U.S. Department of State,update

Secretary of State Marco Rubio Remarks to the Press
10/17/2026
Secretary of State Marco Rubio Remarks to the Press
10/17/2026 09:34 PM EDT

Marco Rubio, Secretary of State

Joint Base Andrews

Secretary of State Marco Rubio Remarks to the Press
Remarks

October 17, 2026

QUESTION: Mr. Secretary?

SECRETARY RUBIO: What’s going on?

QUESTION: Nice and chilly, right?

SECRETARY RUBIO: It’s all right.

QUESTION: With everything going on in the world and with crisis all over, why are you choosing now, at this time, to go to Uzbekistan?

SECRETARY RUBIO: Well, it’s the time of year that worked for those leaders. It’s not just Uzbekistan, it’s the other four countries from Central Asia. This is an important relationship. I mean, one of the things that suffers is the strategic business. You’re always visiting someplace where there’s a crisis or there’s a problem or there’s a – you’re going because there’s a conference. But there’s countries you’d like to get to because we want to build our relationships with them. And so that’s what we did a couple weeks ago when we went to Greece and other places like that, and earlier, a few weeks earlier than that, we went to Latin America, and now to Central Asia. So – and the chance to see – it was the date that worked to get all five of the leaders together, all five of the foreign ministers from the five countries.

QUESTION: On Starshield, what’s going on? Because Elon Musk said it’s up to the President.

SECRETARY RUBIO: Well, Starshield or Starlink?

QUESTION: Well, just both.

SECRETARY RUBIO: Yeah, I know, it’s confusing. So Starlink is a commercial product, okay? And so they – it’s regulated and handled as a commercial product. Starshield is a defense product, a military product. And as I said, I mean, that is something that we have a military – the United States military uses. It’s not at this moment available to Ukraine, and that’s under conversation. It’s under discussion right now of how they would want to use it.

QUESTION: No, but did the U.S. – did the U.S. have anything to do with it not working in Ukraine? Zelenskyy said it was deliberate.

SECRETARY RUBIO: No. Well, I don’t know what Zelenskyy said. I’m not sure Zelenskyy knows what he’s talking about, but it wasn’t deliberate. We have nothing to do with that. I don’t – the United States, nobody ordered that Starlink speed to be slowed down. It sort of happened, but my understanding is it’s been restored. It’s back to where it was before. That’s Starlink, though. They were using Starlink for their drones.

QUESTION: Has Starshield been restored?

SECRETARY RUBIO: Starshield is a totally different product. Starshield is –

QUESTION: I know, but is it –

SECRETARY RUBIO: No, no, Starshield is a contract with the U.S. military. It has nothing to do with Ukraine. I know Ukraine wants access to Starshield. They do not have Starshield now. They’ve asked for access to it in order to conduct deep strikes inside of Russia. They do not have access to it at this moment. Those are two different products.

QUESTION: But you have to have a theory as to why, obviously, Ukraine has reported disruptions.

SECRETARY RUBIO: Yeah, I don’t know what their theory is, but nothing to do with the White House. I saw a report on that the other day. It’s just categorically false. No one at the White House ordered anyone to slow down internet or slow down speed so that certain drones couldn’t use it. But my understanding is it’s back up and running. That’s what I read – that’s what we heard two days ago.

QUESTION: Sir, on the sanctions waivers on Russia. Senator Ted Cruz today called it a big mistake that only serves to benefit Putin. I’m wondering what your response is to that.

SECRETARY RUBIO: Well, there are other countries – the problem is these sanctions were not just sanctions on Russia. They include tariffs on a number of countries – India, for example, and others. And so I think the President wants to take the 60-day period of time to sort of analyze what imposing both sanctions and tariffs will mean to the global economy and even to the U.S. economy. I think when the bill was passed, one of the reasons the waivers were put in there is understanding that they would need some period of time to study this, given all the different things that are going on in the world right now, including the pressure on global energy supplies that are happening not just because of Iran, not just because of the Straits of Hormuz, but increasingly because of the Houthis attacking Saudi Arabia and because of the war with Ukraine and Russia, where energy infrastructure is being hit. And so that’s having an impact on global prices as well.

So, I think you have to take all of that into account and weigh it against each other. And then you’ve got countries like India, for example, that have voluntarily diversified their energy portfolio but are still getting a substantial amount of energy from Russia because it’s hard to pivot from one day to the next, but they’re also an important ally and partner of the United States. So, the President – we need that period of time to sort of study all this and figure out what the right combination is.

QUESTION: Between this waiver and the diesel deal, I mean, there’s a criticism that you’re basically giving Putin something for nothing, we’re giving Putin these freebies. What’s your response?

SECRETARY RUBIO: Well, that diesel was going to be sold one way or the other. I mean, the diesel that Putin is going to sell, they would make it available to the global market one way or the other. The only difference is how much of it the United States was going to get. So – but this is not unprecedented. If you recall a few months ago, we also did a 60-day waiver on Russian oil when Hormuz was being challenged.

So yeah, these conflicts around the world are starting to crash into each other, and they’re having an impact not just on global oil and diesel prices, but on economics. And I mean, the United States, we’re paying higher prices than we all want to be paying, but you look at some of these other countries around the world, they’re near crisis mode. So, all of these things have to be managed delicately and worked with because they’re all – they’re all coming together now. It’s not just the Strait of Hormuz anymore. It’s what’s happening with Saudi Arabia and the uncertainty that that’s creating. It’s also what’s happening between Russia and Ukraine and the constraints that’s putting on global energy supplies.

QUESTION: I’d like to ask you about violence in the West Bank. My colleague, Heidi Levine, was attacked there yesterday.

SECRETARY RUBIO: I saw that. We’re all – we’re very disturbed by those images and what we’re seeing. We’ve asked the Israelis and continue to ask them to crack down on that stuff. That – the President’s been very clear. He’s said this repeatedly. He does not want to see friction or anything, a crisis, going on in the West Bank. Now, I understand that these are groups that are out there doing it, and the President has been repeatedly clear when he’s said that he doesn’t want to see that. He doesn’t want to see a new spark.

But we saw the reports about what happened yesterday. I don’t have all the details. I only go off media reports. I know we’ve inquired with the embassy, are supposed to get a cable back later today or tomorrow indicating exactly what they know about it. But from what I understand about media reports, it didn’t look good. It was an American reporter; there was a photo of a journalist who was caught behind where some of these groups came in and was beaten. There’s video of that. So look, the whole thing was just disturbing and didn’t – not a good look.

QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, the President, one of the first decisions he took was to lift sanctions against the settlers.

SECRETARY RUBIO: Yeah, I understand, but he doesn’t want to see what’s happening now.

QUESTION: No, that’s not –

SECRETARY RUBIO: Lifting sanctions, which he did earlier in the day, does not mean he’s a supporter of what he’s seeing now on television, what he’s reading about. We’d like to get all the facts and learn a little bit more about it, but that – look, that’s one instance, and it happened to involve a photojournalist. But there are other instances we’ve had complaints about. Now it’s this olive harvest season, and so traditionally that’s always been a time in which a lot of people come into those areas. So, we’ve been watching that closely. We know that’s an issue there, that’s potentially an issue in Lebanon as well. Okay?

QUESTION: Do you agree with the UK assessment, the intel assessment that Russia and Iran may be increasing hybrid attacks over the next few months?

SECRETARY RUBIO: But which assessment are you talking about?

QUESTION: The – both NATO and UK have indicated –

SECRETARY RUBIO: Oh, NATO.

QUESTION: Have indicated that in –

SECRETARY RUBIO: Yeah, but those are two separate things. So in the case of – you’re asking about Russian hybrid attacks. Yeah, we’ve always been concerned that the war in Ukraine can metastasize into other parts of Europe and other parts of the world, whether it be sabotage operations or the like. We’ve always been concerned that that’s one of the risks of a stalemated conflict, is escalation, and escalation can take the form of irregular attacks or irregular events. So that’s something I raised a couple weeks ago and we’re watching that closely.

I think with Iran and UK, what the UK has said is that the Iranians were behind the plot to attack the air base. And obviously we have no reason to disagree with the assessment factually. In fact, we agree with it.

So, all right? It’s cold, guys.

QUESTION: On the case regarding my colleague, what’s –

SECRETARY RUBIO: Did you guys see my Gators today take down Texas on the road?

Go ahead.

QUESTION: The case regarding my colleague who was attacked in the West Bank, what steps will you take to ensure that there’s a proper investigation of this incident?

SECRETARY RUBIO: Well, we want to learn all the facts about it first. Obviously, we’ve seen the video, and we’ve seen the media reporting about it. We have a process to handle these sorts of things. And if, in fact, it turns out to be what it appears it was, then we have ways of communicating that to the Israelis about how we expect – that we would expect them to prevent that from happening in the future. And it’s – again, the President doesn’t want to see a crisis in the West Bank. We don’t need that right now. Israel doesn’t need that right now.

QUESTION: Can I ask briefly on Eritrea-Ethiopia?

SECRETARY RUBIO: Yeah.

QUESTION: How high-risk is the chance of war between them? And do you feel like it was a mistake to lift some of those Ethiopia-related sanctions right before violence flared up?

SECRETARY RUBIO: No, I don’t think those – I don’t – no, I don’t think the sanctions lifting – these were very small sanctions, and they don’t really have anything to do with what’s happening over there. You have these separatists that were attacking inside of Ethiopia. You had an Ethiopian response to it. You see troops surging on both sides of the border as a result of that. And anytime you see troops on both sides of the border in a place like that, you’re always worried that that can turn into a broader conflict.

So, we don’t have the closest relationship with Eritrea, obviously, over the years, although we’ve had communication with them – more than usual – in the past few months. Our hope was that by lifting some of these sanctions, we can increase those links because it’s hard to serve the role of mediator and peacemaker unless you can talk to both sides.

Obviously, the Ethiopian side we talk to a lot more, and I spoke to them this week personally, a few days ago, and just reiterated how important it was – like, we understand the challenge you’re facing from these separatists, and obviously no one is supportive of terrorism and the terrorist attacks that came against them – drone attacks against their own capital – but we also think we – it’s a time to sort of be wise and measured in how you respond to that and make sure it doesn’t turn into a broader war which could ultimately pull in other countries. The last thing the world needs right now is another war.

Okay? Thank you, guys.


Secretary of State Marco Rubio Remarks to Press
10/19/2026


Secretary of State Marco Rubio Remarks to Press
10/19/2026 05:04 AM EDT

Marco Rubio, Secretary of State

Samarkand, Uzbekistan

Registan Square


Secretary of State Marco Rubio Remarks to Press


Remarks
October 19, 2026



SECRETARY RUBIO: Ready?

QUESTION: Yes. Mr. Secretary —

SECRETARY RUBIO: Hold on one second. Let me say a few words.

QUESTION: Yes, okay. Sorry, sorry.

SECRETARY RUBIO: First of all, I want to thank the Head of the Presidential Administration for joining us here. She’s fantastic. She is an incredible leader and also an incredible spokesperson for the country. We had a chance to interact now numerous times, and thank you. I told you I would come and here I am.

HEAD OF THE PRESIDENTIAL ADMINISTRATION MIRZIYOYEVA: Thank you.

SECRETARY RUBIO: Both in this beautiful spot, the historic – this is for centuries a crossroads of trade and commerce. Global trade and commerce came right through here. And this is why we’re here now because American companies – many of them are joining us here today not just to visit here but also as part of the C5+1 Forum that we think is so important. The United States wants to be a strong partner in Central Asia, obviously rooted in this country but also all the neighboring countries who want to do more business and trade with us.

We have an incredible delegation, almost 300 American businesses that are here with us, and the opportunity to sign over, when it’s all said and done, billions of dollars of agreements that will both enrich the countries in the region but also benefit the United States economically. So it’s an honor to be here and an honor to be a part of it. Thank you for welcoming us.

HEAD OF THE PRESIDENTIAL ADMINISTRATION MIRZIYOYEVA: Thank you. Thank you very much.

SECRETARY RUBIO: I’m so happy to be with you.



HEAD OF THE PRESIDENTIAL ADMINISTRATION MIRZIYOYEVA: Thank you for choosing Uzbekistan.

SECRETARY RUBIO: Of course.

HEAD OF THE PRESIDENTIAL ADMINISTRATION MIRZIYOYEVA: Thank you.

SECRETARY RUBIO: Thank you for welcoming us and allowing us to see this incredible place.

HEAD OF THE PRESIDENTIAL ADMINISTRATION MIRZIYOYEVA: Yes, thank you very much for being with us here. Thank you. It’s important for us.

SECRETARY RUBIO: It’s an honor.

Okay.

QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, I was going to ask you about your impressions here, but you just gave them. So it’s an extraordinary place, I have to say. So straight to substance. What does – China is making big inroads in Central Asia, and including in Uzbekistan. What does the U.S. have to offer specifically to the countries of the C5?

SECRETARY RUBIO: I mean, look, it’s competition, right? We have products, we have companies; they make things. And we just want fair competition and an opportunity. There’s no part of the world in which we feel like America and American business should not be – have a fair shot to compete, and that’s what we seek to do.

This is not about coming here to say stop talking to somebody else or stop working with some other country. That’s not about that. This is about ensuring that in every part of the world that is opening its doors to American business and American commerce that we’re available, that we’re showing up, and that we’re there. And that’s what this is all about.

I mean, if you look at for a long time people have understood the importance of Central Asia, all five countries, Uzbekistan in particular. You see it. You guys have gone through this. This is a beautiful country. It’s incredible what they have achieved in just the last decade in terms of economic growth and prosperity. And we just want to identify opportunities on things we can work together on, and we’re here to do that, and that’s what we want to do. And that’s not a negative action against any other country. That’s just – I mean, countries want to have as many relationships as possible.

Uzbekistan has been clear they want to be friends to everybody. They want to have a relationship with everybody. They want to have economic relations with everybody. And we are saying that we are interested, and that’s why we’ve come here with almost 300 American businesses joining us who are looking forward to seeing what opportunities exist, and in fact some of whom have already done agreements that we’ll be announcing a little later.

HEAD OF THE PRESIDENTIAL ADMINISTRATION MIRZIYOYEVA: Yeah.

QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, on that line, the decades of Cold War era restrictions —

SECRETARY RUBIO: The what?

QUESTION: The decades of Cold War era restrictions, Jackson-Vanik is still in place. Why is it not repealed yet?

SECRETARY RUBIO: Well, you’ll have to ask Congress. We are in favor of repealing it. There are a number of strong voices in Congress that are in favor of repealing it. I was actually asked that during my confirmation hearing in the Senate, and I said that I was in favor of repealing it, and the administration has asked for that to be done. Congress just hasn’t gotten around to it, but we hope that they will.

QUESTION: Secretary, in terms of geopolitics and the part of the world that we’re in, President Vladimir Putin reportedly has proposed a meeting with President Trump.

SECRETARY RUBIO: Saida, did you leave? (Laughter.) She’s left. She’s got to go work. I understand. Okay, sorry.

QUESTION: President Putin of Russia has reportedly, according to The Wall Street Journal, proposed a meeting with President Trump and with Xi Jinping next month to discuss ending the war in Ukraine. Is that something you can comment on at all? Is that accurate or is being discussed?

SECRETARY RUBIO: Well, I don’t know. I mean, I think there’s been talks of a meeting. I don’t know anything’s been finalized. But the President has been clear he’d like the war in Ukraine and Russia to end. He wants that war to end. He has said that when he was a candidate. He said it never would have happened if he’d been president at the time, but it did happen. And now we’ve done everything we can and will continue to do everything we can to help facilitate the end of that war.

No one is winning that war. People are dying every day. Things are being blown up every day. Things are being destroyed every day. And he’s talked about it. He’s talked about the death toll. If you listen to the President, he repeatedly cites the 25,000 people a month dying in these wars, the amount of destruction that’s occurred, the amount of economic damage that’s occurring.

So as you have seen, we have engaged repeatedly over the last almost two years now to try to bring about or facilitate an end to this war, and I think the President is open to anything that he can do to help bring the war to an end if it’s possible. And we’ll continue to look for opportunities to do that.

So far, obviously, we haven’t made the kind of progress we would like to have made, but it’s not for lack of trying, and the President remains very committed to it. You saw his post overnight, or overnight our time at some point on the East Coast in the United States, where he once again reiterated why it is that he has done the things he’s done with suspending the sanctions for 60 days. It’s because he wants to see if there’s an opportunity for the talks that are going on right now with both Ukraine and Russia to lead to something positive and avoid another disastrous year of war and conflict.

QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, what evidence do you actually have that President Putin is open to peace talks, to coming to the negotiating table? Because his —

SECRETARY RUBIO: What evidence?

QUESTION: Yeah.

SECRETARY RUBIO: Well, this is – I mean, I don’t know. This is not a criminal case. I mean, what this is is about diplomacy, and in diplomacy you continue to try. And sometimes, unfortunately, when these conflicts are the kinds that we’re talking about now, these are complicated, they’re entrenched, in some cases a deadlock, sort of a stagnated conflict in which neither side is making clear victories but both sides are inflicting tremendous damage. We’re just going to keep trying to the extent we can to see if we can facilitate an end to it. We’ll keep testing every opportunity that presents itself.

In the end, the evidence will be whether a deal gets done or not, whether both sides are willing to give in order to end this war. But you just have to keep trying to do it. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t, but that’s the nature of diplomacy.

QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, Ukraine says last night —

SECRETARY RUBIO: The what?

QUESTION: Ukraine says it did not receive early warning last night before Russian ballistic missiles hit Kyiv. Can you please enlighten us what happened there? And as the nation’s top —

SECRETARY RUBIO: Well, I can’t – I don’t – if it happened last night, I don’t know exactly. I know a few nights ago there was a software problem involving their early warning system that I know CENTCOM – sorry, I know that EUCOM had been involved in looking at, and that’s the report they gave us back. I can’t comment on what happened last night.

QUESTION: But as the nation’s top diplomat, Mr. Secretary, are you concerned that Americans diplomats, Americans in Kyiv, also are at risk?

SECRETARY RUBIO: That what?

QUESTION: Americans are also at risk.

SECRETARY RUBIO: Well, we’re concerned about Americans at risk anywhere in the world. We have a diplomatic presence there and we do – we do meetings on a weekly basis in all of our posts, especially those that are in conflict zones, to determine whether or not we can continue to maintain people there. As of now, we’ve not changed our posture or our footprint in Kyiv. We have our presence there, but of course we’re concerned. We’re always concerned about the safety and security of our diplomats and our facilities.

QUESTION: Mr. Secretary —

QUESTION: Mr. Secretary —

SECRETARY RUBIO: Go ahead.

QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, welcome to Uzbekistan, first of all.

SECRETARY RUBIO: Thank you.

QUESTION: How do you assess Uzbekistan’s role in the current developments of Central Asia?

SECRETARY RUBIO: Well, I think it’s key and a cornerstone. I mean, it’s the most populous country. And you see the – I mean, we’ve seen – I’ve never been here before. I just arrived. But just the incredible – reading up on the incredible economic development, a growth rate now of GDP of almost 8 percent a year. It’s phenomenal and we want – encourage for that trend to continue.

So I think you have tremendous opportunity here. If you can have another decade like you had in the last decade, I think you’ll be in an incredible place. You already are. And I was stunned by the number of tourists that come – stunned meaning surprised that the numbers were that high. I know I inquired about direct flights from the United States. There’s actually talks underway potentially for a direct flight from Miami. I know that there’s one already from different other places.

So we’re always encouraged coming to places like that and seeing a country that emerged, like all of its neighbors, from the Soviet era to where they are today in such a short period of time and the incredible opportunities they have to really build on that and transform the country in an incredibly positive way. And that’s why we’re here. We just want to be a positive part of it, and that’s why we’ve brought all these businesses with us as well, because they want to be a part of it.

QUESTION: Secretary Rubio, what should people in Uzbekistan expect from this visit and also from the delegation of 200 American companies traveling with you?

SECRETARY RUBIO: Well, I think we’ll have some concrete deals to announce, meaning companies that are going to be doing business here that are being welcomed here and that are excited about doing business here. So we’ll have those announcements at the end of the forum. I think that’s very positive for both countries.

And I also think that’s just the foundation that we intend to build on. We want to do more. This is not the end. This is the beginning. And so we’re excited about it. This is a part of the world that frankly has not gotten a tremendous – Central Asia has just not gotten the level of attention from our policy makers over the last 20 years that it deserves, but that’s changing. That’s why we’re here now. That’s why we had the meeting with the leaders and the President last year, and that’s why I encourage more congressional delegations to come and visit, and ultimately why I hope to be able to come back as well, and why we wanted to do the C5+1 here in addition to the bilateral visit.

QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, what are the key issues —

QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, in terms of the relationship with Ukraine —

SECRETARY RUBIO: Hold on. What?

QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, what are the key issues of today’s topic with your colleague and when the President of United States is planning to visit Central Asia and especially Uzbekistan?

SECRETARY RUBIO: Well, I can’t comment on the President’s future travel plans. I think – I think we would love to see that happen, and we’ve got to work on that in the year to come and see what dates are possible, because I think he would like to come if he can. He has said so. So obviously – but I’m not – I can’t speak about the presidential schedule.

About today it’s the point that I made earlier, and that is we have a lot of bilateral issues to talk about. But ultimately – because I think like every country in the world – Uzbekistan is concerned and looking at what’s going on in other parts of the world and the impact it’s having economically on the global economy. But there is so much positive going on in our bilateral relationship, and really at the cornerstone of it is, if you think about it, it’s a relationship that’s defined not by challenges, not by conflicts, but by opportunity.

This is a place that is growing dramatically and economically. It’s providing incredible opportunities for prosperity for its people. And we have American companies that are interested in being a part of it, and we’re here to explore how we can do more of it. I think that binds our people closer together, our countries closer together. There is nothing that strengthens relationships more than shared prosperity, and that’s what we’re looking to build on, and that’s why we’re here.

MODERATOR: One more, guys.

QUESTION: Secretary, going back to the —

SECRETARY RUBIO: Do you speak the language here? No? Uzbek?

QUESTION: (In Russian.)

SECRETARY RUBIO: What is that, in Russian?

QUESTION: I speak Russian very fluently.

SECRETARY RUBIO: Oh, okay. That’s no longer the official language here, but it’s good. A lot of people speak it. I understand.

QUESTION: That’s true. My Uzbek is not —

SECRETARY RUBIO: All right. Well, next time. Go ahead.

QUESTION: Sir, I’d like to ask you about the relationship between the U.S. and Ukraine in that on Saturday you were asked about Starshield and you mentioned that President Zelenskyy may not know what he’s talking about the way he’s characterized it. President Trump has called for elections in Ukraine. Do you think that the relationship between the two administrations at this point is fundamentally broken? Is there a lack of trust that’s – that developed between the two governments?

SECRETARY RUBIO: Yeah, look, on Starshield is something that the Department of War controls, and Ukraine has benefited from it. I think they’d like to expand how it’s being used, and that’s a conversation they’re having with the Department of War on an ongoing basis. They’d like to expand it to be able to conduct attacks beyond Ukrainian territory, and that’s not something I’m going to discuss in a press conference.

As far as the relationship, the relationship – it’s very simple. Our goal there is to end this war. That’s what we want to do. We want the war to end. We see nothing good coming from this war, and we see a lot of downside to it, including the very real risk of escalation and a spread, of this thing spreading into another country because of a failed sabotage attack, because of drones that are hit with electronic warfare and they wander into a neighboring country. We see that every night.

Part of drone defenses is you disorient the drone; and so the drone doesn’t hit its intended target, but it winds up hitting somewhere. And if it’s a neighboring country and a neighboring country gets hit, you can see where these things can escalate. It’s a very dangerous conflict – not just dangerous for Ukraine and Russia but dangerous for the world and for the countries of Europe, especially in Eastern Europe.

So we think there is great benefit to bringing it to an end, and we are doing everything we possibly can to try to bring both sides together. It has not been easy because this is a war that, as I said, is the underlying factors that led to it and that have persisted are not easy ones to address, but we’re going to continue to try. And if we can play a positive role, that really is the point of our relationship is to try to bring this war to an end. That’s what the President wants. The President has said repeatedly he wants this war to end and he’s willing to do whatever he can to try to bring it to an end, even if that means having to nudge both sides to get there.

QUESTION: Mr. Secretary —

QUESTION: Mr. Secretary —

MODERATOR: Let’s get going, guys.

QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, (inaudible) Uzbekistan the U.S. asked for it to diversify critical minerals and strategic supply chains?

SECRETARY RUBIO:

Joint Statement on the U.S.-Austria Strategic Dialogue
10/19/2026

Joint Statement on the U.S.-Austria Strategic Dialogue
10/19/2026 04:21 PM EDT

Office of the Spokesman

Joint Statement on the U.S.-Austria Strategic Dialogue

Media Note

October 19, 2026

The Governments of the United States of America and Republic of Austria released the following statement on the occasion of the 2026 Austria-U.S. Strategic Dialogue.


Begin text:

Building on a partnership rooted in history and close economic ties, senior officials from the Governments of the United States and Austria held the latest U.S.-Austria Strategic Dialogue in Washington, D.C., on October 19, 2026. The two parties recommitted to deepening their partnership to meet new challenges to their shared security and prosperity.


The Dialogue affirmed that the bilateral economic relationship has never been stronger. Bilateral goods trade between the United States and Austria reached nearly $23 billion in 2025. Cumulative foreign direct investment stands at $31 billion, and both sides plan to expand trade and investment as part of a balanced, reciprocal trading relationship.


The two sides affirmed that protecting critical and emerging technologies, especially dual-use technologies, is essential to economic and national security. The United States and Austria will continue to expand cooperation on research security as well as on semiconductors, quantum, and other frontier technologies.


The United States congratulated Austria on its election to the UN Security Council for the 2027-2028 term and welcomed its continuing role as a UN host city for many specialized UN agencies. The two sides will seek to coordinate closely in the Council to advance a lasting peace in Ukraine and stability in the Middle East. The United States commended Austria’s leadership in combating illegal migration and protecting its borders. The United States also recognized Austria’s contributions to stability in the Western Balkans.


The parties look forward to building on this progress at the next U.S.-Austria Strategic Dialogue in Vienna.

End Text.

Co-Chairs’ Statement on the 7th U.S.-ASEAN Cyber Policy Dialogue
10/21/2026

Co-Chairs’ Statement on the 7th U.S.-ASEAN Cyber Policy Dialogue
10/21/2026 02:12 PM EDT

Office of the Spokesman

Co-Chairs’ Statement on the 7th U.S.-ASEAN Cyber Policy Dialogue

Media Note

October 21, 2026

The text of the following statement was released by the Governments of the United States and Cambodia, co-chairs of the 7th U.S.-ASEAN Cyber Policy Dialogue.

Begin Text:

The Seventh U.S.-ASEAN Cyber Policy Dialogue was held in Singapore on October 13, 2026. The dialogue continues to demonstrate the strong partnership and vision for enhanced cybersecurity that underpins our shared security and economic prosperity.

The United States and ASEAN Member States built on last year’s dialogue, reaffirming the importance of aligning national cyber strategies and fostering a deeper commitment to coordinated CERT-to-CERT information sharing to address pertinent cybersecurity issues, including countering cybercrime and scams. The need to focus on cybersecurity as a core pillar of national security for all Member States was discussed, as threats to shared critical infrastructure and the new risks posed by emerging technology-enabled malicious cyber activity is accelerating the threat. They also welcomed continued dialogue with the private sector to detect, disrupt, and recover from adversary cyber campaigns, recognizing direct coordination with the private sector as essential to collective cyber defense.

Participants committed to exploring the possible convening of the Eighth U.S.-ASEAN Cyber Policy Dialogue in 2027 on the sidelines of Singapore International Cyber Week. The participants also looked forward to further discussions at the 2027 ASEAN Digital Ministers’ meeting.

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United States and Denmark Sign Maritime Cooperation Memorandum of Understanding
10/22/2026
United States and Denmark Sign Maritime Cooperation Memorandum of Understanding
10/22/2026 12:41 PM EDT


Office of the Spokesman

United States and Denmark Sign Maritime Cooperation Memorandum of Understanding

Media Note

October 22, 2026

Today, Under Secretary of State for Economic Affairs Jacob Helberg and Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on maritime cooperation between the United States and the Kingdom of Denmark.

America is rebuilding its maritime strength, and it is doing so with trusted allies. Under President Trump’s Executive Order on Restoring America’s Maritime Dominance and the Maritime Action Plan, the United States is expanding shipbuilding capacity, growing a skilled workforce, and securing its supply chains.

This partnership will help train America’s shipbuilding workforce faster, attract Danish investments to U.S. shipyards, and provide American shipbuilders advanced technology to build and repair vessels more quickly and at a lower cost. The result is more well-paid blue-collar jobs in American communities and a stronger U.S. maritime industrial base.

The Department of State and the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs will lead implementation. This MoU will help create American jobs, strengthen U.S. security, and serve as a first step toward a broader U.S.-Denmark maritime partnership.

For media inquiries, please submit questions here, and stay updated by following @UnderSecE on X.

The Week at State: : October 16 – 22, 2026
10/23/2026
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October 16 - October 22

On October 30–31, Secretary Rubio will host G20 leaders in Atlanta, Georgia, to advance shared priorities across economic vitality, energy security, and emerging tech.

Here’s what happened at State this week. Secretary Rubio traveled to Uzbekistan and India to advance economic prosperity and commercial partnerships.
Secretary Rubio and Indian External Affairs Minister Jaishankar celebrated America's 250th anniversary at the Freedom 250 reception in Mumbai.
The U.S. Department of State announced the renewal of the Pickering, Rangel, and Payne Fellowships.


Advancing Economic Prosperity Across Central and South Asia

Secretary Rubio attends the C5+1 Ministerial in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, October 19, 2026. (Official State Department photo by Freddie Everett)

From October 17 to 22, Secretary Rubio visited Uzbekistan and India and focused on expanding commercial partnerships and strengthening American economic partnerships.

In Uzbekistan, Secretary Rubio met with regional leaders and participated in the C5+1 Ministerial alongside counterparts from Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The visit prioritized deepening the U.S.-Uzbekistan strategic partnership, including through cooperation on infrastructure, space, critical minerals, and other C5+1 priorities.

“The benefits of U.S. cooperation with our regional partners are clear in a place like Samarkand, where the potential of tourism and cultural heritage preservation is yielding extraordinary gains,” said Secretary Rubio.

In India, Secretary Rubio held bilateral talks with Indian External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar to accelerate trade negotiations, expand defense cooperation, and enhance energy supply-chain diversification.

Lastly, in Jamnagar, the Secretary engaged industry leaders to advance private-sector investment in energy infrastructure and critical technologies.


Celebrating 250 Years of America in Mumbai

Secretary Rubio attends a Freedom 250 reception in Mumbai, India, October 20, 2026. (Official State Department photo by Freddie Everett)

On October 20, Secretary Rubio joined Indian External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar at the Jio World Convention Center in Mumbai for a Freedom 250 reception celebrating the 250th anniversary of American independence.

Addressing business and diplomatic leaders, Secretary Rubio underscored that the milestone is an opportunity to share foundational American principles through global partnership.

"The Secretary said Americans were not only "proud of what America has achieved over 250 years, but we’re also here to celebrate what together we can achieve for the next 250 years."

He highlighted the historic ties and common values uniting the world's two largest democracies.

“Our job… is to leave the next generation better off than ourselves,” the Secretary said. “The best way to celebrate 250 years of the American miracle is to find partners from around the world where together and working together, we can take the things that made America exceptional as a nation and share it in partnership with friends like you.”


Recruiting America’s Next Great Diplomats

The Department of State announced the renewal of the Thomas R. Pickering, Charles B. Rangel, and Donald M. Payne Foreign Affairs Fellowships, investing in the next generation of American diplomatic leadership.

In a recent Substack article titled “A New Chapter of American Statecraft,” Deputy Secretary of State Landau outlined the initiative to recruit top talent from across the country.

“I am pleased to announce here that the Department is renewing the Pickering, Rangel, and Payne Fellowships as part of that effort: We will recruit nationwide, select for merit, invest in talent, and prepare exceptional Americans to serve their country,” said Deputy Secretary Landau.

Visit careers.state.gov for more information.


Protecting American Trade Secrets

On October 19, the Department of State imposed sanctions on five entities under the Protecting American Intellectual Property Act of 2022 (PAIPA) in connection with the theft of trade secrets from U.S. persons.

Stolen trade secrets are eroding America's historical lead in emerging technology and create urgent risks across national defense, diplomacy, and the broader economy.

“Theft of trade secrets related to sensitive and emerging technologies harms U.S. jobs, companies, and investments, and costs U.S. industry billions of dollars each year,” said State Department Spokesman Pigott in a press statement.

“The Trump Administration remains committed to protecting American innovation and safeguarding Americans from intellectual property theft.”


News You May Have MissedThe United States and Liechtenstein held their second Strategic and Economic Partnership Dialogue to strengthen bilateral cooperation on trade, economic security, and resilient supply chains.
Secretary Rubio talked with Rahul Joshi of News18 in India and highlighted the importance of balancing U.S. foreign policy on Russia with its strategic relationship with India and also condemned anti-Indian hatred following an attack on a Hindu temple in Illinois.
Secretary Rubio was interviewed by The Indian Express and highlighted U.S.-India relations, emphasizing strong cooperation through frameworks like the Quad despite a few trade challenges.
The 7th U.S.-ASEAN Cyber Policy Dialogue, co-chaired by the U.S. and Cambodia, focused on strengthening cybersecurity cooperation to protect national security and shared critical infrastructure.
The Department of State congratulated the Republic of Uzbekistan on becoming the 77th country to sign the Artemis Accords, pledging its commitment to peaceful exploration and use of space.
The U.S.-Uzbekistan Business and Investment Council emphasized the highest-ever level of bilateral relations and proposed expanded economic cooperation in critical minerals, energy modernization, and digital technologies.


Upcoming Dates

October 27: International Religious Freedom Day

October 30-31: G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Atlanta


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