Blinken warns China against attacks on Philippine ships

MANILA, PHILIPPINES >> Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned China on Tuesday that an “armed” attack against Philippine vessels in the South China Sea would trigger a mutual self-defense pact between Washington and Manila.

But in a sign that the United States hopes to deescalate the situation, Blinken, on a visit to Manila, gave no indication that recent Chinese provocations — which include ramming Philippine vessels and blasting them with water cannons — crossed the threshold of “armed” attacks.

Alongside his Philippine counterpart when pressed on how to deter what some analysts call China's “gray-zone coercion tactics,” which Philippine officials say include aiming a high-powered laser at a Philippine coast guard vessel and temporarily blinding some crew members, Blinken pointed to diplomatic, not military, measures.

Russia says it will evacuate 9,000 children near border

Russia plans to evacuate about 9,000 children from a border region because it is being shelled continuously by Ukraine, an official said Tuesday, reflecting Kyiv's increasing focus on striking targets behind a front line that has barely shifted in recent months.

The children will be moved from the Belgorod region farther east, away from the Ukraine border, said the region's governor, Vyacheslev Gladkov.

The announcement came a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin said the Kremlin wants to create a buffer zone to help protect border regions from long-range Ukrainian strikes and cross-border raids more than two years into the war.

Ukraine has increasingly used its long-range firepower to hit oil refineries and depots deep inside Russia and has sought to unsettle the Russian border regions. In addition, Ukraine-based Russian opponents of Putin and the Kremlin have launched cross-border raids.