Vice President JD Vance is scheduled to lead President Donald Trump's delegation to the 2026 Winter Olympics and will subsequently visit Armenia and Azerbaijan, according to the Associated Press (ABC News). The week-long trip, announced on February 5, 2026, is intended to demonstrate support for a peace agreement brokered by the White House last year.
The trip is expected to be one of the few international trips Vance will undertake this year, as Trump and his cabinet are focusing on domestic issues in the lead-up to the November midterm elections, ABC News reported.
In other international news, President Trump held a lengthy phone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday, as reported by The New York Times. The two leaders discussed a wide range of issues, including Iran, the war in Ukraine, and soybeans, ahead of Trump's planned visit to China this spring.
According to Trump, the call, which he described as "excellent and long and thorough" on his Truth Social account, also included a warning from Xi Jinping regarding the future of Taiwan. Xi reportedly told Trump to be "prudent" when supplying weapons to Taiwan, emphasizing that the issue is "the most important issue" in China-US relations, according to BBC World. Xi Jinping also stated that he attached "great importance" to ties with Washington and hoped both sides would find ways to resolve their differences. The call lasted almost two hours, sources familiar with the matter told The New York Times.
The call followed a series of visits by Western leaders, including UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, to China in recent months, BBC World reported. Trump and Xi last met in October on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation in South Korea, according to Reuters (BBC World).
Meanwhile, in the United States, NBC news anchor Savannah Guthrie made an emotional plea for the return of her abducted mother, Nancy Guthrie, 84, who went missing from her home in Arizona over the weekend, BBC World reported. Guthrie, flanked by her siblings, posted a video message on Instagram, tearfully pleading for her mother's return and seeking proof from her captors that she is still alive. "We want to hear from you and we are ready to listen," Guthrie said in the clip, according to BBC World. Authorities suspect Nancy Guthrie was kidnapped and are working with the FBI to authenticate a possible ransom demand.
In Eastern Europe, a war widow in Ukraine moved her husband's grave from their hometown of Slovyansk to Kyiv, fearing that Russian forces would seize the town, BBC World reported. Natalia reburied her husband, Vitaly, who was killed fighting the Russians in 2022, in a Kyiv cemetery. Vitaly's remains were exhumed and moved hundreds of miles as Russian forces advanced and the area came under increasing attack, according to BBC World.
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