President Emmanuel Macron of France struck a chummy tone with President Trump even as he corrected him with a smile during joint appearances on Monday. That one-two punch of flattery and gentle resistance is an example of how some European leaders are trying to approach America at a fraught moment. The question is whether it … Read more
Vatican City is an anxious place. Clergy keep their phones by their pillows. Reporters, crammed in the Holy See press office, open emails with trepidation. Faithful have begun to gather expectantly in St. Peter’s Square. All await terse bulletins from the Vatican on the condition of Pope Francis, who remains critical after being taken to … Read more
As the commander of a rebel group allied with Al Qaeda during Syria’s long civil war, the man known by his nom du guerre, Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, welcomed foreign jihadists, dispatched suicide bombers to blow up military posts and vowed to create an Islamic state. A decade ago, he told a journalist that Muslims should … Read more
The antagonistic messaging President Trump has delivered to Ukraine since taking office has presented leaders in Kyiv with a brutal reckoning: that the United States can no longer be counted on as a supporter, and may even be an adversary, in the effort to end the war with Russia. In the past two weeks, Mr. … Read more
Taiwanese authorities said they had detained a cargo ship crewed by Chinese nationals, which investigators believe may have severed an undersea communications cable near the island on Tuesday. It was the latest in a series of murky incidents that have prompted theories that China and Russia may be turning to cable sabotage as a form … Read more
Soon after Russia invaded Ukraine, Taiwan’s leaders joined the United States and its allies in declaring solidarity with the victim. Taiwan and Ukraine were fellow democracies, they said, each imperiled by its hulking, authoritarian neighbor. Now, President Trump’s turn against Ukraine could fan debate in Taiwan about whether it can count on American support in … Read more
Tensions on the anniversary of Russia’s invasion President Trump met with his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, at the White House yesterday, three years to the day after Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The leaders diverged significantly over the war’s causes, each side’s role in the conflict and its possible resolution. Trump told reporters … Read more
The Alternative for Germany party came in second in federal elections on Sunday, doubling its vote share from four years ago, in the strongest showing for a German far-right party since World War II. Some segments of the party, known as the AfD, have been classified as extremist by German intelligence. How could that happen … Read more
Syria’s interim government is bringing together people from the country’s many religions and sects for a two-day national dialogue that began on Monday. What is the national dialogue? Ahmed al-Shara, the country’s interim president, whose rebel coalition seized control of Syria in early December, promised to hold a national dialogue to discuss the formation of … Read more
