Latest John Kirby News

Trucks are rolling across a new US pier into Gaza. But challenges remain to getting enough aid in

May. 17, 2024 21:24 PM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Trucks carrying badly needed aid for the Gaza Strip rolled across a newly built U.S. pier and into the besieged enclave for the first time Friday as Israeli restrictions on border crossings and heavy fighting hindered the delivery of food and other supplies. The...

Putin concludes a trip to China by emphasizing its strategic and personal ties to Russia

May. 17, 2024 17:04 PM EDT

BEIJING (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin concluded a two-day visit to China on Friday, emphasizing the countries’ burgeoning strategic ties as well as his own personal relationship with Chinese leader Xi Jinping as they sought to present an alternative to U.S. global influence. ...

US announces a new $400 million package of weapons for Ukraine to try to hold off Russian advances

May. 10, 2024 17:16 PM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. announced a new $400 million package of military aid for Ukraine on Friday, as Kyiv struggles to hold off advances by Russian troops in the northeast Kharkiv region. This is the third tranche of aid for Ukraine since Congress passed supplemental funding...

The Biden-Netanyahu relationship is strained like never before. Can the two leaders move forward?

May. 10, 2024 13:39 PM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have long managed a complicated relationship, but they're running out of space to maneuver as their views on the Gaza war diverge and their political futures hang in the balance. Their ties have...

US says Rafah offensive would jeopardize cease-fire talks as Biden threatens to halt more Israel aid

May. 09, 2024 20:39 PM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States warned on Thursday that Israel will be dealing a strategic victory to Hamas if it carries out plans for an all-out assault on Rafah, the militants' last major stronghold in Gaza. The warning was backed by a new threat from President Joe Biden: He...

The Latest | Israel forces block Gaza's Rafah border crossing. UN says it's running out of fuel

May. 08, 2024 12:10 PM EDT

Israeli forces have seized the Gaza side of the Rafah border crossing with Egypt, pressing their offensive into the southern city on Tuesday. The closed border means U.N. humanitarian teams in Gaza will run out of diesel fuel by Wednesday, a senior humanitarian official said, leaving them unable to...

Israel seizes Gaza's vital Rafah crossing, but the US says it isn't the full invasion many fear

May. 07, 2024 23:02 PM EDT

CAIRO (AP) — Israeli troops seized control of Gaza’s vital Rafah border crossing on Tuesday in what the White House described as a limited operation, as fears mount of a full-scale invasion of the southern city and talks with Hamas over a cease-fire and hostage release remain on a knife’s...

Biden warns Netanyahu against major Rafah offensive as divide between the 2 leaders grows

May. 06, 2024 22:50 PM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Monday urgently warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu against launching an offensive in the southern Gaza city of Rafah as the divide between the two leaders continues to grow along with the mounting Palestinian death toll. The...

The Latest | Israel launches strikes in Rafah, hours after Hamas agrees to a Gaza cease-fire

May. 06, 2024 21:15 PM EDT

Israel's military says it is launching “targeted strikes” against Hamas in the southern Gaza city of Rafah after the country's War Cabinet approved a military operation there, officials said late Monday. Hours earlier, the Hamas militant group announced it had accepted a...

Russia is violating UN limits on petroleum shipments to North Korea, the White House says

May. 02, 2024 12:05 PM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Russia is shipping refined petroleum to North Korea at levels that exceed U.N. Security Council limits, the White House said Thursday, signaling it will impose new sanctions against those involved in facilitating the transfers. The United Nations had set an...