As state secretary, Marco Rubio will oversee the implementation of the president's foreign policy, including that relating to Russia's full-scale war — which wasn't directly referred to during Donald Trump's inauguration speech.
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump will begin working on a ceasefire in Ukraine "almost immediately," new U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told journalists on Jan. 20.
In the executive order, Donald Trump wrote that "the United States foreign aid industry and bureaucracy are not aligned with American interests and in many cases antithetical to American values," without mentioning specific examples.
The U.S. Senate confirmed Marco Rubio as the next secretary of state by a rare bipartisan consensus on Jan. 20.
"Golden age of America begins right now," U.S. President Donald Trump said.
This comes as reported peace proposals, including freezing the front lines, have been publicly rejected by Russia. Russian President Vladimir Putin previously stated that his country would begin peace negotiations if Kyiv agreed to withdraw from the four Ukrainian regions Moscow partly controls.
The impending Donald Trump presidency has fueled market speculation that a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine could be reached soon — bolstered by Trump’s campaign trail rhetoric promising to end the war within days of taking office, if not sooner. Ukrainian Eurobonds have been among the best-performing assets in
President-elect Donald Trump has previously said he wants to meet with Putin "very quickly" after his inauguration.
The latest sanctions, imposed last week, targeted over 180 oil-carrying vessels of Russia's so-called shadow fleet, a group of aging tankers routinely used for sanction evasion.
Key developments on Jan. 17: * Putin, Pezeshkian sign strategic Russia-Iran partnership agreement in Moscow * Ukraine strikes Russian S-400 radar equipment in Belgorod Oblast, military claims * Biden administration secretly funded Ukraine's drone industry, NYT reports * US assured Putin no nuclear weapons in Ukraine, Biden says * There's no evidence that Australian fighter
In his farewell speech from the White House on Jan.15, outgoing U.S. President Joe Biden took the opportunity to highlight his achievements in office in an attempt to help cement his legacy. Yet, despite being one of the world's biggest international crises that spanned much of Biden's term
The United States assured Russian President Vladimir Putin it would not deploy nuclear weapons in Ukraine, outgoing U.S. President Joe Biden said in a Jan. 17 interview with MSNBC.
"And President (Donald) Trump talks about having good, strong deals. I think there’s an opportunity to get one," outgoing U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.
NATO has taken over some responsibilities in coordinating aid for Ukraine from the U.S. with Washington's consent, ensuring a stable support mechanism going forward, NATO Military Committee Chief Admiral Rob Bauer said on Jan. 16.
The Russian hacker group Star Blizzard impersonated U.S. government officials in emails directing recipients to join a WhatsApp group that claimed to focus on "the latest non-governmental initiatives aimed at supporting Ukraine NGOs."
The Biden administration believes that large-scale sanctions have been more effective politically than designating Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism, Ukrinform reported on Jan. 16, citing U.S. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller.
In the run-up to his departure from the White House, President Joe Biden has slapped a number of major new sanctions on Russia’s financial systems and energy sector. The U.S. originally threatened Russia with “the mother of all sanctions” as Moscow prepared to invade Ukraine in February 2022.
Outgoing U.S. President Joe Biden briefly mentioned Ukraine during his farewell speech on Jan. 15, saying his administration helped to preserve the country's freedom.
Russia will allegedly demand that Ukraine cut its ties with NATO and become "a neutral state with a limited military" during talks with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, Bloomberg reported on Jan. 15, citing its sources.
"It is important for everyone to be realistic: There will have to be concessions — made by the Russian Federation, but also by the Ukrainians," said Marco Rubio, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's pick for secretary of state.
"Today's actions frustrate the Kremlin's ability to circumvent our sanctions and get access to the goods they need to build weapons for their war of choice in Ukraine," said Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Treasury Wally Adeyemo.
The strategy reportedly aims to pressure Moscow by signaling the funds could only be reclaimed through negotiations with Ukraine.
Pete Hegseth’s nomination in November sent shockwaves through Pentagon corridors.
The charter establishes a framework for expanded bilateral cooperation between the U.S. and Armenia in the areas of economic cooperation, security and defense, and democracy.
Outgoing U.S. President Joe Biden's team delivered a message to Russian President Vladimir Putin to put an end to Russian intelligence's suspected plans to smuggle incendiary devices onto U.S.-bound cargo planes, The New York Times reported on Jan. 14, citing unnamed sources.
Talking to Newsmax, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump said that Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to meet as the war "hasn't gone so well for him either."
"When Putin invaded Ukraine, he thought he'd conquer Kyiv in a matter of days ... He has failed thus far to subjugate Ukraine, failed to break the unity of NATO, and failed to make large territorial gains."
Three sanctioned tankers carrying over 2 million barrels of Russian crude oil are floating off China's coast after they were hit by fresh U.S. sanctions last week, Bloomberg reported on Jan. 13.
According to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, there is no sense in "speculating on the point" that the war may not end in Ukraine's favor under the new administration.
"The situation there is extremely challenging, and Ukrainians can help Americans protect lives. This matter is being worked out... We already have 150 firefighters prepared."
Russian President Vladimir Putin's main goals in any peace negotiations include prohibiting Ukraine from ever entering NATO and reducing allied military presence in the eastern flank, the Financial Times reported on Jan. 10, citing a former Kremlin official and a source who discussed the matter with Putin.
Outgoing U.S. President Joe Biden said on Jan. 10 he did all he could to help Ukraine and voiced hope that U.S. support will continue even after he leaves office.
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