U.S. Department of State Weekly Digest Bulletin

Secretary Blinken’s Travel to Germany
11/01/2022
Secretary Blinken’s Travel to Germany
11/01/2022 08:31 AM EDT



Ned Price, Department Spokesperson

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken will travel to Munster, Germany on November 3-4 for the G7 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting and the U.S.-German Futures Forum. The G7 ministers will discuss a range of pressing global challenges, including the G7’s sustained support for a democratic, sovereign, and prosperous Ukraine, strengthened economic and democratic resilience in Africa and the Indo-Pacific, tackling the climate crisis, global health security, and the food and energy crises caused by Russia’s war against Ukraine. Secretary Blinken will also join German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock at the Futures Forum for a moderated discussion on the future of democracy in a digital world.




Assistant Secretary Donfried’s Travel to Ukraine
11/01/2022

Assistant Secretary Donfried’s Travel to Ukraine
11/01/2022 08:48 AM EDT



Office of the Spokesperson

Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs Dr. Karen Donfried is visiting Ukraine November 1 and 2. The focus of her trip is to underscore unwavering and enduring U.S. support for Ukraine as it defends its freedom and territorial integrity from Russia’s brutal war.

While there, Dr. Donfried will meet with members of Ukraine’s presidential administration, foreign ministry officials, and other members of President Zelenskyy’s cabinet to discuss our ongoing efforts to provide security assistance and energy support, and help Ukraine’s reform and reconstruction efforts. Additionally, she will hear from Ukraine’s civil society leaders on how we and our partners can continue to help the Ukrainian people achieve their aspirations and unlock their country’s potential. She will also meet with members of the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv, whose service under extraordinary circumstances exemplifies the finest traditions of the U.S. Foreign Service.




United States Launches $47.6 Million Demining Training Project in Ukraine
11/01/2022

United States Launches $47.6 Million Demining Training Project in Ukraine
11/01/2022 05:04 PM EDT



Office of the Spokesperson

On September 30, the Department awarded $47.6 million to Tetra Tech, Inc. of Pasadena, California to provide urgent humanitarian demining assistance to Ukraine in the face of Russia’s brutal war of aggression. Under the terms of the project, Tetra Tech will strengthen the Government of Ukraine’s capacity to locate and remove landmines, unexploded and abandoned ordnance, improvised explosive devices, and other explosive hazards from civilian areas.

Tetra Tech will train the Government of Ukraine demining and EOD teams to international standards and provide them with the tools necessary to do their jobs. The project also supports deploying additional clearance teams and explosive ordnance risk education teams through the local non-governmental organization Ukrainian Deminers Association.

This project forms part of the $91.5 million in demining assistance that the Department will provide over the coming year to help the Government of Ukraine address the urgent humanitarian challenges posed by explosive remnants of war created by Russia’s horrific actions.

Russia’s unlawful war and full-scale invasion of Ukraine has littered massive swaths of the country with landmines, unexploded ordnance, and improvised explosive devices. These explosive hazards block access to farmland, impede reconstruction efforts, prevent displaced people from returning to their homes, and continue to kill and maim innocent Ukrainian civilians. The Government of Ukraine estimates that 160,000 square kilometers of its land may be contaminated – this is roughly the size of Virginia, Maryland, and Connecticut combined.

Since 1993, the United States has invested more than $4.7 billion for the safe clearance of landmines and explosive weapons of war as well as the securing and safe disposal of excess small arms and light weapons and munitions in more than 100 countries and territories. The United States is the world’s single largest financial supporter of conventional weapons destruction.

For more information, please consult the PM website, or contact the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs Office of Congressional and Public Affairs, at pm-cpa@state.gov, and follow us on Twitter @StateDeptPM.




Special Presidential Envoy for Climate Kerry’s Travel to the United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates, and Egypt
11/01/2022
Special Presidential Envoy for Climate Kerry’s Travel to the United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates, and Egypt
11/01/2022 05:10 PM EDT



Office of the Spokesperson

Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry will travel to London, UK, November 3-4 to engage government and private sector officials on climate finance and action. He will then travel to Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates, November 5 to attend the Sir Bani Yas Forum, where he will discuss regional climate action and strategies to accelerate the energy transition before traveling to Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, November 6-18, to lead the U.S. delegation to the 27th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27).

For media inquiries, please contact ClimateComms@state.gov.




Briefing on the Secretary’s Upcoming Travel to Germany
11/01/2022


Briefing on the Secretary’s Upcoming Travel to Germany
11/01/2022 05:53 PM EDT



Nerissa Cook, Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of International Organization Affairs

Howard Solomon, Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs

Via Teleconference

MR PATEL: Hey, everybody. Good afternoon and thanks so much for joining this press briefing, previewing Secretary Blinken’s travels to Munster, Germany for the G7 Foreign Ministers meeting. This call is on the record; and joining us today we have Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Nerissa Cook of the Bureau of International Organization Affairs, as well as Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary Howard Solomon for our Bureau of Eurasian Affairs as well. We will have some time for question and answers at the end, but with that, first I will hand it over to Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Nerissa Cook.

MS COOK: Thank you very much, Vedant. I’m very pleased to be with all of you today and with my colleague, Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary Howard Solomon from the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs. As Vedant has mentioned, I’m Nerissa Cook. I’m acting principal deputy assistant secretary in the Bureau of International Organization Affairs.

Tomorrow, Secretary Blinken is traveling to Munster, Germany to participate in a G7 Foreign Ministers meeting at the invitation of Germany, which holds the rotating presidency of the G7 this year. I first want to note our thanks to Germany for hosting the G7 and the first ever U.S.-German Futures Forum. On this call, I will preview very briefly some of the things to be discussed at the G7 and note some of the key elements of the schedule.

The G7 Foreign Ministers meetings are important opportunities to demonstrate leadership on shared goals and values, and address international security challenges. The Secretary is, once again, looking forward to the opportunity to engage with counterparts on a range of important issues. The Secretary will have meetings focused on Russia’s war against Ukraine, (inaudible) on the world, strategic challenges and engagements in Africa, partnerships in the Indo-Pacific region, Iran, and Central Asia.

I’ll move now to the Secretary’s schedule, as it stands. He is slated to arrive in Munster on Wednesday, November 2nd. On Thursday, November 3rd, he will join German Foreign Minister Baerbock at the U.S.‑German Futures Forum in Munster for a moderated discussion entitled “The Future of Democracy in a Digital World.” The 2022 Futures Forum will bring together American and German experts and next-generation leaders from civil society, academia, the private sector, and government for two days to address the interplay of democracy and technology.

The Secretary will then participate (inaudible) foreign ministers, focusing on Russia’s war against Ukraine. The day will conclude with a reception for G7 foreign ministers, and a working dinner framed by a discussion of the G7’s shared interest in a free and open Indo-Pacific.

On Friday, November 4, the Secretary will attend morning meetings focused on the ongoing protests in Iran and the violent response by the regime. Other topics of discussion will include regional stability, infrastructure, energy, and climate issues in Central Asia. A working lunch with senior African officials from Ghana, Kenya, and the African Union will focus on regional topics, including the Sahel, northern Ethiopia, and the Great Lakes. This will be followed by a family photo.

The Secretary will then participate in an afternoon meeting on strategic challenges for the G7 and Africa. Attendees will discuss the global consequences of Russia’s war against Ukraine, particularly on food and energy security. The foreign ministers will conclude this G7 meeting with the public release of the chair’s statement on the topics discussed in Munster, as well as a joint statement with African representatives on the challenges discussed.

And that concludes a brief summary of the schedule of events for the G7 meetings, and with that I will turn it back over to you, Vedant.

MR PATEL: Thanks so much. We will now try and take some Q&A. Our speakers do have a hard out, so we’ll keep an eye out on time. But, Operator, would you please repeat instructions for asking questions?

OPERATOR: Once again, if you would like to ask a question, press 1 then 0 on your telephone keypad.

MR PATEL: Why don’t we first go to the line of Ed Wong with the New York Times.

QUESTION: Hi, Vedant. And hello, everyone. Thanks. My question is: Can you give us a little bit of background on the energy-related discussions that will take place? I know the G7 finance ministers had said that they plan on implementing an oil price cap, at the same time that the embargo – the partial embargo takes place in early December in Europe. Can you discuss where things stand right now and whether that will be a subject of conversation at this meeting?

MR SOLOMON: Yeah, this is Howard jumping in. So, definitely there has been a lot of close coordination with the EU and with our bilateral European partners on the response to Russia’s reinvasion of Ukraine. As we’ve seen, there have been a number of rollouts of sanctions by the U.S. There have been eight packages that were introduced by the European Union. And among the different measures there has been, of course, the idea of a price cap. And so, I fully expect that – this is something that was recently adopted in the recent European Council, I believe, in terms of measures that the European Union is putting into place, so I’m sure our other G7 partners, not only the Europeans, are going to be anxious to continue that discussion.

Over.

MR PATEL: Let’s next go to the line of Michaela Kuefner with DW News.

QUESTION: Yes, hello. I have a question as German Chancellor Scholz will be heading to China, as Secretary of State Blinken will be holding talks with other G7 foreign ministers about strategic interests – also in the Asia Pacific region. What expectation will he convey of Germany, particularly against the backdrop of Germany now allowing China to have a stake in the Hamburg harbor? And also there being discussions over a chip factory being sold into – to a company that is Chinese-owned? Does that match the expectations of a strategic partner? Will that be raised by Secretary Blinken, and does it match the expectations the U.S. has of Germany?

MR SOLOMON: Yeah, this – Howard again jumping in. So, we have a very robust discussion with our German counterparts. And the Secretary, I’m sure, will have an excellent discussion with Foreign Minister Baerbock on a variety of topics, including on the challenges and the opportunities presented by the PRC. We’re well aware of the upcoming trip and, of course, the cases that you’ve laid out. But in general, not only with Germany but with our other partners, there is a growing convergence of views on approaches to the PRC, on the challenges that are presented and the possible opportunities, as well.

I think we’ve recognized that there is, of course, a need to coordinate on issue ranging from ensuring that we have stability in terms of the cross-straits tensions, and looking at concern with some of the statements that came out from the recent 20th party congress on Taiwan. So, I’m sure – not to get ahead of discussions, but there will be discussion on that. Of course, looking at the issue of fair trade practices, at protection of intellectual property, at the human rights concerns in Xinjiang, Tibet, and other areas – and these are all areas where we work closely with Germany and other partners as well.

So, I think in this case we’re looking forward to a very good discussion in the framework of the G7. And as I said, there seems to be a growing unity in terms of positions and approaches. Over.

MR PATEL: All right. That – it looks like – those are all the questions we have for today. Thanks so much everyone for joining. Actually, wait, no – just seeing another one come in. Hold on. Why don’t go to the line of Humeyra Pamuk from Reuters?

QUESTION: Hello. Thanks for doing this. Certainly, we can’t end with two questions. Just wondering on – I was just wondering, on Ukraine, what the overall message will be, as we enter the winter months – and which is going to have an impact on the battlefield. We’ve also seen a few protests across Europe over the soaring energy bills. It’s a known fact that there are disagreements on certain aspects of the war between U.S. and Europe. Are you – how confident are you that you will be able to showcase transatlantic unity or, like, overall, just unity when it comes to Ukraine?

And secondly, I’m specifically curious if the U.S. will ask Germany to do more in terms of security assistance to Ukraine. Thank you.

MR SOLOMON: Yeah, Howard jumping in again. Thanks for that question. I think there has been really, tremendous cooperation by our European partners in terms of the response to the current situation in Ukraine. There are a number of lines of effort, in particular as we head into winter. We continue to talk about ways in which we can support Ukraine, and I’m sure this conversation is going to carry forward within the G7, looking at things from macroeconomic financial support, direct budgetary support, to military assistance, to humanitarian assistance, support for refugees, and helping Ukraine in terms of reconstruction as well. And we just recently had a summit or a meeting hosted by Germany October 25th on this.

So yes, of course, there are challenges presented. And with recent developments, whether it’s with Russia’s unprecedented and heinous attacks on critical infrastructure of Ukraine and targeting civilian infrastructure and civilians, to addressing the issue of food security and unfortunately Russia’s withdrawal from the UN-brokered agreement, I think there’s a lot of common positions and solidarity – I think among populations as well even within Europe, within the United States, in terms of the need to support Ukraine’s heroic efforts to stand up to this invasion by Russia, or re-invasion. Over.

MR PATEL: Thank you. Next let’s go to the line of Warren Strobel with The Wall Street Journal.

QUESTION: Yeah, thanks for doing this. I was wondering if you can talk a little bit more about the discussions that will take place about Iran and its domestic situation. Is it primarily aimed at just showing support for the aims of the protesters, or do you think the ministers will discuss next specific steps they can do to help, such as help with communications that have been severed and so forth?

MS COOK: This is Nerissa and I’ll take that. I think the – one of the main focus, as I said upfront, will be on the ongoing protests in Iran and the response by the regime. But I would not be surprised if other elements of Iran are discussed, but we do not want to prejudge how that discussion goes.

MR PATEL: Let’s go next to Laurie Mylroie with K24.

QUESTION: My question was just asked, but maybe I could press Nerissa a little bit more. The Iranians are selling vital arms to Russia for its unprovoked and aggressive war in Ukraine. Don’t you expect that that’s going to be an issue particularly as Europe is Ukraine’s neighbor; no entity is more threatened by that war than Europe. Don’t you think Iranian arms sales to Ukraine – to Russia are also going to be an issue?

MS COOK: I think that it’s likely to be the case, yes.

QUESTION: Thank you.

MR PATEL: Laurie, I have no doubt that a wide range of Iran’s malign activities in the region, especially the proliferation of their UAV networks that we’ve seen being used in Ukraine, will be discussed. But as Nerissa said, we just don’t want to get ahead of the meeting or the process, and as some of these events will have more robust readouts after they take place.

Thanks so much again, everybody, for joining. That’s all the time for questions we have, unfortunately, for today. As I stated, this call is on the record, and we’ll talk to you all again very soon.




Deputy Secretary Sherman’s Meeting with Austrian Secretary General for Foreign Affairs Launsky-Tieffenthal
11/01/2022


Deputy Secretary Sherman’s Meeting with Austrian Secretary General for Foreign Affairs Launsky-Tieffenthal
11/01/2022 09:28 PM EDT



Office of the Spokesperson

The following is attributable to Spokesperson Ned Price:

Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman met today with Austrian Secretary General for Foreign Affairs Peter Launsky-Tieffenthal in Washington, DC. They discussed the need for continuing support for Ukraine in the face of Russia’s illegal war of aggression. They also spoke about the importance of promoting security to ensure lasting peace and prosperity in the Western Balkans region. The Deputy Secretary and Secretary General discussed ways in which the United States and Austria can partner to promote shared values and prosperity.




Poland’s Announcement on Westinghouse Nuclear Technology Selection
11/02/2022



Poland’s Announcement on Westinghouse Nuclear Technology Selection
11/02/2022 02:44 PM EDT



Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State

We welcome the decision by the Government of Poland to select Westinghouse as its technology partner for the construction of three U.S.-designed nuclear reactors. This agreement will ensure a decades-long strategic energy partnership between the United States and Poland and is a watershed moment in advancing European energy security.

The U.S. commitment to work with Poland to facilitate the production of safe, clean, and reliable nuclear power is a testament to our deep bilateral strategic security and economic relationship. As NATO Allies, the United States and Poland already cooperate closely on a range of security and defense issues. The United States is proud to further expand our energy security partnership through this new venture.

This project is also a major step forward in our global fight against climate change. When fully operational, the reactors are projected to result in 26 million tons per year of CO2 emissions averted and demonstrate that we can strengthen our energy security and our climate ambition simultaneously.

The Polish government’s announcement is the culmination of a years-long effort between the United States and Poland, and I thank Foreign Minister Rau for his close cooperation with me on the issue. Through close collaboration, the U.S. and Polish governments developed innovative joint financing and technical solutions to address Polish clean energy needs and ensure the financial viability of the project.

This robust effort was enabled by the dynamism of the U.S. nuclear industry, and the project will create thousands of good paying jobs in both countries.




Secretary Blinken’s Meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Cavusoglu
11/02/2022



Secretary Blinken’s Meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Cavusoglu
11/02/2022 04:53 PM EDT



Office of the Spokesperson

The below is attributable to Spokesperson Ned Price:

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken spoke today with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu. Secretary Blinken thanked the Foreign Minister for his country’s efforts to secure a resumption of the Black Sea Grain Initiative by encouraging Russia’s return and reminding Moscow of the importance of continued adherence to UN-brokered agreements and its commitments to support global food security. Secretary Blinken and Foreign Minister Cavusoglu also discussed ways to continue advancing coordination and NATO unity in response to Russia’s war against Ukraine.




Secretary Blinken’s Meeting with German Foreign Minister Baerbock
11/03/2022


Secretary Blinken’s Meeting with German Foreign Minister Baerbock
11/03/2022 10:27 AM EDT



Office of the Spokesperson

The following is attributable to Spokesperson Ned Price:

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken met today in Germany with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock. The Secretary thanked her for Germany’s leadership as G7 president and for hosting the first U.S.-German Futures Forum. The leaders discussed Russia’s unprovoked and brutal war against Ukraine. They also discussed Iran’s support of Russia’s aggression and joint efforts to hold the Iranian regime accountable for their violent crackdown on the brave people of Iran demanding basic human rights. Secretary Blinken also raised the global challenge posed by China, and our two countries’ shared commitment to upholding universal human rights and the rules-based international order.


Remarks at a U.S.-German Futures Forum Moderated Discussion with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock
11/03/2022


Remarks at a U.S.-German Futures Forum Moderated Discussion with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock
11/03/2022 12:40 PM EDT



Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State

Munster, Germany

Atlantic Hotel

MR ZAMPERONI: So impressions from day one, a lot of thoughts, a lot of talking, a lot of thinking going on in these hours yesterday and today. And to delve right into it, welcome please Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock. (Applause.)

Thank you very much for being here, and we’ll have a few Q&As going back and forth, but we’ll open with a sort of an opening statement from both of you, opening remarks framed in the question, and I’ll start with you Minister Baerbock. We talked about the future of democracy, of course. What future do you see? It’s a broad question but to cover the basis for our democracies in this emerging digital world?

FOREIGN MINISTER BAERBOCK: Well, good morning, good afternoon to everybody. Thanks for this very important conference. It’s a great pleasure to visiting here with my colleague, but already in 11 months and also friend, Tony Blinken, at this panel because we have met in the last ten months already ten times as G7 partners, which shows to answer your question that obviously the future is not as smooth and easy as we have thought maybe a couple of years ago. However, I would say not despite but because of the Russian brutal war against Ukraine, the future is only together because we showed that in this difficult – and with regarding Ukraine, we have to say horrible current situation – we can stand only united.

So I believe that we are really standing at a transatlantic momentum that since February 24th Germany, Europe, and the United States have stood closer together than ever before since the end of the Cold War. And we are firmly united not only in the support of Ukraine and the people and the freedom, but that this transatlantic moment besides all the horror comes with great opportunities. Because I’ve been grown up here in Germany for 40 years of my life, living always in peace, and we had so many debates in Europe – and I know that you have this also in the U.S. – that everybody took peace just for granted, as if the European peace order just falls from the sky and that it was there and people were arguing so actually why do we need the European Union, why do we need the transatlantic relation.

And now we know why: because the European Union, the transatlantic partnership, the transatlantic friendship is our insurance for life in peace and in a more democracy where we can live freely as we want. And therefore to build an even stronger transatlantic relationship for the 21st century is, I believe, the main task of the two of us as foreign ministers, the main task for our governments, and the main task for all of our citizens. Because we can address the global challenges only together, but as we are talking about a digitalized world today, we always have to speak also that the European peace order, that the international peace order is not only being attacked by bombs and missiles, but obviously also being attacked by disinformation, fake news, a systematic rival or even war against our democracies. And it has been shaped by attacks with SPITs and (inaudible), with bots, and the source of technical power.

So yes, the digital revolution has brought us more freedoms to millions of people. We see this as we can see today in Iran with the brave women in Iran that the internet is a source not only of information but also spreading their fight for freedom around the world. But even in our societies, we can see that the digitalization is also importing for people who do not have access – for example, if we’re talking to a total different field, bank accounts. You have some regulation when you can open a bank account even in democracies, even in social welfare states, you have to have some certain account of income. But if you have now a smart phone, you can transfer also money digital-wise without having a bank account. So I think this shows how actually it has brought freedom to us.

And I came just back from Uzbekistan, and there wasn’t – it was with a group of people from 11th grade, and they were discussing about the positioning of their country with regard to Russia, complaining that in the official media there is so much Russian narrative going on. But they inform themselves, they said, anyhow only via social media, via Telegram, via Facebook, via Twitter. So we can see that the digital revolution has been also a moment for freedom and for strengthening our democracy.

But obviously this is no news. Everybody knows that the digital world also comes with risk for security and threatens our freedom. And to answer your question with three points – and I was asked for the input to go a bit into a detail – I think we have three points where we should – I’d intensive our cooperations, especially with regard to a digitalized world and the threat to our democracies.

First of all, we have to make sure that digital technologies are used for and not against people. And that makes our democracies stronger and not weaker. And this is also a message for democracies in progress or on the road to progress to underline to governments, like in Central Asia, of saying if you try to regulate or ban your internet, this doesn’t make your government and definitely not your societies stronger but weaker, because digital technologies have to be used for the peoples.

And the U.S. has put this very prominently in the recent U.S. National Security Strategy, and we will – as many of you know – write also a national security Germany for the first time in Germany history where we take on this point by three points. First of all, we address the challenges in the digitalized world, underlining that with regard to using digitalized democracy for the people and not against the people to have an open and safe cyberspace. In Germany, we have had the attacks in our election in 2016 very happily – heavily. We have had the situation that emergency part of one of our hospitals had to close down because of a cyber attack. You had in the U.S. most recently the largest airports being targeted. And in Montenegro and Albania, while we were at the General Assembly in New York, hackers paralyzed their entire economies. And we see – and again now in Russia – how much this attack on infrastructure has been using as a weapon of war.

Europe and the U.S. are responding to threats on all levels. We go after cyber criminals, for example, by blocking cryptocurrency payments. But also – and this is a new momentum in this difficult time of war – we are working on a virtual rapid response teams within NATO to ensure that our infrastructure, which is obviously connected virtually with trains, airports, or hospitals, can be better protected with regard to hackers and other attacks.

Second, we are fighting intensively with regards to the spread of disinformation. This is also not the big news, but in this critical moment of the last eight months we have been showing, I believe quite successfully, what a difference it makes if we are working together. In the beginning of the war, we knew in theory that fake news is a form of instrument of this war method. But then when you remember the situation of the sanctions and the grain, we didn’t have it – I have to say we have to be so frank and open also in our debates and when we’re at G7 meeting back in Schleswig-Holstein, we were faced with a situation where suddenly the whole world was speaking about sanctions and that this would be hitting also the prices of food. So obviously, while we were passing the sanction, we didn’t think ahead enough of underlining what could be the fake news counterattack by Russia – not fighting the sanctions, but fighting the narrative of the sanction.

And so we had to speed up, and I think this G7 meeting – it was so successful because at this meeting we made very clear because we spoke openly about it that this is a method of warfare using fake news also as an instrument of war, and that food has been using by Russia as an instrument war. We’re speaking about the war of food. Immediately afterwards, there came the counterattack from the Russians, and this is why I go so much into depth, because it’s not only about what say at G7 meetings; it’s a question for all our open society. There was a back attack from the Russians saying how whatever I am, and at this critical moment there was some headlines in German media just taking over this quote. But in a headline you don’t know what the quote is from – was it from me, was it Tony Blinken saying, well, this young lady is obviously not well informed, or if it’s the Russian spokesperson.

And I think this is very important that we must be speaking about countering fake narratives. Everybody says yes. But in a time of war, what is the responsibility also of the media itself with regards to these fake news? Because obviously, media reports what people are saying. So that is our second point with regard to fighting the spread of disinformation and undermining obviously democracies in these kind of times.

And also with this point, I think we shouldn’t be shy of our strongest tools as democracy. One of our strongest tool is the rule of law, so we should use the rule of law. And this is not to fight freedom, also not in the internet a regulated platform with rights and rules is something normal in societies because every freedom has also limits when you counter the freedom or hurt the freedom of another person. So by regulating social media platforms to counter criminal content and hate speech on a regulated, normative base, and working together in this regard, the – you will do so with the Digital Services Act, and this is also one of the parts where we can work closely together.

And my third point is investing in key technologies in the digital age. Obviously, artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and semiconductors, and 6G, this is the future. And the technology leadership will be crucial for security. In the EU we are investing in standard setting and the development of key technologies with the EU Data Act, with the European Chips Acts. We are making sure that new technology work in a way reflecting our values. But obviously, again, the power comes only if we are working together, because in this part this is not only Russia but also other players in the world which go with heavy, heavy weight but also money in this question.

Yes, the U.S. and the EU, we are also competitors – also competitors in the digitalized world. And I think we have to speak openly about this that we are competitors, but with regard to this crucial key technologies where we are also in competition with countries worldwide which challenge our democracy, we have to talk about how we can work closer together, bringing together our intelligence. And I think the EU-U.S. Trade and Technology Council will be one of the most powerful instruments if we use it jointly together to join hands across the Atlantic with regard to key technologies. The council has already led us to coordinate more closely on standards, on supply chains, on export control and investment screening, and now we have to get even closer in daily reality with this regard.

I have to say very frank and open the work program on this is so ambitious that we cannot do it alone, definitely not the two of us. Well, obviously I’m not the most experienced expert on future technologies. I don’t know about you, but I tried programming some technology path at some university. It was better that others were doing it. But also with regard to our governments, with regard to our democracies, we can face this and I would say digital attack on our democracies only together. This is not only a job for ministers and politicians and not only a job for digital companies. We can be successful only if we work together with researchers, with entrepreneurs, with young people who do have an incredible expertise and innovative ideas. And this is also why we are here today not only with those who come always together at this transatlantic momentum, but with young peoples together. This is why we have the U.S.‑German Future Forum bringing together people, closely listening to your ideas in the forum but also afterwards when you present your proposals with strengthening our democracies and to show that also you, societies, are standing united together with facing this harsh winter.

Because in the end, coming back to where we are standing in November 2022, Putin is bombing Ukraine – not only cities, not only power plants, but infrastructure. We have been just coming out of a bilateral. We have been talking of what the winter will mean. It means electricity in the country being blocked at the moment about 30, 40 percent, but if this keeps going on children will not only hide under their table because they hear the bomb attacks, but they are in danger of being frozen to death because they don’t have any electricity and any heating anymore.

And therefore our mandate is so crystal clear. We have to seize this transatlantic moment together. United as democracies we are stronger than this war, and I think this is actually the most important message we have to send today from this panel. So thank you for this day and the work you did yesterday. (Applause.)

MR ZAMPERONI: Thank you very much, Foreign Minister Baerbock, outlining, stressing the importance of the transatlantic relationship in this day and age. Secretary Blinken, I would assume that you concur with a lot of points that Foreign Minister Baerbock made, but the future of democracy in the digital world – does America, does the United States, have a different take and a different approach? Or how do you see it? And what are your concrete steps that the U.S. is undertaking in achieving that?

SECRETARY BLINKEN: Well, first let me say it’s wonderful to be here with each and every one of you, and Ingo, thank you for moderating. I will want to thank Bertelsmann also for supporting this and bringing us together. But it’s especially good to be with my colleague and my friend, Annalena. We have been working incredibly closely together, as befits representatives of two countries that are and have to be working even more closely together precisely if we’re going to meet the challenges.

I have to say I am in violent agreement with everything that Annalena said. (Laughter.) Which is not unusual at all. On the contrary. But let me just put it this way, and I’ll add quickly a couple of thoughts that are totally coincident with what Annalena said.

We’re at an inflection point in history. The post Cold War era is over. There is a competition on now to shape what comes next, and technology is at the heart of that competition. One way or another it is going to retool our economies, it’s going to reform our militaries, it’s going to quite literally reshape our lives, as we know every day from the phones that we carry in our – the computers that we carry in our pockets. And we know the profound effects that’s having on our lives.

Germany and the United States together have a very positive, affirmative vision for what that reshaping looks like. It’s about finding new ways to cure diseases. It’s about using technology to make sure that we can actually deal with climate change. It’s about using technology to make sure that we can have our societies and economies powered in ways that don’t rely on fossil fuels. It’s about making sure that we have sustainable, healthy supplies of food around the world. It’s about finding ways to have truly resilient supply chains. And ultimately, it’s also about making sure that we have good jobs for our people for the future. And there are challenges inherent in each of those.

But as Annalena said, and as you all know and as you’ve been talking about not just today but over many days, we also know that technology can be profoundly misused. And I thought the way that Annalena put it is exactly right. It has to be for people, not used against them. But it is being used against them. It’s being used against them in different ways to undermine their privacy, to repress their human rights, to quite literally harass people online, particularly women and minorities, as we see around the world. It’s used profoundly for misinformation and disinformation, which is, along with corruption, I think the two most corrosive things of any democracy. And of course, there are profound questions of security that we’re responsible for and others are responsible for where technology can be used for ill, including cyber attacks on infrastructure.

The fundamental point that Annalena made that I strongly, strongly agree with is that in order both to capture the upsides of technology but also to deal with the downsides there is a number one imperative in working together. No single country – whether it’s the United States, whether it’s Germany – can actually effectively meet these challenges alone. There’s a premium, more than at any time since I’ve been engaged in these issues – and it’s now coming on 30 years – for finding ways to cooperate, to coordinate. And that is no more true than when it comes to technology, when it comes to the digital world we’re living in.

Annalena talked about the work that we’re doing together to try to set standards, to put in place the rules for how technology is used. That is more important than ever. To the extent that values infuse technology, we want to make sure that the values that we stand for together, the United States and Germany, carry the day. And that means doing the hard work, the day-in, day-out work of being at the table and making sure that we’re there in the first place and that we’re coordinated in doing so, in shaping those rules.

It also means together trying to establish a race to the top, not to the bottom, when it comes to the way technology is deployed, the way it’s used. And if we’re successful in doing that, then those countries that may now be engaged in a race to the bottom will have a choice to make, whether actually to join us in this race to the top or probably over time fail, if we get it right.

But all of this starts with the coordination. All of this starts with the work that we do together. And there I have to say one of the things that I’ve been most grateful for, the United States has been most grateful for, is this partnership with Germany and in particular in my case the partnership with and the leadership of the German foreign minister.

Over the past year, this has been quite extraordinary. We’ve, as you’ve heard, met many times through the work of the G7 but also together on a bilateral basis, in other groupings that we’re a part of. And so much of this is about the leadership that she’s bringing to these issues every single day. It’s made a huge difference in our ability to tackle these problems.

But fundamentally, we have all of these tensions between what we stand for as democracies and how technology fits into that. It either advances our democracies or undermines them. We’re each living that every single day.

When I was growing up, the thinkers that I was influenced by were many of the classic social thinkers of centuries past, like John Stuart Mill. And the basic concept that John Stuart Mill had was that we’re engaged in a marketplace of ideas, and if we have a marketplace that functions properly the best ideas will compete against each other and ultimately the best idea will prevail. It’s a wonderful vision. It’s not the reality that we’re living, precisely because technology, when its misused, is distorting the marketplace.

We have to find ways together – and by together I mean exactly what Annalena said. It’s not just between governments. It can’t be. Civil society, NGOs, the private sector, academia – all of us actually have to join hands and be on the same team. One of the things that’s changed most profoundly in the time that I’ve been working in government is in the information and digital space. And again, we’ve – the way we’re thinking about this has evolved dramatically.

When I started out in government 30 years ago, two things happened every day. The same two things happened every day in the White House, where I was working. People would get up in the morning, they would open the front door of their apartment or their house, and they’d pick up a hard copy of the newspaper – in our case The New York Times, or The Washington Post, or The Wall Street Journal. And then if you had a television in your office, in our – at 6:30 at night you would turn on the national news. And that was it. That was the common denominator for everyone.

Now we’ve had a vast democratization of information technology, which again we think is probably for the good. Except we know that it’s also created an absolute free-for-all, an almost – an information jungle in which sometimes, unfortunately, might makes right; the loudest voices prevail, even if what they’re saying is not – does not reflect reality. None of us are going to be able to get a grip on that problem if we’re acting alone, whether – governments can’t do it alone; the private sector is unlikely to do it alone; NGOs may have the right ideas, but all of this needs to be brought to bear.

So one of the reasons I’m so glad that you’re all together, that we’re all together, is to see if we can find new ways to work across our different enterprises. That’s the only way we’re going to get to it.

Finally, I’ll say this. It’s really fitting that we’re here, and I thank Annalena for inviting us here to Münster for the G7, but also for this meeting. Of course, the Peace of Westphalia put in place fundamental principles of international relations that are the very principles that are being challenged today by Russia when it comes to Ukraine, and that is the territorial integrity and the sovereignty of nations. If we let that be challenged with impunity, then the foundations of the international order, they’ll start to erode and eventually crumble. And none of us can afford to let that happen.

The other thing that’s striking about this place is it was part of something called the Hanseatic League back in the 14th and 15th century, an effort to literally create trading routes in what is now Germany and throughout the – throughout Europe, connecting people, connecting products, connecting ideas. And at its best, that’s also what the digital world is about. Our challenge is to somehow make sure that it lives up to its best, not its worst.

Technology is neither inherently good nor bad. What we make of it is, and that’s our challenge together.

MR ZAMPERONI: Thank you, Secretary Blinken. (Applause.) Both of you actually touched upon a couple of questions that I already had and covered already, so let’s go into a little more detail on some of these fields.

But you both outlined the perils and the advantages, of course, that technology has, but also the danger, the tools it gives authoritarian governments and regimes and also the opportunities for fake news that exist. Would you say that there’s been a bit of a disenchantment with social media, with digital opportunities, and that if you sum it up the negative somehow outweigh the benefits?

SECRETARY BLINKEN: Please. (Laughter.)

FOREIGN MINISTER BAERBOCK: Well —

MR ZAMPERONI: Because it seems to me that so many challenges –

FOREIGN MINISTER BAERBOCK: No. My short answer is no. Well, and this counts actually for everything. I think if you’re in politics and think the glass is half empty, you shouldn’t be there. I mean, then you’ve given up anyhow. And this counts for me and also for the digitalized world, but I think all of the facts are on this side, and not only because I want to believe in a better future. Because yes, obviously we have the fake news, we have everything we were mentioning, and Tony was outlining perfectly what the challenges are there.

But if you look around the world, well unfortunately, with regard to our sustainable goal, the SDGs from the United Nations, we are not there where we wanted to be. With poverty, we were on a good track, and then the Russian war came.

But with regard to education for example, when you travel around the world – thanks God also to other countries and not only to the countries you know anyhow – when I’ve been in Niger, for example, the president said, which I didn’t hear before from a male president, my most important topic is education and reproductive rights. So because he couldn’t counter the explosion of the birth rate, he didn’t have so many schools, teachers, whatsoever, and he knew that if he cannot handle this kind of situation, the radicalization, the whole security, threat of terrorists will just explode.

So while he didn’t have any school building, while obviously Niger is like on this part of the development track from all countries in the world, even there the question of digitalization – yeah – in those parts where they do have electricity, where they do have digital platforms, he even was speaking about okay, if I don’t have a school building, I don’t have teachers, but I have the opportunity of the internet.

Then all the situation where the media is oppressed in all these kind of countries, how young people inform themselves, how you give a platform for those who are not being employed in different parts. So I think the opportunities are way bigger than the threat. However, this is – the difficult part of the story, as Tony was saying, it’s not the best argument which sometimes come through but the one who’s the loudest person. So we have to join forces to fight the bad side of the digitalization. And if we are getting better in this, because obviously we are not there yet, I think this will be – give even more chances to all the societies worldwide.

MR ZAMPERONI: How does that shape your policy-making?

SECRETARY BLINKEN: Yeah. Well, first, let me I say I very much agree. Despite all of these challenges, I remain fundamentally optimistic, including optimistic about technology writ large but also the digital space more specifically. And I think if you do the balance, I still think it comes out with the glass half full.

The progress that we’ve been able to achieve and actually achieve in people’s lives is dramatic. It’s easy to take for granted; it’s easy to lose sight of. But it’s real and I think it’ll continue, including in the social media space, in terms of our ability to connect people, to connect ideas, to connect products. All of that is real.

But one of the hallmarks that we know of every major transformation, technological transformation throughout our history, is that there are all sorts of unintended consequences, and they often race forward much more quickly than governments or other regulators of one kind or another are able to capture them.

MR ZAMPERONI: So the question is: Can we be fast enough?

SECRETARY BLINKEN: So this is a big part of our challenge. It’s – and again, this comes back to the point that we were both making about the imperative of finding ways to work together not just between governments, but among the different stakeholders. Because we don’t have – in our case, we often don’t have the resident expertise or knowledge we need to be closely aligned with business, with civil society, with academia. The more we find ways to do that, I think the quicker we’ll actually be in managing to deal with – first of all, not only deal with; the whole idea – and Annalena mentioned this – is to get ahead of it. We have to be able to better imagine what the unintended consequences may be, and try to factor that in.

I think if you were talking to those who were at the founding, present at the creation of social media, they had an extraordinary vision of all the good and positive that can flow from that. I’m not sure how much time they spent thinking about “but what if.” So part of our challenge is actually to imagine “what if” and to try to build in some guardrails against that. Now the problem is we’re doing that while the plane is flying at 60,000 feet. That’s hard.

MR ZAMPERONI: That’s the harder part. Which leads me, actually, to a question – to an idea I just had. When you recruit future diplomats for the (inaudible) under the State Department, do you actually make that a requirement, a certain tech savviness, or a certain – that you can hit the ground running in this fight?

SECRETARY BLINKEN: (Laughter.) So I’m happy to start on this because it’s something that’s actually a bit fascinating.

MR ZAMPERONI: Or recruit here in this audience. I mean, I’m sure there – (laughter).

SECRETARY BLINKEN: Actually, please, there’s a table – (laughter).

MR ZAMPERONI: Just drop your business card.

SECRETARY BLINKEN: So let me – I got to the point when I last served in government in the Obama administration, where I’d be in these rooms that we’re so familiar with, without windows, where we’re having policy deliberations with our teams, and I became convinced that virtually all of the things we were working on, somewhere as part of the answer had technology, science, innovation. Maybe not the totality of the answer, but a part of it. And the problem for many of us in these jobs – at least I’ll speak for myself – is we’re not trained in these disciplines. Most of us come up through the humanities. And as a result, I got to the point where I thought that I needed a scientist or technologist at the table just to tell me whether I needed a scientist or technologist at the table to understand, oh, this problem may have a solution that’s grounded in science and technology.

So fast forward. We are making a major effort right now at the State Department to do just that, to make sure that we have that talent in the department, both in terms of who we recruit, who we bring in to advise us, and how we grow that talent from within the department. We established just a few months ago a new bureau. The bureaus are the founding, are basically the building blocks of our entire department. We now have a new bureau for cyberspace and digital policy to make sure that we’re able to not only understand but lead around the world in the efforts that we’re engaged in together when it comes to how cyberspace is regulated, what digital policy should be. And a big part of that is making sure that we have the people to do it.

So the short answer is we want to make sure that everyone is at least basically literate in technology, hopefully fluent, and eventually truly expert.

MR ZAMPERONI: Ideally, yeah. Do you want to add something? Or otherwise I would ask you, if you have the people that implement those policies, there’s also the aspect of the technology that you need, for example. We see what’s happening in Iran or in other countries, where it’s –or Uzbekistan, you mentioned the example as being limited. What’s happening on that field, on that level? Have we reached those?

FOREIGN MINISTER BAERBOCK: Well, if I may, can I go back to the people?

MR ZAMPERONI: Yeah.

FOREIGN MINISTER BAERBOCK: Because again, here we have to be frank and open. No, we don’t have the capabilities, especially with regard to the people. I was talking about birth rate. I mean, if we are looking anyhow with regard to people in the working space, we have big challenges, and then especially in this field. And I think this is something – because we talk about leadership, U.S., Germany – in many fields, yes, we do have the leadership. In other fields, at least for my country, I have to say we have to learn from other countries. And this is a great job of foreign ministers; you don’t go there, at least this is my understanding, and to preach how great your own country is. I mean, you can say, well, we tried this and it worked quite well.

But so many things I’ve learned, now also in the time of war from Ukraine, I went there to there. Ministry of Information – and it has a different name, and I forgot, because when I entered the building I always ask my team, “Are you’re sure we’re in the right building,” yeah? Because it looked like a start-up company. Then we entered a room where the average age was way lower than here, even though we invited here our young people, and we think we’re really advanced that we invited young people to a conference. (Laughter.) But there they not only invited, but employed people which were, I would guess, 18 years old, directly obviously from the street.

Now, they were well educated people, but I mean, if I would go to my ministry and even suggest we should employ maybe not only diplomats and not only lawyers, and what Tony was mentioning, we should think also about IT expert. This is kind of a revolution already, because in our bureaucracy, then it’s really difficult to say that they don’t have to rotate and all these kind of things. But if I would come up and say you know what, forget about education, university, diploma; I have heard from a great guy in the Chaos Computer Club and I think he’s the best answer to our fake news strategy, while the challenges and feminist foreign policy is an easy pass I would say if I compare it to this.

So without any joke, I think this is what other countries are well in advance, especially those countries now with Ukraine fighting a war of disinformation, but also Baltic states, other countries around the world, where they just jumped over some centuries between the phone and the iPhone, and they are directly now in the digitalized world. And this is really something where we have to work on with people, but also with technologies.

And therefore I would like to take up one of the proposals which we just heard in the video: your proposal of an establishment of an intergovernmental standardization body to ensure the interoperability between public and private software. I wrote it down to don’t do any mistakes and have another fake news video somewhere. In the U.S. and Germany, this was a proposal from you, but we in our national security strategy – which is not published yet, but – our first point is to have interoperability between our ministries, yeah, in the government and between the local, federal, and then the European level. Because this is already the challenge, that we use different software.

So now we all know it, so I think we are very quick on this, so we can take this proposal just onboard to also have this possibility between the U.S. and the European Union. And this would answer also your question. We are not there yet, but we know the way how we can go together to join forces again, and to understand standard-setting. This was a great example, I think, you were giving. We have learned that obviously through (in German) —

MR ZAMPERONI: Trade, yeah.

FOREIGN MINISTER BAERBOCK: — so trade; it sounds nice in the German language – trade doesn’t bring automatically change, so we have learned this now. But you have mentioned, I think, very perfectly also that not only the ideas are there, but we have to all support standardization. And this is also new thinking maybe even more for the U.S. than in Germany, because we love regulation. (Laughter.) But anyhow, to understand that this is a good thing for democracies, because you can also counter fake news. But also if we are thinking about the – about a satellite, yeah, so if we don’t have regulated the aerospace in this regard and if we don’t have the standardization – and then it come also, thanks God, back to diplomats, lawyers in foreign ministries, because drafting these kinds of treaties is crucial in the end and will be, I think, the way forward.

SECRETARY BLINKEN: And despite Shakespeare, there’ll always be room for lawyers. (Laughter.)

MR ZAMPERONI: All right, and there’s not much room for questions left. So I would like to actually pitch it to the audience, and we gathered a few questions. And the first one is from Heather Thompson, if you would please stand up and just – we don’t have a lot of time because we also want to take a picture with all of you —

QUESTION: Sure.

MR ZAMPERONI: — so if you could keep it brief.

QUESTION: Hi, thank you. It’s a pleasure to be here. My name is Heather Thompson. I am an American, but I work in German civil society now for a nonprofit called Democracy Reporting International. My question is about digital foreign policy. I believe it’s a vital part of our response to disinformation, digital inclusion, and online human rights. I’m wondering, how can the U.S. and Germany work better together to strengthen our digital foreign policy and combat these threats online? Thank you.

SECRETARY BLINKEN: Well, just very quickly, I think one of the things that we’ve both been spending a lot of time on is building the structures, the organizations to do exactly that, precisely because, like you, we’ve identified this as a critical necessity and a critical challenge. Annalena mentioned something that was established between the United States and the European Union, the Trade and Technology Council. A big part of the work of the council is exactly what you just described, to actually have an aligned – to the greatest extent possible – approach to digital policy.

Annalena said as well we’re competing in ways, too; we have to recognize that and also not be shy about that. Competition is good as long as it is pursuant to agreed rules, and ideally as long as, as I said, it’s a race to the top, not the bottom. But what we’re doing with the TTC is exactly that. We’re trying to align our digital policies in a whole variety of ways, particularly when it comes to trying to establish the norms, the rules, the standards by which all sorts of critical technology is used, whether it’s AI, whether it’s quantum – lots of discussions, of course, about 5G and what comes next – et cetera.

So we’re doing that. We’re also doing that bilaterally between the United States and Germany. There are other fora in which this is done. This is actually an important part of the work of the OECD, increasingly, something that I think is being re-energized at a really important time.

MR ZAMPERONI: I’ll just move ahead to the next question so we can cover a little more. Martin van der Puetten has a question.

QUESTION: Good afternoon. My name is Martin van der Puetten and I’m the director of international relations of the city of Dortmund, close to Münster. It is a question that touches urban diplomacy, the subnational diplomacy topic. So my question is how do you intend to involve the city level – I do not mean the civil society; I mean the civil administrations, the city administrations – more systematically in your policy strategies, e.g., the China’s strategy, the rebuild Ukraine strategy, and the climate foreign policy strategy? So my request is please use the power of the cities as a strategic tool in foreign policy. Thank you very much.

SECRETARY BLINKEN: Let me just say quickly to that I couldn’t agree with you more. One of the things that we’ve done – I just had the joy of naming someone to be at the State Department our senior official for subnational relations, because increasingly we found that we’re working directly with cities, with municipalities, with regions, not just with our counterparts in national governments.

And for a whole variety of reasons that you know very well from what you’re doing every single day, cities are often the laboratories where all of these things are playing out and we get a chance to test out ideas and their application, including with things in the digital space. So that’s incredibly powerful. It’s also very powerful because at times when national governments, for one reason or another, as we would say colloquially, can’t get their act together, it may well be that city, states, regions do. And so that’s increasingly vital, too.

MR ZAMPERONI: Would you like to add to that or —

FOREIGN MINISTER BAERBOCK: Yeah, well, first of all, thanks for your question, but also thanks for participating in our national security strategy, because this was also for the first time why we are drafting it right now. I did a tour in summer through Germany. Many people asked why is the foreign minister doing a tour in Germany. But because obviously security matters are also security matters touching – and we see it again with Ukraine – but touching the daily life, and in many cities – we were just discussing what you have been saying – with regard to our infrastructure, with regard to data protection. Well, it doesn’t help if we have the great ideas in foreign ministry, but in the town hall of Düsseldorf or Dortmund or somewhere else, even smaller cities, we have the next cyber attack.

So therefore, we are integrating now in our national security strategy the cooperation with infrastructure. And now we are discussing here – everybody knows this – about China investment, for example. Again, they are not investing into our ministry in Berlin main town, but they are investing all over the countries. Also the question of cooperation between universities in other countries. So I think this is something which we are already on a good strike, but obviously we can intensify it even more.

And again, also on the other parts when we go outside, when I traveled to other countries, and my credo is always I don’t want to only meet foreign ministers, even though I like many of them a lot, but also go to school classes to hear what the people are saying, and to go to towns. When I was in Bosnia and Herzegovina, I said, okay, I visit Sarajevo but I would like to have also meeting with the mayors of two other cities. And it was not by coincidence that those mayors were way younger than those partners I met on the federal level, fighting for 30 years already the same fight. The mayors of these three towns from different ethnic backgrounds met for the first time, because I said I can only meet all the three of you together, I don’t have enough time, so it would be great if you could all come together, otherwise I can meet nobody.

So this can be also like a small instrument of actually using foreign policy totally different if you go to a different level segment. And again, also giving then power to different people, different age, different gender, different religion. So this is why I would also play the ball back to you because you’re employed by a city. We have had back in time, thanks to the U.S. and other allies after the Second World War, the understanding of (inaudible) partnership from cities and from sports clubs. And we all traveled then to France and somewhere else to have this friendship.

I think, even in a digitalized world, this is something, again, which we should intensify, as Tony was saying, the cooperation between cities, between region. When we saw in the U.S. that the federal level was withdrawing from the climate talks on the federal level, we had between Baden-Württemberg and California this under-two-degree coalition, and this is something we can build in every policy field. So I would like to invite everybody here also in the different institution in the different organization to intensify the discussion you were just mentioning.

MR ZAMPERONI: All right. If we keep it brief, we have – because I know you have a tight schedule for the rest of the day – we have room for one more question. Alexandrea Swanson, please.

QUESTION: Thank you so much. Honored to be here. My name is Alexandrea Swanson, also an – no, a U.S. citizen based in Berlin. I work at the Federation of German Industry, digitalization innovation department, where I lead an initiative called SheTransformsIT. And my question is – is going back to the topic of a feminist foreign policy. So Minister Baerbock, you mentioned this briefly at the beginning, and I would be interested to know – so we know that you’ve implemented this in Germany for the first time. What is that looking like since the implementation? And Secretary Blinken, are there any discussions about implementing this at the U.S. Department of State? Thank you.

MR ZAMPERONI: You each have a minute. (Laughter.)

FOREIGN MINISTER BAERBOCK: Well, the strategy is so long and then people always say, well, and she doesn’t explain the whole strategy. Well, it’s about rights, resources, and representation. And I just stick it to the point. Representation here because I think it’s always totally underestimated. It doesn’t make a difference only if, after 150 years, you have the first female foreign minister. And Tony suffers under this question because we had a time at G7 while there are many elections in between where there was a majority of women. Anyhow, I’ve been asked —

SECRETARY BLINKEN: It was very hard. (Laughter.)

FOREIGN MINISTER BAERBOCK: — a couple of weeks – because he wasn’t allowed on the women’s picture, so – (laughter). But anyhow, a couple of weeks ago I was asked whether I felt well in this group of men, and I said: well, just look at the picture; this is no group of men. But it’s no coincident that they are two female ambassadors sitting here at the front row. So behind our representation issues on different parts, it is something also which touches our own ministry, where we can make the biggest difference. It’s my decision who I send as the most important ambassadors to the most important capitals in the world. I can decide who I send there and who I don’t send there, so I think it’s many, many policy fields with regard to rights – Iran, women’s right; with regard to Afghanistan and all these kind of things.

But at the end, it come always back to yourself and your own ministry, and I think there we can do many things, and again, there’s room for improvement. So Tony was doing the advertisement for the IT experts. I do the advertisement for female future generation wanting to serve in the foreign ministry office. You’re more than welcome. (Applause.)

SECRETARY BLINKEN: And I can only applaud that and tell you that it’s very much part of our focus back home. And actually I think where we’ve made the most progress at the State Department in recent years is having the senior ranks with women in leadership roles. That’s the case right now, where the deputy secretary of state, our representatives to the United Nations are well known to everyone; under secretary for political affairs, who’s here with us as well, Toria Nuland, one of the leaders of our foreign policy.

But let me just broaden this out very, very quickly. One of the things that I’m engaged in is trying to make sure that we have a State Department that actually reflects the country that we represent, and that, of course, starts with women, but it doesn’t end there. One of the challenges that we’ve had is not having such a department over many, many decades. And I won’t go into the details because time doesn’t allow it, but I’m determined that we get there in having a truly more representative department.

And this is not because it is simply the right thing to do. It’s because it’s the smart and necessary thing to do. One of the great strengths that the United States brings to anything it does is our diversity, and we’re operating when it comes to foreign policy by definition in a diverse world. If we are not bringing everyone to the table in our own department, in our own deliberations – if we’re not bringing their different ideas, perspectives, experiences, knowledge to the table – we’re shortchanging everything we do, and we’re penalizing our ability to act effectively in a diverse world. So, of course, it starts with women, but it also includes all of the groups that are part of our society who need to be represented in, and acting on, and leading our foreign policy. Otherwise we’re actually not doing a service to our own country.

QUESTION: Iran women – can you say just two words on what you guys are doing or talking about to support the women of Iran?

FOREIGN MINISTER BAERBOCK: Well, this is also one of the main topics at our G7 meeting. This sounds, “well, this is just one of the topics,” but this is something special, because these kind of G7 meetings are normally having a long-time agenda and are targeting the issues with regard to economic development. So this is really a moment saying we bring up a human rights issue, we bring up a issue of democracy and freedom at this G7 meeting to coordinate the different bilateral actions we are doing, because we are running out of time. And German public knows this – I have been publishing last week a new proposal of four dimensions how we can support the women of Iran, and it’s not only – Tony was mentioning it – it’s not only women, it’s like the diversity of the Iran society is saying, well, this is enough and we want to live in freedom like every – many other countries. So this is what we are doing here at G7, bringing together our support for the people of Iran with regard to sanctions, with regard to giving shelter for those who have high protection, but also with regard to bringing these atrocities to the UN system, to the UN bodies, because this is not automatically there.

Again, as democratic states, we need majorities not only in our own countries but we need also majorities in UN bodies on human rights violations. And everybody in this room knows, I think, how hard it is, but if it’s not the leading democratic economic powers who are ready to also go into this fight saying we don’t have a majority automatically in a human rights body, but we fight for it, I think we shouldn’t speak about democracies. And this is, again, why I’m so thankful that we are working so close also on the question of supporting the people in Iran.

SECRETARY BLINKEN: And only one very quick footnote: Also, with regard to technology, one of the things that we’re trying to do together is to make sure that Iranians have the ability to communicate with each other and with the outside world. And technology is at the heart of that, making sure that there are no barriers to the extent we have anything to say about it to that technology getting to people who need it and want to use it. That’s also part of the work we’re doing.

MR ZAMPERONI: Great closing statements, and I’m happy to announce, Mr. Secretary, that you’ll be able to be in this picture that’s coming up now, so —

SECRETARY BLINKEN: Very good. Thank you. (Applause.)

(A picture was taken.)




Secretary Blinken’s Call with Swedish Foreign Minister Billström
11/03/2022


Secretary Blinken’s Call with Swedish Foreign Minister Billström
11/03/2022 03:31 PM EDT



Office of the Spokesperson

The following is attributable to Spokesperson Ned Price:

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken spoke today with Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billström. The Secretary congratulated the Foreign Minister on his new position and reaffirmed U.S. support for the strong bilateral relationship and Sweden and Finland’s NATO accession process. The Secretary and Foreign Minister discussed ongoing support for Ukraine, addressing challenges posed by the People’s Republic of China, and U.S.-EU cooperation in the run-up to Sweden’s presidency of the Council of the European Union in 2023.




Deputy Secretary Sherman’s Call with European External Action Service Secretary General Sannino
11/03/2022

Deputy Secretary Sherman’s Call with European External Action Service Secretary General Sannino
11/03/2022 03:40 PM EDT



Office of the Spokesperson

The following is attributable to Spokesperson Ned Price:

Deputy Secretary Wendy Sherman spoke today with European External Action Service Secretary General Stefano Sannino. They discussed ongoing close U.S.-EU coordination to support Ukraine and hold the Russian Federation accountable for Putin’s unprovoked war and unconscionable attacks on civilians in Ukraine. The Deputy Secretary highlighted the United States’ financial commitments in responding to current Ebola outbreak in Uganda, and the two discussed the importance of coordinating prevention and preparedness efforts. The Deputy Secretary and Secretary General affirmed their continuing commitment to strengthen the U.S.-EU partnership, including to advance cooperation and coordination on the PRC. They looked forward to the next round of the U.S.-EU Dialogue on China and Indo-Pacific Consultations, which will be held before the end of the year in Washington, DC.




Assistant Secretary of State Lee Satterfield’s Travel to Greece
11/03/2022

Assistant Secretary of State Lee Satterfield’s Travel to Greece
11/03/2022 03:51 PM EDT



Office of the Spokesperson

In the lead up to International Education Week 2022, Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs Lee Satterfield will travel to Athens, Greece from November 5-8, 2022. She will participate in the Pharos Summit 2022 “Greek-U.S. Collaboration in Higher Education,” a Government of Greece event that brings together 30 U.S. colleges and universities, rectors from all 24 Greek public universities, and other key stakeholders to promote greater cooperation and collaboration in international educational exchanges. The Assistant Secretary’s trip emphasizes the strong bilateral ties between the United States and Greece, as well as the United States’ strategic engagement in international education, including through the Fulbright and Gilman Programs, to support increased student mobility and people-to-people diplomacy efforts that are foundational pillars of U.S. foreign policy.

Assistant Secretary Satterfield will join U.S. Ambassador to Greece George Tsunis and Greece’s Minister of Education and Religious Affairs Niki Kerameus in addressing and participating in the Pharos Summit. While in Athens the Assistant Secretary will also participate in bilateral engagements to discuss a variety of issues, including cultural heritage.

While in Greece, the Assistant Secretary will meet with NGO partners that implemented special ECA programming to support Ukrainian refugees who were forced to flee their homeland due to Russia’s ongoing, unjustified, and unprovoked war against Ukraine. She will also meet with Greek youth who have participated in ECA programs including the Future Leaders Exchange Program (FLEX), Benjamin Franklin Transatlantic Fellowship (BFTF), TechGirls, the Young Transatlantic Innovation Leaders Initiative (YTILI), and the International Visitors Leadership Program (IVLP).

For further information, contact ECA-Press@state.gov. Follow along on Twitter at @ECA_AS.




Affirming Our Enduring Support for the People of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Dayton Peace Accords
11/03/2022


Affirming Our Enduring Support for the People of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Dayton Peace Accords
11/03/2022 06:56 PM EDT



Ned Price, Department Spokesperson

The United States welcomes the UN Security Council’s unanimous reauthorization of the mandate for the European Union Force in Bosnia and Herzegovina’s (EUFOR) Operation ALTHEA. Rooted in the Dayton Peace Accords, EUFOR’s Operation ALTHEA remains critical to maintaining the stability, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). We thank the EU for their continued contributions to and leadership of EUFOR ALTHEA.

The United States congratulates the citizens of BiH for exercising their rights during October 2 general elections, and encourages newly elected leaders to form responsive, accountable governments at the state and entity levels as soon as possible. The citizens of BiH deserve institutions that will work to consolidate multi-ethnic democracy, strengthen democratic institutions, counter corruption, and provide economic opportunity for all people.

The United States fully supports High Representative Christian Schmidt and his ability to exercise all necessary authorities, including the Bonn Powers, until the 5+2 Agenda is complete and BIH is irreversibly on course for European integration. We fully support the High Representative’s efforts to address longstanding power sharing problems and counter any anti-Dayton acts. The High Representative and his Office merit the full support of the international community in this task.




Secretary Blinken’s Meeting with Italian Foreign Minister Tajani
11/04/2022

Secretary Blinken’s Meeting with Italian Foreign Minister Tajani
11/04/2022 12:48 PM EDT



Office of the Spokesperson

The below is attributable to Spokesperson Ned Price:

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken met with Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani today in Munster, Germany. Secretary Blinken thanked Foreign Minister Tajani for his commitment to sustain Italy’s strong support for Ukraine. The ministers discussed ways to mitigate the impact of rising energy prices on consumers, shared concerns over the People’s Republic of China, and considered steps to bolster security in the Mediterranean region. The Secretary also expressed appreciation for Italy’s ongoing contributions to international assistance efforts.




Secretary Antony J. Blinken and Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi Before Their Meeting
11/04/2022



Secretary Antony J. Blinken and Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi Before Their Meeting
11/04/2022 02:34 PM EDT



Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State

Münster, Germany

Rathaus

FOREIGN MINISTER HAYASHI: So first of all, I’m really glad to see you again here, Tony. And let us use this opportunity to confirm the way forward to further strengthen our alliance. And we must do this in light of the increasingly serious security environment that we are facing.

And the U.S. National Security Strategy made it clear that the U.S. will continue to promote a free and open Indo-Pacific. So it also reaffirmed the unwavering commitments of the U.S. to defend Japan, including Senkaku Islands. So the GOJ highly appreciate this.

On November the 3rd, North Korea launched multiple ballistic missiles, including a possible ICBM. So also on November 2nd, one of the ballistic missiles launched by North Korea landed near ROK’s territorial waters. The spare of ballistic missile launches – spate of ballistic missile launches, which unprecedented, is totally, totally unacceptable.

Regarding the situation in Ukraine, Japan would like to stay closely coordinated with the U.S. on support for Ukraine and sanctions against Russia. Japan is seriously concerned that Russia is recently threatening that it may use nuclear weapons. We will never tolerate such threats around the use of nuclear weapons.

So Prime Minister Kishida always delivers this message when he meets with leaders from other countries. So we should also (inaudible).

Thank you again, Tony.

SECRETARY BLINKEN: Well, Yogi, it’s as always wonderful to be with you. We’ve had a good couple of days here with our G7 colleagues, but I always appreciate and benefit from our opportunities to speak directly together. We have no better partner than Japan on virtually every issue confronting us, not just in the region but quite literally around the world. And that starts with the remarkable support that Japan has provided for Ukraine, faced with the Russian aggression, the coordination in applying pressure to Russia to end this aggression, and the work that we continue to do in support of Ukraine humanitarially as well.

As you noted, we’ve also been facing together a series of provocative and dangerous actions by the DPRK, and we are absolutely united in the face of these actions, as well as with the Republic of Korea. And it only reinforces our absolute commitment to Japan and Korea’s security, as well as our determination to work even more closely together to make sure that we are all properly defended, as well as taking necessary measures against these repeated violations by North Korea of its obligations to the international community through a series of UN Security Council resolutions. So we are resolute in the face of this, and I know we’ll be talking about that as well.

But we also appreciate the work that we’re doing together to try to build a free and open Indo-Pacific, and we’re doing that together directly, we’re doing it through different arrangements and organizations, everything from IPEF to the Quad, and we’re grateful for that.

So as always, lots to talk about, and very good to be here. Thanks. Thank you, everybody.




Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs Michele Sison’s Travel to Geneva, Vienna, and Paris
11/04/2022
Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs Michele Sison’s Travel to Geneva, Vienna, and Paris
11/04/2022 04:01 PM EDT



Office of the Spokesperson

Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs Michele J. Sison will travel to Geneva, Paris, and Vienna on November 7-14, 2022, for consultations with counterparts from a range of international organizations. Those consultations will include the Assistant Secretary’s first meeting with Volker Türk in his new role as UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, as well as meetings with leadership at the World Health Organization, UN Refugee Agency, and International Labor Organization. The Assistant Secretary will also meet with Amy E. Pope, the U.S. candidate for Director General of the International Organization for Migration.

In Vienna, the Assistant Secretary will have meetings with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the International Atomic Energy Agency. In Paris, the Assistant Secretary will have a series of meetings on global issues, including human rights, with counterparts in the French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs.

For updates, follow @State_IO on Twitter.




Secretary Antony J. Blinken At a Press Availability
11/04/2022


Secretary Antony J. Blinken At a Press Availability
11/04/2022 04:34 PM EDT



Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State

Münster, Germany

Museum of Art and Culture

SECRETARY BLINKEN: Well, good evening, everyone. We just concluded two very productive days of meetings here in Münster, and I first want to thank very much our German hosts for their incredibly warm hospitality, and also recognize Germany and especially my friend and counterpart, Foreign Minister Baerbock, for her leadership over what has been a very challenging but also very consequential year.

When the G7 foreign ministers met almost a year ago in Liverpool, we sent a clear message that if President Putin invaded Ukraine, we would together impose, and I quote, “massive consequences and severe costs.” President Putin bet that we wouldn’t back up our words with actions. We proved him wrong.

Since February, our nations have led a coalition of dozens of allies and partners in providing substantial security support for Ukraine’s brave defenders as they fight for their territory, for their democracy, and for their people. We’ve imposed unprecedented sanctions and export controls that have directly impacted the Russian military’s ability to wage war. These efforts, coordinated in large part through the G7, have strengthened Ukraine’s battlefield capabilities and weakened Russia’s. They’re also a key reason that Ukraine has momentum in this war.

We’re also working together to impose sanctions on those supporting President Putin’s war. That includes Iran, whose combat drones are killing Ukrainian civilians and destroying civilian infrastructure, and whose personnel in Crimea are assisting Russia in carrying out these brutal attacks.

The G7 is also providing economic and humanitarian support to Ukraine as President Putin tries to make up for Russia’s defeats on the battlefield by targeting civilian infrastructure that provides Ukrainian men, women, children, and elderly people with heat, water, and electricity. Russia has destroyed some 40 percent of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, including thermal energy plants that provide many Ukrainian homes, schools, hospitals with heat in the wintertime, when temperatures can drop to 20 degrees below Celsius. President Putin seems to have decided that if he can’t seize Ukraine by force, he will try to freeze it into submission. This is just the latest crime that President Putin is committing against the people of Ukraine. It was not enough to fill mass graves in Bucha and Irpin. It was not enough to cut off food, water, and medicine to the residents of Mariupol. It was not enough to violently uproot tens of thousands of Ukrainians from their homes and deport them to Russia through so-called filtration operations. On top of all of this, President Putin is also fearmongering about nuclear weapons.

As the G7 has done at every step, we’re addressing Russia’s latest escalations together and standing firm with Ukraine. On infrastructure, the G7 agreed to create a new coordination group to help repair, restore, and defend Ukraine’s energy grid – the very grid that President Putin is brutalizing. And we’re focusing more of our security support on helping Ukraine protect against these attacks, strengthening air defenses, and ramping up defense production.

When President Putin claimed that Ukraine was making a so-called dirty bomb at three sites, Ukraine asked the IAEA to investigate. Yesterday, its experts debunked Putin’s false claim. Together with the G7, countries around the world are making clear to President Putin that any use of a nuclear weapon would be catastrophic for him and for Russia.

All our countries are making sacrifices to sustain this critical support, and we’re supporting each other in doing that. On energy, for example, the United States has exported 53 billion cubic meters of liquified natural gas to Europe. That’s nearly two and a half times what we exported in 2021 and will provide our friends with a vital reserve as they head into the winter. Over the last year, the G7 has also come together to meet other global challenges that none of our nations can address alone. We discussed several of these here in Munster, including the unprecedented global food crisis driven by climate change, by COVID, and conflict, including Russia’s war in Ukraine. In June, President Biden and other G7 leaders announced that our countries would invest $4.5 billion in strengthening food security with more than half of that coming from the United States, and we pledged billions more since that time.

We’re grateful for the efforts of the United Nations and Turkey to bring Russia back into the Black Sea Grain Initiative. In just over three months, that initiative has allowed over 10 million tons of grain to leave Ukraine’s ports, helping drive down prices everywhere. Two thirds of the wheat shipped, the primary food for the world’s poor, has gone to developing countries. But the truth is we shouldn’t have to negotiate constantly with President Putin to allow food to get out to the world. That’s why the international community is sending a clear message to Moscow that it should stop using hunger as a bargaining chip, and extend the grain deal long before it expires later this month.

We also discussed relations with China. The G7 stands together in defense of the rules‑based international order so that all nations can choose their path – free from intimidation, coercion, or unfair trade practices. We reaffirmed our abiding interest in peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and our strong opposition to any unilateral changes to the status quo. We all recognize the need to cooperate with China on global challenges, like the climate crisis, which we cannot address without the world’s largest emitter being apart of it, and global health security. But in our discussions here, we were also clear-eyed about the need to align our approach to the PRC in the face of growing coercion and push back together against Beijing’s market distorting policies and practices, which hurt workers and industries in all of our countries.

Iran was also on our agenda. We’re inspired by the courageous young women who continue to protest across the country, almost 50 days since the killing of Mahsa Amini, despite the regime’s vicious crackdown. The next generations of Iranians are demonstrating that their desire to be free, to have opportunity, will not be extinguished even by the fiercest repression. We’re working together to sanction those involved in the crackdown. We’re also working with civil society and tech companies to provide digital services, so the Iranian people can communicate with one another and shine a spotlight on the regime’s repression, even as it tries repeatedly to shut down the internet.

We also discussed the crisis in Haiti, where gangs’ month-long blockade of ports is exacerbating a growing cholera outbreak, food and fuel shortages, and rampant violence. We’re working together to hold these criminals and their patrons accountable through sanctions adopted by the UN Security Council, as well as new sanctions adopted by the United States and Canada that we announced today on two Haitian nationals, Joseph Lambert and Youri Latortue. We’re grateful for Canada’s leadership and focusing the international community on helping the Haitian people find a way forward, and we will continue to support these efforts. That includes building on our joint work to strengthen the Haitian National Police, who I understand have succeeded in retaking the Varreux terminal and port, which is vital for restoring the flow of food and fuel.

In our discussions on the DPRK, the G7 partners strongly condemned the latest escalatory launch of ballistic missiles and the destabilizing effects they’re having in the region.

In addition to focusing on the immediate challenges today, the G7 continues to look over the horizon to how we can build the capacity to anticipate and prevent other crises going forward. African countries are vital partners in building this capacity, from boosting the global supply of renewable energy, to strengthening global health and food security; and our deepening cooperation was a central focus of the G7’s meeting today with leaders from the African Union, Kenya, and Ghana.

The cessation of hostilities signed earlier this week between the Government of Ethiopia and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front shows what we can achieve when we support African‑led solutions. We applaud the African Union, the governments of Kenya and South Africa for driving this process. And we appreciated the opportunity for the United States to offer support. The United States commends Prime Minister Abiy and the TPLF leadership for reaching this agreement, and we look forward to its swift implementation, particularly the unimpeded delivery of humanitarian aid and the protection of civilians. The situation is fragile; there will be challenges ahead. But the United States is committed to working with our partners towards a durable peace – a message that I underscored in my conversations over the last 48 hours with Prime Minister Abiy from Ethiopia, with Kenyan President Ruto, and South Africa’s Foreign Minister Pandor.

The work the G7 has done here will lay the foundation for the issues that President Biden and his fellow leaders will discuss at the G20 Summit in Bali, in just over a week’s time. And all are issues that Japan will carry forward when it takes over the G7 presidency in January.

As we saw here in Munster, when it comes to addressing the fundamental challenges of our time, the world’s leading democracies are aligned, we’re united; we are working together as never before. And when people around the world take a step back to ask – in this challenging time – which countries are helping solve their problems, rather than creating them, I think they’ll find a clear answer. That’s what we demonstrated here. That’s what we’ll continue to deliver on as we go forward – and go forward together. Thank you.

MR PATEL: We’ll take some questions. The first question goes to Humeyra Pamuk from Reuters.

QUESTION: Hello, Mr. Secretary. Thank you for doing this. I have a multi-part question, one of your favorites, so please bear with me.

SECRETARY BLINKEN: Okay, let me take my pen out. (Laughter.)

QUESTION: While G7 countries were holding talks here today, the host country’s leader, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, was visiting Beijing and met with President Xi, whose countries not so long ago declared a “no limits partnership” with Russia. The United States is trying to project transatlantic unity in the face of Russian invasion of Ukraine. Don’t you think this trip damages that effort? Can you say the United States is fully supportive of this trip? And when you look at their common statement opposing the use of nuclear weapons, do you see that – do you take that as a sign that Beijing might start increasing pressure on Russia?

And on what you just said about the G7 agreeing on a communique, the communique language on China is much weaker. Can you explain why the discrepancy?

And very quickly on Ukraine, G7 agreed to establish a coordination mechanism. Can you talk a little bit about that? What does that entail and when will it be set up? Thank you.

SECRETARY BLINKEN: Humeyra, thanks very much. A few things.

First, what I’ve seen over the last two years is growing convergence between the United States and Europe when it comes to our approach to China, and that’s been manifested in a whole variety of ways; to cite just one example, work we’re doing together with the European Union in the Trade and Technology Council as well as the work that we’re doing together here in the G7 with European countries as well as with partners from Canada and Japan.

We’ve engaged on shared concerns about some of the things that China does, including its coercive economic practices that are affecting all of our countries, threatening behavior toward Taiwan which risks challenging the peace and stability that countries rely on when it comes to the Taiwan Straits, the human rights record; and of course the risk of deepening or creating new economic dependencies in critical areas. On all of these issues, the United States and Europe are largely aligned, and as I said, we’ve seen a growing convergence.

Chancellor Scholz laid out in very clear terms his objectives for his visit to Beijing in an op-ed that was published this week. And we strongly agree with what he shared in that op-ed. That includes, by the way, encouraging President Xi to press President Putin on never using a nuclear weapon of any kind. And so, I think – again, from everything that I’ve seen, including the conversations here in Germany with our German partners as well as with all of our G7 partners, the convergence of the alignment on China is increasingly strong and increasingly clear.

When it comes to the coordination mechanism, what we agreed yesterday with the G7 was that given the very deliberate attempt by Russia, by President Putin, to destroy as much of Ukraine’s critical infrastructure as possible – particularly the energy grid and everything necessary to heat people’s homes, to make sure that hospitals can function, the schools can be heated and have electricity, we determined that together there is much we can do to help Ukrainians as necessary repair what’s been destroyed, replace what’s been destroyed, make more resilient the entire infrastructure. And so, we’re doing it in a coordinated way because we all have resources to bring to bear to addressing that problem. And we’ve established, as I said, an actual mechanism through the G7 to make sure that we all understand exactly what the needs are and that we come forward with what we can bring to the table. It’s a little bit like the Ramstein process for helping Ukraine with its defense needs. We’re doing the same thing, in effect, on energy.

MR PATEL: Next let’s go to Claudia Kramer-Santel.

QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, after declaring the Zeitenwende, Chancellor Scholz was criticized a lot because of not being – doing enough for military aid for Ukraine and stuff. Do you think this has changed and developed, and how do you see the role of Germany in this process and your cooperation with Annalena Baerbock?

SECRETARY BLINKEN: Well, first when it comes to cooperation and coordination with the foreign minister, it could not be stronger. And she has been a strong, principled, as well as pragmatic leader when it comes to dealing with Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and for that matter on every other issue that we’re working on together. And we saw that again, today, over the last two days with her leadership of the G7.

More broadly, I have to tell you I can only applaud what Germany has done in defense of Ukraine these past almost nine months. Germany has been one of Ukraine’s largest donors, including lethal security assistance. It’s played a hugely important humanitarian role, hosting more than a million Ukrainian refugees. It’s also played a vital role over the course of the entire G7 presidency by making sure – helping to make sure that all of us stay together in defense of Ukraine, in exerting pressure on Russia to end its aggression; as well as those of us who are NATO members doing what’s necessary to strengthen our defensive Alliance in case Russia’s threat extends to NATO. And, of course, Germany has led on crafting the major EU sanctions package – or packages, I should say – that have been deployed, again, to put pressure on Russia to end its aggression.

We agreed together over the last couple of days that there’s more that we can and must and will do. But throughout this process, Germany has been the strongest of partners and a real leader.

MR PATEL: We’ll next go to John Hudson with The Washington Post.

QUESTION: Thanks very much. Hi, Mr. Secretary. With regards to the G7’s plans to set a price cap on Russian oil, the Kremlin has already said that they will withhold any oil sales to countries that implement a price cap. Can you assure U.S. and global consumers that the plan won’t backfire and increase gasoline prices?

SECRETARY BLINKEN: So, the purpose of the price cap is twofold. It’s to ensure that energy continues to come onto the market to meet demand – that’s been our approach all along; and second, to put some limits on President Putin’s ability to line his pockets with the proceeds of sales of energy to fuel and fund the war against Ukraine. And I believe that that mechanism will help us do just that.

Russia needs to sell energy for – in order just to keep its – keep the country going, keep the economy going. And yes, it wants to sell energy in order to fund the war against Ukraine. But at least putting a ceiling on that makes the downsides of Russia continuing to sell energy less while making sure that energy continues to remain on the market. Russia will make whatever decisions it makes, but I think it will have an interest in continuing to sell energy. And again, this is a good mechanism for both ensuring that energy remains on the market, but the gains that Russia gets from it have a ceiling on them.

MR PATEL: We’ll –

QUESTION: Will the cap create price swings?

SECRETARY BLINKEN: Look, we will see how this plays out. But what I’m hearing from countries around the world, including beyond Europe, is an expectation that this will be a mechanism, again, that helps ensure that energy continues to get to market while limiting the benefits that Russia accrues from that.

MR PATEL: Final question will go to Marcus Pindur.

QUESTION: Hello, Mr. Secretary. Thank you for taking our questions. My name is Marcus Pindur from a large German public radio broadcaster, Deutschlandfunk. There seems to be a lot of agreement on energy and infrastructure help for Ukraine. That show of unity is certainly commendable, but there is an elephant in the room, and that is the military situation on the ground in Ukraine.

Germany has a large number – hundreds – of armored personnel carriers and main battle tanks, and – but the chancellor refuses to provide them to Ukraine, with changing reasons. One of those reasons is that Germany is not providing Western-built tanks, because the U.S. does not provide Western-built tanks. I would like you to comment on that. Thank you.

SECRETARY BLINKEN: Thank you very much. From even before the Russian aggression started –as we saw it, a rising storm, a possibility that Russia was going to do what we feared it would do, we have tried to make sure that Ukrainians had in their hands the tools – the weapons necessary to defend themselves. And so well before the actual aggression, the United States did a number of what we call drawdowns from our own military equipment to get them to Ukraine, starting in September a year ago, then again at Christmastime before the end of – before the end of last year. And it was that very equipment, including things like Javelins and Stinger missiles, that helped the Ukrainians repel the Russian aggression against Kyiv, push them back, and move the war to eastern and southern Ukraine.

What we’ve done all along, every step of the way since then, in coordination with all of our partners – including Germany, is to try to assess what the Ukrainians needed at any given time, given the changing nature of the aggression – moving to different parts of the country with different terrain, the Russians using different means to further their aggression. We have responded and adjusted and tried to get ahead of this every single time. And so, we went from, for example, providing Javelins and Stingers to HIMARS, which have proved so successful, the multi-launch rocket systems, to now an intense focus on air defenses, which is what the Ukrainians say they most need, and we agree.

Every country decides what it can and will contribute to this effort, and Germany has made major contributions in the provision of defense equipment and lethal assistance to Ukraine. And we will continue to evaluate that as – together as we go along. We’re focused on what is it that Ukraine actually needs and can effectively use, including making sure that as we provide weapon systems to the Ukrainians, as necessary they’re trained on those systems – and because in some instances we’re providing technology they haven’t used before they need to be trained on it, as well as making sure that they can maintain it, because some of the sophisticated equipment requires significant maintenance to keep it going and keeping it running.

So, for each and every piece of equipment, we’re making together those judgments, and thus far I think that’s served Ukraine very well. Of course, it starts with the incredible courage of the Ukrainian people, the Ukrainian fighters, but what we’ve been able to provide them – the United States, Germany, and many other partners and allies – is what is making the difference.

On the question of tanks, we have no objection. In fact, we support any country, if it so decides, making those available if we make a determination that that can really help Ukraine and meet a need. But again, those are also judgments that we’re trying to make together collectively, including through the Ramstein process that Secretary of Defense Austin is leading.

Thank you.

MR PATEL: Thank you, everybody. Thank you.




Secretary Antony J. Blinken With Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani Before Their Meeting
11/04/2022

Secretary Antony J. Blinken With Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani Before Their Meeting
11/04/2022 04:33 PM EDT



Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State

Rathaus Münster, Germany

SECRETARY BLINKEN: Well, good morning, everyone. It is a great pleasure to be able to spend time with Mr. Tajani, Antonio. We – I think it’s fair to say we’ve really hit the ground running here at the G7. It’s as if we’ve been working together for months or years, not just a few days or a couple of weeks. And I think it’s evidence of the very strong partnership between Italy and the United States on all of the urgent issues of the day. We are grateful for that partnership, grateful for the alliance.

And we had an opportunity over the last day or so to deepen our collaboration together, and deepen our collaboration with our G7 partners – on everything from Russia’s aggression against Ukraine to our common approach to China, to many efforts to help bring peace and stability to different parts of the world where Italy and the United States are engaged together, working as well on a strong climate future and energy future for our countries and others.

But on these and on so many other things, Italy and United States are speaking with one voice, and speaking strongly as well for the democratic values that we share. Our – this partnership could not be more important or more timely. None of the issues we face are subject to a solution that any of us can do alone. We need to find ways to collaborate, cooperate even more deeply than before. That’s exactly what we’re doing.

So, it’s wonderful to have you, Antonio, and to be able to spend some more time, but over to you. Welcome.

FOREIGN MINISTER TAJANI: Thank you very much. Also, for Italy, it is crucial to strengthen the relation with the United States, because the United States is our best friend in the world. We never forget your engagement for our freedom during World War II. A lot of young American peoples’ death for our democracy in defense against Nazis – this has been very, very important for us. It’s impossible to forget it. But now, it is crucial to work all together, the – among the G7, on blackboards in bilateral meetings for asserting democracy in the world, in defense of rule of law in the world.

Of course, in this moment it is important to protect Ukraine. We want to achieve peace, but peace is impossible without justice, and justice is the freedom of Ukraine. We want also to work together for peace in the Mediterranean Sea. This is crucial in order to develop common positions.

On China: it is a partner, but it is also a competitor for us. We need to protect our economy, (inaudible) financing is crucial, but also the (inaudible) is important to work all together in defense of the democracy in South America, in Africa – it is the cooperation with the United States, also among the NATO Organization is very, very, very important. The new government is strong engaged on these – Europe, NATO, and strong relations with the United States.

Thank you very much.SECRETARY BLINKEN: Thanks, everyone.

This email was sent to politikimx@gmail.com using GovDelivery Communications Cloud on behalf of: U.S. Department of State · 2201 C Street NW · Washington, DC 20520