State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller holds a press briefing after Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) was found guilty on all counts in his federal corruption trial.
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NewsTranscript
00:00Good afternoon. I do not have anything from the top, so Matt, you want to kick us off?
00:06Oh, that's a surprise. You want to say anything about your former boss?
00:11The Justice Department?
00:13No.
00:14I don't think I do.
00:15Senator from New Jersey.
00:17No, I certainly don't have any comment on the law enforcement matter.
00:21Okay. Let's go to – what have you guys heard, if anything, from foreign governments
00:28about what's happened over the course of the last 72 hours with the Republican convention,
00:38the nomination of J.D. Vance as vice president, his positions on Ukraine, and other matters?
00:50So I'm not aware of any specific conversations about either the vice presidential nominee
00:55of the Republican Party. Obviously, when you had NATO in town last week,
01:01you did have a bunch of conversations on the sidelines of events between people all around town
01:06about the election in the United States, just as we have conversations –
01:09social conversations about elections in other countries.
01:12I think people are well aware of the election that's happening here,
01:15but I'm not aware of any specific conversations over the last 24, 72 hours
01:19about the Republican convention.
01:22Okay. I'll leave it there.
01:25Yeah.
01:26Because I'm sure people want to go to the Middle East.
01:28Yeah.
01:29Gaza, you said yesterday that you had seen civilian casualties come down
01:32from high points of the conflict and from where they were six weeks ago,
01:36but that you wanted to see them end completely.
01:38Palestinian health officials said at least 57 people were killed in Israeli bombardments.
01:45Does this increase your concerns at all, and have you raised this with your Israeli counterparts?
01:50I think it's going to increase our concerns because our –
01:52we have had extraordinary concerns about civilian casualties for some time,
01:57and that's why we are pushing so hard – not just pushing, but actively negotiating –
02:03to get a ceasefire that would stop this daily tragedy
02:06where you see innocent Palestinian civilians being killed as a result of this war.
02:11But even before the – we get to what we hope will be a ceasefire,
02:16we continue to push Israel to take further measures to minimize civilian harm.
02:20The Secretary pushed Ron Dermer and National Security Advisor Hanegbi
02:24when they were here yesterday.
02:26We understand – look, in all of these strikes, Israel has said publicly
02:29that they were striking militants, and of course we've seen reported deaths of militants,
02:33including Hamas leaders, in some of these strikes,
02:35but we've also seen credible reports of civilian deaths.
02:38And so it is why we continue to push so hard for a ceasefire,
02:42which is the way to really get a lasting solution to the ongoing violence in Gaza.
02:47Hamas has accused Israel of stepping up attacks to try and derail efforts for a ceasefire deal.
02:52Do you have any concern that that is the case?
02:57No, I don't think – I don't think the strikes that they are taking
03:01have anything to do with a ceasefire deal.
03:03I think, as they said publicly, they are trying to, as they have done from the days
03:09right after October 7th, trying to degrade and ultimately end Hamas's ability
03:16to launch attacks on the state of Israel.
03:19Separately, we have heard from Israel repeatedly, publicly.
03:22We've heard from them privately that they are committed to trying to reach a ceasefire.
03:26They're committed to the proposal that they put forward
03:29and that the President outlined publicly over a month ago,
03:32about a month and a half ago now,
03:34and they continue to remain engaged in the talks to try to reach a ceasefire.
03:38Can I follow up?
03:40I'll come back to you.
03:42Yes, Said, go ahead.
03:43Yeah.
03:45On this point that was just raised,
03:48Israel says that they were targeting Hamas,
03:52but you don't have any independent sources that confirm there was actually Hamas leaders
03:57in that building that was targeted, do you?
04:00I do not.
04:02With respect to this particular strike, no, I do not.
04:04Now, we have seen credible evidence all throughout this war
04:07that Hamas has hidden its fighters, hidden its leadership inside civilian infrastructure,
04:12inside civilians, inside schools.
04:14I can't speak with respect to this specific strike,
04:16but certainly those are actions that are consistent with the pattern of behavior
04:19we have seen from Hamas.
04:21Where was that?
04:22Can you share with us some of that behavior, the pattern of behavior,
04:25in particular places and so on?
04:27Yeah.
04:28In fact, Said, I remember you and I having this exchange several months ago,
04:30and I emailed you an article that detailed Hamas's long history of hiding in,
04:35and I think it was actually more than one article, several articles detailing Hamas.
04:38My point being, you don't need intelligence assessments from the U.S. government or anyone else.
04:43Hamas's long-established behavior of hiding in civilian sites predates October 7th,
04:51and certainly we've seen it over the course of this conflict.
04:53But that makes, let's say, targeting one person worth killing 100 people?
04:57We don't want to see it, no.
04:59We do not want to see civilians die.
05:01Now, I would say a lot of this would be solved if Hamas behaved like a military organization.
05:11We talk about other conflicts where this is not an issue
05:13because you don't see the military leadership hiding in hospitals, hiding in schools,
05:18hiding in religious sites, hiding in apartment buildings.
05:21If Hamas stopped doing it, it would certainly make the job of the IDF easier
05:26to target Hamas leadership without civilian casualties.
05:29But that said, as long as they continue to behave that way,
05:31the IDF still has the responsibility to do everything it can to minimize civilian casualties.
05:36Well, you know, the whole of Gaza is the size of Washington –
05:39metropolitan Washington, D.C.
05:41I mean, it is a guerrilla force.
05:43It's not an army.
05:44They're not allowed to have airplanes and tanks and so on.
05:47But that –
05:48The size of Gaza does not justify hiding your fighters inside a hospital or inside a school.
05:55Let me ask you about something that you just said,
05:58that Israel wants to degrade and deplete and render Hamas totally incapable of launching an attack
06:08like the one we saw on October 7th.
06:11Well, the president himself said that Hamas was unable to do that anymore back on the 31st of May.
06:17Didn't he?
06:18He did, yeah.
06:19Okay.
06:20So why do we continue to do the same thing over and over again?
06:22If Hamas no longer is capable of doing this, if the United States of America,
06:26the preeminent power on Earth and the one that keeps the Israeli military sustained and so on,
06:33says, look, they are no longer – this reason is no longer valid
06:37because they no longer are able to do that, as the president said.
06:41So a few things about that.
06:42It has – yes, it is our assessment that they no longer have the capability to launch an attack
06:48with a size – on the size and scale and scope of the attacks of October 7th.
06:53Hamas, without a doubt, does still pose a threat to Israel
06:56and does still pose a threat to Israeli civilians.
06:59Hamas continues to be a legitimate military target for the Government of Israel to strike.
07:04That said, it has also long been our view, and you've heard me talk about this,
07:08you've heard the Secretary talk about this,
07:10that Israel will never defeat Hamas through military action alone
07:15and that it is going to require ultimately a political solution
07:19to a struggle between Israel and Palestinians that predates Hamas, that dates back decades.
07:27And if you were to ultimately reach an end to the violence between Israel
07:33and the Palestinian people that has gone on for decades,
07:36it will take more than a military campaign against Hamas, a terrorist organization.
07:40It will take a political solution, and of course you see us continue to try to advance that.
07:44So taking these two positions exactly that you just articulately illustrated,
07:51isn't that like a catch-22 situation?
07:54The war will go on forever because there will always be Palestinians
07:59who will fight the Israeli occupation no matter what, under whatever conditions.
08:03So are you saying this war can go on forever?
08:05We need to have completely neutralized Hamas, completely neutralized movement.
08:10I think that question ignores everything I have said
08:13and everything that we have been pushing to try to do for some time now.
08:16Let me just finish.
08:17It ignores the fact that we are pushing to obtain a ceasefire
08:21to stop the immediate death in Gaza.
08:24It ignores what the President has said and what the Secretary has said repeatedly,
08:28and it's reflective of what we are trying to do,
08:31that we want to take that ceasefire and turn it into enduring calm,
08:34and we want to turn the enduring calm into lasting peace and stability.
08:38Now, my last question.
08:40There was – UNRWA was – an UNRWA headquarter was flattened in Gaza.
08:45Do you have any comment on that?
08:47I mean, UNRWA has been the primary provider of aid and help, education,
08:51health care, and all these things for the Palestinians.
08:53Without UNRWA, there would be a humanitarian disaster on your hand.
08:57Do you have any comment on what has happened to UNRWA thus far?
09:00So we do support the work that UNRWA does.
09:01We've made that quite clear.
09:03They are a critical delivery mechanism for humanitarian assistance
09:05to the Palestinian people in Gaza.
09:07They have played an important role in delivering humanitarian assistance
09:10on the front lines since the outset of this conflict,
09:14and it has been really critical that they – that work has been critical,
09:18and it's critical that they continue it.
09:20But with respect to this strike, it goes back to the problem I was speaking to a moment ago,
09:24which you do continue to have Hamas leadership, Hamas militants,
09:27that hide themselves in civilian sites.
09:30And Israel has the – has a rightful goal of attacking militants
09:38and preventing them from continuing to threaten the state of Israel
09:41and the people of Israel, but they need to do so in a way that minimizes civilian harm.
09:45Go ahead.
09:46I just want to follow up on your answer to Said about the day after
09:50and the plan for peace in the Middle East.
09:53You've been – I mean, from this podium or even from many other platforms
09:57in the U.S. Government, you've been pushing for months now
10:00for a day-after plan from the Israelis,
10:03and you're pushing with the regional players to find a formula for a peace
10:11that will – everlasting peace.
10:13But what we hear from the Israelis is a different page.
10:16They are opposing any Palestinian control of Gaza.
10:20They're not willing to enter any discussion internally about the day after
10:25and, in principle, they are – the Netanyahu government
10:29and his factions are against the two-state solution.
10:34You've been pushing for months.
10:36Do you have any way of pushing more or putting –
10:39exerting more pressure on the Israelis to engage in that?
10:42So a few things about this.
10:43Just one kind of factual note.
10:46So with respect to plans for the day after, I spoke about this a little bit lately.
10:51We have seen the Israeli Government start to develop more of their own plans
10:55and put more of their own plans forward.
10:57Not as advanced as we would like to see, certainly, but just as a factual matter,
11:02they have been starting to have those conversations internally
11:04and they've been having those conversations with us,
11:06and I believe they've been having those conversations with others in the region as well,
11:10which is not to say that there is a fully formed plan that is ready to go
11:13or certainly one that would be acceptable to the broader community,
11:16but they are at least advancing in their thinking of that issue.
11:22But I would say that with respect to the longer-term issue,
11:29ultimately Israel is going to have to make some tough choices, which is always the case.
11:33It's been the case with this struggle between Israel and Palestinians for decades
11:38that ultimately resolving it requires tough choices by both sides of this conflict.
11:43And to get to, in our view, a lasting end of this conflict,
11:48it's going to have to take tough decisions by Israel.
11:52The case that we will make to them, to get to your question,
11:55is that ultimately making some of these tough decisions is actually in their interest.
12:03It's in their long-term security interest.
12:05It is, of course, in the interest of the Palestinian people to see lasting stability in Gaza,
12:10to see reconstruction, to see a better form of governance than what they've had
12:15since Hamas took control of the Strip a couple of decades ago.
12:20But it's also in Israel's long-term security interest
12:23to find a lasting resolution to this conflict.
12:27So we will continue to press that case to them,
12:30but they will have to make decisions for themselves, as every sovereign country has to do.
12:37But it is just our view, and we certainly hope that the people of Israel
12:45will ultimately endorse this view as well,
12:48that continuing to have this long-term security threat staring them in the face
12:54is a problem for their security,
12:57and it is a barrier to their long-term integration with the region,
13:01which is something Israel has wanted from the very founding of the state.
13:04Well, what's the Palestinians' options here?
13:07I mean, until the Israelis or Israeli Government reach a sober moment
13:13to accept that it has to do with tough choices, as you said,
13:17what are the Palestinians' options to fight this occupation?
13:21That will be acceptable to you?
13:23So when you say Palestinians, I don't know if you mean the Palestinian people,
13:27if you mean the Palestinian Authority.
13:28Let's say the PLA.
13:29There are lots of different ways.
13:31What was the answer?
13:34The Palestinian Authority.
13:35So there are lots of different answers.
13:36That's why I asked.
13:37There's lots of different ways to answer that question.
13:39We think there are things that the Palestinian Authority can do.
13:41We think there are reforms that the Palestinian Authority can make
13:43that will make it clear that they are a reformed, revitalized authority
13:50that can serve as a credible governing structure,
13:54both for the people of the West Bank and the people of Gaza.
13:56And that's a message that they could send both to the Government of Israel
14:00but also to the Palestinian people who we know want to see a reformed PA.
14:03So that is one thing.
14:05Ultimately, what we are trying to do is work with the Palestinian Authority
14:09and work with partners in the region who we know want to see lasting peace
14:14and stability and want to see the establishment of an independent
14:17Palestinian state.
14:19And so that's what we'll continue to do.
14:22Go ahead.
14:24Regarding specifically the attack on Saturday, Israel's attack on Gaza's
14:29So Israel said it was targeting Hamas commander Mohamed Daif,
14:33and they are yet to confirm whether he was killed or not.
14:36Do you expect them to confirm soon?
14:38If they won't, does this concern you?
14:40Because we know more than 90 civilians killed, including children,
14:44but we don't know whether the Hamas commander was killed or not
14:47or even he was there after all.
14:50So with respect to Mohamed Daif, I will defer to the Government of Israel
14:52to speak – to determine when they might be able to make some kind of assessment
14:57and when they will speak to it.
14:58That's ultimately a call for them to make.
15:00We do know that they were successful in killing other militants,
15:04including a Hamas commander, in that strike.
15:07But that said, to answer the question, no, the deaths of any civilians are not acceptable.
15:11We don't want to – we don't accept the deaths of civilians in any strike,
15:15and that is why we continue to push for a ceasefire to stop this daily death inside Gaza.
15:20Do you think these kind of situations hamper ongoing ceasefire negotiations?
15:24Because we know civilians killed at the moment,
15:27but they are yet to confirm the Hamas commander they said they were targeting was killed or not.
15:31Do you think these kind of vague situations hamper the ongoing ceasefire process?
15:36Because we know the U.S. want to seal the deal as soon as possible.
15:39So I'm not going to speculate.
15:40I'm going to speak to what we've seen.
15:41And what we've seen is that the ceasefire negotiations have continued,
15:44and despite various public statements that are made by both sides on this conflict from time to time,
15:51what we have actually seen in the negotiations is pushing forward to try to get a deal.
15:57So I'm not going to speculate about what could happen.
16:00Obviously, people can always pull out of negotiations for their own reasons.
16:03We hope that won't happen.
16:04We haven't seen it happen yet.
16:06What we have seen has made us believe we can get to a deal,
16:10which of course does not mean that we will.
16:11We're going to continue to try to push for one.
16:13All right.
16:14Yes, sir.
16:15Thank you so much.
16:16Sir, you said that Hamas is a military organization, of course, several times and times.
16:22Terrorist organization, I think.
16:23It's – Hamas is a terrorist organization that does have certain aspects of it that make it look like a military.
16:30Yes, sir.
16:31It's ultimately a terrorist organization.
16:32Yes, sir.
16:33One, who is supporting them, who is financing them,
16:36and they have had miles and miles of underground tunnels going from there to different places,
16:43and terrorists are living there, were living, and they were sharing all these tunnels.
16:47So where do we stand?
16:49Where do we go from here?
16:50Who is supporting them?
16:51And they have a headquarter in Qatar.
16:54They have been largely financially backed by the state of Iran,
16:59which is why we have taken actions to hold Iran accountable for its financing of not just Hamas
17:05but other terrorist organizations in the region.
17:07Can I go back to something you said in response to an earlier question?
17:14You said several times Israel is going to have to make tough decisions.
17:22I think you said three times.
17:27Does Hamas not – or do the Palestinians not have to make tough decisions too?
17:32Why are you saying it's all on Israel?
17:34No, they do.
17:35Because the question was about Israel.
17:36Well, okay, yeah, but your answer –
17:39So the question was about the state of Israel, and that's why I talked about Israel.
17:44I did it in a question about what the Palestinians could do.
17:48I talked about tough things that the Palestinian Authority needed to do,
17:50including making internal reforms.
17:52I mean, your understanding of how this whole conflict started is still that it was Hamas attacking Israel, correct?
18:02On October 7th, yes, absolutely.
18:04Okay.
18:05So why say now that it's only the Israelis who have to make tough decisions?
18:11I certainly don't believe it is only the Israelis that have to make tough decisions.
18:15The question was about Israel, but as I said, it has long been the case in resolving conflicts
18:20it takes parties on both sides making tough decisions.
18:23Okay.
18:24So Hamas has to make a tough decision too?
18:28Well, I mean, it depends how you look at it.
18:31We think it ought not to be a tough decision to reach a ceasefire
18:33because it would alleviate the suffering of the people that they claim to represent,
18:37but it certainly has been tough to – it has been tough for them to come to that decision here to date.
18:41Well, okay, fine, but then it ought not to be a tough decision for Israel either, right?
18:47Because they would get – according to you –
18:49Ought not –
18:50According to your theory here, if they take a tough decision and agree to a ceasefire, they're going to be safe.
19:00So ought not be, but would that the world were so simple, Matt.
19:04Would that the world were so simple.
19:07Okay.
19:08Can I say one more thing?
19:09Go ahead.
19:10Same in connection with what I had.
19:13Recently in this connection question, recently Prime Minister Modi of India was in Moscow
19:18meeting with President Putin.
19:20They discussed about this situation in the Middle East in a big range many times,
19:27including this time when NATO meetings were going on here.
19:31So where do we go as far as Prime Minister Modi's discussion with President Putin
19:36that this war is – must be ending and people – countries must come to an end to have a peace for the –
19:43for peace forever in the Middle East between these nations, Israel and other countries,
19:49war going on in the region?
19:51So I don't have any specific comment on that other than that, as we have said before,
19:55we have never seen Russia willing to play any kind of a productive role
19:58in resolving conflicts in the Middle East, certainly this conflict in the Middle East.
20:02Thank you, sir.
20:03Yeah.
20:04Shannon, go ahead.
20:05Sorry.
20:06It's okay.
20:07Change of subject.
20:08Sure.
20:09Change of region.
20:10In Thailand, in a luxury hotel in Bangkok, six people were found dead,
20:12including two American nationals.
20:13Police are investigating it as a possible poisoning case.
20:16Are you in contact with your Thai counterparts in assisting in any way?
20:19So we are aware of the reports of the deaths of two U.S. citizens in Bangkok, Thailand.
20:23We offer our sincere condolences to the families on their loss.
20:27We are closely monitoring the situation
20:29and stand ready to provide consular assistance to those families.
20:32Whenever a U.S. citizen dies in a foreign country,
20:36local authorities are responsible for determining the cause of death.
20:39We do reach out to local authorities often to communicate them about –
20:45to communicate with them when it involves the death of a U.S. citizen,
20:50and we will certainly be doing so here,
20:52but I would defer to the local authorities for any further comment
20:55on what I believe is an ongoing investigation.
20:57And Secretary Blinken spoke with the Thai foreign minister earlier today, I believe.
21:01Did the deaths come up on the phone call at all?
21:03So the call happened around 9 o'clock this morning.
21:05I think it might have been before we saw the reports of the deaths,
21:08so I don't know that it came up in the call,
21:10but I'll have to check and get back with you to confirm.
21:13Yeah.
21:14I was wondering if you have any updates on the RFERL journalist
21:19detained in Russia, also Kormasheva.
21:23Has any new information come to light
21:25to be able to designate her as wrongfully detained?
21:28No, I don't have any new information to report.
21:30Obviously, as we've said, journalism is not a crime,
21:33and we have urged her swift release,
21:36but I don't have any new information to provide
21:38about a wrongful detention determination.
21:43I'd like to follow up on that question,
21:45given that this week is going to mark nine months of her arrest.
21:49When there is a lack of transparency about the process here,
21:52it does trigger a lot of questions about
21:54what is the reason to why she's not being designated?
21:57Is it because she is Muslim, she is a citizen, she is a female, or what's the reason?
22:02Okay, I'll just give me a break.
22:03That is a ridiculous thing to raise, that it's because of her gender.
22:08We have wrongfully – we have designated both men and women wrongfully –
22:11as wrongfully detained.
22:12And if you look at our track record in this administration,
22:15we have returned over 40 wrongfully detained American citizens.
22:20So I think the track record actually shows this administration
22:23taking this work incredibly seriously and working hard
22:26and making tough choices sometimes to return those U.S. citizens
22:31who have been detained overseas.
22:32It is the top priority for the President.
22:34It is the top priority for the Secretary
22:37to make sure that U.S. citizens overseas are safe and secure.
22:41And we take the process extremely seriously.
22:45I know it doesn't always move as quickly as you or some others would want,
22:50but I think if you look at our record, it shows that we are able to get results.
22:56And for those Americans who remain wrongfully detained
22:58and other Americans who are detained overseas,
23:00we are working day and night to get them home.
23:03With respect to her case, as I've said, we have called for her release.
23:07Her husband and her daughters are in town.
23:09Is the Secretary or anyone in this building planning to meet with them?
23:12I don't have any meetings to announce today.
23:14I want to stay in the region.
23:15Russia's Lavrov just landed in New York this morning
23:18along with Sakharova and others.
23:20Both are actually under current U.S. visa restrictions.
23:23We have discussed that previously in previous years
23:25that you guys comply with obligations, United 4-7 agreement.
23:30But the question is how does it look like right now?
23:32I mean, we discussed just three weeks ago how Russia not only violates the UN Charter
23:37but also does violate UN sanctions on North Korea.
23:40We've discussed how they gifted a car to North Korean dictator.
23:45So how – first of all, what restrictions they are under when they're going to be in New York?
23:50And secondly, what does – how does it look like when you think about UN credibility
23:54and this man is going to lead Security Council meeting?
23:58So when you want to speak to our credibility when it comes to Russia,
24:03look at our actions.
24:04No, no, hold on, hold on.
24:05Look at our actions over the past two years with holding Russia accountable,
24:08and I think it answers that question quite well.
24:11When it comes to the United Nations and representatives of any country
24:15attending events at the United Nations,
24:17we have a responsibility as the host of the United Nations
24:21to allow foreign diplomats to attend.
24:24That is an obligation that has been upheld for decades by administrations of both parties,
24:29and it's one that the United States takes seriously.
24:31That said, we do have the ability to impose restrictions
24:34to make sure that diplomats that do attend for legitimate UN meetings
24:39only can participate in those meetings and can't take off on, say,
24:44tourism visits across the United States.
24:46Go ahead.
24:47Did the Secretary plan to boycott his ministerial?
24:49Lavrov's ministerial?
24:50I don't have any announcements to make on the Secretary's travel.
24:53Go ahead.
24:54Go ahead.
24:55Go ahead.
24:56Follow-up on Menendez.
24:58We're just seeing reporting that he had continued to receive foreign policy
25:02and intelligence briefings despite being accused of being a foreign agent
25:05for Egypt and Qatar and now convicted.
25:07From a State Department perspective, does that cause for any concern?
25:12I just don't have any comment on that at all.
25:15It remains a law enforcement matter,
25:17and ultimately the question of who receives those type of briefings
25:21is a matter for the Senate to decide.
25:24Yeah.
25:25Go ahead.
25:26Sorry, just a quick question on Vance,
25:28who Trump thinks as his running mate yesterday.
25:31He's been a vocal critic of U.S. aid for Ukraine
25:33and has said that Britain was an Islamist nuclear-armed country.
25:37What's the administration's view of this,
25:39and do you have any concerns that this could endanger the relationship?
25:44So I'm going to probably have a tough time over the next few months
25:48because there are going to be a lot of claims made on the campaign trail
25:51that I want to respond to and probably shouldn't respond to.
25:54So I will instead just speak about our record
25:57and our record of support for Ukraine.
25:59Ultimately, I think the question really comes down to not just what we support
26:03and what anyone else in public life supports,
26:06but what the American people support.
26:08What we have seen is when it comes to Ukraine,
26:12the American people strongly support continued assistance to Ukraine.
26:16They strongly support allowing Ukraine and helping Ukraine
26:19to defend itself against Russia's aggression.
26:22And it's not just the American public,
26:24but it's bipartisan majorities in both houses of Congress.
26:27And when you saw the supplemental appropriations bill
26:30finally get a vote after obstruction on one side of the aisle,
26:34we saw an overwhelming vote in support of military assistance.
26:37So I think that's probably where I should leave it with that.
26:40And with respect to the United Kingdom,
26:42look, we have a longstanding, close relationship,
26:45a special relationship with the United Kingdom.
26:48And despite any kind of, I won't comment at all,
26:54I think the American people understand the importance of that relationship
26:58and would reject any attempts to mischaracterize it.
27:02Yeah.
27:04The U.S. and Saudi Arabia today or yesterday signed an agreement on space.
27:09What's the importance of this agreement?
27:12Is it part of the larger package that the U.S. is working with Saudi Arabia on?
27:18So that is a separate agreement from the ongoing discussions we have had
27:25with Saudi Arabia about what further regional integration would look like
27:30and what improved bilateral relationships
27:32and expanded bilateral agreements between the United States and Saudi Arabia
27:36would look like in the context of regional integration.
27:39So it is a separate agreement.
27:41That said, the specifics to it, I'll have to take the question and get back to you.
27:46Thank you very much.
27:47The question is regarding the President Biden recent interview to 360 with SPD
27:52in which he said that he got call from Saudis
27:55and they want to fully recognize Israel with the security conditions.
27:59The question is we have seen a brief security brief by the national security team
28:04to the Congress about the nuclear cooperation,
28:08that is, civilian nuclear program with Saudi Arabia.
28:11And we got mistakes from the Congress, from the Republicans and Democrats.
28:17Some wrote a letter to President Biden to condition it with the nonproliferation,
28:23and some said, like, you have to look twice on this.
28:28So it seemed like there is some prioritizing by the U.S.
28:32And in this interview, President Biden didn't mention anything that Saudis are mentioning
28:37two states for the Palestine.
28:40So is there anything under consideration regarding just with the security guarantees
28:44for the normalization between Saudi Arabia and Israel?
28:46So do you mean – I'm not sure I fully understand the question.
28:49Do you mean that we would just do an agreement with Saudi Arabia absent?
28:54With the security deal context.
28:56Oh, yeah, yeah.
28:57No, look, you've heard me speak to this before,
28:59and you've heard other leaders of our government.
29:01No, this is a package deal that it all works together, or it doesn't really work at all.
29:06And we've heard the governor of Saudi Arabia say that something that's important for them
29:09for normalization is to get a legitimate path to two states.
29:15And so we continue to look at this as something that we believe is very important,
29:19something that we believe is hopefully achievable.
29:22But no, it's – we're not pursuing a separate agreement.
29:25One on Pakistan.
29:26Yeah.
29:27Two more security personnel got killed in a hours-long exchange of fire with the terrorists.
29:32And again, these are terrorists coming from the safe haven in Afghanistan.
29:35So you've spoken many times on this podium, and the question is,
29:40do the United States have some concerns with the persons who took responsibility
29:47or who took guarantees in Doha agreement that they will not let them use this soil
29:54against the neighboring Pakistan, being a U.S. ally?
29:59So do you have any concerns?
30:00Do you have anything on this?
30:01Do you have anything on this?
30:03Sure.
30:04I will say that, of course, the Pakistani people have suffered greatly
30:07at the hands of violent extremists and terrorists.
30:10We have a shared interest with the Pakistani people and the Government of Pakistan
30:13in combating threats to regional security.
30:15And yes, we do continue to urge the Taliban to ensure that terrorist attacks
30:20are not launched from Afghan soil.
30:23That has been a priority for us in engagements with them, and it continues to be.
30:28Yeah, Michel.
30:29On the diplomatic solution between Israel and Hezbollah,
30:32is there an agreement already ready to be signed in case there is a ceasefire in Gaza?
30:38So I'm not going to speak in detail to the diplomacy that we have been pursuing
30:42to resolve the conflict across the blue line, other than to say that it continues
30:48to be our assessment that it's important to get a ceasefire in Gaza
30:52to unlock the possibility of an agreement to that conflict.
30:57So it's something that we're pursuing, but you've heard Hezbollah say publicly
31:02that if there is a ceasefire in Gaza, they will stop their attacks on Israel.
31:07We don't think they need to wait for that, but certainly that's what they've said.
31:11So we'll continue to pursue diplomacy to resolve that conflict,
31:14but we really do think a ceasefire in Gaza is important to unlocking
31:17a further possibility of achieving it.
31:20Who was that?
31:21Yeah, go ahead.
31:23Joel, I'll come to you next.
31:25Thank you very much.
31:26I thought there was somebody over there.
31:27I was like, there was somebody over here that had their hand up.
31:29Go ahead.
31:30Thank you very much, Matt.
31:31As you mentioned earlier that elections are getting close,
31:34so you are going to be asked questions about campaigns.
31:37So Sarah Sanders, when she was the spokesperson at the White House,
31:41her child and my child were in class, but for five years I did –
31:44or four years I did not go to the White House press briefings.
31:50But when this administration came and I did go,
31:53I was not treated anything much nicer either.
31:57Is this about the stool again at the White House?
31:59You raised this in a previous briefing, and I didn't –
32:01It's not the stool.
32:02It's the handicapped seat, and I don't think it's funny at all.
32:05No, I didn't understand.
32:06I didn't know.
32:07I didn't know that's what it was.
32:08I remember you raised it previously.
32:09I didn't know the context.
32:10I'm just saying elections are coming, so I had much better –
32:13I had very good hopes on President Biden administration regarding the media treatment.
32:17What I'm saying is that during their time I did not even go once for the press briefing
32:21because they're at his –
32:22All right.
32:23Let me just interrupt you quickly to ask that you get to the question.
32:24Sorry.
32:25As much as I enjoy the extended wind-ups.
32:28Okay.
32:29So Voice of America had asked you a question that Taliban are asking about the helicopters
32:33from Uzbekistan and you had said that you would reply them back.
32:37Is there any update about those helicopters or no?
32:39We did get back to Voice of America.
32:41If you're interested in the answer, I'll take it back and get the same answer back to you.
32:44Okay.
32:45Just one last question.
32:46Last week, a couple of weeks ago, I had a chance to listen to one of the three amazing diplomats,
32:51Ambassador Munter, Ambassador Hale, and Ambassador Peterson.
32:54Anne Peterson.
32:55They all served in Pakistan as ambassadors.
32:58One of them said that it's great that Pakistan is off the back
33:01so we don't have to pay billions of dollars every year.
33:04Ambassador Anne Peterson said that the fifth-largest country in the world should not be let down
33:09and should not be the way it is basically right now.
33:15Just give me a little bit of the Indo-Pacific strategy.
33:18Where is Pakistan fitting in this whole situation right now?
33:21Because from what I see, Pakistan seems to be going down in almost every aspect that I can think of.
33:28So Pakistan continues to be a close partner that we work with on a number of important matters,
33:33including improving the Pakistan economy.
33:35You've heard me speak a number of times to the importance of securing an IMF facility
33:40and Pakistan making reforms in that regard, and we'll continue to do so.
33:44All right.
33:45Thanks, Matt.
33:46Thanks, Matt.
33:47I just wanted to, I guess, follow up really briefly on the Saudi Arabia question.
33:51Yeah.
33:52Just to be clear, the President's characterization of it was broadly correct.
33:58And then do you think that you have time to, in this administration,
34:06to work out that kind of deal if events unfold in Israel the way you want, or has that window closed?
34:13So I don't want to put a timeline on it, partly because, look,
34:18you've heard the Secretary say that in his conversations with the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia,
34:25there are two things that he needs to be able to reach a deal.
34:29One is calm in Gaza.
34:31Two is a path to an independent Palestinian state.
34:35We don't yet have a calm in Gaza, so it's a little hard to speculate about the timeline of a normalization deal
34:40when we haven't reached the first milestone.
34:42So we're going to continue to push to get calm in Gaza, to get a ceasefire.
34:46We have plans.
34:48We are working with our partners in the region on security and governance
34:52and ultimately reconstruction for Gaza in the period after a conflict.
34:57And as part of that, we are discussing with Saudi Arabia what a broad normalization integration deal would look like.
35:03But there is a lot of work that remains to be done to get there,
35:06including, of course, the question about a ceasefire in Gaza.
35:10Okay.
35:11And then if I could just follow up also on the Russia question.
35:15Sergei Lavrov is in New York today, and he mentioned –
35:18obviously he's going to talk about possible more peace talks with Ukraine and Russia at some point.
35:24He mentioned that a political diplomatic solution must be accompanied by concrete steps
35:30to eliminate threats to the Russian Federation from the western Euro-Atlantic direction.
35:34It seems to be a reference to that draft treaty they put out in 2021.
35:40I know you're very deferential to the Ukrainians in terms of talking about Ukrainian –
35:45the Ukrainian position there.
35:47Are you guys willing at all to have some kind of larger conversation connected to that process?
35:53And what do you make also – he mentioned that it would have to be –
35:58take into account geostrategic realities on the Eurasian continent.
36:03Like, is it your – there's been a lot of talk in this room and elsewhere
36:07about China enabling Russia's defense industry for the war in Ukraine.
36:13Is it your understanding that China is also backing Russia in terms of its negotiating position
36:18or desired negotiating position vis-a-vis NATO in that larger project?
36:23So when it comes to the – this wasn't part of the question,
36:28but maybe the premise of the question.
36:30You're right that we do think that Ukraine needs to be at the forefront of any diplomacy to end the war
36:34because they are the victim of this aggression.
36:36It is their territory that's being occupied.
36:38It's their people that have been killed that continue to suffer as a result of a war that they did not start,
36:43that they've suffered from, and in fact they've been suffering from for 10 years now.
36:46Of course, it's not just a war that started in February of 2022.
36:50So it is important that Ukraine be in the driver's seat for what is ultimately their future,
36:55and we will support them in whatever way possible.
36:58To the larger question you asked about it, though, the problem with that formulation –
37:03not the formulation of your question, but the problem with the formulation from the foreign minister is
37:07there's no one in Europe that is threatening Russia.
37:10There's no one in Europe that was threatening Russia before the invasion of Ukraine,
37:15either the invasion of Ukraine in 2014 or the full-scale invasion in 2022.
37:21What Russia seems to see as a threat is a democracy functioning on its borders,
37:26and that's just not a legitimate view.
37:28There's not been a military threat.
37:29No one has threatened to take Russian territory, to take Russian land.
37:33So we reject that view, and so we'll continue to work with our Ukrainian partners
37:40on where diplomacy can take ultimately ending this conflict with a just peace,
37:45not just a peace but a just and a lasting peace.
37:48With respect to China, so, look, we have seen, as you said,
37:53further relationship between China and Russia, and it's not just with respect to
37:59revitalizing the defense industrial base.
38:01It is also with respect to being a major strategic partner of Russia.
38:05You've seen close ties between President Putin and President Xi, visits between the two.
38:10And so I don't ultimately – I can't ultimately predict where it will go.
38:14What I can tell you is that when we have talked directly to the Chinese government,
38:19we have said that ultimately we would hope that they could play a productive role
38:22in ending the conflict, but it needed to be a role that recognized who was the aggressor
38:27and who was the victim, and it was not just getting peace for peace's sake
38:30but also getting peace that was a just peace and a lasting peace for the state of Ukraine.
38:34But ultimately, I can't tell you what they're going to do.
38:37Sir.
38:38Saudi Arabia.
38:39Sir.
38:40Yesterday, the President, in an interview, said that the Saudi conditions for normalization
38:46with Israel would be a guaranteed protection by the United States and the provision of arms
38:52and a security agreement, and also the ability to have a peaceful nuclear program and so on.
39:00He did not mention a Saudi condition that has always been laid in the back
39:06about a Palestinian state and all these things.
39:08That answer is just with respect to the bilateral agreements between the United States.
39:12I know it does get confusing sometimes because in these discussions,
39:16there are bilateral agreements that would take place between the United States and Saudi Arabia
39:21as part of an integration deal, a normalization deal,
39:24and then there are other things that have to happen between Saudi Arabia and, of course, of Israel,
39:28the two countries that would be normalizing relationship with each other.
39:31But Saudi Arabia has always made clear that for that to move forward.
39:34It still does, as far as you know.
39:35It still does.
39:36It has always made clear and still makes clear that they need to see calm in Gaza
39:39and they need to see a path to two states.
39:41That has not changed.
39:42Alex, go ahead, and then we'll wrap for today.
39:44Let's go to Georgia, please.
39:45Last week's Washington communique was completely silent about Georgia,
39:49like zero mentioning of Georgia in comparison with previous years.
39:52In Vilnius, they had an entire chapter on its membership, be it your Atlantic aspirations.
39:58Can you please help us put that into context?
40:00I know that you guys hosted the foreign minister in this building.
40:03What is your view of Georgia lacking in this speed?
40:08So we continue to support the Georgian people's Euro-Atlantic aspirations,
40:13but we have seen the government of Georgia take a different turn and take a different path.
40:17We've seen the government of Georgia pass laws that move Georgia away from its democratic trajectory.
40:25As you know, you've spoken about the law that they pass
40:27and how the effect that it could have on civil society
40:29and the way it could enable government crackdowns on legitimate democratic rights.
40:34And so it is the Georgian government's actions that have fundamentally altered its relationship with the United States,
40:39but not just with the United States, with countries in Europe.
40:43And on that point, any update for us regarding the second tranche?
40:47No.
40:48No updates from here.
40:49All right.
40:50Thanks, everyone.