NEWSLETTER
Thursday / September 29Sep 29
Thursday / December 30
Biden-Putin call
US President Joe Biden will speak by phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday amid growing concerns that Russia may invade Ukraine again, the White House and Kremlin confirmed.
The call, which will be the second meeting the two leaders this month, comes after Washington and its European allies warned Moscow that an invasion of its former Soviet neighbor would trigger economic and political countermeasures.
The US is ready for diplomacy and a diplomatic path forward but is also prepared to respond if Russia invades Ukraine further, senior Biden administration official told media.
Next month, US and Russian officials will hold security talks focusing on arms control agreements, NATO and Russian military activities, and tensions over Ukraine.
The talks, which will start on January 10, will be held within the scope of the Strategic Security Dialogue, which Biden and Putin announced at the summit in Geneva in June.
Vienna negotiations
The foreign ministers of Germany, France, the United Kingdom and the United States discussed the situation at the Ukrainian border and the next formats of dialogue with Russia, the German Foreign Ministry said on Twitter on Wednesday.
The foreign ministry said in a statement that the four foreign ministers also discussed the talks on Iran's nuclear program in Vienna and how to show solidarity with Lithuania on China's latest actions.
Russia's envoy for the Vienna talks, Mikhail Ulyanov, said Wednesday that he had met twice with the US special envoy to Iran, Robert Malley.
The US State Department said that Minister Antony Blinken had phone conversations with his French, German and British counterparts and that the Iran nuclear talks were among the topics discussed.
They discussed shared concerns about the pace of developments in Iran's nuclear program as time is running out for Tehran to return to the JCPOA, State Department spokesman Ned Price said in a statement.
A senior Biden administration official said, US President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin will discuss the Iran nuclear talks in the phone call Thursday.
US stocks
The S&P500 rose 0.1% to 4,793 on Wednesday, marking its 70th record close in 2021.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed at 36,488, up 90.42 points, or 0.3%, and the Nasdaq Composite index fell 0.1% to 15,766.
Historically, the market rises during the "Santa rally" period which is the last five trading days of December and the first two days of January.
Beijing warns Taiwan
A Beijing government official warned Wednesday that Mainland China would take "hard measures" if Taiwan made the move towards independence, suggesting that "provocations and foreign interference" on Taiwan could intensify next year.
Ma Xiaoguang, spokesman for mainland communist China's Taiwan Affairs Office, said Beijing would act if the red lines regarding independence were crossed.
"If separatist forces seeking independence in Taiwan provoke, exert force or even cross any red line, we will have to take drastic measures. Next year, the Taiwan Strait situation will become more complex and severe," Ma said.
While the US only recognizes communist China, it has long pursued a policy of "strategic uncertainty" it provides Taiwan with the means to defend itself and maintains strategic ambiguity whether it would intervene militarily to protect Taiwan in the event of a possible attack from mainland China. US President Biden said recently that Washington will protect the democratically governed island if attacked.
US President Joe Biden will speak by phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday amid growing concerns that Russia may invade Ukraine again, the White House and Kremlin confirmed.
The call, which will be the second meeting the two leaders this month, comes after Washington and its European allies warned Moscow that an invasion of its former Soviet neighbor would trigger economic and political countermeasures.
The US is ready for diplomacy and a diplomatic path forward but is also prepared to respond if Russia invades Ukraine further, senior Biden administration official told media.
Next month, US and Russian officials will hold security talks focusing on arms control agreements, NATO and Russian military activities, and tensions over Ukraine.
The talks, which will start on January 10, will be held within the scope of the Strategic Security Dialogue, which Biden and Putin announced at the summit in Geneva in June.
Vienna negotiations
The foreign ministers of Germany, France, the United Kingdom and the United States discussed the situation at the Ukrainian border and the next formats of dialogue with Russia, the German Foreign Ministry said on Twitter on Wednesday.
The foreign ministry said in a statement that the four foreign ministers also discussed the talks on Iran's nuclear program in Vienna and how to show solidarity with Lithuania on China's latest actions.
Russia's envoy for the Vienna talks, Mikhail Ulyanov, said Wednesday that he had met twice with the US special envoy to Iran, Robert Malley.
The US State Department said that Minister Antony Blinken had phone conversations with his French, German and British counterparts and that the Iran nuclear talks were among the topics discussed.
They discussed shared concerns about the pace of developments in Iran's nuclear program as time is running out for Tehran to return to the JCPOA, State Department spokesman Ned Price said in a statement.
A senior Biden administration official said, US President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin will discuss the Iran nuclear talks in the phone call Thursday.
US stocks
The S&P500 rose 0.1% to 4,793 on Wednesday, marking its 70th record close in 2021.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed at 36,488, up 90.42 points, or 0.3%, and the Nasdaq Composite index fell 0.1% to 15,766.
Historically, the market rises during the "Santa rally" period which is the last five trading days of December and the first two days of January.
Beijing warns Taiwan
A Beijing government official warned Wednesday that Mainland China would take "hard measures" if Taiwan made the move towards independence, suggesting that "provocations and foreign interference" on Taiwan could intensify next year.
Ma Xiaoguang, spokesman for mainland communist China's Taiwan Affairs Office, said Beijing would act if the red lines regarding independence were crossed.
"If separatist forces seeking independence in Taiwan provoke, exert force or even cross any red line, we will have to take drastic measures. Next year, the Taiwan Strait situation will become more complex and severe," Ma said.
While the US only recognizes communist China, it has long pursued a policy of "strategic uncertainty" it provides Taiwan with the means to defend itself and maintains strategic ambiguity whether it would intervene militarily to protect Taiwan in the event of a possible attack from mainland China. US President Biden said recently that Washington will protect the democratically governed island if attacked.
