Informal Communication

Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State

New Delhi, India

QUESTION:  Mr. Secretary, thank you for joining us.  I want to begin with that devastating earthquake this weekend in Morocco.  What is the United States doing to assist in the relief, recovery, search and rescue operation there?

SECRETARY BLINKEN:  Jon, you’re right; it is devastating.  And we’ve reached out immediately to the Moroccan Government, made very clear to them that we are prepared to

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Regions: Morocco , Russia , Ukraine , United Kingdom , United States

Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State

Kyiv, Ukraine

FOREIGN MINISTER KULEBA: (Via interpreter) Tony, welcome to Kyiv.  I think that there is – we don’t need any formal greetings because during this time with joint work – specifically with the beginning of the large-scale invasion – our relationship with the Ukraine and United States, they went to such level that we don’t need a – we need everything – what we need is just open and sincere conversation.  And this is what

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Regions: Norway , Russia , Saudi Arabia , Ukraine , United Kingdom , United States

Topics: Energy, Human Rights and Democracy, Refugee and Humanitarian Assistance

Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State

Kyiv, Ukraine

Aired on August 23, 2023

SECRETARY BLINKEN:  Hello, everyone.  Thank you, President Zelenskyy, for convening us for the third Crimea Platform Summit.

We meet at the 18-month mark of Russia’s brutal full-scale war against Ukraine.  For 18 months, the Ukrainian people have endured a constant assault against their lives and their country’s future.  They’ve seen their homes, their schools, their houses of worship

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Regions: Russia , Ukraine , United Kingdom , United States

Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State

Ten years ago the Assad regime launched rockets carrying the deadly nerve agent sarin into the Ghouta district of Damascus, killing more than 1,400 people.

The United States remembers and honors the victims and survivors of the Ghouta attack and of the other chemical attacks launched by the Assad regime. Ten years on, we continue to seek justice and accountability for those responsible for these horrific acts.

Despite its international obligation

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Regions: Syria , United States

Topics: Human Rights and Democracy

The Secretary of State

On World Humanitarian Day, the United States honors the humanitarian aid workers who continue to sacrifice so much to protect and assist the world’s most vulnerable populations.  We commend the bravery and compassion of those who put the welfare of others before their own, and we are grateful for humanitarians around the world who continue to work in complex environments, often at great personal risk.  We recall the origin of this day twenty years ago – August 1

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Regions: Iraq , United States

Topics: Refugee and Humanitarian Assistance

Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State

Bialystok, Poland

SECRETARY BLINKEN:  Thank you for inviting me and my family to be with you on this solemn occasion.

Eighty years ago, no one would have dared to imagine a gathering like this – under the auspices of the mayor of Bialystok, in the presence of the United States ambassador to Poland, a former Polish ambassador to the United States, and Samuel Pisar’s wife – my mother – together with his children and grandchildren.<

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Regions: United States

Topics: Energy

Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State

Washington, D.C.

Press Briefing Room

SECRETARY BLINKEN:  Good morning.  Good morning.

QUESTION:  Good morning.

QUESTION:  Well, barely morning.  (Laughter.)

SECRETARY BLINKEN:  Speak for yourself, Matt.

Very good to see everyone here.  Actually, I kind of hoped more of you might be on vacation by now but – (laughter) – I see we have a pretty full house

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Regions: Afghanistan, China, Iran , Japan , Korea, North , Korea, South , Moldova , Niger , Romania , Russia , Ukraine , United Kingdom , United States

Topics: Arms Control and Nonproliferation, Climate and Environment, Countering Terrorism, Energy, Global Health, Human Rights and Democracy, Refugee and Humanitarian Assistance, Science, Technology, and Innovation

Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State

Washington, D.C.

Treaty Room

SECRETARY BLINKEN:  Good morning.  It’s a great pleasure to have Foreign Minister Attaf here today – a very experienced colleague that I’m very pleased to have a chance to spend some time with this morning.

The relationship between Algeria and the United States goes back many, many years – to 1795, in fact.  And it’s a partnership that has grown stronger in recent years; we have the ambition to

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Regions: Algeria , United States

Topics: Countering Terrorism, Treaties and International Agreements

Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State

Washington, D.C.

QUESTION:  Well, we’re now joined by the U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to discuss the Black Sea Grain Initiative and food security.  He’s joining us from Washington, D.C.

Secretary Blinken, thanks so much for making time for Focus on Africa.  And I’ll get straight into it.  Russia says it will only return to the Black Sea grain deal if reconnected to the SWIFT payment system.  And all this is happening w

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Regions: Niger , Russia , United Kingdom , United States

Topics: Climate and Environment, Coronavirus (COVID-19), Global Health

Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State

Washington, D.C.

QUESTION:   Okay.  So I’m going to start by asking you a little bit about the Brazil role in this global crisis of food insecurity because the Brazilian president has a position of neutrality in the war.  Lula has already spoken to President Zelenskyy, President Vladimir Putin.  And do you believe this puts him in a good place to perhaps mediate a talk with – and try to convince Russia to go back to the grain agreement

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Regions: Brazil , Russia , Ukraine , United Kingdom

Topics: Climate and Environment, Coronavirus (COVID-19), Energy, Global Health

Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State

Washington, D.C.

Via Translation

QUESTION: Hello, Mr. Secretary.

SECRETARY BLINKEN: Hello.

QUESTION: Thank you for answering RFI’s questions.  You recently accused Russia of blackmail regarding the Black Sea Grain Initiative.  Indeed, Moscow demanded several conditions for their participation in the agreement.  Is the United States willing to negotiate?

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Regions: France , Niger , Russia , Ukraine , United Kingdom , United States

Topics: Energy

Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State

Washington, D.C.

Omni Shoreham Hotel

SECRETARY BLINKEN: Good afternoon, Mandela Fellows.

AUDIENCE: Good afternoon.

SECRETARY BLINKEN: What an incredible pleasure to join you for the first in-person Mandela Washington Fellowship Summit in four years – (applause) – and to see, to feel the incredible energy, the ingenuity, the talent in this room.

Liz, my friend, my colleague, t

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Regions: United Kingdom , United States

Topics: Climate and Environment, Economic Prosperity and Trade Policy, Energy, Global Health, Science, Technology, and Innovation

Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State

Brisbane, Australia

Government House Queensland

QUESTION:  Well, you’ve just wrapped up two days of intense talks.  What’s been the tone of the discussions here?

SECRETARY BLINKEN:  It’s hard to overstate how, first of all, much genuine friendship there is among the four of us – among the Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles, among the Foreign Minister Penny Wong and myself and Lloyd Austin.  So it starts

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Regions: Australia , China, Japan , Russia , Taiwan , Ukraine , United Kingdom , United States

Topics: Climate and Environment, Global Health

Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State

Aspen, Colorado

Aspen Security Forum

QUESTION:  Mr. Secretary, pleasure to have you on.

SECRETARY BLINKEN:  It’s great to be with you, Fareed.

QUESTION:  Tell us what you can sense of what is going on in the counteroffensive that Ukraine is managing – attempting with Russia.  So far the reports seem to be, it is very slow and very tough going.

SECRETARY BLINKEN:  Well, first, Fareed, put this in pe

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Regions: China, France , Iran , Israel , Japan , Russia , Ukraine , United Kingdom , United States

Topics: Climate and Environment, Refugee and Humanitarian Assistance

Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State

Aspen, Colorado

Aspen Meadows Resort

MS MITCHELL:  Good morning, everyone.  It’s wonderful to be back in Aspen, and especially after such a great program all week, and most especially to be with Secretary Blinken.

SECRETARY BLINKEN:  Thank you.

MS MITCHELL:  Tony Blinken, of course, you all know, but – (applause) – I think this is your first time here since becoming Secretary.

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Topics: Arms Control and Nonproliferation, Climate and Environment, Combating Drugs and Crime, Coronavirus (COVID-19), Economic Prosperity and Trade Policy, Global Health, Human Rights and Democracy, Science, Technology, and Innovation

Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State

Today, we remember the victims of a heinous terrorist attack at the U.S. Embassy in Beirut forty years ago, killing 63 people.  We stand with the families, friends, and colleagues of those whose lives were cut short.

Despite Hizballah’s efforts to use terror to drive a wedge between the United States and the Lebanese people, our close cooperation has only deepened in the 40 years since this reprehensible attack.

The United States maintains its re

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Regions: United States

Topics: Countering Terrorism

Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State

Karuizawa, Japan

The Prince Karuizawa

SECRETARY BLINKEN:  Good afternoon, everyone.  Let me – let me start with the situation in Sudan.  For the past 36 hours, we and our partners have been focused on how to stop the widespread fighting in Sudan between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces.  Indiscriminate military operations have resulted in significant civilian deaths and injuries, and are recklessly endangering the Su

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Regions: Brazil , China, France , Iran , Japan , Russia , Sudan , Taiwan , Ukraine , United Kingdom

Topics: Arms Control and Nonproliferation, Climate and Environment, Economic Prosperity and Trade Policy, Energy, Global Health, Refugee and Humanitarian Assistance, Science, Technology, and Innovation

Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State

Karuizawa, Japan

The Prince Karuizawa

SECRETARY BLINKEN:  Well, good morning or almost good afternoon, everyone.  The foreign secretary and I have just spent the last almost three days with our G7 colleagues covering pretty much the entire planet, and I think we both come away from the G7 – well, I should just speak for myself, but I imagine it’s the same – I think feeling very positively about the very strong convergence among all of the

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Regions: Japan , United Kingdom , United States

Topics: Arms Control and Nonproliferation

Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State

Washington, D.C.

Dean Acheson Auditorium

SECRETARY BLINKEN:  Well, good afternoon, everyone.  Secretary Manalo, Secretary Galvez, it has been an honor to host you at the State Department for the third ever – and first since 2016 – U.S.-Philippines 2+2 Ministerial alongside Secretary of Defense Austin.  Today’s meeting builds on the momentum of the high-level U.S. visits to the Philippines just over the past year, including by Vice Presiden

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Regions: China, Japan , Philippines , Russia , Ukraine , United Kingdom , United States

Topics: Climate and Environment, Countering Terrorism, Economic Prosperity and Trade Policy, Energy, Global Health, Human Rights and Democracy, Refugee and Humanitarian Assistance, Science, Technology, and Innovation, The Ocean and Polar Affairs, Treaties and International Agreements

Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State

Brussels, Belgium

NATO Headquarters

SECRETARY BLINKEN:  Well, Secretary General, Mr. Minister, I’m delighted to report that just a few moments ago, Türkiye deposited with me, on behalf of the United States, Türkiye’s ratification of the instrument of acceding to the protocol for Finland’s accession to NATO.  And with the receipt and submission of that protocol, I can say that the protocol is now in force.

SECRETARY