SECRETARY BLINKEN: I thought I’d say a few words before we go to Brussels and reflect for a minute on what we did in Ukraine yesterday and what we can expect in Brussels today. This was my fifth trip to Ukraine as Secretary and in many ways the most significant because it took place to coincide with the beginning of this counter-offensive that Ukraine is involved in to liberate land that has been occupied by Russian forces as a result of the Russian aggression against Ukraine.
Yesterday we had the opportunity to hear directly from President Zelenskyy and his team about the status of their efforts in this counteroffensive, and I had the opportunity to share with him and his team the significant additional assistance that the United States is providing to both of them in the short term. . longer term on the security side: an additional $2.8 billion. This assistance, combined with the extraordinary courage and resilience of the Ukrainian forces and the Ukrainian people, has been the recipe for success thus far in the Ukrainians pushing back the Russians and now participating in this counteroffensive.
I told President Zelenskyy on behalf of President Biden and the American people that we have stood with Ukraine. We are with Ukraine today. We will be with Ukraine tomorrow and for as long as it takes to deal with Russia’s aggression. And I leave, again, very confident in the future of Ukraine because the Ukrainians are fighting for their homeland. It is their homeland, not Russia’s.
We are now heading to Brussels. I believe I have spent more time in Brussels than in any city other than Washington, D.C., over the last 18 months, and there are good reasons for that. It is the home of the NATO Alliance, the European Union. Allies and partners meet in Brussels to work together on the major challenges of our time; Ukraine is now at the top of the list.
So I will have the opportunity in Brussels to brief NATO allies, other partners, on what I learned in Ukraine and to work with them on a number of issues that are of concern to all, starting with the situation in and around Zaporizhzhia, where Russia has seized a nuclear facility as part of its aggression, and that is a matter of real concern to many of us; make sure that the food that needs to leave Ukraine after it has been blocked by Russia, make sure that the agreement that was reached continues; support for Ukraine, not just security support but economic support and humanitarian support; think about longer-term reconstruction needs: all this will be on the agenda in Brussels.
And I think I’ll have an opportunity to reflect a little bit on what I saw yesterday just in terms of the human cost of Russia’s aggression: seeing children in the children’s hospital who are victims of that aggression; go to Irpin, a city that was devastated by Russian aggression. You see a few kilometers from the center of Kyiv these bombed-out buildings, civilian dwellings. The only thing you can tell when you see it is, at best, that these were indiscriminate attacks on civilian buildings and, at worst, intentional, deliberate, designed to terrorize the population. It is important that we remember this, because this all comes down to the effect that it is having on the lives of real people in Ukraine.
But finally, the most important reason why I think we are in Brussels is because what has worked so well for us so far has been our unity: unity of purpose, unity of action. When it comes to helping Ukraine defend itself, when it comes to making sure that there is significant pressure on Russia to end this aggression, when it comes to making sure that our own Alliance is as strong and as resolute as possible to deter any aggression extra russian. , I think you’ll see that unit in action, once again. And I’m sure based on every conversation I’ve had, every engagement I’ve had, it will continue.
QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, before the visit to Brussels, how concerned are you that the energy challenges facing European countries, including high prices and supply challenges, are going to erode the unity you just mentioned about the anti-Russian coalition and the support of the Europeans for what is happening in Ukraine?
SECRETARY BLINKEN: Look, President Biden said from the beginning that defending the stakes of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine would not be gratuitous. And countries have stepped forward. They intensified because, in the first instance, aggression on a human level is abhorrent but also because, fundamentally, it is an aggression against the basic principles of the international system that helped us maintain peace, that helped us maintain security, that allowed countries to grow and advance. And if we allow this to remain, this aggression to go unpunished, a Pandora’s box is opened for a world of conflict, for a world of pain in the future.
But it has costs, but the cost of inaction, of doing nothing, of allowing this to go ahead, would be much higher.
Now, when it comes to energy, we have taken and are taking important steps to address the challenges that exist. The United States has released a significant amount of oil from our Strategic Petroleum Reserve. We have redirected liquefied natural gas to Europe to help alleviate some of the challenges Europe faces with the reduction of energy from Russia. We have a working group with the European Union looking at how we do this effectively, not just immediately, but in the long term. And, of course, the fact that Russia has cut off the Nord Stream I pipeline, once again, is further proof that it is so strategically vital for Europe to move away from dependence on Russian energy, because Putin has repeatedly shown that the will use as a weapon. And it won’t stop now.
So the challenge is to get through the next winter. Europe has taken very significant steps to put itself in a position to do that, and I’ll hear more about that later today. And we’re doing everything we can to help. But there is also tremendous opportunity born of necessity. The opportunity is finally, once and for all, to move away from this dependence on Russia: to get rid of the strangulation that Russia has on Europe, using energy as a weapon, and to diversify the supply, to diversify the roots, but also to do it in a way to address the climate challenge.
This is a real and genuine opportunity. We see that Europe is taking decisive action. And again, from what I’ve seen and heard so far, I’m sure this is moving in a good direction. Is there going to be a cost for this? Is it going to be a challenge? Yes, but I think we are looking to land in a place where clearly Europe, the United States, countries around the world will be better off.
SECRETARY BLINKEN: Mr. Secretary, on the offensive in the east and south, what would have to happen? You spoke with Mr. – President Zelenskyy. What would have to happen? What would they have to achieve with these offensives in order for it to make sense to go to the negotiating table and for the West to support the negotiations between Ukraine and Russia?
MR PRICE: That’s for Ukraine to decide. That is for President Zelenskyy, Ukraine’s democratically elected leader, to decide. They have to decide the terms on which they would like to engage and exercise diplomacy. President Zelenskyy said very clearly that when this is over, he will end diplomacy, but it takes two to engage in meaningful diplomacy. And one is not, is not present and shows no signs of being present, and that is Russia.
So unless and until Russia shows that it is serious about diplomacy, there is sadly not much to do. And as for the specific terms, that depends on Ukraine. Your country has been attacked. Russia has seized territory in the south and east of Ukraine. It’s Ukraine, not Russia. And, ultimately, the territory must return to Ukraine. It is necessary to reaffirm the sovereignty and independence of Ukraine. I have no doubts with – about that. I think we have already seen that Putin’s efforts to erase that sovereignty, to erase that independence, to try to fulfill his conviction that Ukraine is not his own country and belongs to Russia, that is over. Putin is lost on that, but in the meantime he is doing tremendous damage to Ukraine, to lives, to livelihoods. That has to stop. The exact terms on which it stops, again, will depend on Ukraine.
MR PRICE: Thank you, Mr. Secretary.
SECRETARY BLINKEN: Once again, all of this depends on the Ukrainian people through their democratically elected representatives. We are working closely with them to support them and make sure that if and when there is a negotiation, they are in the strongest possible position at the negotiating table to bring it to a successful conclusion.
MR PRICE: Thank you, Mr. Secretary. Thanks. Thank you all. Thanks.
What is the difference between the State Department and the Department of Defense?
What is the difference between the Department of State and the Department of Defense? The Department of State handles diplomacy and the Department of Defense oversees the military. This may interest you : The United States-ASEAN relationship – United States Department of State.
What does Department of Defense mean? Federal executive division of the Department of Defense (DOD) responsible for ensuring US national security and overseeing the US military. Includes the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the departments of the Army, Navy, and Air Force , and numerous defense agencies and allied services.
What does the state of department do?
The State Department advises the President and directs the nation on foreign policy matters. The Department of State negotiates treaties and agreements with foreign entities and represents the United States at the United Nations.
Is the DoD part of the State Department?
| Component | |
|---|---|
| Undersecretary of State for Civil Security, Democracy and Human Rights | Office of Global Youth Affairs |
What are the 8 bureaus and offices?
Offices
- Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) This may interest you : Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman Visits Samoa, Tonga, Solomon Islands, Australia and New Zealand – US Department of State.
- Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS)
- US Census Bureau
- Economic Development Administration (EDA)
- Undersecretariat for Economic Affairs (OUS/EA)
- International Trade Administration (ITA)
- Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA)
How many offices are there? In addition to our eleven offices, there are several offices that belong to the Office of the Secretary, the Assistant Secretary for Policy, Management, and Budget, the Office of the Solicitor, and the Office of the Inspector General: Offices of the Department of the Interior.
How many bureaus are there in the USA?
The United States Government Manual lists 96 separate executive units and 220 components of executive departments. An even more inclusive list comes from USA. See the article : Secretary Blinken’s trip to Bali and Bangkok – United States Department of State.gov, which lists 137 independent executive agencies and 268 units in the Cabinet.
How many bureaus and administrations are there in the Department of Commerce?
Through its 13 offices, the Department works to boost America’s economic competitiveness, strengthen America’s industry, and spur the growth of quality jobs in communities across the country.
How big is the State Department?
More than 230 years later, the Department’s workforce includes some 13,000 Foreign Service members, 11,000 Civil Service employees, and 45,000 local employees at more than 270 diplomatic missions around the world. Our role has also changed in response to changing global circumstances.
What does the State Department do for the United States? The State Department advises the President and directs the nation on foreign policy matters. The Department of State negotiates treaties and agreements with foreign entities and represents the United States at the United Nations.
Who runs the State Department and what does it do?
| Agency Overview | |
|---|---|
| Annual budget | $52.505 billion (fiscal year 2020) |
| agency executives | Antony Blinken, Secretary Wendy Sherman, Assistant Secretary Brian P. McKeon, Assistant Secretary for Management and Resources |
| Website | state.gov |
Who runs the State dept?
Antony J. Blinken was sworn in as the 71st U.S. Secretary of State on January 26, 2021. The Secretary of State, appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate, is the chief foreign affairs adviser of the president.
