Russia has offered to relax its blockade of Ukraine’s Black Sea ports, but only in exchange for sanctions relief from the West, amid fears that the war raging in Eastern Europe is driving a major international food crisis.
US lawmakers have passed a sweeping domestic terrorism bill that will create several new law enforcement units and establish a task force to seek out white supremacists and neo-Nazis within the armed services and federal police agencies.
President Joe Biden is resisting demands from Kiev to supply long-range rocket launchers to the Ukrainian military, Politico reported, suggesting the White House is concerned the weapons could be used for strikes inside Russia.
The Joe Biden administration has agreed to ease sanctions on Venezuela, offering to scale back penalties if the government commits to a meeting with opposition leaders. Despite the rare diplomatic outreach, one US official said the economic war launched by President Donald Trump would continue regardless.
The USS Harry Truman aircraft carrier strike group and other American warships have come under the command of the NATO alliance for major military drills in the Baltic, Adriatic and Mediterranean Seas.
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization will soon conduct large-scale exercises in the Baltics, with thousands of troops from more than a dozen nations set to take part in war games just 40 miles from the nearest Russian military base.
Iceland, Denmark and Norway have offered security guarantees to Finland and Sweden if either come under attack, after Stockholm said it would follow Helsinki in requesting membership in the NATO bloc.
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s sole Asian member has suggested it could bar two Nordic countries from entering the alliance.
