Informal Communication

The Secretary of State

Cairo, Egypt

Cairo Airport

SECRETARY BLINKEN:  Good evening, everyone.  We are here at what is an extremely difficult and very tenuous time for the region in the wake of the slaughter perpetrated by Hamas.

We came here with four key objectives: to make clear that the United States stands with Israel; to prevent the conflict from spreading to other places; to work on securing the release of hostages, including American citizens; and to address the

Roles: Everyone: All Users

Regions: Egypt , Israel , Saudi Arabia , United Kingdom , United States

Topics: Countering Terrorism, Refugee and Humanitarian Assistance

The Secretary of State

President Biden has appointed former Ambassador David Satterfield as the Special Envoy for Middle East Humanitarian Issues. Special Envoy Satterfield will lead U.S. diplomacy to urgently address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, including work to facilitate the provision of life-saving assistance to the most vulnerable people and promote the safety of civilians, in coordination with the United Nations and U.S. partners. He will lead a whole-of-government campaign to mitigate

Roles: Everyone: All Users

Topics: Countering Terrorism, Refugee and Humanitarian Assistance

Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

FOREIGN MINISTER AL SAUD:  Secretary Blinken, Tony, my friend, welcome to Riyadh.

SECRETARY BLINKEN:  Thank you.

FOREIGN MINISTER AL SAUD:  It’s good to have this opportunity to chat.  The kingdom and the U.S. have always been close and we’ve always worked well together in the interests of regional and global security.  And given the

Roles: Everyone: All Users

Regions: Israel , Saudi Arabia , United States , Yemen

Topics: Countering Terrorism, Refugee and Humanitarian Assistance

Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State

Washington, D.C.

Treaty Room

SECRETARY BLINKEN:  (In progress) true evil that we’ve seen inflicted on Israel over the last few days.  And he was very clear that we stand with Israel.  And that’s a message that he’s asked me to carry directly to our Israeli partners when I travel to the region a little bit later this week.

In the meantime, we’re also very engaged with partners throughout the region, as well as of course looking out

Roles: Everyone: All Users

Regions: Israel , Saudi Arabia , Yemen

Topics: Treaties and International Agreements

Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State

Washington, D.C.

The Benjamin Franklin Room

QUESTION:  And joining me now is Secretary of State Antony Blinken.  Mr. Secretary, welcome back to Meet the Press.

SECRETARY BLINKEN:  Good morning, Kristen.

QUESTION:  So the big question on everyone’s mind, Mr. Secretary:  How did Israel, how did the United States miss what Hamas was planning?

SECRETARY BLINKEN:  Well, first, put this in perspective –

Roles: Everyone: All Users

Regions: Iran , Israel , United Kingdom , United States

Topics: Countering Terrorism, Energy, Refugee and Humanitarian Assistance

Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State

Washington, D.C.

Benjamin Franklin Room

QUESTION:  We go now to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who joins us from the State Department here in Washington.  Good to have you with us, Mr. Secretary.  I know you have been working —

SECRETARY BLINKEN:  Thanks, Margaret.

QUESTION:  — straight through on this.  Can you answer the question yet of whether the Hamas assault is over?  Are there more attacks

Roles: Everyone: All Users

Regions: Iran , Israel , Saudi Arabia , United Kingdom , United States

Topics: Countering Terrorism, Human Rights and Democracy, Refugee and Humanitarian Assistance

Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State

Washington, D.C.

Benjamin Franklin Room

QUESTION:  Mr. Secretary, thank you for joining us this morning.  I know you’ve been working through the day, through the weekend.  What is the United States doing right now?  What comes next?

SECRETARY BLINKEN:  Well, George, first, to put this in perspective – and as some of your correspondents just said – this is the worst attack on Israel since 1973, the Yom Kipp

Roles: Everyone: All Users

Regions: Iran , Israel , Saudi Arabia , United Kingdom , United States

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

Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State

Washington, D.C.

SECRETARY BLINKEN:  Thank you.  Good morning, everyone.

AUDIENCE:  Good morning.

SECRETARY BLINKEN:  Dean Steinberg, Jim, thank you for the honor of joining the SAIS community to help inaugurate this truly magnificent new home.

Jim has contributed so much over his remarkable career, but his most lasting contribution is the generation of thinkers, the generation of d

Roles: Everyone: All Users

Regions: Armenia , Australia , Canada , China, Ethiopia , France , India , Iran , Iraq , Israel , Italy , Japan , Korea, North , Lebanon , New Zealand , Russia , Sweden , Ukraine , United Kingdom , United States , Yemen

Topics: Climate and Environment, Combating Drugs and Crime, Countering Terrorism, Coronavirus (COVID-19), 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

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

Roles: Everyone: All Users

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

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

Roles: Everyone: All Users

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

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Addis Ababa University

SECRETARY BLINKEN:  Well, good evening, everyone.  It is great to be back in Africa, but also to make my first appearance to Ethiopia as Secretary of State.

I’m here in Ethiopia – and then on to Niger – to reaffirm the pledge that President Biden made at the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit late last year.  As he put it, the United States is “all in on Africa, and all in with Africa.”  That mea

Roles: Everyone: All Users

Regions: China, Ethiopia , Iran , Russia , Saudi Arabia , Ukraine , United Kingdom , United States , Zambia

Topics: Arms Control and Nonproliferation, Climate and Environment, Coronavirus (COVID-19), Economic Prosperity and Trade Policy, Energy, Global Health, Human Rights and Democracy, Refugee and Humanitarian Assistance, Science, Technology, and Innovation