The original 28-Point Peace Plan, which was drafted by the United States, has been fine-tuned, with additional input from both sides, and there are only a few remaining points of disagreement. In the hopes of finalizing this Peace Plan, I have directed my Special Envoy Steve Witkoff to meet with President Putin in Moscow and, at the same time, Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll will be meeting with the Ukrainians. I will be briefed on all progress made, along with Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles. I look forward to hopefully meeting with President Zelenskyy and President Putin soon, but ONLY when the deal to end this War is FINAL or, in its final stages. Thank you for your attention to this very important matter, and let’s all hope that PEACE can be accomplished AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!
Archiv: US Außenministerium / US State Department
Witkoff To Moscow. Zelenskyy Is Wary. A Phone Call Leaks. A Ukraine Peace Plan Coalesces.
“I know what it’s going to take to get a peace deal done: Donetsk and maybe a land swap somewhere,” Witkoff reportedly said.
Bloomberg did not say how it obtained the recording, which was likely made by US intelligence agencies who routinely monitor and eavesdrop on foreign officials’ conversations.
Ukraine: Was ist der Stand bei den Verhandlungen zum Kriegsende?
Carsten Kühntopp berichtet aus dem ARD-Studio Washington, dass mehrere Formulierungen des Papiers tatsächlich wie direkte Übersetzungen aus dem Russischen ins Englischen klingen. Das US-Außenministerium dementierte jedoch: die Russen und Ukrainer hätten lediglich Input für den US-Plan geliefert.
Hochrangige Mitarbeiter in Außenministerium und Nationalem Sicherheitsrat erfuhren laut Kühntopp von dem Plan allerdings erst aus der Presse. Die Verwirrung um die Herkunft des Plans spreche entweder für ein chaotisches Vorgehen der Regierung oder für einen Machtkampf zwischen Rubio, Witkoff, Vizepräsident JD Vance und anderen um den richtigen Kurs gegenüber Russland.
U.S., Ukraine agree to change draft of peace plan that appeased Russia
Negotiators in Geneva had been working off an earlier proposal that bipartisan lawmakers say would further destabilize global security by rewarding Russia after its 2022 invasion.
USA und Ukraine überarbeiten Entwurf für Friedensplan
Das Treffen in Genf hat offenbar Fortschritte gebracht: Vertreter der USA und der Ukraine haben gemeinsam einen überarbeiteten Entwurf für einen Plan zum Ende des Krieges erstellt. Eine erste Version hatte vor allem den Interessen Moskaus entsprochen.
U.S. senators say Rubio told them Trump’s Ukraine peace plan is Russian ‘wish list’
Rounds said „it looked more like it was written in Russian to begin with.“
The senators said they spoke to Rubio after he reached out to some of them while on his way to Geneva for talks on the plan. Independent Maine Sen. Angus King said Rubio told them the plan „was not the administration‘s plan“ but a „wish list of the Russians.“
The bipartisan group of senators, who are veteran legislators and among those most focused on foreign relations, stood together at the press conference as they relayed Rubio‘s message on the call.
Rubio facing scrutiny after telling US senators that 28-point plan is a Russian proposal passed along to Ukraine
The U.S. bipartisan Senate delegation attending the Halifax International Security Forum had received a phone call from Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
In it, Rubio was quite frank.
According to Republican Senator Mike Rounds, Rubio told senators that the 28-point peace plan drawn up by Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and his Russian counterpart, Kirill Dmitriev, was actually a Russian plan that the U.S. had agreed to pass along to Ukraine.
‚Threat To Peace‘: Rubio Warns Israel Against Pursuing West Bank Annexation In Rare U.S. Rebuke
Ahead of his visit to Israel, Rubio stated that the Knesset’s initial vote to extend Israeli sovereignty over Judea and Samaria risks undermining President Trump’s regional stabilization plan. He warned that such a move could prove “counterproductive” to ongoing peace initiatives and noted that several non–Middle Eastern nations are prepared to deploy troops to help secure Gaza.
State Department is firing more than 1,300 staff on Friday
The State Department has begun firing more than 1,300 people as part of a dramatic overhaul of the agency, according to a State Department official.
The firings will affect 1,107 civil service and 246 foreign service officers, an internal notice seen by CNN said. It comes as the State Department implements a drastic reorganization as part of the Trump administration’s broader efforts to shrink the federal government.
State Dept. says wrongfully deported Maryland man is alive and in El Salvador.
A State Department official said in a two-page court filing that the man, Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran migrant who had been living in Maryland before he was deported, was “alive and secure” in a terrorism confinement center in El Salvador.
State Dept. ignores order to detail return of wrongly deported migrant
Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele is an ally of President Donald Trump and has agreed to accept deportees from the United States.
Bukele is set to meet with Trump in Washington on Monday.
The Trump administration has said that Abrego Garcia was deported to El Salvador on March 15 because of an “administrative error.”
Secretary Rubio’s Meeting with Belgian Prime Minister De Wever
(April 4, 2025)
Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever today in Brussels and discussed shared priorities including NATO defense spending, China, and counternarcotics. They also reviewed ongoing coordination to enhance stability and security in Europe and around the world.
‚Ball is in their court‘ — Rubio on Russia‘s move toward ceasefire with Ukraine
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio voiced hope on March 11 that Russia would accept the proposal for a temporary ceasefire with Ukraine.
„The ball is in their court,“ Rubio said during a press conference following the talks with Ukraine in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Zelensky Meets With Saudi Crown Prince Before U.S.-Ukraine Talks
Mr. Zelensky wrote on X that his discussions with Prince Mohammed, the de facto Saudi leader, who has sought to take a central role on the world’s diplomatic stage, were “good” and that he was “grateful” for the crown prince’s “wise perspective on global affairs and support for Ukraine.” Mr. Zelensky added that it was “especially important to hear words of confidence in Ukraine’s future.”
Their meeting came ahead of talks planned for Tuesday between Ukrainian and U.S. officials in the oil-rich Gulf state.
Neue Ukraine-Gespräche: Selenskyj reist nach Saudi-Arabien
Stand: 10.03.2025 06:59 Uhr
Neue Ukraine-Gespräche: Selenskyj reist nach Saudi-Arabien
What to know ahead of the talks between the US and Ukraine in Saudi Arabia
Sybiha also spoke Friday with Rubio ahead of the talks. Sybiha described it as a “constructive call.” A two-sentence readout from the State Department said Rubio “underscored President Trump is determined to end the war as soon as possible and emphasized that all sides must take steps to secure a sustainable peace.”
Ukrainian officials Yermak, Umerov, Sybiha, Palisa scheduled to meet with their US counterparts in Saudi Arabia on Tues – Zelenskyy
(March 8, 2ß25)
„Next week, I will begin with a visit to Saudi Arabia. After my meeting on Monday with the Crown Prince, Ukrainian diplomatic and military representatives will stay for a meeting on Tuesday with the American team. The Ukrainian team will include Andriy Yermak, Andriy Sybiha, Rustem Umerov, and Pavlo Palisa,“ the president said on the X network on Saturday.
Zelenskyy also said a meeting of the diplomatic teams of Ukraine and the UK took place in Kyiv on Saturday.
US to assess Ukraine‘s peace stance in Saudi Arabia meeting
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will fly to Jeddah on Sunday for the bilateral talks with Ukrainian officials, who will be led by Andriy Yermak, a top Zelenskiy aide. Rubio is expected to be joined by National Security Adviser Mike Waltz and Trump‘s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff.
„You can‘t say ‚I want peace,‘ and, ‚I refuse to compromise on anything,'“ one of the U.S. officials said of the upcoming talks.
Top Trump officials set to meet with senior Russian officials to begin Ukraine talks
As for the Europeans, Kellogg said that he comes from a “school of realism” and that looking back at the previous Minsk II agreement, “there was a lot of people at the table that really had no ability to execute some type of peace process, and it failed miserably.”
Re: Urgent Request for Access to and Information Regarding Immigrants Transferred from the United States and Detained at Guantánamo Bay
(February 7, 2025)
Dear Secretary Noem, Secretary Hegseth, and Secretary Rubio:
We write on behalf of the undersigned immigrants‘ rights and civil rights organizations to request immediate access to the noncitizens transferred from immigration detention facilities in the United States and currently detained at the U.S. Naval Base at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba.
Since February 4, 2025, the government has transferred nearly two dozen noncitizens to Guantánamo, without providing any information about their circumstances or the government’s legal authority for these unprecedented actions. The government has also announced that it is planning to send tens of thousands of additional immigration detainees to Guantánamo in the near future.
The Constitution, and federal and international law prohibit the government from using Guantánamo as a legal black hole. We therefore request that the government provide our organizations access to the noncitizens detained at Guantánamo so that those individuals will have access to legal counsel, and so advocates and the public can understand the conditions
under which the government is detaining them. We also request basic information that the public has a right to know regarding the noncitizens being sent to Guantánamo and the government’s plans for them.
(…)
Sincerely,
American Civil Liberties Union
Americans for Immigrant Justice
Amica Center
American Gateways
Center for Constitutional Rights
Haitian Bridge Alliance
Human Rights First
International Refugee Assistance Project
Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center
Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights of the SF Bay Area
National Immigrant Justice Center
National Immigration Law Center
Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services
Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights
Texas Civil Rights Project
South Korea’s political crisis and Uncle Sam’s silence
(January 7, 2025)
Secretary of State Antony Blinken — who was in Seoul this week for meetings as though nothing unusual had happened — released a readout that made no mention of South Korea’s political situation. His response to a direct question about the U.S. position on Yoon’s actions vaguely referenced private intergovernmental discussions before pivoting to boilerplate about democratic resilience. Despite a shocking breach of liberal democracy, Seoul has faced the bare minimum of consequences from its supposed “democratic values-based partner.” Why?
In meeting with Blinken, Egyptian FM says Lebanese army must control south
CAIRO – 26 November 2024: Minister of Foreign Affairs and Immigration Badr Abdelatty reiterated Monday in a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken the importance of empowering Lebanese state institutions, mainly the army so it would control the south.
Yes, Antony Blinken Should Resign. But He’s Not the Only One.
(September 27, 2024)
The day is dark, the forces arrayed are tenacious, but as the late Nation editorial board member Toni Morrison wrote “No! This is precisely the time when artists go to work. There is no time for despair, no place for self-pity, no need for silence, no room for fear. We speak, we write, we do language. That is how civilizations heal.”
I urge you to stand with The Nation and donate today.
Onwards,
Katrina vanden Heuvel
Editorial Director and Publisher, The Nation
Tlaib: Blinken Must Resign Over Lies About Israel Blocking Humanitarian Aid
(November 16, 2024)
“Secretary Blinken has continued to lie to Congress and should resign,” she said. “U.S. law is very clear. No nation blocking U.S. humanitarian assistance can receive U.S. weapons. The Biden administration cannot pick and choose when they comply with our own laws.”
“Children are forced to eat pet food and bug infested flour,” she went on. “But Blinken says there is no need to change our own policy. Shameful.”
Report of the Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices Affecting the Human Rights of the Palestinian People and Other Arabs of the Occupied Territories
The present report contains information regarding the efforts of the Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices Affecting the Human Rights of the Palestinian People and Other Arabs of the Occupied Territories to implement its mandate and documents human rights concerns in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and the occupied Syrian Golan from October 2023 to July 2024. The Special Committee was not able to conduct visits to the occupied territories, but did conduct its annual consultations in Geneva and undertook a visit to Amman, and met with government officials, United Nations organizations and mechanisms, representatives of civil society organizations, youth representatives, human rights defenders, and Palestinian families.
The report raises serious concerns of breaches of international humanitarian and human rights laws in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including starvation as a weapon of war, the possibility of genocide in Gaza and an apartheid system in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. It documents the impact of the conflict escalation since 7 October 2023 on Palestinians’ rights to food; to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment; to physical integrity, liberty and security of persons; as well as the disproportionate effects on the rights of women, children, and future generations more broadly. The report also highlights the ongoing attacks against the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) and refers to developments in the occupied Syrian Golan. The report provides recommendations to the General Assembly and Member States; to the State of Israel; and to businesses operating with Israel, that in any way contribute to maintaining Israel’s unlawful presence in the occupied territories.
(…)
IX. Conclusions
69. The developments in this report lead the Special Committee to conclude that the policies and practices of Israel during the reporting period are consistent with the characteristics of genocide. The targeting of Palestinians as a group; the life-threatening conditions imposed on Palestinians in Gaza through warfare and restrictions on humanitarian aid – resulting in physical destruction, increased miscarriages and stillbirths – and the killing of and serious bodily or mental harm caused to Palestinians in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, are violations under international law. Civilians have been indiscriminately and disproportionally killed en masse in Gaza, while in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, Israeli colonial settlers, military and security personnel have continued to violate human rights and humanitarian law with impunity. Senior Israeli government and military officials must be held accountable, including for using dehumanizing language and inciting violence.
As US Keeps Arms Flowing, UN Panel Says Israeli Assault on Gaza ‚Consistent With Genocide‘
Less than 48 hours after the Biden administration said it does not believe Israel is unlawfully obstructing humanitarian assistance in Gaza, a United Nations special committee issued a report Thursday arguing that the Israeli military‘s actions in the Palestinian enclave bear „the characteristics of genocide.“
Global Fury After State Dept Claims Israel Not Violating US Law by Blocking Gaza Aid
(November 12, 2024)
Last month, the Biden administration—which has approved tens of billions of dollars in military aid for Israel and provided nearly unconditional diplomatic support since October 2023—sent a letter to the Israeli government threatening to cut off U.S. arms transfers if it failed to take „urgent and sustained actions“ to improve humanitarian conditions in Gaza within 30 days.
Asked during a Tuesday press conference if the Israeli government has met the letter‘s demands, State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel said that „we have not made an assessment that they are in violation of U.S. law.“
Watch: Marco Rubio says he is against Gaza ceasefire
After being ambushed with demands for him to call for a ceasefire in December last year, he replied: “No, I will not. On the contrary … I want [Israel] to destroy every element of Hamas they can get their hands on.
“These people are vicious animals who did horrifying crimes.” To the activists, he added: “I hope you guys post that, because that’s my position.”
Trump expected to name pro-Israel Sen. Marco Rubio as secretary of state
US President-elect Donald Trump is expected to tap Senator Marco Rubio to be his secretary of state and Rep. Michael Waltz as national security adviser, The New York Times reported Monday, pushing the emergent cabinet in a hawkish, pro-Israel direction.
Damning Report Reveals How Antony Blinken Lied to Congress on Israel
The U.S. government’s handling of USAID’s memo led to internal conflict, with one official in the State Department, Stacy Gilbert, resigning in May over Blinken’s statement to Congress.
“There is abundant evidence showing Israel is responsible for blocking aid,” Gilbert wrote in a statement at the time. “To deny this is absurd and shameful. That report and its flagrant untruths will haunt us.” (mehr …)
Biden Admin Kept Arming Genocide After State Dept., USAID Found Israel Blocked Gaza Aid Delivery
Blinken’s decision allowed the U.S. to keep sending arms to Israel. Under U.S. law, the government is required to cut off weapons shipments to countries preventing the delivery of U.S.-backed aid.
Israel Deliberately Blocked Humanitarian Aid to Gaza, Two Government Bodies Concluded. Antony Blinken Rejected Them.
Blinken told Congress, “We do not currently assess that the Israeli government is prohibiting or otherwise restricting” aid, even though the U.S. Agency for International Development and others had determined that Israel had broken the law.
Secretary Antony J. Blinken And United Kingdom Foreign Secretary David Lammy Joint Press Availability
QUESTION: Thank you, Mr. Secretary, Mr. Foreign Secretary. Secretary Blinken, could I ask you about a couple of aspects on the Middle East? The Israel Defense Forces just a moment ago released an investigation, or released a preliminary – some preliminary findings to the death of an American citizen, Ms. Aysenur Eygi. Could you say – they said that she was killed most likely by Israeli fire, but unintentionally. Are you confident of that assessment? Does the United States want to see anything further? Are you confident with the assessment that this was unintentional, and what more do you want Israel to do? Could there be repercussions?
For both of you, could I ask you about the International Criminal Court? The – it seems that in the coming days there could be a formal decision on whether to seek an arrest warrant for Prime Minister Netanyahu, among others. Mr. Foreign Secretary, the Labor government, of course, has taken a slightly different stance from your predecessors, from the Conservatives, on this. Could you say what your position is, whether you support going ahead? And is there unity between the two allies on this? Thank you.
SECRETARY BLINKEN: Shaun, thank you very much. With regard to the tragic killing of Aysenur, I think what we saw of this investigation is it seems to show what eyewitnesses have said and made clear: that her killing was both unprovoked and unjustified. No one – no one – should be shot and killed for attending a protest. No one should have to put their life at risk just for freely expressing their views.
In our judgment, Israeli security forces need to make some fundamental changes in the way that they operate in the West Bank, including changes to their rules of engagement. We’ve long seen reports of the security forces looking the other way when extremist settlers use violence against Palestinians. We’ve seen reports of excessive force by Israeli security forces against Palestinians. And now we have the second American citizen killed at the hands of Israeli security forces. It’s not acceptable. It has to change. And we’ll be making that clear to the senior-most members of the Israeli Government.
Now, we’re looking carefully at the results of this investigation, but even on an initial read and even accepting it at face value, it’s clear that there are serious issues that need to be dealt with. And we will insist that they be dealt with.
FOREIGN SECRETARY LAMMY: I think the important thing to stress in great democracies such as ours is our belief in the separation of powers. There is an important forum for lawyers and the judiciary and our courts, and then there is also an important forum for politicians and those who represent the people.
We’ve always been clear in the UK in our belief in the international rule of law, the rules-based order, and in IHL issues which are fundamentally important. And we took a decision last week in relation to arms exports that were quasi-legal on the basis of our law as they stand. We believe in international law, we believe in the Statute of Rome, but these must be decisions for the international courts to determine. I don’t want to comment on the assessment that they will reach. I’m qualified as a lawyer in part because of the great Harvard Law School. But I’m going to leave it to the lawyers to determine these very complex matters.
SECRETARY BLINKEN: Thank you.
FOREIGN SECRETARY LAMMY: Thanks a lot.