Tag: US President Joe Biden

Biden to receive Japan’s PM Kishida on Jan. 13: White House

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) – US President Joe Biden will host Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on January 13, the White House announced Tuesday. “President Biden looks forward to welcoming Prime Minister Kishida Fumio of Japan to the White House on Friday, January 13th to further deepen ties between our governments, economies, and our people,” the White House said in a statement. The two leaders will talk about ways to address climate change as well as […]

Biden gives ‘crime scene’ Ukraine $800 mn to hold off Russia

  by Frankie Taggart with Joe Stenson in Bucha © Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US President Joe Biden announced an $800 million military aid package for Ukraine on Wednesday as international prosecutors declared the war-torn Western ally a “crime scene” amid fears of a massive revamped Russian assault. The announcement came with the Russian military threatening to strike Ukraine’s command centers in the capital Kyiv if Ukrainian troops continue to attack Russian […]

Russia, Ukraine set for face-to-face peace talks

by Danny KEMP Agence France-Presse KYIV, Ukraine (AFP) – Russian and Ukrainian negotiators will resume face-to-face peace talks as soon as Monday, probing whether a near-stalemate in fighting has forced Moscow to temper its demands. President Volodymyr Zelensky hailed the new negotiations, saying he hoped they would bring peace “without delay”, and lamented a month-long Russian invasion that has already killed thousands and devastated numerous Ukrainian cities. The new talks are set to start in […]

US accuses Russia of deploying thousands more troops to Ukraine border

by Aurélia END with David CLARK in Kyiv Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON, D.C., United States (AFP) – The United States on Wednesday dismissed reports that Russia was withdrawing troops from Ukraine’s border, instead accusing Moscow of sending more soldiers as fears of an invasion grow. Russia has increased its presence on the border with Ukraine by “as many as 7,000 troops,” some of whom arrived Wednesday, said a senior White House official, slamming Moscow’s announcement of […]

German leader flies to Kyiv to calm ‘critical’ Russia war threat

by Dmitry ZAKS Agence France-Presse KYIV, Ukraine (AFP) – German Chancellor Olaf Scholz lands in Kyiv on Monday before visiting Moscow to try to head off a “very critical” threat of a Russian invasion that would spark the worst crisis in Europe since the Cold War. Scholz’s visit comes with Kyiv seeking an urgent meeting with Russia explaining why it has deployed more than 100,000 soldiers to Ukraine’s borders while arguing with NATO about its […]

Biden warns American citizens in Ukraine to ‘leave now’

WASHINGTON, D.C., United States (AFP) – US President Joe Biden on Thursday urged American citizens to leave Ukraine immediately, and warned about potential major conflict with Moscow should US and Russian troops engage each other on the ground. “American citizens should leave, should leave now,” Biden said in an interview with NBC News. “We’re dealing with one of the largest armies in the world. This is a very different situation and things could go crazy […]

Mexico’s energy reforms test relations with US

by Samir Tounsi Agence France-Presse MEXICO CITY, Mexico (AFP) – Relations between the United States and Mexico are under strain as the Mexican government pushes ahead with planned energy sector reforms that have alarmed Washington and foreign investors. President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador wants to strengthen the state-owned electricity provider and roll back the effects of liberalization under previous governments that he says favored private companies. That has prompted warnings that Mexico is in danger […]

Climate change: Biden’s next big political gamble?

by Camille CAMDESSUS Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON, D.C., United States (AFP) – After a string of setbacks on getting his priorities through the deeply divided US Congress, President Joe Biden may set his sights on climate change in a bid to save the planet — and his imperiled legacy. Last week, the president announced that efforts were underway to revive the environmental component of his $1.8 trillion social spending plan, after it was all but killed […]

Biden told Ukraine leader US will ‘respond decisively’ if Russia invades

WASHINGTON, D.C., United States (AFP) – US President Joe Biden told his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky in telephone talks on Sunday that Washington and its allies would “respond decisively” if Russia moves to invade its pro-Western neighbor, the White House said. In a readout of the Biden-Zelensky call, White House press secretary Jen Psaki also said the US leader expressed support for diplomatic efforts including planned talks between high-level US and Russian officials set for […]

China says launched enhanced climate action plan with US

GLASGOW, United Kingdom (AFP) – China and the United States on Wednesday announced a joint initiative to deliver enhanced climate action, Beijing’s longtime climate envoy told the COP26 summit. “Both sides recognise that there is a gap between the current effort and the Paris Agreement goals so we will jointly strengthen climate action,” Xie Zhenhua told reporters in a surprise announcement. China and US are the two largest emitters in the world and together account […]

In Glasgow, China-US tensions could shape climate future

by Shaun TANDON Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON, D.C., United States (AFP) – Global momentum is building on the climate crisis but action will be impossible without two nations, China and the United States, which together account for more than half of emissions — and whose governments don’t get along. Ahead of the COP26 summit in Glasgow, experts believe that breakthrough US-China cooperation could be the catalyst for a historic agreement on climate change — but also […]

In climate landmark, China promises to end coal funding overseas

by Shaun Tandon with Issam Ahmed in Washington Agence France-Presse UNITED NATIONS, United States (AFP) – China will stop funding coal projects overseas, President Xi Jinping announced Tuesday, all but ending the flow of public aid for the dirty energy contributing to the climate crisis. Xi made his announcement at the UN General Assembly where US President Joe Biden, seeking to show leadership in a growing competition with China, promised to double Washington’s contribution to […]