No one can offer guarantees about Afghanistan`s future after U.S. troops leave, a top White House official said on Sunday, even as he stressed the United States would stay focused on terrorist threats emanating from the country.

President Joe Biden announced on Wednesday that the United States will withdraw its remaining 2,500 troops from Afghanistan by Sept. 11, the 20th anniversary of the al Qaeda attacks that triggered America`s longest war.

White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan was asked on the Fox News Sunday program about the risk of a repeat of what happened in Iraq, where Islamic State militants seized territory after U.S. troops withdrew in 2011.

That led then-President Barack Obama to send troops back into Iraq.

Sullivan said Biden had no intention of sending American forces back to Afghanistan, but he added: "I can`t make any guarantees about what will happen inside the country. No one can."

"All the United States could do is provide the Afghan security forces, the Afghan government and the Afghan people resources and capabilities, training and equipping their forces, providing assistance to their government. We have done that and now it is time for American troops to come home and the Afghan people to step up to defend their own country."

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani rejected what he said were "false analogies" with the war in Vietnam as well as any suggestion his government was at risk of folding under Taliban pressure after U.S. troops leave. Afghan security forces were capable of defending the country, he said.

"The Afghan defense and security forces have been carrying over 90% of the operations in the last two years," Ghani said in an interview with CNN.

Former President Donald Trump said in a statement that leaving Afghanistan was "a wonderful and positive thing to do," but called for a more rapid departure. Trump had set a May 1 deadline to withdraw.

CIA Director William Burns told the Senate Intelligence Committee on Wednesday that America`s ability to collect intelligence and act against extremist threats in Afghanistan will diminish after the departure of U.S. troops.

A United Nations report in January said there were as many as 500 al Qaeda fighters in Afghanistan and that the Taliban maintained a close relationship with the Islamist extremist group. The Taliban denies al Qaeda has a presence in Afghanistan.

Announcing his decision to withdraw troops, Biden said the United States would monitor the threat, reorganize counterterrorism capabilities and keep substantial assets in the region to respond to threats to the United States emerging from Afghanistan.

"He has no intention of taking our eye off the ball," Sullivan said of the president.

"We have the capacity, from repositioning our capabilities over the horizon, to continue to suppress the terrorist threat in Afghanistan."

No one can offer guarantees about Afghanistan`s future after U.S. troops leave, a top White House official said on Sunday, even as he stressed the United States would stay focused on terrorist threats emanating from the country.

No one can offer guarantees about Afghanistan`s future after U.S. troops leave, a top White House official said on Sunday, even as he stressed the United States would stay focused on terrorist threats emanating from the country. President Joe Biden announced on Wednesday that the United States will withdraw its remaining 2,500 troops from Afghanistan by Sept. 11, the 20th anniversary of the al Qaeda attacks that triggered America`s longest war. White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan was asked on the Fox News Sunday program about the risk of a repeat of what happened in Iraq, where Islamic State militants seized territory after U.S. troops withdrew in 2011. That led then-President Barack Obama to send troops back into Iraq. Sullivan said Biden had no intention of sending American forces back to Afghanistan, but he added: "I can`t make any guarantees about what will happen inside the country. No one can." "All the United States could do is provide the Afghan security forces, the Afghan government and the Afghan people resources and capabilities, training and equipping their forces, providing assistance to their government. We have done that and now it is time for American troops to come home and the Afghan people to step up to defend their own country." Afghan President Ashraf Ghani rejected what he said were "false analogies" with the war in Vietnam as well as any suggestion his government was at risk of folding under Taliban pressure after U.S. troops leave. Afghan security forces were capable of defending the country, he said. "The Afghan defense and security forces have been carrying over 90% of the operations in the last two years," Ghani said in an interview with CNN. Former President Donald Trump said in a statement that leaving Afghanistan was "a wonderful and positive thing to do," but called for a more rapid departure. Trump had set a May 1 deadline to withdraw. CIA Director William Burns told the Senate Intelligence Committee on Wednesday that America`s ability to collect intelligence and act against extremist threats in Afghanistan will diminish after the departure of U.S. troops. A United Nations report in January said there were as many as 500 al Qaeda fighters in Afghanistan and that the Taliban maintained a close relationship with the Islamist extremist group. The Taliban denies al Qaeda has a presence in Afghanistan. Announcing his decision to withdraw troops, Biden said the United States would monitor the threat, reorganize counterterrorism capabilities and keep substantial assets in the region to respond to threats to the United States emerging from Afghanistan. "He has no intention of taking our eye off the ball," Sullivan said of the president. "We have the capacity, from repositioning our capabilities over the horizon, to continue to suppress the terrorist threat in Afghanistan."

White House: No guarantees about Afghanistan's future post-pullout

Jailed kremlin critic Alexey Navalny's is at increasing risk of kidney failure and his health is continuously deteriorating, doctors say he could die any minute. Navalny's daughter has requested urgent medical help for her father, she said a doctor should be allowed to see opposition leader.

Jailed Kremlin critic Alexey Navalny at growing risk of kidney failure- medics union

Revitalizing US alliances President Joe Biden posted the first in person white house summit with the Japanese PM Yoshihide Suga.

Joe Biden, Yoshihide Suga agree to tackle Chinese 'Intimidation'

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga arrived in Washington to meet President Biden. With both leaders battling domestic challenges, can they display a united front against China? WION's Palki Sharma gets you a report.

Gravitas: Conflict shadow over Biden-Suga summit

President Joe Biden hosted the first white house summit with Japanese prime minister Yoshihide Suga as the first foreign leader. In their first white house meeting, the two leaders raised issues stretching COVID-19, climate, Tokyo Olympics, and bid to counter increasingly assertive China indeed.

White House Summit: US- Japan to tackle Chinese intimidation

US President Joe Biden has sign a order to keep refugee cap at historically low 15,000 cap set. The plan he had been considering is to allows 62,500 refugee in US.

US President Joe Biden signs order to keep Refugee cap at Historic low

Facing swift blowback from allies and aid groups, the White House said President Joe Biden plans to lift his predecessor's historically low cap on refugees by next month, after initially moving only to expand the eligibility criteria for resettlements. 
 
In an emergency determination signed by Biden earlier Friday, he stated the admission of up to 15,000 refugees set by former President Donald Trump this year remains justified by humanitarian concerns and is otherwise in the national interest. But if the cap is reached before the end of the current budget year and the emergency refugee situation persists, then a presidential determination may be issued to raise the ceiling. 
 
That set off a deluge of criticism from top allies on Capitol Hill such as the second-ranking Senate Democrat, Dick Durbin of Illinois, who called that initial limit unacceptable.&nbsp;White House press secretary Jen Psaki said later that Biden is expected to increase the refugee cap by May 15, though she didn't say by how much. 
 
Biden has been consulting with his advisers to determine what number of refugees could realistically be admitted to the United States between now and October 1, the end of the fiscal year, Psaki said. Given the decimated refugee admissions program we inherited,&nbsp;she said it's now unlikely&nbsp;Biden will be able to boost that number to 62,500, as he had proposed in his plan to Congress two months ago. 
 
But Biden, she said, was urged by advisers to "take immediate action to reverse the Trump policy that banned refugees from many key regions, to enable flights from those regions to begin within days; today's order did that." The new allocations provide more slots for refugees from Africa, the Middle East and Central America and lift Trump's restrictions on resettlements from Somalia, Syria and Yemen. 
 
Critics from both sides of the political spectrum had accused the president of bowing to political pressure that has been mounting over the record pace of unaccompanied migrants crossing the US-Mexico border. 
Stephen Miller, a key architect of Trump's immigration policies, tweeted that keeping Trump's cap "reflects Team Biden's awareness that the border flood will cause record midterm losses."&nbsp;The White House indicated the border situation was partly why Biden had not acted before now, even though migrants at the border do not go through the same vetting process as refugees. 
 
"It is a factor",&nbsp;said Psaki, noting that the Office of Refugee Resettlement ?has personnel working on both issues and so we have to ensure that there is capacity and ability to manage both.? Connecticut Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal said he didn't buy that. 
 
"This cruel policy is no more acceptable now than it was during the Trump Administration,"&nbsp;Blumenthal said. "To be clear: the asylum process at the southern border and the refugee process are completely separate immigration systems. Conflating the two constitutes caving to the politics of fear".&nbsp;Since the fiscal year began last October 1, just over 2,000 refugees have been resettled in the US. 
 
Secretary of State Antony Blinken notified Congress on February 12 of a plan to raise the ceiling on admissions to 62,500, but no presidential determination followed. The law does not require congressional approval and past presidents have issued such presidential determinations that set the cap on refugee admissions shortly after the notification to Congress. 
 
New Jersey Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, told Biden in a letter Friday that his inaction "undermines your declared purpose to reverse your predecessor's refugee policies."&nbsp;Menendez said it also makes it unlikely that the program can hit its target next budget year of 125,000, which Biden has pledged to do. 
 
Refugee resettlement agencies said it was important that admissions go higher even if it's not possible to meet the target to send a message that America will be a leader again in offering safe haven to the world's oppressed. 
 
Some 35,000 refugees have been cleared to go to the United States, and 100,000 remain in the pipeline and their lives remain in limbo, said David Miliband, president and CEO of the International Rescue Committee. 
"This leadership is sorely needed,"&nbsp;he said. 
 
Under Biden's new allocation, 7,000 slots are reserved for refugees from Africa, 1,000 from East Asia, 1,500 from Europe and Central Asia, 3,000 from Latin America and the Caribbean and 1,500 from the Near East and South Asia. A reserve of about 1,000 slots can be used as needed. 
 
The State Department, which coordinates flights with resettlement agencies, booked 715 refugees to come to the United States with the anticipation that Biden would have acted by March, but those flights were canceled since the refugees were not eligible under Trump's rules, according to resettlement agencies. 
 
Most of the refugees are from Africa and fleeing armed conflict or political persecution. Trump limited most spots to people fleeing religious persecution, Iraqis who have assisted US forces there, and people from Central America's Northern Triangle.

Facing swift blowback from allies and aid groups, the White House said President Joe Biden plans to lift his predecessor's historically low cap on refugees by next month, after initially moving only to expand the eligibility criteria for resettlements.

Facing swift blowback from allies and aid groups, the White House said President Joe Biden plans to lift his predecessor's historically low cap on refugees by next month, after initially moving only to expand the eligibility criteria for resettlements. In an emergency determination signed by Biden earlier Friday, he stated the admission of up to 15,000 refugees set by former President Donald Trump this year remains justified by humanitarian concerns and is otherwise in the national interest. But if the cap is reached before the end of the current budget year and the emergency refugee situation persists, then a presidential determination may be issued to raise the ceiling. That set off a deluge of criticism from top allies on Capitol Hill such as the second-ranking Senate Democrat, Dick Durbin of Illinois, who called that initial limit unacceptable. White House press secretary Jen Psaki said later that Biden is expected to increase the refugee cap by May 15, though she didn't say by how much. Biden has been consulting with his advisers to determine what number of refugees could realistically be admitted to the United States between now and October 1, the end of the fiscal year, Psaki said. Given the decimated refugee admissions program we inherited, she said it's now unlikely Biden will be able to boost that number to 62,500, as he had proposed in his plan to Congress two months ago. But Biden, she said, was urged by advisers to "take immediate action to reverse the Trump policy that banned refugees from many key regions, to enable flights from those regions to begin within days; today's order did that." The new allocations provide more slots for refugees from Africa, the Middle East and Central America and lift Trump's restrictions on resettlements from Somalia, Syria and Yemen. Critics from both sides of the political spectrum had accused the president of bowing to political pressure that has been mounting over the record pace of unaccompanied migrants crossing the US-Mexico border. Stephen Miller, a key architect of Trump's immigration policies, tweeted that keeping Trump's cap "reflects Team Biden's awareness that the border flood will cause record midterm losses." The White House indicated the border situation was partly why Biden had not acted before now, even though migrants at the border do not go through the same vetting process as refugees. "It is a factor", said Psaki, noting that the Office of Refugee Resettlement ?has personnel working on both issues and so we have to ensure that there is capacity and ability to manage both.? Connecticut Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal said he didn't buy that. "This cruel policy is no more acceptable now than it was during the Trump Administration," Blumenthal said. "To be clear: the asylum process at the southern border and the refugee process are completely separate immigration systems. Conflating the two constitutes caving to the politics of fear". Since the fiscal year began last October 1, just over 2,000 refugees have been resettled in the US. Secretary of State Antony Blinken notified Congress on February 12 of a plan to raise the ceiling on admissions to 62,500, but no presidential determination followed. The law does not require congressional approval and past presidents have issued such presidential determinations that set the cap on refugee admissions shortly after the notification to Congress. New Jersey Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, told Biden in a letter Friday that his inaction "undermines your declared purpose to reverse your predecessor's refugee policies." Menendez said it also makes it unlikely that the program can hit its target next budget year of 125,000, which Biden has pledged to do. Refugee resettlement agencies said it was important that admissions go higher even if it's not possible to meet the target to send a message that America will be a leader again in offering safe haven to the world's oppressed. Some 35,000 refugees have been cleared to go to the United States, and 100,000 remain in the pipeline and their lives remain in limbo, said David Miliband, president and CEO of the International Rescue Committee. "This leadership is sorely needed," he said. Under Biden's new allocation, 7,000 slots are reserved for refugees from Africa, 1,000 from East Asia, 1,500 from Europe and Central Asia, 3,000 from Latin America and the Caribbean and 1,500 from the Near East and South Asia. A reserve of about 1,000 slots can be used as needed. The State Department, which coordinates flights with resettlement agencies, booked 715 refugees to come to the United States with the anticipation that Biden would have acted by March, but those flights were canceled since the refugees were not eligible under Trump's rules, according to resettlement agencies. Most of the refugees are from Africa and fleeing armed conflict or political persecution. Trump limited most spots to people fleeing religious persecution, Iraqis who have assisted US forces there, and people from Central America's Northern Triangle.

After outcry, White House says Biden will lift refugee cap in May

US President Joe Biden on Friday ordered flags to be lowered to half-mast at White House and all US givernment building as a sign of mourning for Indianapolis mass shootout that claimed 8 lives.

"Too many Americans are dying every single day from gun violence. It stains our character and pierces the very soul of our nation," Biden said in a statement, noting that he'd ordered flags at half-staff just weeks ago after another shooting.

Late on Thursday (local time) a gunman opened fire at a FedEx facility in Indianapolis. The gunman died apparently from a self-inflicted wound.

Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department spokesperson Genae Cook said that when officers arrived at the FedEx facility, they found an "active shooter incident,"&nbsp;

Joe Biden said that he and US Vice President Kamala Harris had been briefed on the killings

"Today's briefing is just the latest in a string of tragedies, following closely after gunmen firing bullets in broad daylight at spas in and around Atlanta, Georgia, a grocery store in Boulder, Colorado, a home in Rock Hill, South Carolina, and so many other shootings," Biden said.

The Democrat is pushing for tighter controls on people buying firearms and says he would like to see an end to availability of military style rifles. There is little chance so far of major legislation in Congress, with Republicans fiercely opposed to new laws.

US President Joe Biden on Friday ordered flags to be lowered to half-mast at White House and all US givernment building as a sign of mourning for Indianapolis mass shootout that claimed 8 lives.

US President Joe Biden on Friday ordered flags to be lowered to half-mast at White House and all US givernment building as a sign of mourning for Indianapolis mass shootout that claimed 8 lives. "Too many Americans are dying every single day from gun violence. It stains our character and pierces the very soul of our nation," Biden said in a statement, noting that he'd ordered flags at half-staff just weeks ago after another shooting. Late on Thursday (local time) a gunman opened fire at a FedEx facility in Indianapolis. The gunman died apparently from a self-inflicted wound. Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department spokesperson Genae Cook said that when officers arrived at the FedEx facility, they found an "active shooter incident," Joe Biden said that he and US Vice President Kamala Harris had been briefed on the killings "Today's briefing is just the latest in a string of tragedies, following closely after gunmen firing bullets in broad daylight at spas in and around Atlanta, Georgia, a grocery store in Boulder, Colorado, a home in Rock Hill, South Carolina, and so many other shootings," Biden said. The Democrat is pushing for tighter controls on people buying firearms and says he would like to see an end to availability of military style rifles. There is little chance so far of major legislation in Congress, with Republicans fiercely opposed to new laws.

Indianapolis shooting: Biden orders flags to be lowered to half-mast

It's a busy week for the Biden Administration. The US President is attempting a balancing act by talking to China and its regional adversaries - Japan and Taiwan at the same time. Will the approach work? WION's Palki Sharma has the answers.

Gravitas: Joe Biden's new rules of engagement for China

The Biden administration announced Thursday the U.S. is expelling 10 Russian diplomats and imposing sanctions against dozens of companies and people, holding the Kremlin accountable for interference in last year's presidential election and the hacking of federal agencies.

US President Joe Biden expels 10 Russian diplomats

As Joe Biden nears his 100 days is office as the US President, his approval ratings stands strong at 59% despite the tenuous state of the economy and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Biden nears 100-day mark with 59% approval rating

The Serum Institute of India (SII) has requested the US President Joe Biden to lift an embargo on US exports of raw materials to smoothen the production of vaccine shots.

SII is producing AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine and will soon begin producing the Novavax vaccine shots too.

"Respected @POTUS, if we are to truly unite in beating this virus, on behalf of the vaccine industry outside the U.S.,&nbsp;I humbly request you to lift the embargo of raw material exports out of the U.S. so that vaccine production can ramp up," Adar Poonawalla, Chief executive of SII tweeted.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Respected <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>, if we are to truly unite in beating this virus, on behalf of the vaccine industry outside the U.S., I humbly request you to lift the embargo of raw material exports out of the U.S. so that vaccine production can ramp up. Your administration has the details. 🙏🙏
— Adar Poonawalla (@adarpoonawalla) <a href="https://twitter.com/adarpoonawalla/status/1382978713302683653?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 16, 2021</a></blockquote>
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This request has come at a time when several countries are facing surge in coronavirus cases and shortage of vaccine shots.

To deal with the crisis, the World Health Organization (WHO) has urged countries to do whatever is possible in each government’s capacity, especially in South-East Asia region, to prevent further worsening of the pandemic.

"Cases are rising for the past several weeks. These are worrying trends as we continue to see opening of societies and emergence of variants. Basic public health measures remain the foundation of pandemic response and we need to reinforce them. We need to apply all the tools we have, and apply them together," Poonam Khetrapal Singh, Regional Director, WHO South-East Asia Region said.

The Serum Institute of India (SII) has requested the US President Joe Biden to lift an embargo on US exports of raw materials to smoothen the production of vaccine shots.

The Serum Institute of India (SII) has requested the US President Joe Biden to lift an embargo on US exports of raw materials to smoothen the production of vaccine shots. SII is producing AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine and will soon begin producing the Novavax vaccine shots too. "Respected @POTUS, if we are to truly unite in beating this virus, on behalf of the vaccine industry outside the U.S., I humbly request you to lift the embargo of raw material exports out of the U.S. so that vaccine production can ramp up," Adar Poonawalla, Chief executive of SII tweeted. Respected @POTUS, if we are to truly unite in beating this virus, on behalf of the vaccine industry outside the U.S., I humbly request you to lift the embargo of raw material exports out of the U.S. so that vaccine production can ramp up. Your administration has the details. 🙏🙏 — Adar Poonawalla (@adarpoonawalla) April 16, 2021 × This request has come at a time when several countries are facing surge in coronavirus cases and shortage of vaccine shots. To deal with the crisis, the World Health Organization (WHO) has urged countries to do whatever is possible in each government’s capacity, especially in South-East Asia region, to prevent further worsening of the pandemic. "Cases are rising for the past several weeks. These are worrying trends as we continue to see opening of societies and emergence of variants. Basic public health measures remain the foundation of pandemic response and we need to reinforce them. We need to apply all the tools we have, and apply them together," Poonam Khetrapal Singh, Regional Director, WHO South-East Asia Region said.

SII's Adar Poonawalla urges Joe Biden to lift embargo of raw materials for vaccine

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga arrived in the United States on Thursday&nbsp;for a summit meeting with US&nbsp;President Joe Biden.

The meeting will be Biden's first in-person summit with a foreign leader since taking office in January.

Suga and Biden are expected to present a united front on Taiwan, China's most sensitive territorial issue, at Friday's summit, according to a senior US&nbsp;administration official.

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Biden and Suga are expected to agree on a joint statement on the Chinese claimed but democratically ruled island, said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

The last time US and Japanese leaders referred to Taiwan in a joint statement was in 1969, when Japan's prime minister said maintenance of peace and security in the "Taiwan area" was important for its own security. That was before Tokyo normalized ties with Beijing.

The move now aims to ratchet up pressure on China. However, such a statement appears likely to fall short of what the United States has been hoping to see from Suga, who inherited a China policy that sought to balance security concerns with deep economic ties when he took over as premier last September.

Biden and Suga will also discuss Beijing's treatment of Muslims in the Xinjiang region and its influence over Hong Kong, while also announcing a $2 billion Japanese investment in 5G telecommunications to counter China's Huawei Technologies.

Suga&nbsp;in September succeeded his ally Shinzo Abe, Japan's longest-serving prime minister, who was one of the few democratic allies to manage to preserve stable relations with Biden's volatile predecessor Donald Trump.

Biden's inaugural summit, held an unusually late three months into his term due to the Covid-19 pandemic, is expected to be a tame affair after the Trump era, with the president welcoming the soft-spoken Japanese leader for one-on-one talks and an expanded meeting with the cabinet before a joint news conference.

But&nbsp;Suga, who Japanese media reported arrived in Washington Thursday evening, is expected to balk at becoming an overenthusiastic cheerleader for the US line on China, which remains the vital top trading partner for resource-scarce Japan.

Tokyo since Abe's time has worked to stabilize relations with Beijing and not joined Washington in sanctions over rights concerns in Hong Kong and Xinjiang.

"The Biden administration, I think, is concerned at how aggressive China has been and how much ground the US has lost in recent years in Asia and wants to catch up quickly," said Michael Green, who was the top Asia adviser to former president George W. Bush and is now senior vice president at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Japan will welcome what is expected to be a fresh declaration that the Japanese-administered Senkaku islands -- where Beijing, which calls them the Diaoyu, has been increasingly assertive -- fall under the US-Japan security treaty that requires mutual defense.

Suga, and Moon next month, will also consult Biden as he reviews US policy on North Korea, where Trump's unusual personal diplomacy with leader Kim Jong Un eased tensions but did not bring a lasting accord on Pyongyang's nuclear program.

(With input from agencies)

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga arrived in the United States on Thursday for a summit meeting with US President Joe Biden. The meeting will be Biden's first in-person summit with a foreign leader since taking office in January.

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga arrived in the United States on Thursday for a summit meeting with US President Joe Biden. The meeting will be Biden's first in-person summit with a foreign leader since taking office in January. Suga and Biden are expected to present a united front on Taiwan, China's most sensitive territorial issue, at Friday's summit, according to a senior US administration official. Biden and Suga are expected to agree on a joint statement on the Chinese claimed but democratically ruled island, said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. The last time US and Japanese leaders referred to Taiwan in a joint statement was in 1969, when Japan's prime minister said maintenance of peace and security in the "Taiwan area" was important for its own security. That was before Tokyo normalized ties with Beijing. The move now aims to ratchet up pressure on China. However, such a statement appears likely to fall short of what the United States has been hoping to see from Suga, who inherited a China policy that sought to balance security concerns with deep economic ties when he took over as premier last September. Biden and Suga will also discuss Beijing's treatment of Muslims in the Xinjiang region and its influence over Hong Kong, while also announcing a $2 billion Japanese investment in 5G telecommunications to counter China's Huawei Technologies. Suga in September succeeded his ally Shinzo Abe, Japan's longest-serving prime minister, who was one of the few democratic allies to manage to preserve stable relations with Biden's volatile predecessor Donald Trump. Biden's inaugural summit, held an unusually late three months into his term due to the Covid-19 pandemic, is expected to be a tame affair after the Trump era, with the president welcoming the soft-spoken Japanese leader for one-on-one talks and an expanded meeting with the cabinet before a joint news conference. But Suga, who Japanese media reported arrived in Washington Thursday evening, is expected to balk at becoming an overenthusiastic cheerleader for the US line on China, which remains the vital top trading partner for resource-scarce Japan. Tokyo since Abe's time has worked to stabilize relations with Beijing and not joined Washington in sanctions over rights concerns in Hong Kong and Xinjiang. "The Biden administration, I think, is concerned at how aggressive China has been and how much ground the US has lost in recent years in Asia and wants to catch up quickly," said Michael Green, who was the top Asia adviser to former president George W. Bush and is now senior vice president at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Japan will welcome what is expected to be a fresh declaration that the Japanese-administered Senkaku islands -- where Beijing, which calls them the Diaoyu, has been increasingly assertive -- fall under the US-Japan security treaty that requires mutual defense. Suga, and Moon next month, will also consult Biden as he reviews US policy on North Korea, where Trump's unusual personal diplomacy with leader Kim Jong Un eased tensions but did not bring a lasting accord on Pyongyang's nuclear program. (With input from agencies)

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga arrives in US for summit with Joe Biden

UK's Foreign Ministry said it has summoned Russian envoy Andrei Kelin over Moscow's "pattern of malign activity".

UK summons Russian Ambassador over 'Malign activity'

As tensions around the Ukraine border spike, Joe Biden has proposed a face to face meeting with Vladimir Putin to settle all differences. Can two leaders work together after having called each other killers? WION's Palki Sharma tells you what's at stake.

Gravitas: US vs Russia: Are we heading towards Cold War 2.0?

Amid growing tensions around the Ukraine border, Joe Biden dispatched his top ministers to Europe. NATO has reaffirmed its support to Ukraine. 500 more US soldiers will be sent to Germany. Will this be enough to ensure a de-escalation from Russia? WION's Palki Sharma has more.

Gravitas: Amid Ukraine tensions, US to deploy 500 more soldiers in Germany

The Russian Kremlin said that it will consider US President Joe Biden's proposal to hold a meeting with President Vladimir Putin. In a phone call on Tuesday, Biden proposed that the two leaders should hold a summit "in the near future".

Kremlin says Russia will study US proposal for Putin-Biden summit

Iran's supreme leader&nbsp;Ayatollah Ali Khamenei&nbsp;on Wednesday dismissed initial offers at talks in Vienna to save Tehran's tattered nuclear deal as ''not worth looking at,''&nbsp;attempting to pressure world powers after an attack on the country's main nuclear enrichment site.

The comments by Khamenei, who has final say on all matters of state in the Islamic Republic, came after a day that saw Iran's president similarly ratchet up pressure over the accord.

European powers meanwhile warned Tehran its actions were ''particularly regrettable''&nbsp;and ''dangerous.''

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/european-powers-warn-iran-over-dangerous-uranium-enrichment-move-377640" hreflang="en">European powers warn Iran over 'dangerous' uranium enrichment move&nbsp;</a>

The talks already have been thrown into disarray by a weekend attack on Iran's main Natanz nuclear enrichment site suspected to have been carried out by Israel.

Tehran retaliated by announcing it would enrich uranium up to 60 per cent&nbsp;higher than it ever has before but still lower than weapons-grade levels of 90&nbsp;per cent.

"The offers they provide are usually arrogant and humiliating (and) are not worth looking at,''&nbsp;the 81-year-old Khamenei said in an address marking the first day of the holy Muslim fasting month of Ramadan in Iran. He also criticized the US&nbsp;And warned time could be running out.

''The talks shouldn't become talks of attrition,''&nbsp;Khamenei said. "They shouldn't be in a way that parties drag on and prolong the talks. This is harmful to the country.''

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Speaking to his Cabinet, an impassioned Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said the first-generation IR-1 centrifuges that were damaged in Sunday's attack would be replaced by advanced IR-6 centrifuges that enrich uranium much faster.

''You wanted to make our hands empty during the talks but our hands are full,''&nbsp;Rouhani said.

''60&nbsp;per cent&nbsp;enrichment is an answer to your evilness. ... We cut off both of your hands, one with IR-6 centrifuges and another one with 60 per cent,''&nbsp;Rouhani added:

Rouhani also accused Israel of being behind the Natanz attack and threatened to retaliate.

In Jerusalem at a Memorial Day commemoration, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared to reference Iran.

''We must never remain apathetic to the threats of war and extermination of those who seek to eliminate us,''&nbsp;he said. Israel has not claimed the attack, though it rarely does in its ongoing shadow war against Tehran.

The talks in Vienna are aimed at finding a way for the United States to re-enter Tehran's nuclear agreement with world powers and have Iran comply again with its limits.

The accord, which former President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew the US&nbsp;from in 2018, prevented Iran from stockpiling enough high-enriched uranium to be able to pursue a nuclear weapon in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions.

Late on Wednesday, the European Union said formal negotiations would resume Thursday in Vienna.

Rouhani in his comments Wednesday insisted Iran is still hoping that the Vienna talks lead to a negotiated settlement over its program&nbsp;and the accompanying lifting of punishing sanctions. Khamenei as well said he believed in his negotiators, but kept up the pressure on the West in his remarks Wednesday night.

''They must do what we say first, and we are assured that it's done, then we will do what is we are required to do," he said.

France, Germany, and the United Kingdom, all parties to the nuclear deal, only hours earlier issued a joint statement Wednesday expressing their ''grave concern''&nbsp;over Iran's decision to increase enrichment.

''This is a serious development since the production of highly enriched uranium constitutes an important step in the production of a nuclear weapon,''&nbsp;the countries said.

''Iran has no credible civilian need for enrichment at this level.''

China and Russia also took part in the deal.

US&nbsp;Secretary of State Antony Blinken also called Iran's enrichment decision a ''provocative announcement.''

''It calls into question Iran's seriousness of purpose in the nuclear talks,''&nbsp;he said in Brussels.

Saudi Arabia, a regional rival to Iran, similarly issued a statement, saying enriching at that level ''could not be considered a program intended for peaceful purposes.'' It called on Iran to ''avoid escalation."

Iran insists its nuclear program is peaceful, though the West and the International Atomic Energy Agency says Tehran had an organized military nuclear program up until the end of 2003.

An annual US&nbsp;Intelligence report released Tuesday maintained the American assessment that ''Iran is not currently undertaking the key nuclear weapons-development activities that we judge would be necessary to produce a nuclear device.''

Iran previously had said it could use uranium enriched up to 60&nbsp;per cent&nbsp;for nuclear-powered ships. However, the Islamic Republic currently has no such ships in its navy.

Iran had been enriching up to 20&nbsp;per cent&nbsp;even that was a short technical step to weapons-grade levels. The deal limited Iran's enrichment to 3.76&nbsp;per cent.

Iran's envoy to the IAEA, Kazem Gharibabadi, posted a letter online addressed to IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi warning against any adventurism by (the) Israeli regime&nbsp;targeting Iranian nuclear sites.

''The most recent cowardly act of nuclear terrorism will only strengthen our determination to march forward and to replace all (damaged) centrifuges with even more advanced and sophisticated machines,''&nbsp;Gharibabadi wrote.&nbsp;

(With input from agencies)

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Wednesday dismissed initial offers at talks in Vienna to save Tehran's tattered nuclear deal as ''not worth looking at,'' attempting to pressure world powers after an attack on the country's main nuclear enrichment site.

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Wednesday dismissed initial offers at talks in Vienna to save Tehran's tattered nuclear deal as ''not worth looking at,'' attempting to pressure world powers after an attack on the country's main nuclear enrichment site. The comments by Khamenei, who has final say on all matters of state in the Islamic Republic, came after a day that saw Iran's president similarly ratchet up pressure over the accord. European powers meanwhile warned Tehran its actions were ''particularly regrettable'' and ''dangerous.'' Also read| European powers warn Iran over 'dangerous' uranium enrichment move The talks already have been thrown into disarray by a weekend attack on Iran's main Natanz nuclear enrichment site suspected to have been carried out by Israel. Tehran retaliated by announcing it would enrich uranium up to 60 per cent higher than it ever has before but still lower than weapons-grade levels of 90 per cent. "The offers they provide are usually arrogant and humiliating (and) are not worth looking at,'' the 81-year-old Khamenei said in an address marking the first day of the holy Muslim fasting month of Ramadan in Iran. He also criticized the US And warned time could be running out. ''The talks shouldn't become talks of attrition,'' Khamenei said. "They shouldn't be in a way that parties drag on and prolong the talks. This is harmful to the country.'' Speaking to his Cabinet, an impassioned Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said the first-generation IR-1 centrifuges that were damaged in Sunday's attack would be replaced by advanced IR-6 centrifuges that enrich uranium much faster. ''You wanted to make our hands empty during the talks but our hands are full,'' Rouhani said. ''60 per cent enrichment is an answer to your evilness. ... We cut off both of your hands, one with IR-6 centrifuges and another one with 60 per cent,'' Rouhani added: Rouhani also accused Israel of being behind the Natanz attack and threatened to retaliate. In Jerusalem at a Memorial Day commemoration, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared to reference Iran. ''We must never remain apathetic to the threats of war and extermination of those who seek to eliminate us,'' he said. Israel has not claimed the attack, though it rarely does in its ongoing shadow war against Tehran. The talks in Vienna are aimed at finding a way for the United States to re-enter Tehran's nuclear agreement with world powers and have Iran comply again with its limits. The accord, which former President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew the US from in 2018, prevented Iran from stockpiling enough high-enriched uranium to be able to pursue a nuclear weapon in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions. Late on Wednesday, the European Union said formal negotiations would resume Thursday in Vienna. Rouhani in his comments Wednesday insisted Iran is still hoping that the Vienna talks lead to a negotiated settlement over its program and the accompanying lifting of punishing sanctions. Khamenei as well said he believed in his negotiators, but kept up the pressure on the West in his remarks Wednesday night. ''They must do what we say first, and we are assured that it's done, then we will do what is we are required to do," he said. France, Germany, and the United Kingdom, all parties to the nuclear deal, only hours earlier issued a joint statement Wednesday expressing their ''grave concern'' over Iran's decision to increase enrichment. ''This is a serious development since the production of highly enriched uranium constitutes an important step in the production of a nuclear weapon,'' the countries said. ''Iran has no credible civilian need for enrichment at this level.'' China and Russia also took part in the deal. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken also called Iran's enrichment decision a ''provocative announcement.'' ''It calls into question Iran's seriousness of purpose in the nuclear talks,'' he said in Brussels. Saudi Arabia, a regional rival to Iran, similarly issued a statement, saying enriching at that level ''could not be considered a program intended for peaceful purposes.'' It called on Iran to ''avoid escalation." Iran insists its nuclear program is peaceful, though the West and the International Atomic Energy Agency says Tehran had an organized military nuclear program up until the end of 2003. An annual US Intelligence report released Tuesday maintained the American assessment that ''Iran is not currently undertaking the key nuclear weapons-development activities that we judge would be necessary to produce a nuclear device.'' Iran previously had said it could use uranium enriched up to 60 per cent for nuclear-powered ships. However, the Islamic Republic currently has no such ships in its navy. Iran had been enriching up to 20 per cent even that was a short technical step to weapons-grade levels. The deal limited Iran's enrichment to 3.76 per cent. Iran's envoy to the IAEA, Kazem Gharibabadi, posted a letter online addressed to IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi warning against any adventurism by (the) Israeli regime targeting Iranian nuclear sites. ''The most recent cowardly act of nuclear terrorism will only strengthen our determination to march forward and to replace all (damaged) centrifuges with even more advanced and sophisticated machines,'' Gharibabadi wrote. (With input from agencies)

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei says Vienna offers 'not worth looking at'

The US House of Representatives introduced a bipartisan resolution on Wednesday, strongly condemning China’s ill-treatment of the Uighur community and other minorities, especially in the Xinjiang region.

Labelling it as 'genocide', the authorities have urged US President <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a> to refer these atrocities to the United Nations.

"The resolution calls upon President Biden to refer these atrocities to the United Nations for investigation under the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide," the US House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Gregory Meeks and another member Michael McCaul said in a joint press release.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-slaps-sanctions-on-russia-expels-10-diplomats-377760" hreflang="en">US slaps sanctions on Russia over election interference, expels 10 diplomats</a>

Through this, the experts are seeking multilateral sanctions against the Chinese government in the UN Security Council (UNSC) to "bring the genocide to an end".

Meeks urged global solidarity against the ill treatment. "China's human rights violations against the Uighur community in Xinjiang are beyond the pale. The international community needs to stand together and condemn the horrific treatment of China's ethnic minorities, who have undergone mass detention and seen their way of life threatened," he said.

This has come a day after the Uighur Human Rights Protection Act&nbsp;was introduced by US Senators Marco Rubio and Chris Coons. Through this, people suffering in the region at the hands of the Chinese government would become eligible for US refugee status on a priority basis.

"The Uighur Human Rights Protection Act would make it easier for Uighurs and members of other Turkic or Muslim minority groups to apply for resettlement in the United States, and it encourages our allies and partners to implement similar policies," Coons had announced.

The US House of Representatives introduced a bipartisan resolution on Wednesday, strongly condemning China’s ill-treatment of the Uighur community and other minorities, especially in the Xinjiang region.

The US House of Representatives introduced a bipartisan resolution on Wednesday, strongly condemning China’s ill-treatment of the Uighur community and other minorities, especially in the Xinjiang region. Labelling it as 'genocide', the authorities have urged US President Joe Biden to refer these atrocities to the United Nations. "The resolution calls upon President Biden to refer these atrocities to the United Nations for investigation under the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide," the US House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Gregory Meeks and another member Michael McCaul said in a joint press release. Also read | US slaps sanctions on Russia over election interference, expels 10 diplomats Through this, the experts are seeking multilateral sanctions against the Chinese government in the UN Security Council (UNSC) to "bring the genocide to an end". Meeks urged global solidarity against the ill treatment. "China's human rights violations against the Uighur community in Xinjiang are beyond the pale. The international community needs to stand together and condemn the horrific treatment of China's ethnic minorities, who have undergone mass detention and seen their way of life threatened," he said. This has come a day after the Uighur Human Rights Protection Act was introduced by US Senators Marco Rubio and Chris Coons. Through this, people suffering in the region at the hands of the Chinese government would become eligible for US refugee status on a priority basis. "The Uighur Human Rights Protection Act would make it easier for Uighurs and members of other Turkic or Muslim minority groups to apply for resettlement in the United States, and it encourages our allies and partners to implement similar policies," Coons had announced.

US House urges Biden to refer Uighur 'genocide' to United Nations

Russia on Thursday said that the US sanctions for alleged election interference and hacking will "not help" a possible summit between US President <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/joe-biden">Joe Biden </a>and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.&nbsp;

The reaction came after the US media reported that Washington on Thursday will impose sanctions on over 30 Russian entities, expel more than 10 Russian diplomats&nbsp;from the US, and push an existing ban on US banks transacting in Russian government debt.

Watch |&nbsp;

<iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/nato-warned-russia-against-military-build-up-near-ukrainian-border-377642/embed" width="560"></iframe>

"What is currently being discussed -- likely sanctions -- will in no way help such a meeting. That is unambiguous," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists, as reported by news agency AFP.&nbsp;

On Tuesday, Biden invited Putin in a phone call for a summit on the neutral ground after tensions between the West and Russia intensified in recent weeks over the conflict in Ukraine.&nbsp;

Also read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-to-slap-new-sanctions-on-russia-for-election-interference-cyber-attack-sources-377685">US to slap new sanctions on Russia for election interference, cyber attack: Sources</a>

The Kremlin spokesperson, however, said that it will up to both the president to decide whether the summit could go ahead or not.&nbsp;

A Russian troop formation on the Ukrainian border, where the government forces have been fighting pro-Russia separatists since 2014 has caused concerns in the West and issued warnings by NATO.&nbsp;

Though, in the Putin-Biden phone call, both leaders called for continual dialogue after ties between both the nations reached a new low when Biden described his Russian counterpart as a "killer" last month.

&nbsp; 
(With inputs from agencies)

Russia on Thursday said that the US sanctions for alleged election interference and hacking will "not help" a possible summit between US President Joe Biden and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.

Russia on Thursday said that the US sanctions for alleged election interference and hacking will "not help" a possible summit between US President Joe Biden and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. The reaction came after the US media reported that Washington on Thursday will impose sanctions on over 30 Russian entities, expel more than 10 Russian diplomats from the US, and push an existing ban on US banks transacting in Russian government debt. Watch | "What is currently being discussed -- likely sanctions -- will in no way help such a meeting. That is unambiguous," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists, as reported by news agency AFP. On Tuesday, Biden invited Putin in a phone call for a summit on the neutral ground after tensions between the West and Russia intensified in recent weeks over the conflict in Ukraine. Also read | US to slap new sanctions on Russia for election interference, cyber attack: Sources The Kremlin spokesperson, however, said that it will up to both the president to decide whether the summit could go ahead or not. A Russian troop formation on the Ukrainian border, where the government forces have been fighting pro-Russia separatists since 2014 has caused concerns in the West and issued warnings by NATO. Though, in the Putin-Biden phone call, both leaders called for continual dialogue after ties between both the nations reached a new low when Biden described his Russian counterpart as a "killer" last month. (With inputs from agencies)

US sanctions on Russia won't 'help' Biden-Putin summit: Kremlin

More than 100 former world leaders and Nobel Prize winners have come together to urge US President <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a> to support a waiver of intellectual property rules for coronavirus vaccines.

Such a waiver on patents will boost vaccine manufacturing and will also speed up the response to this global pandemic, especially in poor countries, they said.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-to-slap-new-sanctions-on-russia-for-election-interference-cyber-attack-sources-377685" hreflang="en">US to slap new sanctions on Russia for election interference, cyber attack: Sources</a>

"President Biden has said that no one is safe until everyone is safe, and now with the G7 ahead there is an unparalleled opportunity to provide the leadership that only the US can provide,"&nbsp; former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said.

Former leaders of France and the UK, other 60 former heads of state and Nobel Prize winners have drafted a joint letter to Biden about this issue.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-continues-pause-on-johnson-johnson-vaccine-over-reports-of-blood-clots-377746" hreflang="en">US continues pause on Johnson &amp; Johnson vaccine over reports of blood clots</a>

They urged Biden to support the proposal drafted by India and South Africa at the World Trade Organization to waive intellectual property rules on a temporary basis to help support countries related to COVID-19 vaccines.

The letter calculates that the poorer countries will have to wait till 2024 to receive vaccines, on the basis of the speed with which the virus is mutating.

"New mutations of the virus will continue to cost lives and upend our interconnected global economy until everyone, everywhere has access to a safe and effective vaccine," Nobel Economics Prize winner Joseph Stiglitz said.

The letter has been signed by Francois Hollande, Mary Robinson, Fernando Henrique Cardoso, Juan Manuel Santos and Ellen Johnson Sirleaf - formerly presidents of France, Ireland, Brazil, Colombia and Liberia - and former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark.

(With inputs from agencies)

More than 100 former world leaders and Nobel Prize winners have come together to urge US President Joe Biden to support a waiver of intellectual property rules for coronavirus vaccines.

More than 100 former world leaders and Nobel Prize winners have come together to urge US President Joe Biden to support a waiver of intellectual property rules for coronavirus vaccines. Such a waiver on patents will boost vaccine manufacturing and will also speed up the response to this global pandemic, especially in poor countries, they said. Also read | US to slap new sanctions on Russia for election interference, cyber attack: Sources "President Biden has said that no one is safe until everyone is safe, and now with the G7 ahead there is an unparalleled opportunity to provide the leadership that only the US can provide," former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said. Former leaders of France and the UK, other 60 former heads of state and Nobel Prize winners have drafted a joint letter to Biden about this issue. Also read | US continues pause on Johnson & Johnson vaccine over reports of blood clots They urged Biden to support the proposal drafted by India and South Africa at the World Trade Organization to waive intellectual property rules on a temporary basis to help support countries related to COVID-19 vaccines. The letter calculates that the poorer countries will have to wait till 2024 to receive vaccines, on the basis of the speed with which the virus is mutating. "New mutations of the virus will continue to cost lives and upend our interconnected global economy until everyone, everywhere has access to a safe and effective vaccine," Nobel Economics Prize winner Joseph Stiglitz said. The letter has been signed by Francois Hollande, Mary Robinson, Fernando Henrique Cardoso, Juan Manuel Santos and Ellen Johnson Sirleaf - formerly presidents of France, Ireland, Brazil, Colombia and Liberia - and former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark. (With inputs from agencies)

Waive Covid vaccine patents: Nearly 100 former world leaders, Nobel winners join call to Biden

Chinese President Xi Jinping will join a virtual climate summit with France and Germany, Beijing announced Thursday, as US envoy John Kerry visited Shanghai to drum up support from the world's biggest polluter for America's drive to address environmental challenges.

Kerry, President Joe Biden's climate tzar, is in China for meetings with his counterparts until Saturday,&nbsp;the first visit by an official from the new US administration.

Kerry is not expected to meet with Xi, on a trip which has so far taken place behind closed doors.

Beijing unexpectedly announced Xi would join an online French-German climate summit on Friday&nbsp;"at the invitation of French President Emmanuel Macron".

Kerry's trip is seen as a chance for Beijing and Washington to put aside high political tensions -- following a heated initial meeting last month between diplomats in the US -- and focus on areas of potential climate collaboration.

The two sides clashed in Alaska over accusations about China's policies in Hong Kong and its treatment of Uyghurs in its northwestern Xinjiang region, criticisms China rejects as interference in its domestic affairs.

Biden has made reversing the climate-sceptic policy of his predecessor Donald Trump a priority.

He has rejoined the 2015 Paris accord, and is hosting a virtual summit of world leaders next week which the US hopes will result in stronger climate pledges.

Chinese leader Xi is yet to confirm if he will attend the summit.

The US consulate said Kerry arrived in China and would meet Chinese counterparts at a Shanghai hotel in a day of closed-door talks.

Officials are expected to discuss environmental challenges, areas which both China and the US say are top priorities, as well as the upcoming UN-led climate talks to be held in Glasgow at the end of the year.

"At this point understanding each others' expectations and ambition levels, and agreeing how to use those commitments to move the&nbsp;international climate negotiations forward would already be an important&nbsp;first step," Lauri Myllyvirta, lead analyst at the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, told AFP.

China, the world's biggest polluter, announced an ambitious target to be carbon-neutral by 2060, but analysts have warned high reliance on coal and modest short-term targets could scupper the ambition.

As Trump turned away from the national climate agenda, Xi made bold promises to cut emissions.

China "now shouldered the responsibility of global climate governance" and won't be part of a US-centred climate campaign, the nationalistic Global Times cited experts saying Thursday.

Biden has yet to announce any new targets under the Paris agreement.&nbsp;

"Both countries have a long way to go to firm up their targets and commitments for this decade," said Myllyvirta.

No global solution on climate change is likely without both the US and China on board, since the world's top two economies together account for nearly half of the world's total greenhouse gas emissions.

Li Shuo from Greenpeace China said he hoped the talks might yield agreements on China's huge use of polluting coal.

"China is the largest coal consumer, it is still building coal-fired power plants, both domestically and along the Belt and Road region," he told AFP, referring to China's sprawling international infrastructure plan.&nbsp;

"There needs to be a reverse on that. In terms of potential outcomes, that would be top on my list."&nbsp;

While Beijing and Washington have clashed over Hong Kong and Xinjiang, the climate issue is seen as a shared interest which cuts through the rancour.

Chinese President Xi Jinping will join a virtual climate summit with France and Germany, Beijing announced Thursday, as US envoy John Kerry visited Shanghai to drum up support from the world's biggest polluter for America's drive to address environmental challenges.

Chinese President Xi Jinping will join a virtual climate summit with France and Germany, Beijing announced Thursday, as US envoy John Kerry visited Shanghai to drum up support from the world's biggest polluter for America's drive to address environmental challenges. Kerry, President Joe Biden's climate tzar, is in China for meetings with his counterparts until Saturday, the first visit by an official from the new US administration. Kerry is not expected to meet with Xi, on a trip which has so far taken place behind closed doors. Beijing unexpectedly announced Xi would join an online French-German climate summit on Friday "at the invitation of French President Emmanuel Macron". Kerry's trip is seen as a chance for Beijing and Washington to put aside high political tensions -- following a heated initial meeting last month between diplomats in the US -- and focus on areas of potential climate collaboration. The two sides clashed in Alaska over accusations about China's policies in Hong Kong and its treatment of Uyghurs in its northwestern Xinjiang region, criticisms China rejects as interference in its domestic affairs. Biden has made reversing the climate-sceptic policy of his predecessor Donald Trump a priority. He has rejoined the 2015 Paris accord, and is hosting a virtual summit of world leaders next week which the US hopes will result in stronger climate pledges. Chinese leader Xi is yet to confirm if he will attend the summit. The US consulate said Kerry arrived in China and would meet Chinese counterparts at a Shanghai hotel in a day of closed-door talks. Officials are expected to discuss environmental challenges, areas which both China and the US say are top priorities, as well as the upcoming UN-led climate talks to be held in Glasgow at the end of the year. "At this point understanding each others' expectations and ambition levels, and agreeing how to use those commitments to move the international climate negotiations forward would already be an important first step," Lauri Myllyvirta, lead analyst at the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, told AFP. China, the world's biggest polluter, announced an ambitious target to be carbon-neutral by 2060, but analysts have warned high reliance on coal and modest short-term targets could scupper the ambition. As Trump turned away from the national climate agenda, Xi made bold promises to cut emissions. China "now shouldered the responsibility of global climate governance" and won't be part of a US-centred climate campaign, the nationalistic Global Times cited experts saying Thursday. Biden has yet to announce any new targets under the Paris agreement. "Both countries have a long way to go to firm up their targets and commitments for this decade," said Myllyvirta. No global solution on climate change is likely without both the US and China on board, since the world's top two economies together account for nearly half of the world's total greenhouse gas emissions. Li Shuo from Greenpeace China said he hoped the talks might yield agreements on China's huge use of polluting coal. "China is the largest coal consumer, it is still building coal-fired power plants, both domestically and along the Belt and Road region," he told AFP, referring to China's sprawling international infrastructure plan. "There needs to be a reverse on that. In terms of potential outcomes, that would be top on my list." While Beijing and Washington have clashed over Hong Kong and Xinjiang, the climate issue is seen as a shared interest which cuts through the rancour.

Xi to join European climate summit, as Kerry in China for talks

China described its military exercises near Taiwan as "combat drills" on Wednesday, hours before the arrival of senior former US&nbsp;officials in Taipei on a trip to signal President Joe Biden`s commitment to Taiwan and its democracy. 
 
Taiwan has complained over the proximity of repeated Chinese military activity, including fighter jets and bombers entering its air defence zone and a Chinese aircraft carrier exercising off the island, claimed by Beijing. 
 
Twenty-five Chinese air force aircraft including fighters and nuclear-capable bombers entered Taiwan`s air defence identification zone (ADIZ) on Monday, the largest reported incursion by Taipei to date. 
 
China`s Taiwan Affairs Office said Taiwan`s government and separatists were colluding with "external forces", seeking provocation and to damage peace and stability. 
 
"The People`s Liberation Army`s organising of actual combat exercises in the Taiwan Strait is a necessary action to address the current security situation in the Taiwan Strait and to safeguard national sovereignty," spokesman Ma Xiaoguang said. 
 
"It is a solemn response to external forces` interference and provocations by Taiwan independence" forces, he added. 
 
"The PLA`s military exercises and training operations are sending a signal that our determination to curb Taiwan independence and Taiwan-US&nbsp;collusion is not just talk." 
 
The United States, which like most countries only officially recognises China`s government and not Taiwan`s though is Taipei`s strongest international backer, has watched tensions mount with growing alarm. 
 
Former U.S. Senator Chris Dodd and former Deputy Secretaries of State Richard Armitage and James Steinberg arrive in Taiwan later on Wednesday, in what a White House official called a "personal signal" of the president`s commitment to Taiwan and its democracy. 
 
They are due to meet Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen on Thursday, on a trip that is further straining Sino-US&nbsp;relations. 
 
Presidential office spokesman Xavier Chang said the trip "again shows the Taiwan-US&nbsp;relationship is rock solid, and is a full expression of cross-party support for Taiwan in the United States". 
 
Tsai has repeatedly said Taiwan is an independent country called the Republic of China, its formal name. 
 
Ma said a meeting with the president "will only exacerbate the tense situation in the Taiwan Strait". 
 
"We resolutely oppose the US` exaggeration of the so-called `Chinese military threat` argument, and resolutely oppose the US&nbsp;playing the `Taiwan card` and continuing to send wrong signals to Taiwan independence forces," he added. 
 
"Taiwan independence is a dead end and the ruling Democratic Progressive Party are trying to "use arms to seek independence", Ma said. 
 
"That is to drink poison in the hopes of slaking one`s thirst, and will only push Taiwan towards disaster."

China described its military exercises near Taiwan as "combat drills" on Wednesday, hours before the arrival of senior former US officials in Taipei on a trip to signal President Joe Biden`s commitment to Taiwan and its democracy.

China described its military exercises near Taiwan as "combat drills" on Wednesday, hours before the arrival of senior former US officials in Taipei on a trip to signal President Joe Biden`s commitment to Taiwan and its democracy. Taiwan has complained over the proximity of repeated Chinese military activity, including fighter jets and bombers entering its air defence zone and a Chinese aircraft carrier exercising off the island, claimed by Beijing. Twenty-five Chinese air force aircraft including fighters and nuclear-capable bombers entered Taiwan`s air defence identification zone (ADIZ) on Monday, the largest reported incursion by Taipei to date. China`s Taiwan Affairs Office said Taiwan`s government and separatists were colluding with "external forces", seeking provocation and to damage peace and stability. "The People`s Liberation Army`s organising of actual combat exercises in the Taiwan Strait is a necessary action to address the current security situation in the Taiwan Strait and to safeguard national sovereignty," spokesman Ma Xiaoguang said. "It is a solemn response to external forces` interference and provocations by Taiwan independence" forces, he added. "The PLA`s military exercises and training operations are sending a signal that our determination to curb Taiwan independence and Taiwan-US collusion is not just talk." The United States, which like most countries only officially recognises China`s government and not Taiwan`s though is Taipei`s strongest international backer, has watched tensions mount with growing alarm. Former U.S. Senator Chris Dodd and former Deputy Secretaries of State Richard Armitage and James Steinberg arrive in Taiwan later on Wednesday, in what a White House official called a "personal signal" of the president`s commitment to Taiwan and its democracy. They are due to meet Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen on Thursday, on a trip that is further straining Sino-US relations. Presidential office spokesman Xavier Chang said the trip "again shows the Taiwan-US relationship is rock solid, and is a full expression of cross-party support for Taiwan in the United States". Tsai has repeatedly said Taiwan is an independent country called the Republic of China, its formal name. Ma said a meeting with the president "will only exacerbate the tense situation in the Taiwan Strait". "We resolutely oppose the US` exaggeration of the so-called `Chinese military threat` argument, and resolutely oppose the US playing the `Taiwan card` and continuing to send wrong signals to Taiwan independence forces," he added. "Taiwan independence is a dead end and the ruling Democratic Progressive Party are trying to "use arms to seek independence", Ma said. "That is to drink poison in the hopes of slaking one`s thirst, and will only push Taiwan towards disaster."

As Biden's emissaries go to Taiwan, China terms exercises 'combat drills'

Even before President Joe Biden took office, some of his closest aides were focused on a question that risked derailing his economic agenda: Would his plans for a $1.9 trillion economic rescue package and additional government spending overheat the economy and fuel runaway inflation?

To find the answer, a close circle of advisers now working at the White House and the Treasury Department projected the behaviors of shoppers, employers, stock traders and others if Biden’s plans succeeded. Officials as senior as Janet Yellen, the Treasury secretary, pored over the analyses in video calls and in-person meetings, looking for any hint that Biden’s plans could generate sustained price increases that could hamstring family budgets. It never appeared.

Those efforts convinced Biden’s team that there is little risk of inflation spiraling out of the Federal Reserve’s control — an outcome that Wall Street analysts, a few prominent Republicans and even liberal economists like former Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers have said could flow from the trillions being pumped into the economy.

Traditional readings of price increases are beginning to turn upward as the recovery accelerates. On Tuesday, the Consumer Price Index rose 0.6%, its fastest monthly increase in more than a decade, while a less volatile index excluding food and energy rose a more muted 0.3%.

But Biden’s advisers believe any price spike is likely to be temporary and not harmful, essentially a one-time event stemming from the unique nature of a pandemic recession that ruptured supply chains and continues to depress activity in key economic sectors like restaurant dining and tourism.

The administration’s view mirrors the posture of top officials at the Fed, including its chairman, Jerome Powell, whose mandate includes maintaining price stability in the economy. Powell has said that the Fed expects any short-term price pops to be temporary, not sustained, and not the type of uptick that would prompt the central bank to raise interest rates rapidly — or anytime soon.

“What we see is relatively modest increases in inflation,” Powell said in March. “But those are not permanent things.”

Armed with their internal data and conclusions, administration officials have begun to push back on warnings that a stimulus-fueled surge in consumer spending could revive a 1970s-style escalation in wages and prices that could cripple the economy in the years to come.

Yet they remain wary of the inflation threat and have devised the next wave of Biden’s spending plans, a $2.3 trillion infrastructure package, to dispense money gradually enough not to stoke further price increases right away. Administration officials also continue to check on real-time measures of prices across the economy, multiple times a day.

“We think the likeliest outlook over the next several months is for inflation to rise modestly,” two officials at Biden’s Council of Economic Advisers, Jared Bernstein and Ernie Tedeschi, wrote Monday in a blog post outlining some of the administration’s thinking. “We will, however, carefully monitor both actual price changes and inflation expectations for any signs of unexpected price pressures that might arise as America leaves the pandemic behind and enters the next economic expansion.”

Some Republicans call that posture dangerous. Sen. Rick Scott of Florida, chairman of his party’s campaign arm for the 2022 midterm elections, has called on Biden and Powell to present plans to fight inflation now.

“The president’s refusal to address this critical issue has a direct negative effect on Floridians and families across our nation, and hurts low- and fixed-income Americans the most,” Scott said in a news release last week. “It’s time for Biden to wake up from his liberal dream and realize that reckless spending has consequences, inflation is real and America’s debt crisis is growing. Inflation is rising and Americans deserve answers from Biden now.”

Economic teams in recent administrations spent little time worrying about inflation, because inflationary pressures have been tame for decades. It has fallen short of the Fed’s average target of 2% for 10 of the last 12 years, topping out at 2.5% in the midst of the longest economic expansion in history.

Shortly before the pandemic recession hit the United States in 2020, President Donald Trump’s economic team wrote that “price inflation remains low and stable” even with unemployment below 4%. As the economy struggled to climb out from the 2008 financial crisis under President Barack Obama, White House aides feared that prices might fall, instead of rise.

“Given the economic crisis, we worried about preventing deflation rather than inflation,” said Austan Goolsbee, a chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers during Obama’s first term.

The conversation has changed given the large amounts of money that the federal government is channeling into the economy, first under Trump and now under Biden. Since the pandemic took hold, Congress has approved more than $5 trillion in spending, including direct checks to individuals.

Biden’s aides are sufficiently worried about the risk of that spending fueling inflation that they shaped his infrastructure proposal, which has yet to be taken up by Congress, to funnel out $2.3 trillion over the course of eight years, which is slower than traditional stimulus.

Even before Summers and others raised economic concerns about Biden’s $1.9 trillion relief bill, officials were wrestling with their own worries about its inflation risks. They had internally concluded, with direction from Biden, that the biggest risk to the economy was going “too small” on the aid package — not spending enough to help vulnerable Americans survive continued stints of joblessness or lost income. But they wanted to know the risks of going “too big.”

They tested whether an uptick in inflation might cause people and financial markets to expect rapid price increases in the years to come, upending decades of what economists call “well-anchored” expectations for prices and potentially creating a situation where higher expectations led to higher inflation. They estimated the odds that the Fed would react to such moves by quickly and steeply raising interest rates, potentially slamming the brakes on growth and causing another recession.

The informal group that initially gathered to research those questions included Bernstein; David Kamin, a deputy director of the National Economic Council; Michael Pyle, Vice President Kamala Harris’ chief economic adviser; and two Treasury officials, Nellie Liang and Ben Harris. More members have joined over time, including Tedeschi.

The group reports regularly to Yellen and other senior officials including Brian Deese, who heads the National Economic Council, and Cecilia Rouse, who leads the Council of Economic Advisers. Its work has informed economic briefings of Biden and Harris.

“The president and the vice president, their job is to deliver good economic outcomes for the American people,” Pyle said in an interview. “Part of what delivering strong economic outcomes to the American people means is ensuring that their team is fully on top of both the tail winds to the U.S. economy but also the risks that are out there. And this is one of them.”

Pyle and his colleagues looked at financial market measures of inflation expectations, including one called the five-year, five-year forward, which currently shows investors expecting lower inflation levels over the next several years than they expected in 2018.

At the same time, officials at the Treasury’s Office of Economic Policy conducted a series of modeling exercises to “stress test” the virus relief package and how it might change those price and expectation measures if put in place. They considered scenarios in which consumers quickly spent their aid money, which included $1,400 checks, and scenarios in which they did not spend much of it at all right away. They talked with large banks about trends in customers’ cash balances and how quickly people were returning to the workforce. Yellen, a former Fed chair, helped adjust the models herself.

The exercises produced a wide range of possibilities for inflation. But they never suggested it would rise so rapidly that the Fed could not easily handle it by adjusting interest rates or other monetary policy tools. They saw no risk of a sharp return to recession — and no reason to pull back from spending proposals that administration officials believe will help the economy heal faster and help historically disadvantaged groups, like Black and Hispanic workers, regain jobs and income.

“We’re going to see some heat in this economy,” Pyle said. “That heat is going to be good and redound to the benefit of wages and labor market conditions overall and particularly for a number of communities that have been at the margins of the labor market for too long.”

If the data proves that forecast wrong, officials say privately, they will be quick to adapt. But they will not say how. If inflation were to accelerate in a sustained and surprising way, some officials suggest, the administration would trust the Fed to step in to contain it.

There is no plan, as of yet, for Biden to consider inflation-fighting actions of his own.

Even before President Joe Biden took office, some of his closest aides were focused on a question that risked derailing his economic agenda: Would his plans for a $1.

Even before President Joe Biden took office, some of his closest aides were focused on a question that risked derailing his economic agenda: Would his plans for a $1.9 trillion economic rescue package and additional government spending overheat the economy and fuel runaway inflation? To find the answer, a close circle of advisers now working at the White House and the Treasury Department projected the behaviors of shoppers, employers, stock traders and others if Biden’s plans succeeded. Officials as senior as Janet Yellen, the Treasury secretary, pored over the analyses in video calls and in-person meetings, looking for any hint that Biden’s plans could generate sustained price increases that could hamstring family budgets. It never appeared. Those efforts convinced Biden’s team that there is little risk of inflation spiraling out of the Federal Reserve’s control — an outcome that Wall Street analysts, a few prominent Republicans and even liberal economists like former Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers have said could flow from the trillions being pumped into the economy. Traditional readings of price increases are beginning to turn upward as the recovery accelerates. On Tuesday, the Consumer Price Index rose 0.6%, its fastest monthly increase in more than a decade, while a less volatile index excluding food and energy rose a more muted 0.3%. But Biden’s advisers believe any price spike is likely to be temporary and not harmful, essentially a one-time event stemming from the unique nature of a pandemic recession that ruptured supply chains and continues to depress activity in key economic sectors like restaurant dining and tourism. The administration’s view mirrors the posture of top officials at the Fed, including its chairman, Jerome Powell, whose mandate includes maintaining price stability in the economy. Powell has said that the Fed expects any short-term price pops to be temporary, not sustained, and not the type of uptick that would prompt the central bank to raise interest rates rapidly — or anytime soon. “What we see is relatively modest increases in inflation,” Powell said in March. “But those are not permanent things.” Armed with their internal data and conclusions, administration officials have begun to push back on warnings that a stimulus-fueled surge in consumer spending could revive a 1970s-style escalation in wages and prices that could cripple the economy in the years to come. Yet they remain wary of the inflation threat and have devised the next wave of Biden’s spending plans, a $2.3 trillion infrastructure package, to dispense money gradually enough not to stoke further price increases right away. Administration officials also continue to check on real-time measures of prices across the economy, multiple times a day. “We think the likeliest outlook over the next several months is for inflation to rise modestly,” two officials at Biden’s Council of Economic Advisers, Jared Bernstein and Ernie Tedeschi, wrote Monday in a blog post outlining some of the administration’s thinking. “We will, however, carefully monitor both actual price changes and inflation expectations for any signs of unexpected price pressures that might arise as America leaves the pandemic behind and enters the next economic expansion.” Some Republicans call that posture dangerous. Sen. Rick Scott of Florida, chairman of his party’s campaign arm for the 2022 midterm elections, has called on Biden and Powell to present plans to fight inflation now. “The president’s refusal to address this critical issue has a direct negative effect on Floridians and families across our nation, and hurts low- and fixed-income Americans the most,” Scott said in a news release last week. “It’s time for Biden to wake up from his liberal dream and realize that reckless spending has consequences, inflation is real and America’s debt crisis is growing. Inflation is rising and Americans deserve answers from Biden now.” Economic teams in recent administrations spent little time worrying about inflation, because inflationary pressures have been tame for decades. It has fallen short of the Fed’s average target of 2% for 10 of the last 12 years, topping out at 2.5% in the midst of the longest economic expansion in history. Shortly before the pandemic recession hit the United States in 2020, President Donald Trump’s economic team wrote that “price inflation remains low and stable” even with unemployment below 4%. As the economy struggled to climb out from the 2008 financial crisis under President Barack Obama, White House aides feared that prices might fall, instead of rise. “Given the economic crisis, we worried about preventing deflation rather than inflation,” said Austan Goolsbee, a chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers during Obama’s first term. The conversation has changed given the large amounts of money that the federal government is channeling into the economy, first under Trump and now under Biden. Since the pandemic took hold, Congress has approved more than $5 trillion in spending, including direct checks to individuals. Biden’s aides are sufficiently worried about the risk of that spending fueling inflation that they shaped his infrastructure proposal, which has yet to be taken up by Congress, to funnel out $2.3 trillion over the course of eight years, which is slower than traditional stimulus. Even before Summers and others raised economic concerns about Biden’s $1.9 trillion relief bill, officials were wrestling with their own worries about its inflation risks. They had internally concluded, with direction from Biden, that the biggest risk to the economy was going “too small” on the aid package — not spending enough to help vulnerable Americans survive continued stints of joblessness or lost income. But they wanted to know the risks of going “too big.” They tested whether an uptick in inflation might cause people and financial markets to expect rapid price increases in the years to come, upending decades of what economists call “well-anchored” expectations for prices and potentially creating a situation where higher expectations led to higher inflation. They estimated the odds that the Fed would react to such moves by quickly and steeply raising interest rates, potentially slamming the brakes on growth and causing another recession. The informal group that initially gathered to research those questions included Bernstein; David Kamin, a deputy director of the National Economic Council; Michael Pyle, Vice President Kamala Harris’ chief economic adviser; and two Treasury officials, Nellie Liang and Ben Harris. More members have joined over time, including Tedeschi. The group reports regularly to Yellen and other senior officials including Brian Deese, who heads the National Economic Council, and Cecilia Rouse, who leads the Council of Economic Advisers. Its work has informed economic briefings of Biden and Harris. “The president and the vice president, their job is to deliver good economic outcomes for the American people,” Pyle said in an interview. “Part of what delivering strong economic outcomes to the American people means is ensuring that their team is fully on top of both the tail winds to the U.S. economy but also the risks that are out there. And this is one of them.” Pyle and his colleagues looked at financial market measures of inflation expectations, including one called the five-year, five-year forward, which currently shows investors expecting lower inflation levels over the next several years than they expected in 2018. At the same time, officials at the Treasury’s Office of Economic Policy conducted a series of modeling exercises to “stress test” the virus relief package and how it might change those price and expectation measures if put in place. They considered scenarios in which consumers quickly spent their aid money, which included $1,400 checks, and scenarios in which they did not spend much of it at all right away. They talked with large banks about trends in customers’ cash balances and how quickly people were returning to the workforce. Yellen, a former Fed chair, helped adjust the models herself. The exercises produced a wide range of possibilities for inflation. But they never suggested it would rise so rapidly that the Fed could not easily handle it by adjusting interest rates or other monetary policy tools. They saw no risk of a sharp return to recession — and no reason to pull back from spending proposals that administration officials believe will help the economy heal faster and help historically disadvantaged groups, like Black and Hispanic workers, regain jobs and income. “We’re going to see some heat in this economy,” Pyle said. “That heat is going to be good and redound to the benefit of wages and labor market conditions overall and particularly for a number of communities that have been at the margins of the labor market for too long.” If the data proves that forecast wrong, officials say privately, they will be quick to adapt. But they will not say how. If inflation were to accelerate in a sustained and surprising way, some officials suggest, the administration would trust the Fed to step in to contain it. There is no plan, as of yet, for Biden to consider inflation-fighting actions of his own.

The Biden administration is quietly keeping tabs on inflation

President Joe Biden announced Wednesday it's "time to end" America's longest war with the unconditional withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan where they have spent two decades in a bloody, largely fruitless battle against the Taliban.

Dubbed the "forever war," the US military onslaught in Afghanistan began in response to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks against the United States.

Watch |&nbsp;

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/biden-to-pull-out-all-us-troops-from-afghanistan-by-september-11-377553/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

&nbsp;

Now, 20 years later -- after almost 2,400 US military and tens of thousands of Afghan deaths -- Biden is naming September 11 as the deadline by which the last US soldiers will have finally departed.

The war is at best at a stalemate.

The internationally backed government in Kabul has only tenuous control in swaths of the country, while the Taliban are growing in strength, with many predicting the insurgency will seek to regain total power once the government's US military umbrella is removed.

In a speech later Wednesday, Biden was to tell Americans that it's time to accept the reality that there's no alternative to a clean break.

"We cannot continue the cycle of extending or expanding our military presence in Afghanistan hoping to create the ideal conditions for our withdrawal, expecting a different result," he was to say, according to excerpts released ahead of his speech.

"I am now the fourth American president to preside over an American troop presence in Afghanistan. Two Republicans. Two Democrats," he said. "I will not pass this responsibility to a fifth."

Biden's decision is not a shock. The war is hugely unpopular among voters and Biden's predecessor Donald Trump had committed to an even earlier exit of May 1.

Biden ally Senator Bernie Sanders called it "brave."

However, there was immediate criticism from some quarters that the United States is abandoning the Afghan government and encouraging jihadist insurgencies.

"Wars don't end when one side abandons the fight," influential Republican Representative Liz Cheney said.

"Withdrawing our forces from Afghanistan by Sept 11 will only embolden the very jihadists who attacked our homeland on that day 20 years ago."

'Recipe' for forever war&nbsp;

Biden was set to say in his speech that Washington will continue to support the Afghan government, only not "militarily."

This will mark a profound shift in clout for the beleaguered government and its US and coalition-trained security forces.

A senior administration official said the US military exit would be completed by September 11.

Biden had earlier considered stationing a residual US force to strike at Al-Qaeda or other international jihadist groups in Afghanistan or making withdrawal contingent on progress on the ground or in slow-moving peace talks.

In the end, he decided to leave only personnel to guard installations like the US embassy in Kabul, a senior official said.

"The president has judged that a conditions-based approach, which has been the approach of the past two decades, is a recipe for staying in Afghanistan forever," the official told reporters on condition of anonymity.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the moment had arrived to bring forces back home, and Washington would work out a "coordinated" withdrawal plan with its NATO allies.

"Together, we have achieved the goals that we set out to achieve and now it is time to bring our forces home," Blinken said ahead of talks with NATO partners in Brussels.&nbsp;

German Defence Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer said Wednesday that NATO would likely join the US in withdrawing its troops by September.&nbsp;

The Times newspaper said Britain would withdraw its roughly 750 troops, citing sources as saying "they would struggle without American support because of a reliance on US bases and infrastructure."

Taliban 'confident'&nbsp;

The Biden official said the withdrawal would begin in May and that the delay was largely logistical, with troops possibly out of Afghanistan well before September 11.

The official warned the Taliban -- who are observing a truce with US but not with Afghan forces -- not to strike coalition forces as they leave, saying that in response to any attack "we will hit back hard."

But a threat assessment report published Tuesday by the director of US national intelligence said the Taliban "is confident it can achieve military victory."&nbsp;

The upheaval raises big questions over the future of attempts to modernize Afghanistan, especially for Afghan women who have benefited from increased rights, like access to education.

The Taliban, who enforce an austere brand of Sunni Islam, banned women from schools, offices, music and most of daily life during their 1996-2001 rule over much of Afghanistan. Two decades later, 40 percent of schoolchildren are girls.

Peace effort in Turkey&nbsp;

Biden's decision came as Turkey said it will host a US-backed peace conference from April 24 to May 4 that would bring together the Afghan government, the Taliban and international partners.

But Mohammad Naeem, spokesman for the Taliban office in Qatar, said the insurgents will not participate in any conference on Afghanistan's future "until all foreign forces completely withdraw."

A decade ago, the United States had about 100,000 troops in Afghanistan.

The troop figure by the end of Trump's presidency had gone down to 2,500. As of February this year, NATO had around 10,000 troops in Afghanistan. 
&nbsp;

President Joe Biden announced Wednesday it's "time to end" America's longest war with the unconditional withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan where they have spent two decades in a bloody, largely fruitless battle against the Taliban.

President Joe Biden announced Wednesday it's "time to end" America's longest war with the unconditional withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan where they have spent two decades in a bloody, largely fruitless battle against the Taliban. Dubbed the "forever war," the US military onslaught in Afghanistan began in response to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks against the United States. Watch | Now, 20 years later -- after almost 2,400 US military and tens of thousands of Afghan deaths -- Biden is naming September 11 as the deadline by which the last US soldiers will have finally departed. The war is at best at a stalemate. The internationally backed government in Kabul has only tenuous control in swaths of the country, while the Taliban are growing in strength, with many predicting the insurgency will seek to regain total power once the government's US military umbrella is removed. In a speech later Wednesday, Biden was to tell Americans that it's time to accept the reality that there's no alternative to a clean break. "We cannot continue the cycle of extending or expanding our military presence in Afghanistan hoping to create the ideal conditions for our withdrawal, expecting a different result," he was to say, according to excerpts released ahead of his speech. "I am now the fourth American president to preside over an American troop presence in Afghanistan. Two Republicans. Two Democrats," he said. "I will not pass this responsibility to a fifth." Biden's decision is not a shock. The war is hugely unpopular among voters and Biden's predecessor Donald Trump had committed to an even earlier exit of May 1. Biden ally Senator Bernie Sanders called it "brave." However, there was immediate criticism from some quarters that the United States is abandoning the Afghan government and encouraging jihadist insurgencies. "Wars don't end when one side abandons the fight," influential Republican Representative Liz Cheney said. "Withdrawing our forces from Afghanistan by Sept 11 will only embolden the very jihadists who attacked our homeland on that day 20 years ago." 'Recipe' for forever war Biden was set to say in his speech that Washington will continue to support the Afghan government, only not "militarily." This will mark a profound shift in clout for the beleaguered government and its US and coalition-trained security forces. A senior administration official said the US military exit would be completed by September 11. Biden had earlier considered stationing a residual US force to strike at Al-Qaeda or other international jihadist groups in Afghanistan or making withdrawal contingent on progress on the ground or in slow-moving peace talks. In the end, he decided to leave only personnel to guard installations like the US embassy in Kabul, a senior official said. "The president has judged that a conditions-based approach, which has been the approach of the past two decades, is a recipe for staying in Afghanistan forever," the official told reporters on condition of anonymity. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the moment had arrived to bring forces back home, and Washington would work out a "coordinated" withdrawal plan with its NATO allies. "Together, we have achieved the goals that we set out to achieve and now it is time to bring our forces home," Blinken said ahead of talks with NATO partners in Brussels. German Defence Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer said Wednesday that NATO would likely join the US in withdrawing its troops by September. The Times newspaper said Britain would withdraw its roughly 750 troops, citing sources as saying "they would struggle without American support because of a reliance on US bases and infrastructure." Taliban 'confident' The Biden official said the withdrawal would begin in May and that the delay was largely logistical, with troops possibly out of Afghanistan well before September 11. The official warned the Taliban -- who are observing a truce with US but not with Afghan forces -- not to strike coalition forces as they leave, saying that in response to any attack "we will hit back hard." But a threat assessment report published Tuesday by the director of US national intelligence said the Taliban "is confident it can achieve military victory." The upheaval raises big questions over the future of attempts to modernize Afghanistan, especially for Afghan women who have benefited from increased rights, like access to education. The Taliban, who enforce an austere brand of Sunni Islam, banned women from schools, offices, music and most of daily life during their 1996-2001 rule over much of Afghanistan. Two decades later, 40 percent of schoolchildren are girls. Peace effort in Turkey Biden's decision came as Turkey said it will host a US-backed peace conference from April 24 to May 4 that would bring together the Afghan government, the Taliban and international partners. But Mohammad Naeem, spokesman for the Taliban office in Qatar, said the insurgents will not participate in any conference on Afghanistan's future "until all foreign forces completely withdraw." A decade ago, the United States had about 100,000 troops in Afghanistan. The troop figure by the end of Trump's presidency had gone down to 2,500. As of February this year, NATO had around 10,000 troops in Afghanistan.

Biden says 'time to end' US war in Afghanistan with total pullout

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday said that the moment has arrived to bring the foreign troops home, adding that Washington would engage with NATO allies on a "coordinated" pull-out.&nbsp;

"Together, we have achieved the goals that we set out to achieve and now it is time to bring our forces home," Blinken was quoted as saying by news agency AFP ahead of talks with NATO nations in Brussels.&nbsp;

Watch |&nbsp;

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/antony-blinken-to-return-to-brussels-for-talks-on-ukraine-afghanistan-377207/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

Blinken's comments came on a day when US President <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/joe-biden">Joe Biden </a>is set to formally announce that all US troops will be pulled out from Afghanistan no later than September 11, a senior official has confirmed.&nbsp;

Meanwhile, the US's NATO ally Germany has supported the move of withdrawal by September with its Defence Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer saying: "We always said: we'll go in together, we'll leave together". &nbsp;

A report in The Times claimed that Britain is also planning to pull out its troops from the country around the same time.

Also read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/biden-set-to-complete-withdrawal-of-remaining-us-troops-from-afghanistan-before-911-anniversary-377408">Biden set to complete withdrawal of remaining US troops from Afghanistan before 9/11 anniversary</a> 
&nbsp;

It said that UK would pull out about 750 troops, citing sources that without the US, Britain would "struggle" because of "a reliance on US bases and infrastructure."

Meanwhile, Turkey has announced an international peace conference in Afghanistan to reach a solution to end nearly 40 years of violence and chaos that has ravaged the nation.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday said that the moment has arrived to bring the foreign troops home, adding that Washington would engage with NATO allies on a "coordinated" pull-out.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday said that the moment has arrived to bring the foreign troops home, adding that Washington would engage with NATO allies on a "coordinated" pull-out. "Together, we have achieved the goals that we set out to achieve and now it is time to bring our forces home," Blinken was quoted as saying by news agency AFP ahead of talks with NATO nations in Brussels. Watch | Blinken's comments came on a day when US President Joe Biden is set to formally announce that all US troops will be pulled out from Afghanistan no later than September 11, a senior official has confirmed. Meanwhile, the US's NATO ally Germany has supported the move of withdrawal by September with its Defence Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer saying: "We always said: we'll go in together, we'll leave together". A report in The Times claimed that Britain is also planning to pull out its troops from the country around the same time. Also read | Biden set to complete withdrawal of remaining US troops from Afghanistan before 9/11 anniversary It said that UK would pull out about 750 troops, citing sources that without the US, Britain would "struggle" because of "a reliance on US bases and infrastructure." Meanwhile, Turkey has announced an international peace conference in Afghanistan to reach a solution to end nearly 40 years of violence and chaos that has ravaged the nation.

'Time to bring our forces home': US on Afghan pullout

The remaining&nbsp;2,500 US troops in Afghanistan are set to be withdrawn by September 11, 2021 by President Joe Biden. US officials on Tuesday announced the withdrawal is set to take place on the same day on which the US was attacked in 2001&nbsp;by al Qaeda, triggering America’s longest-running war.

Former President Donald Trump had agreed to a May 1 deadline for withdrawal with the Taliban&nbsp;and now many US intelligence officials believe the chances of a peace deal in the country are dim. In addition, the Afghan government could struggle in holding off the insurgency by Taliban if the US withdraws its support.

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/antony-blinken-to-return-to-brussels-for-talks-on-ukraine-afghanistan-377207/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

Earlier, insurgents in the country had threatened to continue the series of violence in Afghanistan if the May 1 deadline was missed.

The White House official told Reuters that Biden is expected to officially announce the withdrawal on Wednesday. The withdrawal of troops will begin before May 1 and could be finished before the September 11 deadline.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/world/blinken-to-return-to-brussels-for-talks-on-ukraine-afghanistan-376910" hreflang="en">Blinken to return to Brussels for talks on Ukraine, Afghanistan&nbsp;</a>

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin are expected to discuss Afghanistan with NATO allies in Belgium on Wednesday. Biden’s withdrawal confirms the trope in US administration that the military can no longer ensure peace in Afghanistan.

In the intelligence report&nbsp;which was sent to US Congress, the following is stated - “Kabul continues to face setbacks on the battlefield, and the Taliban is confident it can achieve military victory."

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/world/turkey-talks-on-afghanistan-likely-on-april-16-kabul-does-not-see-any-change-in-taliban-375963" hreflang="en">Turkey talks on Afghanistan likely on April 16, Kabul does not see any change in Taliban</a>

A 10-day summit is currently planned to begin starting April 24 in Istanbul to discuss Afghanistan. The Taliban has refused to participate in the discussion, saying that they would begin talking only once foreign forces had left the country.

(With inputs from agencies)

The remaining 2,500 US troops in Afghanistan are set to be withdrawn by September 11, 2021 by President Joe Biden. US officials on Tuesday announced the withdrawal is set to take place on the same day on which the US was attacked in 2001 by al Qaeda, triggering America’s longest-running war.

The remaining 2,500 US troops in Afghanistan are set to be withdrawn by September 11, 2021 by President Joe Biden. US officials on Tuesday announced the withdrawal is set to take place on the same day on which the US was attacked in 2001 by al Qaeda, triggering America’s longest-running war. Former President Donald Trump had agreed to a May 1 deadline for withdrawal with the Taliban and now many US intelligence officials believe the chances of a peace deal in the country are dim. In addition, the Afghan government could struggle in holding off the insurgency by Taliban if the US withdraws its support. Earlier, insurgents in the country had threatened to continue the series of violence in Afghanistan if the May 1 deadline was missed. The White House official told Reuters that Biden is expected to officially announce the withdrawal on Wednesday. The withdrawal of troops will begin before May 1 and could be finished before the September 11 deadline. Also read: Blinken to return to Brussels for talks on Ukraine, Afghanistan US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin are expected to discuss Afghanistan with NATO allies in Belgium on Wednesday. Biden’s withdrawal confirms the trope in US administration that the military can no longer ensure peace in Afghanistan. In the intelligence report which was sent to US Congress, the following is stated - “Kabul continues to face setbacks on the battlefield, and the Taliban is confident it can achieve military victory." Also read: Turkey talks on Afghanistan likely on April 16, Kabul does not see any change in Taliban A 10-day summit is currently planned to begin starting April 24 in Istanbul to discuss Afghanistan. The Taliban has refused to participate in the discussion, saying that they would begin talking only once foreign forces had left the country. (With inputs from agencies)

Biden set to complete withdrawal of remaining US troops from Afghanistan before 9/11 anniversary

US&nbsp;President Joe&nbsp;Biden&nbsp;on Tuesday&nbsp;described the most recent shooting death of a Black man in Minnesota by a police officer as "God awful" and said he and members of the Congressional Black Caucus were meeting to deliver "real change."

The mayor of Brooklyn Center, Minnesota announced the resignation of that town's police chief and of the officer who fatally shot at Daunte Wright, a 20-year old Black man who had struggled with police after a traffic stop.

Mayor Mike Elliott told reporters they resigned after the Brooklyn Center city council passed a resolution to dismiss both the chief, Tim Gannon, and the officer who shot Wright, Kim Potter, a 26-year veteran of the police force.

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The moves followed two nights of protests in the city of 30,000 people just miles from Minneapolis, a city already on edge with the trial of Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer charged with murdering George Floyd.

Brooklyn Center Mayor Mike Elliott said he was "appreciative" that Potter submitted her resignation but that he had not asked for it nor accepted it. It wasn't immediately clear what that would mean.

Gannon has said he believed Potter mistakenly grabbed her gun when she was going for her Taser. She can be heard on her body camera video shouting "Taser! Taser!"

However, protesters and Wright's family members say there's no excuse for the shooting and it shows how the justice system is tilted against Blacks, noting Wright was stopped for expired car registration and ended up dead.

Elliott said the city had been moving toward firing Potter when she resigned. He said he hoped her resignation would "bring some calm to the community," but that he would keep working towards "full accountability under the law".

"We have to make sure that justice is served, justice is done. Daunte Wright deserves that, his family deserves that," Elliott said.

Activists who attended the news conference called for sweeping changes to the Brooklyn Center Police Department and sharply criticized the acting police chief, Tony Gruenig, for not yet having a plan.

Elliott said the department has about 49 police officers, none of whom live in Brooklyn Center. He said he didn't have information on racial diversity at hand but that "we have very few people of colour in our department".

The modest suburb just north of Minneapolis has seen its demographics shift dramatically in recent years. In 2000, more than 70 per cent of the city was white. Today, a majority of residents are Black, Asian or Latino.

Wright was stopped for having expired license plates. Police then tried to arrest him on an outstanding warrant after failing to appear in court on charges that he fled from officers and possessed a gun without a permit during an encounter with Minneapolis police in June.

Former US&nbsp;President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama issued a statement on Tuesday calling for a "full and transparent investigation" following "yet another shooting of a Black man."

Body camera footage released Monday shows Wright struggling with police when an officer shouts, "I'll Tase you! I'll Tase you! Taser! Taser! Taser!" She draws her weapon after the man breaks free from police outside his car and gets back behind the wheel.

After firing a single shot from her handgun, the car speeds away, and the officer is heard saying, "Holy (expletive)! I shot him." Wright died of a gunshot wound to the chest, according to the medical examiner. Protests began within hours.

In her one-paragraph letter of resignation, Potter, a 26-year veteran,&nbsp;said, "I have loved every minute of being a police officer and serving this community to the best of my ability, but I believe it is in the best interest of the community, the department, and my fellow officers if I resign immediately."

Wright's father, Aubrey Wright, told ABC's "Good Morning America" on Tuesday that he rejects the explanation that Potter mistook her gun for her Taser.

"I lost my son. He's never coming back. I can't accept that. A mistake? That doesn't even sound right. This officer has been on the force for 26 years. I can't accept that," he said.

Chyna Whitaker, mother of Daunte's son, said at a news conference that she felt police "stole my son's dad from him."

The Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association, the police union, said in a statement Tuesday that "no conclusions should be made until the investigation is complete."

Prosecutors in Hennepin County, where the shooting occurred, said they have referred the case to nearby Washington County -- a practice county attorneys in the Minneapolis area adopted last year in handling police deadly force cases. The Washington County Attorney's office did not immediately return a request for comment.

Elliott, the mayor, called for the governor to move the case to the attorney general to prosecute.

Asked to comment, John Stiles, spokesman for the attorney general's office, said the attorney general has confidence in Washington County Attorney Pete Orput's review of the case.

Ben Crump, the Wright family's attorney, spoke outside the Minneapolis courthouse where a fired police officer is on trial in Floyd's death. Crump compared Wright's death to Floyd's, who was pinned down by police when they tried to arrest him for allegedly passing a counterfeit $20 at a neighbourhood market last May.

Daunte Wright "was not a threat to them," Crump said. "Was it the best decision? No. But young people don't always make the best decisions. As his mother said, he was scared."

Potter has experience with investigations into police shootings. She was the police union president and one of the first officers to respond after Brooklyn Center police fatally shot a man who allegedly tried to stab an officer with a knife in 2019, according to a report from the Hennepin County Attorney's Office.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

US President Joe Biden on Tuesday described the most recent shooting death of a Black man in Minnesota by a police officer as "God awful" and said he and members of the Congressional Black Caucus were meeting to deliver "real change.

US President Joe Biden on Tuesday described the most recent shooting death of a Black man in Minnesota by a police officer as "God awful" and said he and members of the Congressional Black Caucus were meeting to deliver "real change." The mayor of Brooklyn Center, Minnesota announced the resignation of that town's police chief and of the officer who fatally shot at Daunte Wright, a 20-year old Black man who had struggled with police after a traffic stop. Mayor Mike Elliott told reporters they resigned after the Brooklyn Center city council passed a resolution to dismiss both the chief, Tim Gannon, and the officer who shot Wright, Kim Potter, a 26-year veteran of the police force. The moves followed two nights of protests in the city of 30,000 people just miles from Minneapolis, a city already on edge with the trial of Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer charged with murdering George Floyd. Brooklyn Center Mayor Mike Elliott said he was "appreciative" that Potter submitted her resignation but that he had not asked for it nor accepted it. It wasn't immediately clear what that would mean. Gannon has said he believed Potter mistakenly grabbed her gun when she was going for her Taser. She can be heard on her body camera video shouting "Taser! Taser!" However, protesters and Wright's family members say there's no excuse for the shooting and it shows how the justice system is tilted against Blacks, noting Wright was stopped for expired car registration and ended up dead. Elliott said the city had been moving toward firing Potter when she resigned. He said he hoped her resignation would "bring some calm to the community," but that he would keep working towards "full accountability under the law". "We have to make sure that justice is served, justice is done. Daunte Wright deserves that, his family deserves that," Elliott said. Activists who attended the news conference called for sweeping changes to the Brooklyn Center Police Department and sharply criticized the acting police chief, Tony Gruenig, for not yet having a plan. Elliott said the department has about 49 police officers, none of whom live in Brooklyn Center. He said he didn't have information on racial diversity at hand but that "we have very few people of colour in our department". The modest suburb just north of Minneapolis has seen its demographics shift dramatically in recent years. In 2000, more than 70 per cent of the city was white. Today, a majority of residents are Black, Asian or Latino. Wright was stopped for having expired license plates. Police then tried to arrest him on an outstanding warrant after failing to appear in court on charges that he fled from officers and possessed a gun without a permit during an encounter with Minneapolis police in June. Former US President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama issued a statement on Tuesday calling for a "full and transparent investigation" following "yet another shooting of a Black man." Body camera footage released Monday shows Wright struggling with police when an officer shouts, "I'll Tase you! I'll Tase you! Taser! Taser! Taser!" She draws her weapon after the man breaks free from police outside his car and gets back behind the wheel. After firing a single shot from her handgun, the car speeds away, and the officer is heard saying, "Holy (expletive)! I shot him." Wright died of a gunshot wound to the chest, according to the medical examiner. Protests began within hours. In her one-paragraph letter of resignation, Potter, a 26-year veteran, said, "I have loved every minute of being a police officer and serving this community to the best of my ability, but I believe it is in the best interest of the community, the department, and my fellow officers if I resign immediately." Wright's father, Aubrey Wright, told ABC's "Good Morning America" on Tuesday that he rejects the explanation that Potter mistook her gun for her Taser. "I lost my son. He's never coming back. I can't accept that. A mistake? That doesn't even sound right. This officer has been on the force for 26 years. I can't accept that," he said. Chyna Whitaker, mother of Daunte's son, said at a news conference that she felt police "stole my son's dad from him." The Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association, the police union, said in a statement Tuesday that "no conclusions should be made until the investigation is complete." Prosecutors in Hennepin County, where the shooting occurred, said they have referred the case to nearby Washington County -- a practice county attorneys in the Minneapolis area adopted last year in handling police deadly force cases. The Washington County Attorney's office did not immediately return a request for comment. Elliott, the mayor, called for the governor to move the case to the attorney general to prosecute. Asked to comment, John Stiles, spokesman for the attorney general's office, said the attorney general has confidence in Washington County Attorney Pete Orput's review of the case. Ben Crump, the Wright family's attorney, spoke outside the Minneapolis courthouse where a fired police officer is on trial in Floyd's death. Crump compared Wright's death to Floyd's, who was pinned down by police when they tried to arrest him for allegedly passing a counterfeit $20 at a neighbourhood market last May. Daunte Wright "was not a threat to them," Crump said. "Was it the best decision? No. But young people don't always make the best decisions. As his mother said, he was scared." Potter has experience with investigations into police shootings. She was the police union president and one of the first officers to respond after Brooklyn Center police fatally shot a man who allegedly tried to stab an officer with a knife in 2019, according to a report from the Hennepin County Attorney's Office. (With inputs from agencies)

'God awful': Biden condemns latest police shooting of Black man in Minnesota

US President Joe Biden on Tuesday told his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to lower tensions on the Ukrainian border and suggested they hold their first summit.

The White House and the Kremlin reported only the second conversation between the two since Biden took office in January. Western officials urged Moscow to end the build-up and Russia, in words recalling the Cold War, said its "adversary" should keep US&nbsp;warships well away from the Crimea region.

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Russia seized Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 and fighting has increased in recent weeks in eastern Ukraine, where government forces have battled Russian-backed separatists in a seven-year conflict that Kyiv says has killed 14,000 people.

In a sign of concern about tensions spinning out of control in the Ukraine crisis, Biden phoned Putin to propose they meet in a third country while underlining US&nbsp;commitment to Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

"President Biden also made clear that the United States will act firmly in defense of its national interests in response to Russia's actions, such as cyber intrusions and election interference," the White House said in a statement.

"The president voiced our concerns over the sudden Russian military build-up in occupied Crimea and on Ukraine’s borders, and called on Russia to de-escalate tensions," it said.

In the first public Russian description of the build-up, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Moscow had moved two armies and three paratrooper units to its western border as part of a large snap drill meant to test combat readiness and respond to what he called threatening military action by NATO.

Shoigu said on state TV that the three-week exercise, which he called successful, was due to wrap up in the next two weeks.

Shoigu said NATO was deploying 40,000 troops and 15,000 pieces of military equipment near Russia's borders, mainly in the Black Sea and the Baltic regions.

The Western alliance denies any such plans.

A senior U.S. State Department official told reporters: "We know Russia's capacity. This enormous build-up that they've made militarily ... to take aggressive action, but we don't know their intentions obviously," the official said.

Russia has regularly accused NATO of destabilizing Europe with its troop reinforcements in the Baltics and Poland since the annexation of Crimea.

Two US&nbsp;warships are due to arrive in the Black Sea this week in response to what U.S. and NATO officials say is the largest massing of Russian forces - with thousands of combat-ready troops - since Moscow seized Crimea from Ukraine.

"We warn the United States that it will be better for them to stay far away from Crimea and our Black Sea coast," Ryabkov said. "It will be for their own good. He called the US&nbsp;deployment a provocation designed to test Russian nerves.

Blinken met Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba in Brussels after Group of Seven foreign ministers condemned what they said was the unexplained rise in Russian troop numbers.

Echoing NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, who met Kuleba earlier, Blinken said Moscow's military actions on Ukraine's doorstep were "very provocative".

"Russia must end this military build-up in and around Ukraine, stop its provocations and de-escalate immediately," Stoltenberg said at a news conference with Kuleba.

Kyiv has welcomed the show of Western support, but it falls short of Ukraine's desire for full membership of NATO.

Kuleba said Kyiv wanted a diplomatic solution, though he also appealed for further economic sanctions against Moscow and more military assistance to Ukraine.

Separately, two diplomats said Stoltenberg would chair a video conference with allied defense and foreign ministers on Wednesday. Blinken and U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin were to be present at NATO headquarters to brief the other 29 allies on Ukraine, as well as on Afghanistan, the diplomats said.

In contrast to former president Donald Trump's reluctance to criticize Putin, Biden came into office in January openly attacking what he says is the Kremlin's meddling in US elections, &nbsp;mounting of a huge cyber attack last year, and the jailing of opposition leader Alexei Navalny.

Biden said in a March interview that he agreed Putin is a "killer."

The White House has promised retaliatory actions but has yet to make public any details.

In a surprise move Tuesday, Biden also used the call to suggest a summit with Putin somewhere other than in the United States or Russia.

"President Biden reaffirmed his goal of building a stable and predictable relationship with Russia consistent with US interests, and proposed a summit meeting in a third country in the coming months to discuss the full range of issues facing the United States and Russia," the White House statement said.

Putin similarly held a summit in Finland in 2018 with Trump, who caused a furor at home by appearing to ignore his own intelligence community's assessment and to accept the Russian leader's denials of election meddling.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said that the summit was being proposed for "the coming months," which would mean "this summer."

However, she expressed US skepticism over how much could be achieved in relations with Putin's Russia.

"What we're working toward is predictable and stable. We're not looking for an establishment of trust as much as a predictability and stability," she told reporters.

Moscow earlier Tuesday responded to criticism of its troop deployments by saying they were "training exercises" and said Russia felt threatened by the western NATO alliance.

In its readout of the Biden-Putin call, the Kremlin said "both sides expressed their readiness to continue dialogue on the most important areas of ensuring global security."

It also said that Biden proposed a summit "in the near future" but did not say whether the idea had been accepted.

Amid fears in Ukraine that Russia could launch a large-scale assault, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba met in Brussels with top officials of NATO nations including US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who voiced his strong support for Kiev.

(With input from agencies)

US President Joe Biden on Tuesday told his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to lower tensions on the Ukrainian border and suggested they hold their first summit.

US President Joe Biden on Tuesday told his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to lower tensions on the Ukrainian border and suggested they hold their first summit. The White House and the Kremlin reported only the second conversation between the two since Biden took office in January. Western officials urged Moscow to end the build-up and Russia, in words recalling the Cold War, said its "adversary" should keep US warships well away from the Crimea region. Russia seized Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 and fighting has increased in recent weeks in eastern Ukraine, where government forces have battled Russian-backed separatists in a seven-year conflict that Kyiv says has killed 14,000 people. In a sign of concern about tensions spinning out of control in the Ukraine crisis, Biden phoned Putin to propose they meet in a third country while underlining US commitment to Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity. "President Biden also made clear that the United States will act firmly in defense of its national interests in response to Russia's actions, such as cyber intrusions and election interference," the White House said in a statement. "The president voiced our concerns over the sudden Russian military build-up in occupied Crimea and on Ukraine’s borders, and called on Russia to de-escalate tensions," it said. In the first public Russian description of the build-up, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Moscow had moved two armies and three paratrooper units to its western border as part of a large snap drill meant to test combat readiness and respond to what he called threatening military action by NATO. Shoigu said on state TV that the three-week exercise, which he called successful, was due to wrap up in the next two weeks. Shoigu said NATO was deploying 40,000 troops and 15,000 pieces of military equipment near Russia's borders, mainly in the Black Sea and the Baltic regions. The Western alliance denies any such plans. A senior U.S. State Department official told reporters: "We know Russia's capacity. This enormous build-up that they've made militarily ... to take aggressive action, but we don't know their intentions obviously," the official said. Russia has regularly accused NATO of destabilizing Europe with its troop reinforcements in the Baltics and Poland since the annexation of Crimea. Two US warships are due to arrive in the Black Sea this week in response to what U.S. and NATO officials say is the largest massing of Russian forces - with thousands of combat-ready troops - since Moscow seized Crimea from Ukraine. "We warn the United States that it will be better for them to stay far away from Crimea and our Black Sea coast," Ryabkov said. "It will be for their own good. He called the US deployment a provocation designed to test Russian nerves. Blinken met Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba in Brussels after Group of Seven foreign ministers condemned what they said was the unexplained rise in Russian troop numbers. Echoing NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, who met Kuleba earlier, Blinken said Moscow's military actions on Ukraine's doorstep were "very provocative". "Russia must end this military build-up in and around Ukraine, stop its provocations and de-escalate immediately," Stoltenberg said at a news conference with Kuleba. Kyiv has welcomed the show of Western support, but it falls short of Ukraine's desire for full membership of NATO. Kuleba said Kyiv wanted a diplomatic solution, though he also appealed for further economic sanctions against Moscow and more military assistance to Ukraine. Separately, two diplomats said Stoltenberg would chair a video conference with allied defense and foreign ministers on Wednesday. Blinken and U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin were to be present at NATO headquarters to brief the other 29 allies on Ukraine, as well as on Afghanistan, the diplomats said. In contrast to former president Donald Trump's reluctance to criticize Putin, Biden came into office in January openly attacking what he says is the Kremlin's meddling in US elections, mounting of a huge cyber attack last year, and the jailing of opposition leader Alexei Navalny. Biden said in a March interview that he agreed Putin is a "killer." The White House has promised retaliatory actions but has yet to make public any details. In a surprise move Tuesday, Biden also used the call to suggest a summit with Putin somewhere other than in the United States or Russia. "President Biden reaffirmed his goal of building a stable and predictable relationship with Russia consistent with US interests, and proposed a summit meeting in a third country in the coming months to discuss the full range of issues facing the United States and Russia," the White House statement said. Putin similarly held a summit in Finland in 2018 with Trump, who caused a furor at home by appearing to ignore his own intelligence community's assessment and to accept the Russian leader's denials of election meddling. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said that the summit was being proposed for "the coming months," which would mean "this summer." However, she expressed US skepticism over how much could be achieved in relations with Putin's Russia. "What we're working toward is predictable and stable. We're not looking for an establishment of trust as much as a predictability and stability," she told reporters. Moscow earlier Tuesday responded to criticism of its troop deployments by saying they were "training exercises" and said Russia felt threatened by the western NATO alliance. In its readout of the Biden-Putin call, the Kremlin said "both sides expressed their readiness to continue dialogue on the most important areas of ensuring global security." It also said that Biden proposed a summit "in the near future" but did not say whether the idea had been accepted. Amid fears in Ukraine that Russia could launch a large-scale assault, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba met in Brussels with top officials of NATO nations including US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who voiced his strong support for Kiev. (With input from agencies)

Biden tells Putin to ease tensions on Ukrainian border, proposes summit

Amid increasing rift between the United States and Russia over Kremlin border army buildup, US President Joe Biden has proposed a high-level meeting with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Mr Biden reiterated the U.S.’s “unwavering commitment” to Ukraine’s sovereignty according to the White House.

US Prez Joe Biden proposes a high-level summit with Vladimir Putin

With 3 conflicts looming in 3 different parts of the world, America's global leadership is being put to the test. To overcome these conflicts, Joe Biden will need allies. But Washington's recent adventurism near Lakshadweep sends mixed signals. WION's Palki Sharma has more.

Gravitas: US needs to reboot alliance politics

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