Just a few hours before Blinken arrived in Kyiv on a train from Poland, Russia carried out airstrikes on the capital and the southern region of Odesa

Russian shelling of Ukrainian city kills 16, wounds dozens: Officials

At least 16 people were killed and dozens were wounded Wednesday when Russian shelling struck a market in a city in eastern Ukraine, officials said. The deadly attack came as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Kyiv and was expected to announce more than USD 1 billion in new American funding. Associated Press journalists at the site of the attack in Kostiantynivka saw covered bodies on the ground and emergency workers extinguishing fires at market stalls, with blackened and mangled cars nearby. Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said at least 16 people were killed. At least 28 were wounded, according to Internal Minister Ihor Klymenko. Emergency service workers extinguished the fire that damaged about 30 pavilions at the outdoor market, Klymenko said. Crews searched the rubble for any trapped civilians. Twenty shops, power lines, administrative building and the floor of an apartment building were damaged, according to the prosecutor general's office. Blinken's visit also was a

Blinken visits Kyiv in show of support for Ukraine's efforts to oust Russia

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken arrived in Kyiv on an unannounced visit Wednesday, hours after Russia launched its first missile attack in a week against the Ukrainian capital. Blinken's trip aimed to assess Ukraine's 3-month-old counteroffensive and signal continued US support for Kyiv's efforts to drive out the Kremlin's forces after 19 months of war amid concerns among some Western allies over the pace of progress, according to US officials. Those Washington officials said possible alternative export routes for Ukrainian grain will also be discussed following Russia's exit from the Black Sea Grain Initiative and its frequent bombardment of port facilities in the Odesa region from where most grain is transported abroad. Those alternatives may include ships hugging coastlines to keep out of international waters where they could be targeted by Russia's navy. Other possible overland routes are also being examined. Blinken's visit is expected to include the announcement of new

Would welcome steps that Iran takes to de-escalate nuclear threats: Blinken

He, however, also clarified that the process of bringing back US citizens detained in Iran is a "completely different" matter

West African defence chiefs mull response to Niger coup, meeting concludes

Late on Wednesday, the junta in Niger vowed it would not bow to external pressure, dismissing the sanctions and ECOWAS' warning it could intervene

Support for Niger at risk as military takeover threatens stability: Blinken

Political instability in Niger resulting from a military takeover that deposed the president this week threatens the economic support provided by Washington to the African nation, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said Saturday. Members of the Niger military announced on Wednesday they had deposed democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum and on Friday named Gen. Abdourahmane Tchiani as the country's new leader, adding Niger to a growing list of military regimes in West Africa's Sahel region. Blinken, who is in Australia as part of a Pacific tour, said the continued security and economic arrangements that Niger has with the U.S. hinged on the release of Bazoum and the immediate restoration of the democratic order in Niger. Our economic and security partnership with Niger which is significant, hundreds of millions of dollars depends on the continuation of the democratic governance and constitutional order that has been disrupted by the actions in the last few days, Blinke

Support for Niger at risk as military takeover threatens stability: Blinken

Political instability in Niger resulting from a military takeover that deposed the president this week threatens the economic support provided by Washington to the African nation, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said on Saturday. Members of the Niger military announced on Wednesday they had deposed democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum and on Friday named Gen. Abdourahmane Tchiani as the country's new leader, adding Niger to a growing list of military regimes in West Africa's Sahel region. Blinken, who is in Australia as part of a Pacific tour, said the continued security and economic arrangements that Niger has with the US hinged on the release of Bazoum and the immediate restoration of the democratic order in Niger. Our economic and security partnership with Niger which is significant, hundreds of millions of dollars depends on the continuation of the democratic governance and constitutional order that has been disrupted by the actions in the last few days, Blink

US ties with Niger to depend on democratic governance, rule of law: Blinken

Blinken also conveyed the unwavering support of the United States for President Mohamed Bazoum and Niger's democracy

India-US indispensable partners, working closely on more issues: Blinken

The relationship between India and the US has transformed in the last two-and-half years making them indispensable partners, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said. Speaking at a luncheon hosted in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's honour at the White House on Friday, he said from semiconductors to space and from education to food security, India and the US are working closely together on more issues than ever. Modi is on a State Visit to the US from June 21-24 at the invitation of President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden. "During the last two-and-a-half years, we have transformed the relationship between our countries. We are working closely together on more issues than ever before. From semiconductors to space, from education to food security. The energy, ambition, and potential of our cooperation are boundless," Blinken said. "The US and India have become, as the prime minister has put it, indispensable partners," he said and added that this "partnership, President Bide

A day after Blinken's China visit, Joe Biden calls Xi Jinping a 'dictator'

Joe Biden said Xi Jinping was embarrassed after an alleged Chinese spy balloon was shot down by the US

Blinken meets Ukrainian foreign minister, underscores support for Kyiv

United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken, met his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba in London during his visit to the UK and underscored Washington DC support for Kyiv's economic recovery

Xi Jinping hails 'progress' as he meets Blinken during rare China trip

The two delegations then faced each other across a long conference table bedecked with pink lotus flowers, with Xi at the head and Blinken just to his right

Blinken meets China President Xi in bid to ease soaring US-China tensions

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday as he wrapped up a two-day high-stakes visit to Beijing aimed at easing soaring tensions between the countries. The meeting at the Great Hall of the People had been expected and was seen as key to the success of the trip, but neither side confirmed it would happen until a State Department official announced it just an hour beforehand. A snub by the Chinese leader would have been a major setback to the effort to restore and maintain communications at senior levels. In earlier meetings between Blinken and senior Chinese officials, the two sides expressed willingness to talk but showed little inclination to bend on hardened positions. Blinken is the highest-level U.S. official to visit China since President Joe Biden took office, and the first secretary of state to make the trip in five years. His visit is expected to usher in a new round of visits by senior U.S. and Chinese officials, possibly includi

Blinken begins talks in Beijing on mission to ease US-China tensions

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has opened a second and final day of critical meetings with senior Chinese officials as the two sides expressed willingness to talk but showed little inclination to bend on hardened positions that have sent tensions soaring. Blinken was meeting Monday morning with China's top diplomat Wang Yi and an encounter with President Xi Jinping was still in the cards before he departs in the late evening. Neither Blinken nor Wang made any comment to reporters as they greeted each other and sat for their discussion. In the first round of talks on Sunday, Blinken met for nearly six hours with Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang after which both countries said they had agreed to continue high-level discussions. However, there was no sign that any of the most fractious issues between them were closer to resolution. The two sides both said Qin had accepted an invitation from Blinken to visit Washington but Beijing made clear that the China-U.S. relationship is a

Blinken stresses on better US-China communications as he heads to Beijing

Shortly before setting out for Beijing, Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday emphasised the importance of the US and China establishing better lines of communication. He will be the highest-ranking member of the Biden administration to visit China. The US wants to make sure that the competition we have with China doesn't veer into conflict due to avoidable misunderstandings, Blinken told reporters in Washington. Blinken, speaking alongside Singapore Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, said his China trip is the outgrowth of a meeting in Bali last year between Presidents Xi Jinping and Joe Biden. The two agreed that China and the United States, the world's biggest two economies and increasingly top rivals for global influence, must maintain contacts and and take steps to avoid unintended conflicts. Blinken's trip came within a day of happening in February but was delayed by the diplomatic and political tumult brought on by the discovery of what the US says was a Chinese spy