US Says ‘All Options’ on the Table over Russian Troop Build-up Near Ukraine

US, NATO and Ukrainian officials have raised the alarm in recent weeks over what they say are unusual Russian troop movements closer to Ukraine. (Reuters)
US, NATO and Ukrainian officials have raised the alarm in recent weeks over what they say are unusual Russian troop movements closer to Ukraine. (Reuters)
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US Says ‘All Options’ on the Table over Russian Troop Build-up Near Ukraine

US, NATO and Ukrainian officials have raised the alarm in recent weeks over what they say are unusual Russian troop movements closer to Ukraine. (Reuters)
US, NATO and Ukrainian officials have raised the alarm in recent weeks over what they say are unusual Russian troop movements closer to Ukraine. (Reuters)

All options are on the table in how to respond to Russia's 'large and unusual' troop build-up near Ukraine's border, and the NATO alliance will decide what the next move will be following consultations next week, the top US diplomat for European affairs said on Friday.

"As you can appreciate, all options are on the table and there's a toolkit that includes a whole range of options," Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Karen Donfried told reporters in a telephone briefing.

"It's now for the alliance to decide what are the next moves that NATO wants to take," she said, speaking ahead of a visit by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to Latvia and Sweden next week to attend NATO and Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) meetings, where she said Moscow's "large and unusual" troop build up would be topping the agenda.

US, NATO and Ukrainian officials have raised the alarm in recent weeks over what they say are unusual Russian troop movements closer to Ukraine, suggesting that Moscow may be poised to launch a attack on its neighbor, accusations Russia has rejected as fear-mongering.

Asked if Blinken was going to meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov while in Stockholm, Donfried said she had no announcements to make on such a bilateral but added: "Stay tuned."



RSF: 'Alarming Deterioration' of US Press Freedom under Trump

US President Donald Trump speaks during a National Day of Prayer event in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, DC, on May 1, 2025. (Photo by Mandel NGAN / AFP)
US President Donald Trump speaks during a National Day of Prayer event in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, DC, on May 1, 2025. (Photo by Mandel NGAN / AFP)
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RSF: 'Alarming Deterioration' of US Press Freedom under Trump

US President Donald Trump speaks during a National Day of Prayer event in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, DC, on May 1, 2025. (Photo by Mandel NGAN / AFP)
US President Donald Trump speaks during a National Day of Prayer event in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, DC, on May 1, 2025. (Photo by Mandel NGAN / AFP)

Media rights group RSF warned Friday about "an alarming deterioration in press freedom" in the United States under President Donald Trump as well as "unprecedented" difficulties for independent journalists around the world.

Paris-based Reporters Without Borders, which has been tracking press freedom for the last 23 years, said its main index had fallen to its lowest-ever level.

"For the first time in the history of the index, the conditions for practicing journalism are poor in half of the world's countries and satisfactory in fewer than one in four," an annual review of media freedom globally by the charity concluded.

RSF editorial director Anne Bocande highlighted the role of economic pressures in undermining fact-based reporting, with many independent outlets having to close because of funding difficulties, reported AFP.

Although spending on online advertising was still rising -- hitting $247.3 billion in 2024, according to RSF -- a growing share is captured by online giants Facebook, Google or Amazon rather than media companies.

"When journalists are impoverished, they no longer have the means to resist the enemies of the press -— those who champion disinformation and propaganda," Bocande said in a statement.

'Authoritarian shift'

RSF highlighted how Trump had made difficult conditions worse by axing US financial support for state-backed broadcasters such as Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), as well as US foreign development aid that assisted media outlets overseas.

After a fall of 11 places in 2024, the United States declined another two to 57th place on the 2025 World Press Freedom Index, one behind formerly war-torn Sierra Leone in west Africa.

The index, calculated according to the number of violent incidents involving journalists and other data compiled by experts, was topped by oil-rich Norway for the ninth year in a row. Estonia and the Netherlands were second and third.

"In the United States, Donald Trump's second term as president has led to an alarming deterioration in press freedom, indicative of an authoritarian shift in government," RSF said.

"His administration has weaponized institutions, cut support for independent media, and sidelined reporters."

Large parts of the United States were now "news deserts," RSF said.

Trump announced Wednesday that he was considering legal action against The New York Times, in his latest attack on a media outlet.

He is also suing media group Paramount over a pre-election interview last year of his Democratic rival Kamala Harris on its CBS channel.

Trump alleges it was edited to remove an embarrassing response, although many legal analysts view the case as baseless and likely to be dismissed or fail due to constitutional protections for freedom of the press.

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), a media watchdog, also warned Wednesday that press freedom in the United States was declining and it urged newsrooms to form a united front against the "rising tide of threats" facing them.

Other countries that have suffered major declines in press freedom over the last year include Argentina (down 21 places to 87th) under right-wing Trump ally Javier Milei, and Tunisia (down 11 places to 129th).

RSF also again highlighted the plight of Palestinian journalists seeking to report on Israel's devastating bombardment of Gaza.

"In Gaza, the Israeli army has destroyed newsrooms, killed nearly 200 journalists and imposed a total blockade on the strip for over 18 months," it said.

Israel meanwhile had dropped a further 11 places to 112th and "continues to repress its own news media".