ROME: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio meets Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Friday, the second day spent calming tensions in Rome following criticism by President Donald Trump. The day after a &quot;friendly and constructive&quot; audience with Pope Leo XIV, whom Trump lambasted for his anti-war rhetoric, Rubio will meet with far-right Meloni at her office in Rome. Meloni is one of the US president&#39;s closest European allies, but he has sharply criticized her for failing to help with the war with Iran. In an interview with an Italian newspaper last month, Trump said he was &quot;shocked&quot;, saying: &quot;I thought she had courage, but I was wrong.&quot; His comments came a day after Meloni said Trump&#39;s criticism of Leo, the first ever US pontiff, was unacceptable. More recently, Trump threatened to pull US troops from Italy, saying Rome &quot;has not been of any help to us&quot; in the Iran war. Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, who also met Rubio on Friday, stressed the importance of the transatlantic alliance. &quot;We are absolutely convinced that Europe needs the United States, and that the United States also needs Europe,&quot; he said on Thursday. &quot;If there are things we disagree with, we say so, we have said so, and we will say so, because this is what being allies is all about: always with our heads held high, convinced of our position, and we intend to play a role.&quot; In a meeting at the Italian foreign ministry on Friday morning, Tajani and other officials presented Rubio with documents tracing the US diplomat&#39;s Italian origins. &quot;It&#39;s a true honor and a very special moment to receive all of this information,&quot; Rubio said, adding that he was going to learn Italian. The Cuban-American, who speaks fluent Spanish, said: &quot;The next time I&#39;m back... I&#39;ll give a speech &#39;in Italiano&#39;.&quot; NATO commitments&nbsp;Tajani said he intended to discuss with Rubio the issue of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, which is effectively blocked by Iran, as well as the conflict in Lebanon. They would also discuss Venezuela and Cuba and the war in Ukraine, in which Rome has supported Kyiv against Russia, Italian officials said. Earlier this week, Meloni said the idea of pulling US troops out of Italy was &quot;a decision that does not depend on me, and one that I personally do not agree with&quot;. But she added: &quot;Italy has always honored all its commitments, particularly within NATO, even when our direct interests weren&#39;t at stake, in Afghanistan and Iraq.&quot; Trump has also threatened to pull US troops out of Spain, while the Pentagon has announced it will withdraw 5,000 US troops from Germany. As of Dec. 31, 2025, there were 12,662 active-duty US troops in Italy and 3,814 in Spain. In Germany, there were 36,436.

Italy's Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni welcomes U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio during their meeting at Palazzo Chigi in Rome on May 8, 2026. (Photo by Stefano RELLANDINI / AFP)

Europe

Top US diplomat met Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in Rome to ease tensions sparked by President Donald Trump over the Iran war, NATO commitments, and criticism of Pope Leo XIV.

US Secretary of State Rubio meets Italian PM after Trump criticism

MUNICH: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio sought to reassure a nervous Europe on Saturday, saying that Washington wanted to &quot;revitalize&quot; the transatlantic alliance so that a strong Europe could help the US on its mission of global &quot;renewal&quot;. Washington&#39;s top diplomat struck a markedly reassuring tone as he addressed a security conference in Munich after months of turmoil in US-European relations sparked by US President Donald Trump&#39;s vows to seize Greenland and his often derisive remarks about Washington&#39;s allies. &quot;We do not seek to separate, but to revitalise an old friendship and renew the greatest civilization in human history,&quot; Rubio said. &quot;What we want is a reinvigorated alliance.&quot; &#39;Belong together&#39; &quot;We want Europe to be strong. We believe that Europe must survive,&quot; Rubio said, adding that the continent and the US &quot;belong together.&quot; The United States will be &quot;driven by a vision of a future as proud, as sovereign, and as vital as our civilization&#39;s past,&quot; he said. &quot;And while we are prepared, if necessary, to do this alone, it is our preference and it is our hope to do this together with you, our friends here in Europe,&quot; he said. Rubio&#39;s speech marked a sharp contrast to that of US Vice President JD Vance a year ago, when he used the same stage to attack European policies on immigration and free speech, shocking European allies. &#39;Destabilizing societies&#39; Rubio reiterated the Trump administration&#39;s stance that immigration is &quot;destabilizing societies&quot; but otherwise largely avoided the MAGA flashpoint and culture war issues that, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Friday, had deepened a &quot;rift&quot; between US and Europe. Bruised by Trump&#39;s designs on Greenland and his often hostile comments about America&#39;s traditional allies, European leaders who have gathered at the Munich Security Conference have pledged to shoulder more of the burden of shared NATO defences. &#39;Right time&#39;&nbsp; Key leaders have pushed the message that this is essential for Europe to counter a hostile Russia, with NATO chief Mark Rutte saying that &quot;a strong Europe in a strong NATO means that the transatlantic bond will be stronger than ever&quot;. French President Emmanuel Macron told the gathering on Friday that &quot;this is the right time for a strong Europe,&quot; that would be &quot;clear in the support of Ukraine&quot; and &quot;building its own architecture of security&quot;. &quot;This Europe will be a good ally and partner for the United States of America,&quot; he said. &#39;A sleeping giant&#39; British leader Keir Starmer was expected to tell the conference that Europe is &quot;a sleeping giant&quot; and must rely less on the United States for its defence. The Trump administration&#39;s new National Security Strategy similarly launched an unprecedented attack against Europeans, charging that the continent is threatened with &quot;civilizational decline&quot;. Ties plunged further last month when Trump stepped up threats to annex Greenland, an autonomous territory of NATO member Denmark, forcing European nations to stand firm in protest. Ukraine war in focus&nbsp;German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Friday had appealed to Washington: &quot;Let&#39;s repair and revive transatlantic trust together.&quot; The high-powered Munich meeting of government leaders, diplomats, defense and intelligence chiefs comes shortly before Russia&#39;s full-scale war on Ukraine is set to enter its fifth gruelling year. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who has been in Munich since Friday and meeting multiple allies, was expected to address the meeting on Saturday.&nbsp; No Russian officials have been invited. At the White House on Friday, Trump urged him to &quot;get moving&quot; to end the war. &quot;Russia wants to make a deal... He has to move,&quot; the US leader said. &quot;We don&#39;t know if the Russians are serious about ending the war,&quot; Rubio said in his speech on Saturday. A German government source said Merz and Rubio met at the conference on Friday and discussed &quot;Ukraine, the status of negotiations with Russia and further support for the country, particularly in terms of military aid&quot;. &#39;An aggressive Russia&#39; They also discussed Europe&#39;s role in NATO, and &quot;Rubio praised Germany&#39;s steps to strengthen the alliance&quot;, the source added. Macron said a new framework was needed to deal with &quot;an aggressive Russia&quot; once the fighting in Ukraine ends. Kremlin critic Mikhail Khodorkovsky said he feared &quot;a new cold war&quot; between Europe and Russia in the coming decade, making reopening dialogue with Moscow essential. &quot;If it makes sense to talk, we are willing to talk,&quot; said Merz, but he also charged that &quot;Russia is not yet willing to talk seriously&quot;.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks during the 62nd Munich Security Conference (MSC) on February 14, 2026, in Munich, southern Germany. (Photo: AFP)

Americas

Washington's top diplomat strikes a markedly reassuring tone as he addresses a security conference in Munich after months of turmoil in US-European relations sparked by US President Donald Trump's vows to seize Greenland and his often derisive remarks about Washington's allies.

Rubio tells allies US and Europe 'belong together'

PARIS:&nbsp;Iran&#39;s foreign minister warned on Wednesday its forces would respond immediately and forcefully to any US military operation after President Donald Trump declared time was running out to avoid one, but did not rule out a new deal on Tehran&#39;s nuclear program. The Islamic Republic&#39;s top diplomat, Abbas Araghchi, warned its forces have their &quot;fingers on the trigger&quot; to &quot;powerfully respond&quot; to any US strikes, but also used language strikingly similar to Trump&#39;s to describe a possible agreement to defuse the stand-off through a new nuclear deal. &quot;Iran has always welcomed a mutually beneficial, fair and equitable NUCLEAR DEAL &mdash; on equal footing, and free from coercion, threats, and intimidation &mdash;&nbsp;which ensures Iran&#39;s rights to PEACEFUL nuclear technology, and guarantees NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS,&quot; Araghchi posted on X. &quot;Such weapons have no place in our security calculations, and we have NEVER sought to acquire them,&quot; he added, restating Tehran&#39;s long-standing insistence &mdash; dismissed by sceptical Western capitals &mdash; that its nuclear program is focused only on research and civilian energy development. Earlier, before Trump&#39;s latest declaration, Araghchi had said, &quot;Conducting diplomacy through military threat cannot be effective or useful&quot;. But if some saw his shift in tone as an opening, Ali Shamkani, an adviser to Iran&#39;s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, posted more stark language warning of conflict and strikes on US ally Israel. &quot;A limited strike is an illusion,&quot; he posted on X. &quot;Any military action, from America, from any origin and at any level, will be considered the start of war, and its response will be immediate, all-out and unprecedented, targeting the heart of Tel Aviv and all supporters of the aggressor.&quot; &#39;Massive armada&#39;&nbsp;Hours earlier, Trump had warned that a &quot;massive armada&quot; of US naval vessels was heading to waters off Iran and ready &quot;to rapidly fulfil its mission, with speed and violence, if necessary.&quot; But, mirroring Trump&#39;s language, Araghchi added: &quot;Hopefully Iran will quickly &#39;Come to the Table&#39; and negotiate a fair and equitable deal &mdash; NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS &mdash; one that is good for all parties.&quot; After Trump issued his latest threat, his top diplomat, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, said the Iranian leadership was at its weakest ever point, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz predicted the Islamic Republic&#39;s &quot;days are numbered&quot; after this month&#39;s deadly crackdown on anti-government protests. Anti-government protests erupted in late December and peaked on January 8 and 9.&nbsp; Washington has expressed support for the revolt, but Trump&#39;s recent statements have focused more on Iran&#39;s nuclear program than the fate of the demonstrators. In June last year, the US carried out strikes on Iranian nuclear sites during Israel&#39;s 12-day war against the Islamic Republic. &#39;Severe damage&#39;&nbsp;Analysts say US options include strikes on military facilities or targeted hits against the leadership under Khamenei, in a full-scale bid to bring down the system that has ruled Iran since the 1979 Islamic revolution that ousted the shah. Following a Tuesday call between Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and de facto Saudi leader Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Iran reached out to other US allies in the region. The Secretary of Iran&#39;s Supreme National Security Council, Ali Larijani, spoke with Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and expressed support for &quot;efforts aimed at reducing escalation,&quot; Qatar&#39;s foreign ministry said. Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, meanwhile, held separate calls with both Araghchi and Witkoff, and stressed the need to &quot;work towards de-escalation,&quot; the Egyptian foreign ministry said.

Trump warned Iran to negotiate or face harsher US military action, as protests rocked Tehran, thousands were reportedly killed, regional leaders urged de-escalation, and Iran vowed unprecedented retaliation if attacked.

Iran vows to resist any US attack as Trump warns 'time running out' 

Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: The United States is &ldquo;very grateful&rdquo; for Pakistan&rsquo;s offer to be part of a Gaza stabilization force, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Friday. Rubio made the remarks during an end-of-year news conference at the State Department Press Briefing Room in Washington, DC, while responding to questions from journalists.&nbsp;When asked whether Washington had received Pakistan&rsquo;s consent to deploy troops for peacebuilding efforts in Gaza, Rubio said the US appreciated Pakistan&rsquo;s willingness to participate, or at least consider participation, in the proposed force. The proposed stabilization initiative is part of President Donald Trump&rsquo;s 20-point Gaza plan, which calls for the deployment of troops from Muslim-majority countries during a transitional phase to support security and governance as the conflict-affected Palestinian territory moves toward reconstruction and a long-term political settlement. Rubio noted that further clarity was still needed before any country could be asked to make a formal commitment. A day earlier, Pakistan&rsquo;s foreign office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi confirmed that discussions were ongoing in &ldquo;certain capitals&rdquo; and that Islamabad had not yet made a sovereign decision. &ldquo;I am not aware of any specific request made to Pakistan. We will inform you about any development if it takes place,&rdquo; he said.

US Secretary of State says additional clarity is needed before any country, including Pakistan, can be formally asked to commit troops to the Gaza stabilization force

Grateful for Pakistan’s offer to be part of Gaza stabilization force: Rubio

ISLAMABAD: The United States (US) saw a growing opportunity to expand its strategic relationship with Pakistan, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Saturday, emphasizing that the move was not aimed at undermining Washington&rsquo;s longstanding ties with India.&nbsp;Speaking to reporters aboard his flight to Doha, Rubio acknowledged that New Delhi had historically viewed US-Pakistan engagement with caution. But he stressed that Washington&rsquo;s diplomatic approach aimed to work &ldquo;pragmatically&rdquo; with multiple partners at once.&nbsp;&ldquo;We know they&rsquo;re concerned for obvious reasons because of the tensions that have existed between Pakistan and India historically,&rdquo; Rubio said. &ldquo;But, I think they have to understand we have to have relations with a lot of different countries.&rdquo;&nbsp;&ldquo;We see an opportunity to expand our strategic relationship with Pakistan,&rdquo; he added.&nbsp;&ldquo;Our job is to try to figure out how many countries we can find how we can work with on things of common interest.&rdquo;&nbsp;Rubio said US officials had been &ldquo;fully aware of the challenges&rdquo; posed by Pakistan&rsquo;s tense rivalry with India but insisted that maintaining strong ties with one did not diminish the other.&nbsp;&ldquo;They [India] have some relationships with countries that we don&rsquo;t have relationships with. So, it&rsquo;s part of a mature, pragmatic foreign policy.&rdquo;&nbsp;Rubio said Washington had already begun working to rebuild ties with Islamabad before recent regional tensions prompted renewed dialogue.&nbsp;&ldquo;Even before that conflict had started, I had already reached out to them and said look, we are interested in rebuilding an alliance, a strategic partnership with you,&rdquo; he said.&nbsp;He noted that the US-Pakistan relationship had long involved counterterrorism cooperation but suggested that both sides were now exploring broader areas of collaboration.&nbsp;&ldquo;We&rsquo;d like to expand it beyond that, if possible, and [we] understand that there&rsquo;ll be some difficulties and some challenges,&rdquo; Rubio said. &ldquo;But I think it&rsquo;s a very encouraging thing that that relationship has strengthened the way that it has.&rdquo;&nbsp;Rubio repeatedly stressed that the US approach was a balancing act among multiple major regional powers.&nbsp;&ldquo;We have to have relations with a lot of different countries,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s our job.&rdquo;&nbsp;The Secretary was traveling to Doha for continued coordination on the Middle East ceasefire process, which he acknowledged remained fragile. &ldquo;Every night brings a new challenge,&rdquo; he said, adding that sustaining progress would require &ldquo;constant maintenance&rdquo; and continued high-level engagement.&nbsp;Rubio said he had just spoken with the Israeli Prime Minister before boarding and noted that more US officials would be deployed in the region in the coming days.

En route to Doha, Secretary of State Marco Rubio says the US sees opportunity to expand its strategic relationship with Pakistan, emphasizing it complements, not threatens, longstanding ties with India and seeks broader regional partnerships.

US seeks to broaden strategic partnership with Pakistan: Rubio

JERUSALEM: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Saturday he did not envision a permanent division of Gaza, despite Israeli troops remaining in an area prioritised for reconstruction. Under a US-brokered ceasefire, Israeli forces have withdrawn to a &quot;Yellow Line&quot;, leaving them in control of around half of Gaza. The United States has said that reconstruction aid would be focused in the area under Israeli control. Rubio said that an international force, which US and regional mediators are trying to build, would move to enforce security across the Palestinian territory. Gaza&#39;s current masters, Hamas, could have no role in the future, he added. &quot;I think, ultimately, the point of the stabilisation force is to move that line until it covers hopefully all of Gaza, meaning all of Gaza will be demilitarised,&quot; Rubio told reporters on his plane between Israel and Qatar. &quot;Ultimately, the more of Gaza is demilitarised, the more of Gaza terrorism is removed from, the more of it is going to look like that green zone -- and that line will move as a result of it,&quot; he added. &quot;That&#39;s the long-term plan. The Israelis have made it abundantly clear they have no interest in occupying Gaza.&quot; The main Palestinian factions, including Hamas, have agreed to form a committee of technocrats to administer Gaza alongside the international ceasefire and reconstruction effort. But Hamas has resisted calls for its immediate disarmament, launching a crackdown on rival Palestinian gangs and armed groups in Gaza since the two-week-old ceasefire began. On Saturday, Mousa abu Marzouk, Hamas&#39;s head of international relations and legal affairs, warned: &quot;Excluding Hamas from maintaining stability in the Gaza Strip could lead to chaos and a security vacuum.&quot; Rubio was the latest top US official to come to Israel to push forward the ceasefire, arriving on the heels of Vice President JD Vance. Rubio said he expected General Dan Caine, the top US military officer, to visit Israel next week.

Middle East

Under a US-brokered ceasefire, Israeli forces have withdrawn to a "Yellow Line", leaving them in control of around half of Gaza. 

US State Secretary says he does not see permanent division of Gaza

WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump on Sunday said talks on implementing a truce for Gaza will take days, while his foreign policy chief, Marco Rubio, warned that Israel needs to stop bombing for a hostage release to happen.&nbsp;&quot;They&#39;re in negotiations right now as we speak. They&#39;ve started the negotiations. It&#39;ll last a couple of days,&quot; Trump told reporters at the White House.&nbsp;&quot;We&#39;ll see how it turns out. But I&#39;m hearing it&#39;s going very well,&quot; he added.&nbsp;In a text exchange with CNN released Sunday, Trump said &quot;yes&quot; when asked if Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was on board with ending the military campaign in Gaza. Trump urges negotiators to &#39;move fast&#39;In a separate post on his Truth Social platform, Trump urged Hamas and Israeli negotiators to &quot;move fast,&quot; adding that there had been &quot;very positive discussions&quot; with the Palestinian group. &quot;There have been very positive discussions with Hamas, and countries from all over the World (Arab, Muslim, and everyone else) this weekend, to release the hostages, end the war in Gaza, but, more importantly, finally have long sought PEACE in the Middle East,&quot; he said. &quot;These talks have been very successful, and are proceeding rapidly. The technical teams will again meet Monday, in Egypt, to work through and clarify the final details. I am told that the first phase should be completed this week, and I am asking everyone to MOVE FAST.&quot; Negotiators from Israel and Hamas were set to hold talks in the Egyptian resort town of Sharm El-Sheikh, with Netanyahu expressing hope that hostages held in Gaza could be released within days. However, Hamas called for a swift start to a hostage-prisoner exchange with Israel. &quot;Hamas is very keen to reach an agreement to end the war and immediately begin the prisoner exchange process in accordance with the field conditions,&quot; a senior Hamas official told AFP on condition of anonymity. Separately, Rubio called for a halt to Israeli bombing on Gaza.&nbsp;&quot;I think the Israelis and everyone acknowledge you can&#39;t release hostages in the middle of strikes, so the strikes will have to stop,&quot; the secretary of state told CBS News talk show &quot;Face the Nation.&quot;&nbsp;&quot;There can&#39;t be a war going on in the middle of it.&quot;&nbsp;The diplomatic push follows the positive response by Hamas to Trump&#39;s roadmap for an end to the fighting and the release of captives in Gaza in exchange for Palestinians held in Israeli jails.&nbsp;Rubio told NBC&#39;s &quot;Meet the Press&quot; that there were &quot;logistical challenges&quot; to address to pave the way for the hostage release.&nbsp;He also predicted that the longer-term goals would be &quot;even harder&quot; to attain, in terms of how the war-ravaged territory will be governed and disarming militants.&nbsp;&quot;You can&#39;t set up a government structure in Gaza that&#39;s not Hamas in three days. I mean, it takes some time,&quot; Rubio told NBC.&nbsp;Trump told CNN he expected clarity &quot;soon&quot; on whether the Palestinian group that carried out the deadly October 7, 2023, attack on Israel that triggered the conflict was committed to peace.&nbsp;The US president added that if Hamas were to refuse to cede power, they would face &quot;Complete Obliteration!&quot;

US president urges negotiators to 'move fast'; Hamas calls for swift start to hostage-prisoner exchange; Rubio says Israel must pause bombing for hostages to be safely released.





Trump says Gaza deal talks to go on 'couple' days

ISLAMABAD: The top US diplomat Marco Rubio issued a blunt call to his Russian counterpart to halt the &quot;killing&quot; in Ukraine Wednesday, as Washington&#39;s stance on Moscow hardens, AFP reported. Rubio &quot;reiterated President (Donald) Trump&#39;s call for the killing to stop and the need for Moscow to take meaningful steps toward a durable resolution of the Russia-Ukraine war,&quot; State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said. Lavrov fired back and &quot;stressed the unacceptability of the schemes promoted by Kyiv and some European capitals aimed at prolonging the conflict,&quot; according to a readout of their conversation supplied by the Russian side. Unexpected turn&nbsp;Rubio&#39;s comments came after President Volodymyr Zelensky praised Trump following the US president&#39;s unexpected turn against Russia Tuesday, in which he suggested that Kyiv could not only win the war and re-take its territory -- but could even expand it. But the Ukrainian leader cast doubt Wednesday on NATO&#39;s ability to guarantee Kyiv&#39;s security. &quot;Because international institutions are too weak, this madness continues. Even being part of the long-standing military alliance doesn&#39;t automatically mean you are safe,&quot; Zelensky told the UN General Assembly. &lsquo;Good meeting&rsquo;Zelensky said he had a &quot;good meeting&quot; with Trump, who has ruled out NATO membership for Kyiv and berated the Ukrainian leader at a February encounter at the White House before warming to him. &quot;Of course we are doing everything to make sure Europe truly helps and of course, we count on the United States,&quot; Zelensky said. Trump&#39;s suggestion Tuesday that Kyiv could win, with support from the European Union and NATO, marked an extraordinary shift after months of saying Ukraine would not get back swaths of territory taken by Russia, AFP reported. Trump said Ukraine could regain all its land and suggested, without elaborating, that Kyiv could &quot;maybe even go further than that!&quot; In a social media post on White House X handle, President Trump said &ldquo;Putin and Russia are in BIG Economic trouble, and this is the time for Ukraine to act.&rdquo;&nbsp;<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=eyJ0ZndfdGltZWxpbmVfbGlzdCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOltdLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X2ZvbGxvd2VyX2NvdW50X3N1bnNldCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOnRydWUsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdHdlZXRfZWRpdF9iYWNrZW5kIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6Im9uIiwidmVyc2lvbiI6bnVsbH0sInRmd19yZWZzcmNfc2Vzc2lvbiI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfZm9zbnJfc29mdF9pbnRlcnZlbnRpb25zX2VuYWJsZWQiOnsiYnVja2V0Ijoib24iLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X21peGVkX21lZGlhXzE1ODk3Ijp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6InRyZWF0bWVudCIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfZXhwZXJpbWVudHNfY29va2llX2V4cGlyYXRpb24iOnsiYnVja2V0IjoxMjA5NjAwLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X3Nob3dfYmlyZHdhdGNoX3Bpdm90c19lbmFibGVkIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6Im9uIiwidmVyc2lvbiI6bnVsbH0sInRmd19kdXBsaWNhdGVfc2NyaWJlc190b19zZXR0aW5ncyI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdXNlX3Byb2ZpbGVfaW1hZ2Vfc2hhcGVfZW5hYmxlZCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdmlkZW9faGxzX2R5bmFtaWNfbWFuaWZlc3RzXzE1MDgyIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6InRydWVfYml0cmF0ZSIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfbGVnYWN5X3RpbWVsaW5lX3N1bnNldCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOnRydWUsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdHdlZXRfZWRpdF9mcm9udGVuZCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9fQ%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1970564074850123952&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Fdashboard%2F&sessionId=0694ba007bfe0945f9eda993896e78df390988cc&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 686px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" data-tweet-id="1970564074850123952">&nbsp;</iframe></div></div>&ldquo;In any event, I wish both Countries well. We will continue to supply weapons to NATO for NATO to do what they want with them. Good luck to all!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;&#39;Big fat missiles&#39;&nbsp;The US leader&#39;s comments marked his latest in a series of policy switches on Ukraine, including a sudden pivot to peace talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin early this year that stunned allies, AFP reported. Zelensky, in his speech at the UN, appealed: &ldquo;Be the force that acts. Act together. Unite at last to stop Russia&rsquo;s war. We know how to guarantee security. What we need now is a strong push &ndash; to force Russia toward peace.&rdquo;<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-1" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-1&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1970614234179674386&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Fdashboard%2F&sessionId=0694ba007bfe0945f9eda993896e78df390988cc&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 456px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" data-tweet-id="1970614234179674386"></iframe></div></div>Zelensky warned Wednesday that Europe could not afford to lose strategically located Moldova to Russian influence and let it follow Belarus and Georgia into Moscow&#39;s orbit, AFP reported. Moldova, a former Soviet republic, goes to the polls on Sunday with pro-EU President Maia Sandu facing a barrage of deepfake videos and other disinformation linked to Russia. Zelensky also sounded the alarm over the development of autonomous drones and unmanned aerial vehicles capable of shooting down other drones and targeting critical infrastructure. &lsquo;Friends and weapons&rsquo;&quot;We are now living through the most destructive arms race in human history, because this time it includes artificial intelligence,&quot; he said, adding that the only real security guarantees are &quot;friends and weapons.&quot; &quot;If the world can&#39;t respond even to all threats, and if there is no strong platform for international security, will there be any peace left on earth?&quot; The wartime leader, who has a packed itinerary of meetings with world leaders while in New York for the UN&#39;s signature diplomatic week, stressed that Ukraine had been forced to ramp up its military production. &quot;Ukraine doesn&#39;t have the big fat missiles dictators love to show off in parades, but we do have drones that can fly up to 2,000, 3,000 kilometers. &quot;We had no choice but to build them to protect our right to life.&quot;

US Secretary Marco Rubio urged Russia to stop the killing in Ukraine, echoing Trump’s surprising shift supporting Kyiv's victory. Zelensky, citing weak global institutions, urged unified action to resist Russia and defend democracy.

US Secretary Rubio calls for Russia to stop 'killing' in Ukraine

ISLAMABAD:&nbsp;Israel widened its ground operation in Gaza City on Tuesday, pressing further into the heart of the blockaded enclave as the humanitarian crisis worsens and international criticism mounts.&nbsp;Israel claims its expanded military offensive seeks to dismantle Hamas&rsquo;s control over Gaza City and secure the release of hostages, despite the enclave being heavily devastated by its forces since October 2023. US confirms support for Israel&nbsp;U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is on a diplomatic trip to Israel,&nbsp;confirmed broad American support for the Israeli offensive.&nbsp;He also warned that diplomatic efforts have a &ldquo;narrow&rdquo; timeframe. Rubio, following talks with Netanyahu,&nbsp;stated openly that the conflict will only conclude with Hamas&rsquo;s &lsquo;elimination&rsquo; and the release of all hostages. Hamas, in contrast, demands prisoner releases, a lasting ceasefire, and Israeli withdrawal before considering hostage negotiations. Latest Israeli offensive against Gaza&nbsp;Palestinian residents reported heavy bombardment across Gaza City. One strike destroyed a house in the west, killing at least five Palestinians, including two children, according to a local hospital.&nbsp;&nbsp;Another attack damaged three houses in the southwest, with medics searching for survivors amid the rubble. A Gaza resident described it as a &ldquo;heavy night.&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that ending the conflict required eliminating Hamas and securing the release of the remaining 48 hostages. About 20 are believed to be still alive. He rejected calls for an interim ceasefire.&nbsp;Meanwhile, Hamas demanded the release of Palestinian prisoners, a lasting ceasefire, and Israeli withdrawal from Gaza before freeing hostages.&nbsp;More than 64,871 Palestinians, including 18,000 children, have been killed, according to Gaza&rsquo;s Health Ministry. Israel laid siege to the blockaded enclave in October 2023. Israel launches expanded operation in Gaza&nbsp;The Israeli military announced Tuesday it expanded operation in Gaza aimed at destroying allegedly Hamas&rsquo; military &lsquo;infrastructure&rsquo; has officially begun.&nbsp;Residents have been urged to move south, although overcrowding and lack of transportation make evacuation difficult for many.&nbsp;&nbsp;The Israeli Defense Minister said the occupying forces would continue their mission until Hamas was &lsquo;defeated&rsquo; and hostages<a id="_anchor_1" href="#_msocom_1" name="_msoanchor_1" style="font-size: 18px; color: rgb(0, 115, 230);"></a> were &lsquo;freed&rsquo;.Rubio, who is departing Israel for Qatar, said that a prolonged war is worse, and the goal remains a negotiated settlement with Hamas defeated. Over 220,000 Palestinians have fled northern Gaza after Israeli warnings, but many remain in the overcrowded south. Families of hostages held by Hamas gathered outside Netanyahu&rsquo;s residence, pleading for a halt to the operation to protect their loved ones. Both Netanyahu and Rubio insist the conflict will only end with Hamas&rsquo; elimination and hostage release, rejecting calls for an interim ceasefire. Hamas demands the release of Palestinian prisoners, a lasting ceasefire, and Israeli withdrawal from Gaza before freeing the hostages.

 FILE - Palestinians run for cover during an Israeli airstrike on a high-rise building in Gaza City, Friday, Sept. 5, 2025, after the Israeli army issued a warning. (AP PhotoYousef Al Zanoun, File) 

Asia

While the Israeli military has not confirmed if the offensive has officially begun, the U.S. State Secretary indicated the operation may have already started. 

Ground offensive to occupy Gaza begins

Reuters

ISLAMABAD: The U.S. military launched a second missile strike on a suspected Venezuelan &lsquo;drug trafficking&rsquo; vessel in international waters, escalating tensions with Caracas.&nbsp;The Venezuelan president, Nicolas Maduro, has been accused of leading a cocaine cartel.&nbsp;&nbsp;Caracas vowed to defend itself against what it calls U.S. aggression.&nbsp;US military build-upThe Trump administration dramatically increased pressure on Venezuela, deploying over 4,000 troops, warships armed with Tomahawk missiles, an attack submarine, and military aircraft in the southern Caribbean. &nbsp;&nbsp;President Donald Trump confirmed the strike killed three men aboard the boat, which he linked to the Venezuelan cartel Tren de Aragua, allegedly headed by Maduro himself.&nbsp;&nbsp;U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio supported the attacks, saying the strikes caused a significant drop in drug shipments headed to the U.S. &quot;We have 100 percent fidelity and certainty that that boat was involved in that trafficking of those drugs that ultimately were destined to reach the United States of America,&quot; Rubio said.&nbsp;Venezuelan responseThe Venezuelan president, speaking in Caracas, denounced U.S. actions as aggressive and blamed Rubio for the breakdown in communications between the two governments. Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello disputed U.S. claims. He stated the 11 people killed in an earlier strike were not drug trafficking and raised questions about why arrests were not made if drugs were aboard.&nbsp;Maduro said Venezuela had the right to defend itself fully and urged citizens to remain &lsquo;alert&rsquo;.&nbsp;&nbsp;Military posturingVenezuelan fighter jets flew close to the USS Jason Dunham, a move the U.S. Pentagon called &ldquo;highly provocative&rdquo;. While Trump avoided confirming further strikes on the Venezuelan mainland, there are worries that the September 2 strike marked the start of a broader campaign to disrupt &lsquo;narcotics trafficking&rsquo; and possibly remove Maduro from power.&nbsp;&nbsp;

US conducts second strike on Venezuelan vessel, Maduro vows defense

Caracas vowed to defend itself against what it calls U.S. aggression.

Articles tagged with "Marco Rubio"