The United States expresses its deep concern over the incident in the Black Sea that occurred November 25 as Ukrainian vessels attempted to transit through the Kerch Strait. Reports that Russian vessels rammed and fired on the Ukrainian ships, injuring Ukrainian crewmen, before seizing three vessels, represent a dangerous escalation and a violation of international law.

The United States condemns this aggressive Russian action. We call on Russia to return to Ukraine its vessels and detained crew members, and to respect Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders, extending to its territorial waters.

We call on both parties to exercise restraint and abide by their international obligations and commitments. We urge Presidents Poroshenko and Putin to engage directly to resolve this situation. In that regard, we reiterate our support for the Normandy Four format.

The United States supports Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders, extending to its territorial waters, as well as the right of its vessels to traverse international waters. As stated in our Crimea Declaration, the United States rejects Russia’s attempted annexation of Crimea.

The Office of Website Management, Bureau of Public Affairs, manages this site as a portal for information from the U.S. State Department.
External links to other Internet sites should not be construed as an endorsement of the views or privacy policies contained therein.

In advance of World AIDS Day 2018, Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo will deliver keynote remarks at the PEPFAR Faith Communities and HIV Technical Summit at the Department of State’s Loy Henderson Room at 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday, November 27, 2018.

The Secretary will announce the latest lifesaving results achieved under the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), including additional progress that is being made under the PEPFAR Strategy for Accelerating HIV/AIDS Epidemic Control (2017-2020).

The event is open to the press. Pre-set time for cameras is 8:15 a.m. from the 23rd Street entrance. Final access time for writers and stills is 8:30 a.m. from the 23rd Street entrance.

Media representatives may attend this event upon presentation of one of the following: (1) a U.S. government-issued photo media credential (e.g., Department of State, White House, Congress, Department of Defense or Foreign Press Center), or (2) an official photo identification card issued by their news organization, or (3) a letter from their employer on official letterhead verifying their current employment as a journalist. Additionally, they must present an official government photo identification card (i.e., U.S. driver’s license or passport).

The event will be streamed live on www.state.gov.

For further information, please contact the Office of Press Relations at (202) 647-2492 or PAPressDuty@state.gov.

The Office of Website Management, Bureau of Public Affairs, manages this site as a portal for information from the U.S. State Department.
External links to other Internet sites should not be construed as an endorsement of the views or privacy policies contained therein.

Assistant Secretary Denise Natali will travel to Tampa, Florida November 25-27, 2018.

In Tampa, Assistant Secretary Natali will meet with senior military leaders and planners from CENTCOM, SOCOM, and SOCCENT. During her trip, she will discuss ways to enhance CSO-military collaboration, to include co-deployments and analytical exchanges. She will also participate in roundtable discussions on stabilization and special operations.

The Office of Website Management, Bureau of Public Affairs, manages this site as a portal for information from the U.S. State Department.
External links to other Internet sites should not be construed as an endorsement of the views or privacy policies contained therein.

Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of South and Central Asia Affairs Alice Wells will travel to Geneva, Switzerland, and Brussels, Belgium November 26-30, 2018. In Geneva, Ambassador Wells will join Under Secretary for Political Affairs David Hale who will lead the U.S. delegation at the Geneva Ministerial Conference on Afghanistan to review Afghanistan’s progress in the common effort to attain lasting peace and prosperity for the people of Afghanistan. Under Secretary Hale, Ambassador Wells, and U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan John Bass will meet with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and Chief Executive Abdullah on the margins of the conference to discuss a wide range of bilateral issues. She will also meet with a range of leading donor nations and partners in our military effort, as well as with members of Afghanistan’s civil society.

In Brussels, Ambassador Wells will meet with European Union counterparts to discuss the Indo-Pacific strategy as well as mutual efforts in Afghanistan and South Asia. She will also meet with media representatives at the Brussels Regional Media Hub to discuss the Geneva Conference, and its key outcomes

The Office of Website Management, Bureau of Public Affairs, manages this site as a portal for information from the U.S. State Department.
External links to other Internet sites should not be construed as an endorsement of the views or privacy policies contained therein.

On behalf of the Government of the United States of America and all Americans, I express my solidarity with the people of India and the city of Mumbai on the 10th anniversary of the Mumbai terrorist attack. We stand with the families and friends of the victims, whose loved ones were lost in this act of barbarism, including six American citizens. The barbarity of 26/11 shocked the entire world.

It is an affront to the families of the victims that, after ten years, those who planned the Mumbai attack have still not been convicted for their involvement. We call upon all countries, particularly Pakistan, to uphold their UN Security Council obligations to implement sanctions against the terrorists responsible for this atrocity, including Lashkar-e-Tayyiba and its affiliates.

The United States is committed to seeing that those responsible for this attack face justice. The Department of State Rewards for Justice (RFJ) Program is offering a new reward for up to $5 million for information leading to the arrest or conviction of any individual who was involved in planning or facilitating the 2008 Mumbai attack.

The Office of Website Management, Bureau of Public Affairs, manages this site as a portal for information from the U.S. State Department.
External links to other Internet sites should not be construed as an endorsement of the views or privacy policies contained therein.