While much of the world's attention has been focused on Israel's bombardment of the Gaza strip, the recent killing of American citizen Aysenur Ezgi Eygi during protests against Israeli settlements in the West Bank may prove to be a turning point in U.S.-Israel relations. The IDF has admitted it is "highly likely" their troops killed Eygi, but Israeli officials insisted in a brief press release that she had been "hit indirectly and unintentionally by IDF fire, which was not aimed at her." Eygi's family quickly rejected the IDF's initial findings, saying they are "deeply offended by the suggestion that her killing by a trained sniper was in any way unintentional."

As details about Eygi's death continue to be uncovered, the United States government finds its commitment to protect its own citizens butting heads with its steadfast support for a longtime ally — even as growing domestic opposition to Israel's actions in Gaza intensify scrutiny over that diplomatic relationship at large.

Time for 'fundamental changes'?

After initially framing Eygi's death as an "accident" in which an IDF bullet "ricocheted off the ground," President Joe Biden took a more strident tone, demanding one day later that there be "full accountability" and that Israel "ensure that incidents like this never happen again."

Advocates have nevertheless "questioned the US government's commitment" to the safety of its citizens "particularly in the occupied Palestinian territories," said Al Jazeera. Critics point to a "string of high-profile killings by Israeli forces" which have historically gone unaccounted for. As one of America's closest allied nations, critics of Israel claim there is a "reticence towards pursuing justice in cases in which its soldiers appear to be at fault." Following the 2022 killing of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh by Israeli forces, "no soldier was punished for her death, while the Biden administration’s promises to deliver accountability for the killing of an American journalist abroad proved hollow and halfhearted," The Washington Post said. With that in mind, and despite the president's public comments, "precedent suggests there will be little accountability" for Eygi's death either.

Although National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby lauded the IDF for taking the "unusual step" of calling for a criminal investigation into Eygi's killing, the incident has prompted the "strongest comments to date criticizing the security forces of Washington's closest Middle East ally" from Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Reuters said. Speaking with reporters in London this week, Blinken demanded the Israeli government "make some fundamental changes in the way that they operate in the West Bank, including changes to their rules of engagement." Blinken's comments were the "toughest criticism the United States has leveled at Israel," The New York Times said.

Echoing his fellow cabinet member in a call with Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant, Austin decried Eygi's "unprovoked and unjustified death" and "urged Minister Gallant to reexamine the IDF's rules of engagement while operating in the West Bank," The Pentagon said.

An investigative monopoly?

To date, the United States has stressed that it will rely on Israel's own investigation into Eygi's killing, and it is "not clear whether there were any plans for a U.S.-led investigation," NBC News said. By not launching its own probe, "the conclusion to draw is clear," said The Nation. "The death of an American demands an immediate, forceful response — unless that American is killed by Israelis while protesting on behalf of Palestinian rights."

"For the United States government to accept the results of Israel's internal military investigations is a complete dereliction of the US government's responsibility to its own citizens," said the International Solidarity Movement, an activist group in which Eygi was a member.

A number of "high-ranking Democrats" have demanded more from both Israel and the Biden administration, Politico said. Among them are Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen, who chided the administration for its inaction, and demanded the White House "do more to hold the Netanyahu government accountable and use American influence to demand the prosecution of those responsible for harm against American citizens."

If Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu can't deliver the restitution demanded by the death of an American citizen under his watch, Van Hollen said, "the U.S. Department of Justice must."

What happened

Hamas claimed responsibility for an explosion in Tel Aviv on Sunday night, as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Israel to promote a U.S.-backed cease-fire deal in Gaza. Israeli authorities said the man carrying the explosive died in the attack, near the Shimon Bar Yochai synagogue, while one bystander was injured. Hamas said it carried out the "martyrdom operation" with Islamic Jihad. 

Who said what

"This is a decisive moment — probably the best, maybe the last, opportunity to get the hostages home, to get a cease-fire" in Gaza, Blinken said Monday between meetings with Israeli leaders. "Israel accepts the bridging proposal" from last week's international talks in Doha, designed to close the distance between Israel and Hamas, and "it's now incumbent upon Hamas to do the same." 

There is an "increased urgency to reach a cease-fire deal amid fears of an escalation across the wider region," Reuters said. Israel accuses Hamas of "coordinating" Sunday's attack to "disrupt cease-fire negotiations," The Washington Post said. It was the first suicide bombing inside Israel since 2016, and Hamas said such operations "will resume prominently" as long as the war in Gaza continues. 

What next?

Blinken is on his ninth trip to the Middle East since war broke out in Gaza following Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on Israel. He left Israel for Egypt later Monday.

What happened

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken "delivered some of the Biden administration's strongest public criticism yet of Israel's conduct of the war in Gaza" in a pair of TV interviews Sunday, The Associated Press said. Meanwhile, as Israeli forces pushed deeper into Rafah to pursue a goal of eradicating the last Hamas military stronghold, reconstituted Hamas forces attacked in areas farther north that Israel had declared cleared of militants.

Who said what

Israel "may go in and have some initial success" in Rafah, "potentially at an incredibly high cost to civilians," but "they will be left holding the bag on an enduring insurgency because a lot of armed Hamas will be left no matter what they do in Rafah," Blinken said. Notably, U.S. and Israeli intelligence say "Hamas' top leaders in the Gaza Strip, including Yahya Sinwar, are not hiding in Rafah," said The New York Times.

Blinken also discussed a report released Friday on Israel's use of U.S.-provided weapons, saying "it was reasonable to assess that, in certain instances, Israel acted in ways that are not consistent with international humanitarian law."

What next?

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "has yet to chart a vision for postwar Gaza's governance," saying only that he sees no place for the Palestinian Authority or an Israeli military occupation, The Wall Street Journal said. Nothing good will happen, Blinken said, if Israel "leaves a vacuum filled by chaos, filled by anarchy and probably refilled by Hamas."

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is meeting Arab foreign ministers and a leading Palestinian official in Cairo today as he calls for a pause in the fighting in Gaza.

Washington wants an "immediate and sustained ceasefire" between Israel and Hamas, while the British government has demanded an "immediate pause in fighting", followed by "progress towards a sustainable ceasefire". But the international community has been less forthcoming with specific ideas for how to move forward. 

As the violence continues, some have suggested creating a demilitarised zone, or even transforming Gaza into a rich, waterfront property empire.

What did the commentators say?

"Reaching a peaceful solution is easy if people would only make the decision to do it," Saudi prince Turki al-Faisal, a former ambassador to the US, told The New Statesman. 

The royal believes the solution is a ceasefire that leads to a "prolonged truce of at least five years", said the magazine. A Palestinian state would then be created and recognised by the international community – including Israel – and negotiations would begin between Israel and Palestine, "as two sovereign states, for the resolution of the conflict between them".

Donald Trump's son-in-law and former foreign policy adviser Jared Kushner has put forward an alternative idea that "sparked a backlash", said The Independent. During an interview last month at Harvard University, Kushner praised the "very valuable" potential of Gaza's "waterfront property" and suggested that Israel should "clean up" the strip after expelling Gazan civilians to the Israeli Negev desert.

Broadcaster Jon Stewart has had his say too. He suggested last month that the Arab countries who "claim Palestine as their top priority" should "come in and form a demilitarised zone between Israel and a free Palestinian state", said The Guardian. The Saudis, Egypt, UAE, Qatar and Jordan could "all form like a Nato arrangement guaranteeing security for both sides", Stewart said on his "The Daily Show". "Anything is better than the clusterf**k cycle we have now." 

But Jonathan Lord, director of the Middle East Security programme at the Center for a New American Security think tank, told Business Insider that "every American administration going back decades has discussed some version" of Stewart's suggestion. Anna Jacobs, a senior Gulf analyst based in Qatar for the Belgium-headquartered International Crisis Group, added that Stewart's idea would risk "angering Iran", which is a "massive concern for the region", said the news site.

Writing for The Spectator, Stephen Daisley suggested another "way to break this impasse". Recalling how the League of Nations created a mandate for the British administration of Palestine in the 1920s, he argued that the "basic concept is still sound". So "if the international community wants Israel to stop bombing Gaza", the international community should "take over Gaza and stop Hamas attacking Israel".

More familiar suggestions have also been repeated. In November, the United Nations called for the international community to move towards a two-state solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, with Jerusalem serving as the capital of both states.

But, said Reuters, the idea would hit the long-standing obstacle of Palestinians wanting East Jerusalem, "which includes the Old City's sites sacred to Muslims, Jews and Christians alike", to be the capital of their state, while Israel insists that Jerusalem should remain its "indivisible and eternal" capital.

What next?

Blinken is meeting foreign ministers from Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Jordan today. Also present will be the Emirati international cooperation minister and the general secretary of the Palestinian Liberation Organization's executive committee, an Egyptian foreign ministry source told Reuters.

Although the subject of the meeting in Cairo has not been officially disclosed, Egyptian security sources said that Arab nations would present plans for a political solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict.

Such long-term plans had been "put on hold", said Al Jazeera, as mediators from Qatar, Egypt and the US have sought to secure a deal for a ceasefire in Gaza.

The Israel-Hamas war could end with a dramatic development: The formal U.S. recognition of a sovereign Palestinian state. 

Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Axios reported, has asked staffers to review policy options "on possible U.S. and international recognition of a Palestinian state" at the conclusion of the Gaza war. It's a "highly sensitive" topic, given that longstanding U.S. policy has favored statehood for the Palestinians only after "direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority." That's unlikely to happen soon: Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu is "vehemently" opposed to statehood.

This possibility — it's not a formal policy shift yet — comes after other more overt moves toward Palestinian statehood. Politico reported U.K. Foreign Secretary David Cameron is "considering a push" to recognize Palestine at the United Nations. "We should be starting to set out what a Palestinian state would look like – what it would comprise, how it would work," Cameron said this week. 

There would be fierce resistance from Israeli leadership. Netanyahu made it clear in mid-January that he won't agree to any scenario that gives up his government's authority over the Gaza Strip. "I will not compromise on full Israeli security control over all the territory west of Jordan — and this is contrary to a Palestinian state," he said in a social media post. If that's the case, what's the path forward for Palestinian statehood?

What did the commentators say?

Palestinian recognition must be part of a broad U.S. effort to resolve "the widening crisis in the Middle East," columnist Thomas Friedman argued in The New York Times. A "demilitarized" state in control of Gaza and the West Bank would have to have "security capabilities to ensure that this state was viable and that it could never threaten Israel." That would be good for Israeli security. The old policy — of propping up Hamas through back-door means "to ensure that there would be no unified Palestinian partner" for statehood  — clearly didn't work. 

"The State Department has lost the plot," Noah Rothman countered at National Review. While such recognition might have benefits (enabling Israeli-Saudi Arabian rapprochement, for example) it might not solve Israel's security problem. "Simply deeming Palestine a state as a direct result of Hamas's attack will not impose sobriety on the Palestinian Authority." It is "monomaniacal" for America's diplomatic officials to push Palestinian statehood "in the wake of the worst terrorist attack on the Jewish state in its history."

"Israel must say yes to a Palestinian state," Haaretz editorialized. America and the U.K. are showing signs of recognizing "that it is impossible to go back to diplomatic foot-dragging on the Israel-Palestinian conflict." Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders have spent decades resisting nudges to allow the creation of a Palestinian state. That's no longer tenable. "Netanyahu's diplomatic stonewalling exploded in his face on Oct. 7." That makes recognition "an urgent necessity."

What next?

U.S. efforts could take several different forms, Axios reported, including allowing the United Nations to admit Palestine as a full member state. (Palestine was allowed into the U.N. as an "observer state" in 2012, but without full recognition.) It could also encourage other countries to recognize Palestine. 

But any move toward recognition would encounter opposition from American conservatives, The Washington Free Beacon reported. Such action "would be the worst betrayal of our strongest ally in the Middle East," said Rep. Tom Emmer (R-Minn.). A Palestinian state would be "an enclave for global terrorism and an existential threat to Israel," added Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.)

That anger may be why the State Department is downplaying talk of Palestinian recognition, The Times of Israel reported. The United States, after all, has long favored a "two-state solution" as its official policy for the Israel-Palestine conflict. A department spokesperson said that means nothing has really changed. "We have made quite clear publicly that we support the establishment of an independent Palestinian state," said Matt Miller. "That has been the policy of the United States for some time." What that looks like, though, could soon change.

As the world watches the casualties and destruction mount during the Israel-Hamas war, a number of Western countries are attempting to mediate a peaceful solution. Few nations are more involved than the United States, and the U.S. efforts are being led by Secretary of State Antony Blinken. 

A stalwart diplomat with years of foreign policy experience under his belt, Blinken has made a number of recent trips to Israel and Arab countries in an attempt to find a resolution to the war. As the country's primary foreign diplomat, Blinken isn't just juggling the Middle East portfolio, though. Among his other notable assignments are the continuing conflict in Ukraine and curbing China's influence.

Blinken held numerous roles within the State Department before being picked for the top job, and he has also worked for the National Security Council as its top adviser to the president. Where did Blinken get his start, and how has his career in foreign policy led him to this moment?

Blinken's beginnings

Antony Blinken was born in 1962 in Yonkers, New York. His career in foreign affairs isn't a huge surprise: his uncle "served as U.S. ambassador to Belgium, at the same time that Blinken's father was ambassador to Hungary," Politico reported. Blinken also had a stepfather who was an adviser to President John F. Kennedy and a number of French presidents. 

After earning an undergraduate degree from Harvard University and a law degree from Columbia University, Blinken practiced law before transitioning into politics and policy. He worked on Michael Dukakis' 1988 presidential campaign and eventually landed a number of jobs in the Clinton administration. In 2002, he became the Democratic staff director for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee — whose top Democrat was Delaware Sen. Joe Biden.

It was in this Senate capacity that Blinken began developing a working relationship with the future president. Blinken eventually followed Biden to the White House in 2009, serving as the then-vice president's national security adviser during President Barack Obama's first term, according to his official State Department biography. In Obama's second term, Blinken "served as deputy secretary of state" and "Obama's principal deputy national security adviser," his biography added. 

In 2020, President-elect Biden announced that he was nominating Blinken to his Cabinet as America's top diplomat. The Senate confirmed Blinken's nomination by a 78-22 margin in January 2021, making him the 71st secretary of state. 

Secretary of state career

Upon being nominated, The Guardian reported, Blinken summed up his foreign policy doctrine: "We can't solve all the world's problems alone. We need to be working with other countries." He added, though, that the United States, "at its best, still has a greater ability than any other country on earth to bring others together to meet the challenges of our time."

After taking office, Blinken was quickly thrust into the spotlight as the United States withdrew from Afghanistan in the summer of 2021. In the midst of significant criticism leveled at the White House, Blinken acknowledged that "more could and should have been done" by the State Department to prepare for a scenario in which the Taliban rapidly took over the country. 

Following the problematic withdrawal from Afghanistan, Blinken has worked to shore up American foreign relations with the European Union, China and a number of other regions. He has attempted to dissuade China from continuing its aggression in the South China Sea and elsewhere as relations with the United States continue to sour. During a recent meeting with the Chinese foreign minister, Blinken "discussed the importance of maintaining stability in the region and discouraging other parties from entering the conflict" between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, according to a readout of the meeting. He also "noted the importance of maintaining open channels of communication and responsibly managing the U.S.-China relationship."

Blinken's most pressing moments on the world stage have come during the wars in Ukraine and Gaza. His State Department authorized the shipment of weapons and aid to Ukraine after Russia invaded in early 2022. Blinken has also become deeply enmeshed in trying to negotiate peace in Gaza, and during multiple trips to meet with Arab leaders, he has "advocated for humanitarian pauses to facilitate getting fuel into the war-torn strip and getting civilians out," CNN reported.

President Biden will travel to Israel on Wednesday "to stand in solidarity in the face of Hamas' brutal terrorist attack," Biden tweeted Monday night. "I'll then travel to Jordan to address dire humanitarian needs." He will meet in Amman with Jordan's King Abdullah II, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said.

The Biden administration has been sending military supplies to Israel, reiterating that Tel Aviv has a right and duty to go after Hamas, and trying to prevent the conflict from spreading into a regional conflagration. Biden and other U.S. officials have also stressed to Israeli leaders "that once Israel is seen blowing up buildings and triggering Palestinian casualties, public sentiment around the world could change dramatically," The New York Times reported. "It would focus less on the Oct. 7 terrorist attack, with its scenes of burned bodies and massacred children, and more on the brutality of the response." 

Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced Biden's trip Monday evening after nearly eight hours of meetings with Israeli officials in Tel Aviv. He waited to announce the visit until after the U.S. team "received commitments from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on a humanitarian package" for civilians trapped in Gaza with little food, water, medicine, or fuel amid Israel airstrikes, The Washington Post reported, citing two U.S. officials. "It is critical that aid begin to flow into Gaza as soon as possible," Blinken said.

Blinken did not give details on the humanitarian agreement. "The provision of humanitarian aid is sensitive in Israel, especially among far-right politicians tied to Netanyahu who have pressed him to wage a scorched-earth campaign in Gaza," the Post reported. Egypt, meanwhile, has been reluctant to open its borders to Palestinian refugees. The U.S. plan envisions allowing people with U.S. and other Western passports to leave Gaza through the Rafah crossing into Egypt while trucks of international aid waiting on the Egyptian side of the border drop off their supplies on the Gaza side, The Wall Street Journal reported.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz also announced Monday night that he will visit Israel and Egypt starting Tuesday.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken held what he described as "candid" talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping this week at the end of a two-day trip to China, the first by a top official in the Biden administration. The purpose of the visit was to dial back tensions between the two world powers over a host of issues, including Taiwan and trade. Blinken said he and Xi had made "progress," although the two leaders didn't reach an agreement on reopening military-to-military communications, a key U.S. goal.

Republicans criticized the Biden administration for even trying to smooth over differences with Beijing, saying it made the U.S. look weak given China's repeated provocations. Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), chair of the House Republican Conference, criticized Blinken for making the trip, which had been scheduled for earlier in the year but was postponed after a Chinese surveillance balloon floated over much of the United States in February before a U.S. fighter jet shot it down. Stefanik urged the Biden administration to "immediately cease their weak and desperate pursuit of a 'thaw.'"

Biden administration officials have said it is crucial to lower tensions with China to prevent miscommunication or accidents from escalating into a military confrontation. Recent "close calls" involving planes and ships in the South China Sea and near Taiwan have increased the sense of urgency, according to The Washington Post. Is now the right time to push for better relations with Beijing?

What are commentators saying?

A high-level visit like Blinken's is "a good place to start," said The Washington Post in an editorial. One visit, even by Washington's top diplomat, "will not be enough to get relations back on track." The State Department is right to "downplay" the prospect of a breakthrough anytime soon. "But it's essential to renew dialogue — especially military-to-military talks," because when the world's two biggest powers are butting heads there's no room for error. The last time a U.S. secretary of state visited China before Blinken's trip was when Mike Pompeo went in 2018. "It's past time for a resumption of dialogue."

There's nothing wrong with high-level diplomatic visits, said the National Review in an editorial, but the cost of getting Beijing to put Xi in a room with Blinken was too high. The U.S. has held off on releasing what the FBI learned about the surveillance devices China floated over key U.S. military bases with a balloon in February, deferring to China's desire to "sweep it under the rug." Additionally, "promoting human rights was a peripheral concern on this trip." If the Biden administration continues "to pull its punches to keep this process on track," it will project an image of U.S. "weakness" in what would amount to "national-security malpractice," rewarding Beijing's "strategy of escalation to force engagement," which will make us less safe "over the long run."

"Xi's decision to re-engage with the U.S. doesn't mean he is abandoning his long-term goal of reasserting Chinese primacy in the region and beyond," but it's still "significant," said Walter Russell Mead in The Wall Street Journal. Blinken didn't retreat on U.S. efforts to impose "controls over tech exports" and strengthen "defense ties with countries in China's front yard." China can't afford to continue "confronting the U.S. at every turn to force the Biden administration to change course." Its economy is struggling and constant "saber-rattling," along with its support for Russia's war in Ukraine, has only strengthened U.S. security times in Europe and Asia. Blinken's mission was "shrewd," because it forced Xi to shake his "outstretched hand" or be seen as the cause of "any further deterioration in the regional environment."

What's next?

"After months of sky-high tensions between Beijing and Washington — over alleged spy balloons, human rights issues, and even TikTok — both sides seem ready to come to the table," said Tori Otten in The New Republic. But this is going to be "a delicate balancing act for the Biden administration." President Biden is running for re-election next year, and one of former President Donald Trump's "most-repeated attacks" has long been "accusing Biden of being 'soft' on China." Republicans are already repeating the same chorus, which will only get louder as the 2024 presidential campaign picks up. "Biden faces a difficult political task in the coming months: Improve relations with Beijing without damaging his reelection chances."

Speaking at the United Nations on Friday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned against accepting Russian "atrocities" committed during its invasion of Ukraine and allowing them to become "our new normal." As he told the assembled diplomats, "it's easy to become numb to the horror, to lose our ability to feel shock and outrage."

Blinken's remarks, delivered on the one-year anniversary of Russia's ongoing Ukrainian invasion, echoed similar sentiments from many other world leaders, who marked the occasion with declarations of both solidarity with Ukraine, and condemnation of Russia's continued aggression.

In a lengthy joint statement from the Group of 7 (G7) political consortium, leaders from the U.S., Canada, France, Italy, Japan, Germany, and the United Kingdom decried Russia's invasion as "an attack on the fundamental principles of sovereignty of nations, territorial integrity of states and respect for human rights." while promising the group's "solidarity will never waver in standing with Ukraine, in supporting countries and people in need, and in upholding the international order based on the rule of law."

Monuments across the globe also marked Friday's anniversary by lighting up in the colors of Ukraine's flag:

UK Defense Secretary Ben Wallace set a strident tone in his statement — shared in Russian by the country's Moscow embassy — predicting "dishonor and defeat" for Russia if it continues its invasion of Ukraine.

Polish President Andrzej Duda marked the occasion by swearing "no return to business as usual with Russia! " while lauding his citizens for opening their homes to Ukrainian refugees fleeing the violence. "There were and there are no refugee camps in Poland," Duda exclaimed. "We welcomed and continue to welcome our guests in our homes."

China, seen by some as a potential backer of Russian military efforts in Ukraine, has spent the lead-up to Friday's anniversary attempting to position itself as a neutral arbitrator poised to negotiate a settlement between the two countries; it has proposed a 12-point plan to end hostilities between Russia and Ukraine that includes calls for a cease-fire, and the repeal of sanctions against Russia established in response to its invasion. In his remarks to the UN, Blinken seemingly dismissed the plan, noting that "many countries will call for peace today," but "history teaches us that it's the nature of peace that matters."

Speaking during an extensive news conference, however, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky seemed more open to Chinese involvement in the region, explaining that "the fact that China started talking about Ukraine is not bad." Earlier in the day, Zelensky heralded the Ukrainian troops for their efforts in repelling Russia's attacks. "It is you who will decide whether we are all going to exist. Whether Ukraine is going to exist," he told them. "Every day. Every hour. It is you, Ukrainian soldiers, which will decide it."

Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced Sunday during a visit to earthquake-ravaged Turkey that the United States would provide $100 million in disaster assistance.

He also assured Turkey — a NATO ally with sometimes tense relations with the U.S. — of Washington's steady support in the recovery from the 7.8- and 7.5-magnitude earthquakes that hit Turkey and neighboring Syria on Feb. 6, and killed more than 46,000 people.

Including the new disaster assistance, the U.S. has provided $185 million in aid to the region, per The Washington Post. The U.S. also sent a search and rescue team, medical supplies, and other machinery to help, writes Reuters. Much of the damage has been attributed to building construction, and over 100 arrest warrants were issued to those involved.

Blinken took a helicopter tour with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, flying over devastated parts of southeastern Turkey. Given the "extent of the damage," Blinken said, "it's going to take a massive effort to rebuild but we're committed to supporting Turkey in that effort."

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will attend the upcoming World Cup in Qatar, officials told Politico on Monday.

Blinken will attend the United States vs. Wales match on Nov. 21 in the city of Al-Rayyan, officials confirmed. While there, Politico said the secretary of state is also expected to hold talks with leaders from Qatar.

Confirmation of Blinken's attendance comes as FIFA prepares to host its most controversial World Cup in years, thanks to the selection of Qatar as the host country. Ever since the small Middle Eastern nation was chosen 12 years ago, controversy has swirled over allegations of corruption and bribery.

Beyond these allegations, much scrutiny has been seen toward the decade-long process that Qatar underwent in getting ready for the World Cup. The Guardian reported that the country spent an estimated $200 billion to prepare for the event, in comparison with the estimated $11 billion spent by Russia during the 2018 World Cup.

Despite this massive pricetag, The Guardian noted the concerns surrounding the building of the World Cup stadium sites, particularly when it comes to migrant workers. The outlet reported an estimated 6,500 migrants from India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka died doing construction in Qatar from 2010 to 2021.

Additionally, Amnesty International estimated that at least 100,000 workers in total had been abused or exploited by Qatar since the announcement of the World Cup.

It is unclear exactly what Blinken's goal from the trip will be. However, the Biden administration in January designated Qatar as a "major non-NATO ally."

The top diplomats from Russia and Ukraine were in the same room, briefly, on Thursday at an extraordinary meeting of the United Nations Security Council in New York. "The United States urged Russia to end its impunity. Russia ranted about fighting Nazis. Ukraine insisted it had the right to be free," Politico summarized.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken reminded the Security Council members of how Russia's invasion of Ukraine has sharply raised their food and energy costs, and he urged them to hold Russia to account for violating the fundamental precepts of the United Nations. "That President [Vladimir] Putin picked this week, as most of the world gathers at the United Nations, to add fuel to the fire he started shows his utter contempt and disdain for the U.N. Charter, the U.N. General Assembly, and this council," Blinken said.

"Tell President Putin to stop the horror he started. Tell him to stop putting his interests above the interests of the rest of the world, including his own people." Blinken urged. "One man chose this war. One man can end it. Because if Russia stops fighting, the war ends. If Ukraine stops fighting, Ukraine ends."

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who entered the chamber for his remarks then left, blamed Ukraine and the West for Russia's invasion. The Kremlin has "no doubt that Ukraine has become a completely totalitarian Nazi-like state," he said, in what Politico calls "a verifiably false depiction of Kyiv's developing Western-style democracy."

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba dismissed Lavrov's "lies" about Ukraine choosing this war. Now that Russia has invaded, though, "every Ukrainian is a weapon ready to defend Ukraine and the principles enshrined in the U.N. Charter. Russia will fail," he said, adding in a shot in at Lavrov's early departure: "Russian diplomats flee almost as quickly as Russian soldiers."

Ultimately, "no one expects the council to act against Russia, since Moscow has veto power as a permanent member," The Associated Press notes. Still, Politico adds, "it was a rare in-person gathering for" Blinken, Lavrov, and Kuleba, and "it forced Russia to say something — even if that something was highly suspect — to defend its full-scale war on its neighbor."

Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to "stand up" to Russia during a Saturday meeting in Indonesia, The New York Times reports.

After the meeting, which lasted more than five hours, Blinken told reporters that Wang had repeated Chinese claims to neutrality in the war between Russia and Ukraine. "I would start with the proposition that it's pretty hard to be neutral when it comes to this aggression. There's a clear aggressor. There's a clear victim," Blinken said.

The secretary of state also told reporters he had "tried to convey" to Wang "that this really is a moment where we all have to stand up" and condemn Russian aggression.

Three weeks before Russia invaded Ukraine, Russia and China released a joint statement opposing NATO expansion and condemning the alliance's "ideologized cold war approaches" to international relations. The statement did not mention Ukraine directly. In May, Russia surpassed Saudi Arabia as China's top supplier of oil.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken testified before the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations on Tuesday, following his weekend trip to Kyiv, Ukraine, with Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.

In Kyiv, Blinken said he "saw the signs of a vibrant city coming back to life" after Ukrainian forces fended off a Russian attempt to capture the city. "[I]t was right there in front of us: the Ukrainians have won the battle for Kyiv," he added, according to The Guardian.

Blinken also said that continued U.S. support "is critical in my judgment to ensuring that Russia's war in Ukraine is a strategic failure for the Kremlin."

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) asked Blinken whether the U.S. would accept a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine in which Ukraine agreed not to join NATO or the European Union. "We, Senator, are not gonna be more Ukrainian than the Ukrainians," Blinken responded, adding that the U.S. is working to put Ukraine in the best possible negotiating position and will support Ukraine's leaders regardless of their decision.

He also fielded questions from a number of senators on reducing European dependence on Russian energy exports. Blinken said the U.S. is stepping up production and working to ensure steady supplies of oil and natural gas to Europe, but is committed to doing so in a way that will not "inflate energy prices and line [Russian President Vladimir] Putin's pockets" but will "advance ... the transition, over time, to renewables."

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Monday that the U.S. wants "to see Ukraine remain a sovereign country, a democratic country able to protect its sovereign territory, we want to see Russia weakened to the point where it can't do things like invade Ukraine." Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke to reporters in Poland after returning from a three-hour meeting in Kyiv on Sunday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and other top officials.

"The first step in winning is believing that you can win," and both the U.S. and the Ukrainians "believe that we — they — can win, if they have the right equipment, the right support," Austin said. "And we're going to do everything we can and continue to do everything we can."

"When it comes to Russia's war aims, Russia is failing, Ukraine is succeeding," Blinken told the reporters in Poland. "Russia has sought as its principal aim to totally subjugate Ukraine, to take away its sovereignty, to take away its independence. That has failed." Nobody knows "how the rest of this war will unfold, but we do know that a sovereign independent Ukraine will be around a lot longer than Vladimir Putin is on the scene," he added. "And our support for Ukraine going forward will continue. It will continue until we see final success."

CNN military analyst retired Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling agreed Sunday that Ukraine could defeat Russia's forces, but Putin would react badly to such a defeat.

Zelensky said in a statement after his meeting with Austin and Blinken that "we appreciate the unprecedented assistance of the United States to Ukraine. I would like to thank President Biden personally and on behalf of the entire Ukrainian people for his leadership in supporting Ukraine, for his personal clear position. To thank all the American people, as well as the Congress for their bicameral and bipartisan support. We see it. We feel it."

Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin traveled to Kyiv and met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday afternoon, Ukrainian officials said. They are the first top U.S. officials known to visit Kyiv since Russia launched its invasion on Feb. 24.

The U.S. government did not comment on the trip, with the news coming from Ukrainian officials like Oleksiy Arestovych, an adviser to Zelensky. During an appearance on Ukrainian television, Arestovych said Blinken and Austin were "in Kyiv, talking to the president. Maybe something will be decided regarding how they can help."

This meeting comes after Russian forces shifted their focus to eastern Ukraine, and sends "a powerful signal to Russia that Ukraine will not be left alone with this war," one Ukrainian lawmaker told The New York Times. Congress has approved $13.6 billion in emergency spending for the invasion, with that money going toward weapons and supplies.

Relief of international sanctions against Russia may be possible if the right conditions are met at the negotiating table, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Sunday on NBC's Meet the Press.

"We'll be looking to see what Ukraine is doing and what it wants to do, and if it concludes that it can bring this war to an end, stop the death and destruction, and continue to assert its independence and its sovereignty, and ultimately, that requires the — the lifting of sanctions, of course, we'll have that," he said.

Later in the show, host Chuck Todd asked former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton about those comments. "You heard Secretary Blinken essentially say, 'Look, sanctions relief could happen. It all depends on the behavior of Russia.' Can we really live in a world where Putin's let back into the New World Order?" he asked.

"Well, that's not what I heard him say," Clinton responded. "What I heard him say was that, really, we are going to support the Ukrainians — the people and the government of Ukraine — as they try to figure out what, for them, is the best way forward. And that, I think, is exactly the right position for the United States, Europe and the West, and other countries to take."

A previous version of this post misstated the implication of comments by Secretary Blinken. It has been corrected. We regret the error.