MATTHEW LEE | The Seattle Times

U.S. President Donald Trump, with first lady Melania Trump, look at gift from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as they tour Gandhi Ashram, Monday, Feb. 24, 2020, in Ahmedabad, India. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) INDB112 INDB112

February 24, 2020 at 12:27 pm

Foreign leaders restrained in gifts to Trumps in 2018

WASHINGTON (AP) — Foreign leaders appear to have scaled back their generosity when it comes to gifts given to President Donald Trump, his family and... Updated 1:24 pm

FILE – In this May 28, 2019 file photo, Suhail Shaheen, spokesman for the Taliban’s political office in Doha, speaks to the media in Moscow, Russia. The countdown to the signing of a peace agreement between the Taliban and the United States to end the 18 years of war in Afghanistan will begin on Friday night, when the seven-day â€œreduction of violence” promised by the Taliban will go into effect, a senior U.S. State Department official said. The deal will be signed on Feb. 29. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, File) CAIDK101 CAIDK101

February 21, 2020 at 3:48 am

US, Taliban truce takes effect, setting stage for peace deal

ISLAMABAD (AP) — A temporary truce between the United States and the Taliban took effect on Friday, setting the stage for the two sides to...

February 20, 2020 at 8:56 am

US sanctions Iran clerics for vetoing election candidates

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration on Thursday ratcheted up pressure on Iran by slapping sanctions on top members of a powerful clerical body that...

In this photo taken Friday, Jan. 24, 2020, U.S. President Donald Trump’s envoy for the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, Ambassador Richard Grenell listens Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic during a press conference after their meeting, in Belgrade, Serbia. Grenell urged the new Kosovo government to abolish punitive tariffs on Serbian goods that have blocked negotiations between the two Balkan rivals. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic) XDMV101 XDMV101

February 19, 2020 at 3:49 pm

Trump taps loyalist Grenell as nation’s top intel official

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump announced that Richard Grenell, the U.S. ambassador to Germany, will become acting director of national intelligence, a move that...

February 18, 2020 at 1:27 pm

US designates 5 Chinese media outlets as foreign missions

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration on Tuesday designated five state-run Chinese news outlets that operate in the United States as “foreign missions,” requiring them...

February 18, 2020 at 10:16 am

US lawmaker defends meeting with Iran FM in Munich

WASHINGTON (AP) — Sen. Chris Murphy on Tuesday defended a weekend meeting he held with Iran's foreign minister in Europe, after his actions were questioned...

February 15, 2020 at 3:01 am

Esper says Taliban deal is promising but not without risk VIEW

MUNICH (AP) — U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Saturday that a truce agreement between the United States and the Taliban that could lead to...

February 15, 2020 at 2:00 am

US defense chief slams China as rising threat to world order VIEW

MUNICH (AP) — U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper on Saturday cast China as a rising threat to world order — saying the world's most populous...

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, left, shakes hands with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani,during the 56th Munich Security Conference (MSC) in Munich, southern Germany, on Friday, Feb. 14, 2020. The 2020 edition of the Munich Security Conference (MSC) takes place from Feb. 14 to 16. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/Pool photo via AP) LLT117 LLT117

February 14, 2020 at 7:36 am

US and Taliban agree to truce, way forward in Afghanistan

MUNICH (AP) — The United States and the Taliban have agreed to a temporary truce that, if successful, would open the way for a deal...

February 12, 2020 at 9:10 pm

Stormy US-Europe relations as top officials head to Munich

WASHINGTON (AP) — Some of President Donald Trump’s top foreign policy priorities stand at pivotal moments as two high-level national security officials head to an...