Taiwan Says No Notice of U.S. Arms Sales Pause Amid Iran Conflict Concerns 
Israel Faces Global Backlash Over Gaza Flotilla Activists’ Treatment 
Rubio Says NATO Must Benefit All Members Ahead of Sweden Meeting 
Marco Rubio Visits India to Rebuild U.S.-India Ties Amid Trade and Geopolitical Tensions 
Trump Signals Tough Stance on Iran Uranium Stockpile as Nuclear Talks Show Limited Progress 
Chicago U.S. Attorney Drops Charges Against Broadview Protest Defendants 
Trump Announces 5,000 Additional U.S. Troops to Poland Following Nawrocki Election Victory 
NIH Infectious Disease Leadership Shake-Up Raises Concerns Amid Ebola, Hantavirus Outbreaks 
Mexico-EU Free Trade Deal Signals Strategic Shift Away From U.S. Dependence 
Iran-U.S. Talks Continue as Strait of Hormuz and Uranium Dispute Stall Peace Efforts 
Trump-China Summit Yields Limited Progress on Trade and Tech Cooperation 
House Republicans Delay Vote on Iran War Powers Resolution Amid Growing Congressional Debate 
First Trump, now Putin – all roads lead to Xi Jinping 
Rubio Pressures NATO Allies as Trump Questions Alliance Commitment 
China Coal Mine Explosion Death Toll Revised to 82 in Shanxi 
Russia Launches Massive Missile and Drone Strike on Kyiv Amid Oreshnik Threat 
Iran Pushes Nationalist Propaganda as Economic Crisis and War Deepen 
The previous weeks saw tensions between Ukraine and Russia escalate due to the buildup of troops at the border the two countries share. With the concerns of an invasion, US President Joe Biden is considering imposing sanctions on Russia to prevent an invasion from happening.
The Biden administration is looking into imposing sanctions against Russia that aim to prevent President Vladimir Putin from invading Ukraine, according to CNN. The new sanctions will target Putin’s inner circle along with Russian energy companies. The final decisions on the sanctions have yet to be made as the administration is in discussions with European partners who have close economic ties to Russia to hopefully coordinate action.
People familiar with the matter said that the new sanctions will target a range of other sectors, including the energy producers as well as the Russian banks. The new sanctions can also potentially target Russia’s sovereign debt. Top Russian oligarchs will also be targeted by the sanctions through limited travel and access to banking and credit cards.
Biden told reporters Friday last week that he was “putting together what I believe to be the most comprehensive and meaningful set of initiatives to make it very, very difficult for Mr. Putin to go ahead and do what people are worried he might do.”
In other related news, Biden marked the 80th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. The US leader visited the World War II memorial in Washington early Tuesday morning with first lady Dr. Jill Biden. Dr. Biden laid a bouquet at the New Jersey pillar of the memorial in honor of her father Donald Jacobs, who served as a Navy Signalman during the war.
The wreath that the Bidens laid at the memorial included a wild sunflower, the state flower of Kansas, also in honor of Republican senator and World War II veteran Bob Dole, who passed away over the weekend at the age of 98.
The National Park Service and the US Navy also held other remembrances of the date, when the Japanese forces attacked a US Naval base in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on December 7, 1941. The US would defeat Japan in 1945, days after the US bombed Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
