US Secretary of State

Aoun Arrives in Rome for Official Visit to the Vatican

President Joseph Aoun and First Lady Nehmat Aoun arrived in Rome on Thursday afternoon, marking the beginning of an official and familial visit to the Vatican. The presidential couple landed at Ciampino Military Airbase, where they were greeted by Vatican and Lebanese diplomatic officials. Pope Leo XIV is scheduled to receive President Aoun in a ...

Colombian Presidential Contender Has Successful Surgery after Shooting

A prominent Colombian right-wing presidential candidate who was shot during a campaign event in Bogota has successfully undergone initial surgery, the city's mayor said Sunday. Thirty-nine-year-old Senator Miguel Uribe was speaking to supporters in the capital when a gunman shot him twice in the head and once in the knee before being ...

Rubio's Warning About a Potential Syrian Civil War Puts Lebanon on the Edge

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio's recent warning about Syria's potential descent into a "full-scale civil war of epic proportions" has not gone unnoticed. This cautionary note has raised alarm bells not only within Syria's borders but also in neighboring Lebanon, which remains precariously balanced on a fragile socio-political ...

Pope Leo XIV Receives US VP Vance, Rubio

Pope Leo XIV received US Vice President JD Vance and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the Vatican Monday, a day after the new US pontiff's inauguration mass. The Vatican released photographs of Vance and Rubio smiling as they met with the Chicago-born pope, who was elected as head of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics on May 8. Vance then met ...

Pope Francis: "Providence Will Never Forsake Lebanon"

Pope Francis has always kept Lebanon close to his heart. According to those close to him and many of his visitors, the Holy Father has remained closely informed about developments in the country. While he has not visited Lebanon—due to both health concerns and the political vacuum created by the absence of a president and a fully functioning ...

Rubio in Paris to Meet Macron on Ukraine War

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio was in Paris on Thursday to meet French President Emmanuel Macron about crafting an Ukraine ceasefire, as Washington and Europe seek common ground on ending the fighting. Top Ukrainian officials were also in the French capital on Thursday to meet EU and US delegations, President Volodymyr Zelensky's chief of ...

Macron to Meet Rubio, Witkoff amid Transatlantic Tensions

French President Emmanuel Macron will on Thursday meet with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and US envoy Steve Witkoff, the Elysee Palace said, as transatlantic tensions soar over the war in Ukraine. Witkoff, who recently met with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Rubio are heading to Paris for talks on ending the war in Ukraine, the State ...

Russia, US Swap Prisoners in Push for Closer Ties 

A Los Angeles-based ballet dancer released by Russia as part of a prisoner swap landed safely in the United States Thursday night, the second swap under President Donald Trump as Moscow and Washington push to rebuild ties. Ksenia Karelina, a US-Russian dual national convicted in Russia of "treason" over a one-time donation worth around ...

US Will Not let Greenland 'Become Dependent on China': Rubio

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Friday Washington respected the self-determination of Greenlanders but was not going to allow the resource-rich autonomous Danish region to become dependent on China. President Donald Trump has repeatedly said he wants to take over the Arctic island for security reasons –  to the anger of Copenhagen, a ...

Rubio Says US Committed to NATO - But Tells Allies to Spend More

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told nervous NATO members on Thursday that Washington remained committed to the alliance, but said they must agree to massively ramp up their spending targets for defense. President Donald Trump has rattled Europe by casting doubt on his willingness to defend all allies, and by reaching out to Russia over the war ...

Trump-Era Official Sought to End US Aid to Lebanon

According to an email reviewed by Reuters, a Trump administration official overseeing USAID sought to phase out US aid to Lebanon, arguing that the country had developed an "odd dependency" on American assistance. In a February 16 directive seen by Reuters, acting USAID deputy administrator Peter Marocco instructed officials to draft a memo ...

Rubio Says Not Going to Discuss How to 'Take Over Canada' at G7

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he would not raise Canada's sovereignty when he visits Quebec later on Wednesday, for Group of Seven talks, despite taunts by President Donald Trump. "We're going to be focused in the G7 and all of those things," he said, mentioning the war in Ukraine. "That's what the meeting is ...