(8 Jan 2025)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS VIA AGENCY POOL (RTV)
Paris, France – 8 January 2025
1. US Secretary of State of State Antony Blinken and French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot arrive at news conference
2. SOUNDBITE (English) Antony Blinken, US Secretary of State of State:
"Greenland first. I think one of the basic propositions we brought to our work over the last four years is that we’re stronger, we’re more effective. We get better results when we’re working closely with our allies. Not saying or doing things that may alienate them. Having said that, it’s the idea expressed about Greenland is obviously not a good one, but maybe more important is obviously one that’s not going to happen. So, we probably shouldn’t waste a lot of time talking about it.”
3. Cutaway of news conference
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Antony Blinken, US Secretary of State of State:
“As we transition, as we work to hand off to the Trump administration, what I’ve been animated by these past couple of months is making sure we give them the strongest possible hand to play in dealing with all these challenges. The world doesn’t stop because we have a transition. There are so many things happening in real time that I want to make sure the administration that’s coming in is fully prepared to engage from day one. And that’s exactly what we’re doing and what we’ve been doing. And it’s why I’m continuing my work for these next however many days it is, right until noon on the 20th of January. And I believe in area after area, we’re handing off, in some cases things we haven’t been able to complete but that create real opportunities to move things forward in a better way. In the Middle East, we are very close to a ceasefire and hostage agreement. We’ve talked about this, too, in recent days. I hope that we can get it over the line in the time that we have left. But if we don’t, then the plan that President Biden put forward for a ceasefire hostage deal will be handed over to the incoming administration. And I believe that when we get that deal and we’ll get it, it’ll be on the basis of the plan that President Biden put before the world back in May.”
5. SOUNDBITE (French) Antony Blinken, US Secretary of State of State:
(Question on Greenland and aid to Ukraine)
“Quite frankly, it’s not worth spending time on these issues because it’s not going to happen. So why waste time talking about it? In regards to aid and American support (to Ukraine) what I can tell you is that for the duration of the Biden administration, we will continue every day to provide support to the Ukrainians, including in the days ahead.”
6. Blinken and Barrot leaving
STORYLINE:
Outgoing U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken downplayed President-elect Donald Trump’s talk of buying Greenland during a news conference in France on Wednesday.
Trump made clear again this week that he’d like the semiautonomous territory of Denmark to come under U.S. control "for national security purposes" and said he would not rule out the use of military force to make that happen.
But Blinken told journalists in Paris on Wednesday that the incoming president’s ambitions are unlikely to amount to anything more than talk.
“The idea expressed about Greenland is obviously not a good one,” the top U.S. diplomat said during a stop in Paris for meetings.
"Maybe more important, it’s obviously one that’s not going to happen. So we probably shouldn’t waste a lot of time talking about it."
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