The State Department has issued a worldwide travel advisory urging U.S. citizens overseas to stay alert at upcoming Pride celebrations due to the potential for increased violence against people in the LGBTQ+ community.

“Due to the potential for terrorist attacks, demonstrations, or violent actions against U.S. citizens and interests, the Department of State advises U.S. citizens overseas to exercise increased caution,” the State Department said. “Stay alert in locations frequented by tourists, including Pride celebrations and venues frequented by LGBTQI+ persons.” 

Neil Young songs aren’t typically used as tools of diplomacy. Tuesday night in wartime Ukraine’s capital, not long before curfew, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken deployed a left-handed guitar in the service of supporting Kyiv in its fight against Russia.

Before Blinken became the top American diplomat, he was a serious rock guitarist — and along with a Ukrainian band, he played “Rockin’ in the Free World,” a 1989 song by Young, the Canadian American musician, for a packed basement music club.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky met U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken during the latter's visit to Kyiv on May 14.

The president thanked Blinken for the "crucial package" of $61 billion in U.S. aid passed by Congress in April. While this decision unblocked the flow of American assistance after six months of delays, it will likely still take some time before the effects are felt on the battlefield.

"A big appreciation from Ukrainians to Americans for this," Zelensky said.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Ukraine on Tuesday on an unannounced diplomatic mission to reassure the country amid its war with Russia.

After arriving in Kyiv, Blinken is expected to meet with senior Ukrainian officials and "highlight the United States’ enduring support for Ukraine," the U.S. State Department said. In the Ukrainian capital, he will also underscore the Biden administration’s commitment to Ukraine’s defense and assure Ukraine that it has America’s support against increasingly intense Russian attacks.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken made a surprise trip to Kyiv on Tuesday, meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky as Russian forces make significant gains on the battlefield in Ukraine.

Blinken’s visit was the first by a Biden administration official since the long-delayed passage of US supplemental funding to the war-torn country.

The top US diplomat is due to deliver a speech later Tuesday, and discussed “recent battlefield updates in his meeting with Zelensky.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Sunday the U.S. is still collecting evidence and reviewing allegations that Israel violated U.S. policy and international humanitarian law in Gaza.

The State Department in a much anticipated report on Friday evening said it's "reasonable to assess" that Israel used U.S.-made arms in ways that did not sufficiently mitigate civilian harm, but it could not definitively conclude that any specific incident met the violation threshold.

The US government says Israel may have breached humanitarian law in Gaza using American weapons.

In a delayed report, the state department says it is "reasonable to assess" that US-supplied arms have been used in ways "inconsistent" with Israel's obligations.

But it says Israel has had to confront an "extraordinary military challenge" fighting Hamas in Gaza.

The report, ordered by the White House, was submitted to Congress on Friday.

Saudi Arabia and the United States are finalizing the details of a landmark deal to strengthen bilateral trade and defense – but an agreement will not be reached if the kingdom and Israel do not establish diplomatic relations, US officials said.

A major part of U.S. President Joe Biden’s transformational plan for the Middle East—more like a Hail Mary than a real plan—is to see Saudi Arabia and Israel normalize their relations. To make it happen, Washington would have to provide Riyadh, among other things, with a formal defense pact. Israel, per Saudi wishes, would have to take irrevocable steps to help create an independent Palestinian state.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) pushed the Biden administration over the weekend to get a mutual defense agreement signed with Saudi Arabia to help calm tensions in the Middle East.

Graham made the remarks during a Sunday interview with Dana Bash on CNN’s “State of the Union,” during which they discussed Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s trip to Saudi Arabia. Blinken said late last week that he thinks Israel and Saudi Arabia can normalize relations even without a ceasefire in Gaza.