(13 Nov 2024)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
++SOUNDBITES SEPARATED BY BLACK FRAMES++
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Brussels, Belgium – 13 November 2024
1. SOUNDBITE (English) Antony Blinken, U.S. Secretary of State:
"Well, good morning everyone. First, it’s a pleasure, as always, to be back at NATO. We had very good discussions with Secretary General Mark Rutte. Delighted to see him at the helm of the alliance in this critical moment, as well as with all of our NATO colleagues at the North Atlantic Council. The purpose of this visit is to focus our efforts on ensuring that Ukraine has the money, the munitions and the mobilized forces to fight effectively in 2025 or to be able to negotiate a peace from a position of strength."
++BLACK FRAMES++
2. SOUNDBITE (English) Antony Blinken, U.S. Secretary of State:
"We’ve obligated just recently and pushed out the door another $8 billion in security assistance for Ukraine. That was in September. Another almost half a billion dollars just a few weeks ago. And President Biden is committed to making sure that every dollar we have at our disposal will be pushed out the door between now and January 20th."
++BLACK FRAMES++
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Antony Blinken, U.S. Secretary of State:
On the Middle East and on Gaza, let me be very clear about both the intent and the effect of the letter that Secretary Austin and I sent a month ago to our Israeli counterparts. The intent was to inject a sense of urgency with Israel, to take necessary steps to address the dire humanitarian situation of children, women and men in Gaza. The effect has been that of the 15 steps that we urged action on, Israel has taken action either in implementing or in being in the process of implementing 12 of the 15 steps. There are three big issues that still need to be addressed that come from the letter."
++BLACK FRAMES++
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Antony Blinken, U.S. Secretary of State:
"Short of ending the war, which we believe now is the time to move to that, we have to see these humanitarian steps fully implemented and sustained. And, as I said, particularly, with regard to pauses, having more extensive pauses. One final thing on this, Israel has to meet these responsibilities. And we will be tracking this every single day."
++ENDS ON SOUNDBITE++
STORYLINE:
The United States is committed to making sure that "every dollar we have at our disposal" will be sent to Ukraine by January 20, Secretary of State Antony Blinken told journalists on Wednesday during a visit to the NATO headquarters in Brussels.
Concerns about the U.S.’s ongoing commitment to supporting Ukraine, and to NATO more broadly, have been swirling since Donald Trump won the presidential election last week.
Trump, with varying degrees of consistency, has been critical of NATO and support for Ukraine and Taiwan, two democracies under threat that depend on U.S. military support to counter Russia and China.
He has shown little interest in the longstanding U.S. role as anchor of strategic alliances with European and Indo-Pacific democracies.
Before the election, partners and adversaries already were reevaluating their security arrangements in preparation for Trump’s possible return.
Blinken also insisted that now was the time for Israel to end its war in Gaza and called for more extensive humanitarian pauses in the fighting there.
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