How Trump and Biden Pursued Critical Minerals in Ukraine, Greenland and Other Countries

President Trump’s intense interest in Ukraine’s minerals seemed to come from out of the blue. He dispatched his Treasury secretary to Kyiv this month to negotiate with Ukraine’s leader, then began ratcheting up the pressure publicly in what appeared to critics like a Mafia don’s extortion scheme. “I want security of the rare earth,” he … Read more

U.S. and Russian Officials to Meet to Discuss Restoring Embassy Staffing

Officials from the United States and Russia will meet Thursday in Istanbul to discuss resolving issues hindering their diplomatic missions in each other’s countries, Russia’s foreign minister, Sergey V. Lavrov, said on Wednesday. The U.S. Embassy in Moscow and the Russian Embassy in Washington have been operating with skeletal staffing after years of expulsions of … Read more

UK’s Starmer to Meet Trump With a Boost on Defense and Pleas for Ukraine

Now it’s Keir Starmer’s turn. After President Emmanuel Macron of France navigated his meeting with President Trump on Monday, skirting the rockiest shoals but making little headway, Mr. Starmer, the British prime minister, will meet Mr. Trump on Thursday to plead for the United States not to abandon Ukraine. Mr. Starmer will face the same … Read more