Michael Birnbaum

Washington, D.C.

National security reporter covering diplomacy and the State Department

Education: Yale University, BA in History; Deep Springs College

Michael Birnbaum is a national security reporter for The Washington Post, covering the State Department and diplomacy. He previously served in Europe for more than a decade as the The Post’s bureau chief in Brussels, Moscow and Berlin. He has reported for The Post from more than 60 countries, covering the conflict in Ukraine, the Egyptian revolution, the fall of Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi and the Arab Spring elsewhere in the Middle East. He also covered climate and security from Washington. Birnbaum has a degree in German history from Yale University. He grew up in Chicago.
Latest from Michael Birnbaum

Biden surges arms to Ukraine, fearing Trump will halt U.S. aid

Biden’s Ukraine directive has stirred debate, as some officials worry it will cut too deeply into American stockpiles and jeopardize military needs elsewhere.

December 2, 2024
President Joe Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office last year.

Three Americans wrongfully detained in China released in prisoner swap

Americans Mark Swidan, Kai Li and John Leung would soon be reunited with their families in the United States after years in prison in China, the White House said.

November 28, 2024
Harrison Li holds a photo of his father, Kai Li, in 2023.

Biden races to boost Ukraine’s position before Trump takes office

As Kyiv braces for the potential of difficult talks with Russia, Biden hopes providing land mines and allowing longer-range attacks will strengthen its hand.

November 26, 2024
President Joe Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky meet earlier in Biden's term.

Biden approves antipersonnel mines for Ukraine, undoing his own policy

The controversial White House move to send Kyiv land mines comes as Russia’s advances in eastern Ukraine threaten to overwhelm front-line defenses.

November 19, 2024
A sign warns of land mines in Ukraine's Kherson region in 2023. (Ed Ram for The Washington Post)

Trump team says president-elect is only official spokesman on Ukraine

Biden administration officials say that they have minimal contact with their successors, noting that transition teams still have not signed the memorandums of understanding that would facilitate the briefings and conversations that are typically done ahead of a handoff.

November 18, 2024
Incoming national security adviser Mike Waltz said he didn't know in advance about a Biden administration change of policy in Ukraine.

Biden approves Ukraine’s use of long-range U.S. weapons inside Russia, reversing policy

The Biden administration will allow Kyiv “limited” use of the ATACMS long-range missile system to strike enemy positions in Kursk, a significant reversal of U.S. policy.

November 17, 2024
U.S. soldiers conduct live-fire testing of early versions of the Army Tactical Missile System in December 2021 at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico.

Blinken helms last-minute rush of support to Ukraine before Trump takes office

Trump has vowed to put a quick end to Russia’s war in Ukraine, which Kyiv and some European capitals believe could force Ukraine to make painful concessions.

November 13, 2024

Trump win complicates Biden’s lame-duck foreign policy

From Ukraine to Gaza, Trump’s unilateral and unpredictable tendencies could embolden both allies and enemies.

November 6, 2024
President Joe Biden takes questions at a White House briefing on Oct. 4. (Craig Hudson for The Washington Post)

North Korea tests new ICBM as its troops appear set to join Ukraine war

U.S. officials condemned Pyongyang’s launch of a powerful new ballistic missile and called on China to rein in North Korea’s cooperation with Russia.

October 31, 2024
A TV news broadcast at a train station in Seoul on Thursday shows old footage of a North Korean missile test.

Pro-Trump transition plans seek to dismantle U.S. foreign policy apparatus

Entire branches of the State Department could be eradicated if proposals from Project 2025 and the America First Policy Institute are acted upon.

October 31, 2024
President Donald Trump speaks to the media before departing from the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C., in May 2019. (Sarah Silbiger for The Washington Post)