Biden administration

President Joe Biden on July 16 will lay out his strategy for the Middle East as he closes out of the final leg of a four-day trip meant to bolster U.S. positioning and knit the region together against Iran.

The Biden administration and its allies are struggling to balance their priorities against Kyiv’s demands

Here are the highlights of events related to the war in Ukraine over the past 24 hours:

Rocket fire and explosions in Donetsk and Luhansk regions

Heavy night in Ukraine - local authorities report rocket fire and explosions in Donetsk and Luhansk regions. However, in the past 24 hours, Russian forces have not advanced significantly.

President Joe Biden, who is at the G7 Summit in Germany, recently announced that the United States will provide "a more advanced missile system and ammunition" for Ukraine, while the war with Russia is intensifying. Also, Biden and other leaders of the G7 countries should be addressed today by the Ukrainian President, by video call.

In a ceremony that lasted around two hours on Thursday, in high-security measures and with the attendance of Albanian politicians from all main political parties, former US Vice President Mike Pence talked to members of the MEK, voicing his support for the Iranian dissident group.

Senior officials in the Biden administration said that four to six weeks of fighting would determine the final direction of the war, writes the New York Times.

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman on Tuesday warned of a forceful response if North Korea carries out its first nuclear test explosion in nearly five years as she traveled to Seoul to meet with South Korean and Japanese allies and discuss the escalating standoff.

Global stock markets and Wall Street futures advanced yesterday after the downturn in China's service industries eased and news reports said the Biden administration might lift U.S. tariffs on some Chinese imports.

London and Frankfurt opened higher. Shanghai, Tokyo and Hong Kong advanced. Oil prices gained to stay close to $120 per barrel.

The Biden administration says it will send Ukraine a small number of high-tech, medium-range rocket systems, a critical weapon that Ukrainian leaders have been begging for as they struggle to stall Russian progress in the Donbas region.

The U.S. administration intends to do that by sending advanced, long-range missile systems, which are now the main request of Ukrainian officials, several unnamed officials said.
The administration is considering sending the system as part of a larger package of military and security aid to Ukraine, which could be revealed next week, CNN reported.