Page 6 - Antony Blinken

Blinken opens West Asian tour in Turkiye amid fears of war engulfing region

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has kicked off his latest urgent Middle East diplomatic mission in Turkiye, as fears mount that Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza may explode into a broader conflict. Blinken's fourth visit in three months comes amid worrying developments outside of Gaza, including in Lebanon, northern Israel, the Red Sea and Iraq, that have put intense strains on what had been a modestly successful US push to prevent a regional conflagration in the weeks after the war began, and growing international criticism of Israel's military operation. Blinken was meeting on Saturday with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan to discuss what Turkiye and others can do to exert influence, particularly on Iran and its proxies, to ease soaring tensions, speed up humanitarian aid deliveries to Gaza and begin in earnest to plan for reconstruction and governance of postwar Gaza, much of which has been reduced to rubble by three months of intense

US Secy of State Antony Blinken back in West Asia amid escalating tensions

Israel to launch more targeted assault on Hamas; Maersk warns of disruption

Oil prices rise ahead of US Secretary of State Blinken's visit to West Asia

At its intra-day peak, the US West Texas Intermediate crude futures contract traded more than $1 above previous close

Israel lays out vision for next steps of Gaza war ahead of Blinken visit

Israel's defence minister on Thursday laid out his vision for the next phase of the war in Gaza, describing how Israeli forces would shift to an apparently scaled-down "new combat approach" in northern Gaza, while continuing to fight Hamas in the south of the territory "for as long as necessary". Ahead of a visit by the US secretary of state, Yoav Gallant also outlined a proposal for how Gaza would be run once Hamas is defeated, with Israel keeping security control while an undefined, Israeli-guided Palestinian body runs day-to-day administration, and the US and other countries oversee rebuilding. Israel has come under heavy international pressure to spell out a post-war vision but so far has not done so. The issue is likely to be on the agenda in Secretary of State Antony Blinken's talks this weekend in Israel and other countries in the region. The United States has pressed Israel to shift to lower-intensity military operations in Gaza that more precisely target Hamas, after nearly

Blinken heads to Mideast again as fears of regional conflict surge

As the Biden administration grapples with an increasingly tense and unstable situation in the Middle East, Secretary of State Antony Blinken is heading to the region this weekend for the fourth time in three months on a tour expected to focus largely on easing resurgent fears that the Israel-Hamas war could erupt into a broader conflict. With international criticism of Israel's operations in Gaza mounting, growing US concerns about the end game, and more immediate worries about a recent explosion in attacks in the Red Sea, Lebanon, Iran and Iraq, Blinken will have a packed and difficult agenda. He leaves just days after a suspected Israeli attack killed a senior Hamas leader in Beirut and, while a White House spokesman said "nobody should be shedding a tear" over his death, it could further complicate Blinken's mission. "We do not expect every conversation on this trip to be easy," State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said. "There are obviously tough issues facing the region and

Israel shifts troops out of Gaza strip first time since war began

Thousands of Israeli soldiers are being shifted out of the Gaza Strip, the military said on Monday, in the first significant drawdown of troops since the war began as forces continued to bear down on the main city in the southern half of the enclave. The troop movement could signal that fighting is being scaled back in some areas of Gaza, particularly in the northern half where the military has said it is close to assuming operational control. Israel has been under pressure from its chief ally, the United States, to begin to switch to lower-intensity fighting. Word of the drawdown came ahead of a visit by Secretary of State Antony Blinken to the region and after the Biden administration bypassed Congress for the second time this month to approve an emergency weapons sale to Israel. But fierce fighting continued in other areas of Gaza, especially the southern city Khan Younis and central areas of the territory. Israel has pledged to charge ahead until its war aims have been achieved,

Blinken condemns Russia's strikes on Ukraine, urges Congress for funds

Urging Congress to release more funds for providing military aid to Ukraine, the US State Secretary said that "Congress needs to act in the new year"

US deepened partnership with India, boosted cooperation via Quad: Blinken

The US State Secretary further said that the US is more closely aligned than ever with the G7, with the EU, and with other allies and partners on the challenges presented by Beijing

Put premium on civilian lives, US Secretary of State Blinken tells Israel

Israel started its campaign to destroy the Hamas group that rules Gaza after Hamas fighters attacked Israeli towns on October 7, killing 1,200 people

New urgency hangs over Antony Blinken's trip as Israel-Hamas war resumes

Netanayhu, who had warned all along that the campaign would resume, was similarly unsparing in his description of Israel's goals

Blinken seeks new extension of Gaza cease-fire as he heads to West Asia

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken says the Biden administration would like to see a new extension of the cease-fire agreement in Israel's war with Hamas after the current one expires to secure the release of additional hostages held by the militant group and to ramp up humanitarian aid deliveries to Gaza. As he prepared to make his third visit to the Middle East since the war began with Hamas' Oct. 7 attacks in Israel, Blinken said Wednesday that in addition to discussing short-term logistical and operational planning, the Biden administration believes it is imperative to discuss ideas about the future governance of Gaza if Israel achieves its stated goal of eradicating Hamas. Israel and Arab nations have resisted such discussions about future governance, with Israeli officials concentrating on the war and Arab leaders insisting the immediate priority must be ending the fighting that has killed thousands of Palestinian civilians. The extension of the current deal expires later ..

Blinken will return to Israel as US hopes to see extensions of cease-fire

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will return this week to the Middle East as the US hopes to find a way to extend a cease-fire in Gaza and get more hostages released, the State Department said. It will be his third trip to the region since Israel's war with Hamas began last month. Blinken will travel to Israel and the West Bank after attending Ukraine-focused meetings on Tuesday and Wednesday in Brussels and Skopje, North Macedonia, where foreign ministers from NATO and the Organisation for Peace and Security in Europe are gathering. Israel has agreed to pauses in its military operations in exchange for the gradual release of hostages taken by Hamas during its October 7 attacks on Israel. The agreement had been due to expire Monday but was extended for an additional two days, meaning the extension will be expiring just as Blinken is arriving in Israel. White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Monday the US hopes to see the pause extended further, but it is

Expect candid talk: Blinken defends Biden's 'dictator' remark for Xi

Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said the US will continue to say things that China doesn't like, as he defended President Joe Biden's remarks wherein called his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping a "dictator". Biden called Xi a "dictator", just hours after they met for the first time in more than a year and held candid and productive discussions to revive bilateral ties on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in San Francisco on Wednesday. When pressed on whether Biden's comments were the position of the US government, Blinken responded that the president "speaks for all of us", CBS News reported. "Well, it's not exactly a secret that we have two very different systems," the commercial broadcast television quoted Blinken as saying. "And the president always speaks candidly, and he speaks for all of us." "We will continue to say things and continue to do things that China doesn't like, just as I assume that they will continue to do and say things that we

Far too many Palestinians have been killed in Gaza: Antony Blinken

Far too many Palestinians have been killed and far too many have suffered in the last few weeks, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Friday, in one of the most severe condemnations of the civilian death toll in Gaza due to an Israeli military offensive. At a media briefing at the end of the India-US "2+2" ministerial dialogue, the top US diplomat said more needs to be done to minimise the harm to Palestinian civilians, in remarks that came amid a growing outcry over the death of innocent civilians in Gaza. "Far too many Palestinians have been killed, far too many have suffered these past weeks. And we want to do everything possible to prevent harm to them and to maximise the assistance that gets to them," Blinken said. "To that end, we will be continuing to discuss with Israel concrete steps that can be taken to advance these objectives. We will continue to focus relentlessly on getting our hostages home," he added. Israel has been carrying out a massive military offensive

EAM Jaishankar, Blinken discuss situation in West Asia, Indo-Pacific

The situation arising out of the Hamas-Israel conflict and ways to further deepen the India-US strategic partnership figured in talks between External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday morning. The Jaishankar-Blinken meeting took place ahead of the fifth edition of India-US '2+2' defence and foreign ministerial ministerial dialogue. In a post on 'X', the external affairs minister described his talks with his US counterpart as "open and productive". "Pleased to meet with Secretary of State @SecBlinken this morning. An open and productive conversation on further developing our strategic partnership. Also spoke about West Asia, Indo-Pacific and other regional issues," he said. In the last couple of weeks, the US Secretary of State has been engaged in hectic diplomacy on the Israel-Hamas war. Blinken and US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin are in Delhi for the '2+2' dialogue which is aimed at taking forward India-US futuristic roadmap for .

India-US 2+2 dialogue: Jaishankar meets US State Secy Blinken for key talks

The 2+2 dialogue will provide a platform for top-level discussions between the US and India, addressing critical bilateral and global matters.

US Secretary of State Blinken arrives in Delhi for 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue

Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Official Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said Blinken's visit will give further boost to India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership

US, S Korea close ranks on common global issues during Blinken visit

The United States and South Korea closed ranks behind common approaches to North Korea, Russia and China on Thursday, vowing to continue to support Ukraine against Russia's invasion and boosting humanitarian aid to Palestinian civilians in Gaza caught in Israel's war against Hamas. In talks with South Korea's leadership, including President Yoon Suk Yeol , US Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed the growing threat posed by North Korea and its alleged provision of military equipment and munitions to Russia to help it wage war on Ukraine, the State Department said. They also spoke of the importance of US-South Korea cooperation on global challenges, including China's assertiveness and the instability in the Middle East. They shared concerns about the DPRK's provocations in the region and strongly condemned the provision of military equipment and munitions by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea to the Russian Federation for use in its war against Ukraine, the State ...

US Secy of State Blinken visits South Korea; Russia-N Korean ties in focus

Heightened tensions on the Korean Peninsula, suspected North Korean cooperation with Russia in its war on Ukraine and concerns about China's growing aggressiveness are topping U .S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken's agenda as he visits South Korea. Blinken was in Seoul on Thursday for talks with South Korea's leadership following a G7 foreign ministers meeting in Japan on Wednesday in which the group previewed much of what he will discuss. The G7 strongly condemned North Korea's ballistic missile tests as well as its alleged arms transfers to Russia, which are both in violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions against the North. Even before Blinken's arrival, North Korea's official news agency, the Korean Central News Agency, condemned the visit as well as one by U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, who travels to Seoul next week, describing them as warmongers bringing a new war cloud to Asia. Tensions between the Koreas are at their highest point years as the pace of both

2+2 dialogue to focus on deepening security cooperation: State department

The India-US 2+2 ministerial dialogue in New Delhi this week will focus on deepening security cooperation between the two countries, the State Department said Wednesday ahead of the crucial meeting of foreign and defense ministers from India and the United States. Defense Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar would host their American counterparts Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Tony Blinken on November 10. "India is a country that we have a deep partnership (with). He (Blinken) will be going for the 2+2 security dialogue with Secretary of Defense Austin, so I expect, of course, that deepening the security cooperation and partnership will be one of the many topics that are discussed," State Department Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel told reporters at his daily news conference. "It was something that was obviously raised during Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi's state visit earlier this year, and I know the Secretary looks forward to .