REPLAY - Blinken holds press conference as NATO allies support grows for Ukraine strikes in Russia
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00:00 Secretary of State Antony Blinken is speaking. That's as NATO foreign ministers meet in the Czech capital.
00:05 Meeting of NATO's foreign ministers in advance of the NATO summit.
00:08 But more important to thank them for
00:11 the remarkable ally and partner the Czech is
00:15 demonstrating over these 25 years of its membership in the Alliance how much it contributes
00:21 to our common defense, to our common purpose, and to sustaining our common values.
00:28 I also want to thank Secretary General Stoltenberg.
00:31 Said this many times before, it bears repeating. His vision, his tenacity, his leadership of this Alliance
00:40 during a highly consequential decade has been nothing short of remarkable.
00:45 And he's got more leadership to do as we get to the summit in Washington.
00:50 It's not an overstatement to say that this is a critical moment for transatlantic security.
00:57 We've seen in recent weeks
00:59 Putin ramping up an offensive
01:02 against Ukraine in Kharkiv in the northeast.
01:04 Ukrainians continuing to show extraordinary courage in resisting the Russian aggression.
01:09 The Kremlin's also been intensifying its hybrid attacks
01:13 against frontline states,
01:16 NATO members,
01:18 setting fire and sabotaging supply warehouses,
01:21 disregarding sea borders and demarcations in the Baltics,
01:26 mounting more and more cyber attacks,
01:28 continuing to spread disinformation.
01:31 I can tell you that in the meeting of foreign ministers today
01:34 virtually every ally was seized with this intensification of Russia's hybrid attacks.
01:41 We know what they're up to and
01:45 we will respond both individually and collectively as necessary.
01:49 More broadly, the stakes couldn't be higher in this moment.
01:55 We know that if Russia's aggression is allowed to proceed in Ukraine with impunity, it will not stop with Ukraine.
02:01 And other would-be aggressors in other parts of the world
02:04 will take note and
02:06 consider pursuing their own aggressions.
02:08 By continuing to strengthen Ukraine, by continuing to show our determination to make sure that it can effectively defend itself,
02:16 we're also strengthening the security of the United States, of Europe, of
02:20 free countries all around the world.
02:24 I was in Kiev a couple of weeks ago and one of my messages then was that Ukraine is not alone.
02:31 As the Ukrainian people continue to fight for their freedom, for their independence,
02:37 for their prosperity, for their democratic future, a future where they decide
02:41 for themselves the trajectory of their country,
02:45 they're not alone. The United States is with them.
02:49 Ally after ally in NATO and many countries beyond are with them as well. And I heard that
02:56 reinforced loudly and clearly today among the NATO allies.
02:59 Since Congress passed the President's supplemental budget request of 60 billion dollars last month with overwhelming bipartisan support in our country,
03:07 we've sent assistance surging to the front.
03:10 Tens of thousands of artillery rounds, thousands of anti-tank mines, air defense capabilities
03:16 already making a difference.
03:20 Partners are speeding up their own deliveries to Ukraine, doing more than their share.
03:25 We saw yesterday and some of you were with us,
03:28 how Czechia is sourcing artillery shells around the world and
03:33 transferring tanks as well to Ukraine. The Netherlands and Germany are contributing additional Patriot air defense systems.
03:40 Sweden is sending 1.3 billion dollars for radar surveillance aircraft, artillery shells, armored vehicles and the list continues.
03:48 Thanks to the extraordinary bravery of Ukrainians and
03:51 thanks to this enduring strong support from partners,
03:56 the front in the east and northeast is stabilizing. And of course Ukraine has made significant gains in the Black Sea,
04:03 pushing back the Russian fleet, allowing Ukraine to continue to grow its economy by exporting. In fact,
04:10 exporting through the Black Sea as much even more than it was before the Russian aggression in February of '22.
04:18 So at this pivotal time,
04:20 the work of the alliance and the NATO summit itself that we'll host in Washington
04:26 is I think more important than ever.
04:30 We look forward to welcoming our NATO allies to Washington and
04:33 of course it's the 75th anniversary of the most successful alliance in history. So we will celebrate that fact.
04:41 But even more important, we will be focusing on the steps
04:47 we're taking to ensure that the alliance is fit for purpose for the next 75 years to meet the challenges of today and
04:54 challenges we anticipate tomorrow.
04:57 Today we spent
05:01 very productive time working to finalize some of the commitments and some of the outcomes for the summit.
05:07 And I can say that as we stand here and as we'll see in Washington, this alliance
05:15 is bigger than it's ever been with the addition of two new members. It's stronger. It's more resilient and more united.
05:23 At the summit we'll be taking concrete steps to bring Ukraine closer to NATO and
05:29 ensure that there's a bridge to membership, a bridge that's strong and well-lit.
05:34 NATO will help build Ukraine's future force, one that can effectively deter aggression and
05:41 defend against it as necessary.
05:44 We'll advance Ukraine's integration with NATO.
05:47 32 countries are also negotiating individual bilateral security agreements with Ukraine. 13 have already been concluded.
05:56 I expect many more will be concluded by the time of the summit. We'll bring them all together to show how powerful that commitment is.
06:03 At the same time we're seeing allies stand up to increase burden sharing.
06:09 Two-thirds of allies are now on track to meet the 2% commitment.
06:14 And we'll welcome more.
06:16 Back in 2020,
06:19 11 NATO allies were 2% of GDP contributed to defense.
06:23 By the time of the summit we expect that number will be over 20.
06:28 We're also working in the alliance to strengthen the alliance's collective deterrence and defense.
06:35 We're ramping up production. We're strengthening our defense industrial bases.
06:41 We'll have new regional plans that will spell out how and what allies need to do and will do to protect every inch of NATO territory.
06:48 And we're deepening cooperation between NATO and critical partners, the European Union, partners in the Indo-Pacific.
06:56 And here,
06:59 just as allies today were seized with
07:01 the hybrid threat that has grown from Russia,
07:07 they were also seized with China's support for Russia's defense industrial base.
07:12 And as I've had occasion to discuss before, including in China, what we've seen from China is not the provision of weapons
07:20 to Russia, but
07:22 the provision of critical inputs that have allowed Russia to
07:26 accelerate its own production of tanks, of missiles, of shells.
07:32 70% of the machine tools that Russia is currently importing are coming from China.
07:36 90% of the microelectronics that China is importing are coming from China. And I heard ally after ally today
07:44 raise their deep concern about this and
07:47 it only made even more clear to me what I shared with
07:52 Chinese counterparts in Beijing.
07:55 China cannot expect on the one hand to improve relations with the countries of Europe, while on the other hand,
08:01 fueling the biggest threat to European security since the end of the Cold War.
08:05 None of us are under any illusions about the challenges we face today and will continue to face in the days and months ahead.
08:16 But 25 years ago,
08:19 as Czechia joined NATO ahead of the Alliance's 50th anniversary, a daughter of Prague,
08:25 my friend, mentor, predecessor, Madeleine Albright,
08:30 reminded us that, and I quote, "When we stand together,
08:33 no force on earth is more powerful than our solidarity on behalf of freedom."
08:40 That conviction was reinforced for me today by what I heard from all of our allies
08:45 and I can tell you it will be further reinforced when we come together in Washington.
08:49 It's been true for the last 75 years. I want to track to make sure that it's true for the next 75.
08:58 For the first question, we'll go to Humera Pamuk with Reuters.
09:01 Hello, good afternoon, Mr. Secretary. I have two questions, one on Ukraine, one on Gaza.
09:10 So the Biden administration has allowed Ukraine to strike targets inside Russia to defend Kharkiv.
09:16 Do you leave the door open for this decision to be expanded to other cities and targets that are deeper inside Russia?
09:23 And since it took the Biden administration a while to make this decision,
09:27 I'm wondering, do you think you were too cautious?
09:29 Or has your intelligence assessment on the possibility of Putin using tactical nuclear weapons has shifted?
09:36 And on Gaza, the UN said humanitarian aid going into Gaza has dropped by two thirds since Israel began its Rafah offensive.
09:43 Your colleague, USAID Administrator Samantha Power, who's an expert on genocide,
09:49 yesterday said the humanitarian conditions in Gaza were now worse than ever.
09:54 On April the 4th, President Biden conditioned U.S. military aid to Israel on improvement of the aid situation, among other things.
10:01 So I'm wondering, why isn't the current dire picture in Gaza triggering a bigger policy shift? Thank you.
10:06 Great. Thanks, Humera.
10:07 So with regard to the use of U.S. arms by Ukraine and Russia, I said this the other day.
10:17 The hallmark of our engagement, our support for Ukraine over these more than two years, has been to adapt and adjust
10:25 as necessary to meet what's actually going on on the battlefield, to make sure that Ukraine has what it needs,
10:33 when it needs it, to do that deliberately and effectively.
10:38 And that's exactly what we're doing in response to what we've now seen in and around the Kharkiv region.
10:46 Over the past few weeks, Ukraine came to us and asked for the authorization to use weapons that we're providing
10:52 to defend against this aggression, including against Russian forces that are massing on the Russian side of the border,
10:58 and then attacking into Ukraine.
11:01 And that went right to the President.
11:04 And as you've heard, he's approved the use of our weapons for that purpose.
11:11 Going forward, we'll continue to do what we've been doing, which is, as necessary, adapt and adjust.
11:18 And that, as I said, has been a hallmark of our engagement.
11:22 It will continue to be.
11:24 I've also said many, many times, we want to make sure that we're proceeding deliberately as well as effectively.
11:34 So I think time and again, we've adapted, we've adjusted, we've provided Ukraine with the
11:41 systems, the weapons that it's needed.
11:43 But again, as I've shared with you many times before, for example, when it comes to weapons systems,
11:47 we also want to make sure that they have the necessary training to use the weapons and they have the necessary capacity to maintain them.
11:53 So you have to look at this in a comprehensive way.
11:56 And I think if you look back, as well as look at what we're doing now,
12:00 it reflects a very deliberate determination to make sure that we're getting Ukraine what they need when they need it.
12:08 With regard to Gaza and the humanitarian situation,
12:10 the humanitarian situation remains dire for people in Gaza.
12:16 We've seen changes, some positive changes, but the net effect is not there.
12:24 The positive changes are that, of course, crossings in the north have been opened in recent weeks, including Zakim.
12:31 We have a route from Jordan that is getting trucks in.
12:36 If you look at the number of trucks that are actually getting to Gaza and going in, it's up significantly.
12:42 But distribution within Gaza is not working effectively.
12:47 And part of the reason for that are the combat operations in the south.
12:52 In addition, Rafah gate continues to be closed.
12:55 President Biden secured an agreement with Egypt and with Israel to make sure that goods could go through Karem Shalom,
13:02 including goods coming from Egypt.
13:04 But Rafah remains closed, and that's a real problem.
13:07 So the focus that we have, continue to have, and are working on intensely every day,
13:14 is, again, making sure that we're not just measuring inputs, we're measuring impact.
13:20 And yes, the impact remains insufficient in terms of addressing the acute needs of children, women and men in Gaza.
13:31 But it's a moving story every day as we're working intensely to make sure that the different access points are working
13:40 and then distribution within Gaza is working more effectively.
13:43 And that's what we're focused on.
13:45 Why wouldn't you use that leverage?
13:50 United States provides almost 70 percent of Israel's weapons.
13:53 That gives it a big leverage.
13:54 And President Biden specifically conditioned it on this and other things.
13:58 Why don't you use that policy?
13:59 The issue is the conditions are such that the effective distribution of aid is being impeded.
14:09 And that's what we're working on, trying to make sure that the conditions are there and there are ways of doing this much more effectively.
14:17 We're trying to get the results.
14:19 That's what I'm focused on.
14:20 For the next question, Henry Foy with the Financial Times.
14:23 Thank you very much, Mr. Secretary.
14:29 We know that Ukraine hopes and in some regards expects an invitation to join NATO at the summit.
14:36 We also know that your administration and other countries are opposed to that this summer.
14:42 As such, what tangible, real things can you offer, both you as the US and NATO, Ukraine to ease that disappointment and avoid the sense of them feeling let down again?
14:55 And the response that we saw from Kiev in Vilnius to that.
14:58 Thank you.
14:59 Thank you.
15:00 Well, as the allies agreed and made clear at Vilnius, the last summit, Ukraine will become a member of NATO.
15:08 And our purpose now is to put in place the bridge to bring Ukraine closer to and then ultimately into NATO.
15:20 And as I've said, it's a bridge that I think you'll see emerge at the summit.
15:25 It's both very strong, very well lit.
15:28 There will be a robust package of support for Ukraine at the summit, a package that strengthens NATO's cooperation and support for Ukraine, that advances Ukraine's integration into NATO.
15:43 Tangible steps that will increase NATO's role in helping Ukraine build a future force, one that can deter and defend against aggression.
15:54 At the same time, you're going to see, I think, the completion of these bilateral security agreements, 32 countries that are engaged in doing that.
16:04 I expect all of that to come together at the summit as well.
16:06 And that will help ensure that Ukraine is properly resourced to continue to defend itself.
16:12 But this is a this is a process and we're proceeding very methodically and proceeding in a way that is delivering practical benefits to Ukraine, including advancing its membership to NATO in very clear and practical ways.
16:29 John Hudson with The Washington Post.
16:32 Thanks, Mr. Secretary.
16:36 You don't do domestic politics, but you do.
16:39 Good, thank you.
16:41 But you do represent the United States on the world stage.
16:44 What are you hearing from foreign counterparts about the guilty verdict in the Trump trial?
16:49 I really have nothing to share on that.
16:51 We have diplomatic conversations that will remain just that, diplomatic conversations in private.
16:57 And former President Trump's trial was defined by his efforts to castigate and delegitimize a court of law.
17:05 Does that give you any pause about how the Biden administration has responded to another court of law, the International Criminal Court, as well as the International Court of Justice with regards to Gaza?
17:14 I'm not going to comment on the first part of your question, because as I've long said, I don't do politics.
17:21 I do policy.
17:21 With regard to policy and the and the ICC, look, we've been very clear about this.
17:28 The decision that the prosecutor made was, in our judgment, profoundly wrongheaded.
17:35 And in creating an equation between Hamas and and Israel, Hamas's leaders and Israel's democratically elected leaders, as we said, and as I said, it's quite frankly shameful.
17:49 The.
17:52 Reality is that the court was created for a very good reason to be a court of last resort, one that would swing into action.
18:05 Where a country either couldn't or wouldn't effectively police itself.
18:10 And so the principle of what's called complementarity is at the heart of the court's creation and what it does.
18:18 And in Israel, you have a vibrant, independent and very active judicial system.
18:28 And in the case of Gaza as well, there are many incidents that are under investigation, including some under criminal investigation.
18:39 There's a case right now before the Israeli Supreme Court about alleged denial of humanitarian assistance for for Gazans.
18:48 And so. Israel and its system, its democratic system, independent courts and judges, as well as a military justice system that can effectively investigate any allegations of abuse that should be allowed to run its course.
19:10 And given that, never mind the fact that we don't accept the jurisdiction of the court over Israel, but leaving that aside.
19:19 Israeli justice should be allowed to run its course.
19:24 Finally, I think it's very.
19:28 Deeply unfortunate that Israel was prepared to cooperate with the investigation, even while rejecting the jurisdiction of the court.
19:40 And yet. The prosecutor chose not to pursue that cooperation.
19:45 And precisely the Kremlin has put out a statement saying that the trial shows the White House is eliminating Biden's political rivals.
19:53 They're trying to use this as a way to besmirch the American legal system.
19:58 How do you respond to that?
20:00 I would say that's a classic case of projection.
20:02 And for the last question, Alexander von Namen with Deutsche Welle.
20:08 Thank you very much, Secretary.
20:14 You've mentioned China and how they are propping up the Russian war economy.
20:19 And Jens Stoltenberg said today as well that without the deliveries from China, Russia would not have been able to conduct a war against Ukraine the way they do.
20:29 So is there anything you can do about it?
20:31 And if yes, what are you planning to do about that?
20:34 Thank you.
20:34 Yes. Again, this is something that ally after ally was seized with today.
20:39 I heard it from virtually everyone in the room.
20:41 We've already taken action against Chinese entities that have been involved in sanctions evasion, involved in supporting Russia's defense industrial base, including sanctioning more than I think now more than 100 Chinese entities of one kind or another.
20:58 And as I've made clear, as necessary, we will continue to do that.
21:03 From what I heard today, Europeans are also very seized with this.
21:07 And I would expect to see actions taken by by Europeans, by Europe.
21:15 And again, I come back to this proposition that's so clear.
21:19 Russia getting the support from China is, as Secretary General said, a huge difference maker right now on the battlefield.
21:32 And for China to purport to have better relations with countries in Europe while fueling this, what I believe is the biggest threat and what Europeans believe is the biggest threat to their security since the end of the Cold War does not add up.
21:47 And I think that will continue to have consequences going forward.
21:52 Thank you. Thank you all.
21:58 All right, that was U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaking in Prague as NATO foreign ministers meet in the Czech capital.
22:04 It comes a day after the U.S. gave Kiev the green light to use American munitions to strike inside Russia for the purpose of defending the northeastern city of Kharkiv.
22:13 Now, Blinken said that Russia is intensifying hybrid attacks against frontline states.
22:18 In that context, Blinken said that this summer's NATO summit in Washington, as the alliance marks its 75th anniversary, is more important than ever.
22:26 He also said that they would take concrete steps at that summit to bring Ukraine closer to NATO and to ensure that Ukraine has a bridge to NATO membership.
22:36 Well, for some analysis on what we've been hearing, we can bring in political analyst Alexandra Filipenko, who joins us from the Lithuanian capital.
22:44 Thank you so much for taking the time to listen to Antony Blinken along with us and to speak with us today.
22:48 First, your reaction to what we've just heard from the secretary of state.
22:52 Thank you, Alison. Thank you for having me.
22:55 I think the most important thing that we've heard is that what Secretary Blinken said about adapting and adjusting to what is happening on the battlefield.
23:03 We've heard this sentiment from the White House before, but Antony Blinken again said that the White House and, of course, the State Department can change its position on Ukraine and can change its position on using American weapons in Ukraine.
23:19 And I think it's not by accident that Antony Blinken talked quite a lot about China and because today we learned that China will not take part in the Pest Summit on Ukraine and Switzerland.
23:31 And China's foreign ministry talked about it and he confirmed that the country will not take part in the Pest Summit.
23:38 And Antony Blinken talked a lot about China and China's role in helping out Russia and being Russia's ally in this war in Ukraine.
23:47 And it looks like Antony Blinken tried not to answer one question if the understanding of Russian military doctrine, Russian actually nuclear doctrine, has shifted in the White House.
24:03 But it looks like it did.
24:05 I think that we are just seeing the fact that it actually did without Antony Blinken actually answering this question and saying this, because we've seen that there has been a successful Ukrainian drone
24:17 attack on a Russian radar station.
24:19 It's a part of the Russian missile warning system.
24:22 And according to Russian nuclear doctrine, if there is an attack on the Russian missile warning system, Russia can launch targeted nuclear attack.
24:34 But Russia pretended as it didn't notice it.
24:38 And no Russian official press, Russian official state agencies, they didn't even comment on that.
24:44 So it looks like before, only Ukrainians were not worried about a Russian nuclear strike because they didn't believe it would happen.
24:53 And now the White House also doesn't believe that it would happen.
24:57 And Blinken also kind of wouldn't say at this point whether or not Washington would expand Ukraine's ability to attack within Russian territory.
25:07 As of now, you know, they're only supposed to use U.S.
25:09 weapons defending Kharkiv.
25:11 But that could potentially change in the future.
25:14 He's he suggested.
25:15 What do you make of Washington's change in policy in allowing American weapons to be used in Ukraine?
25:22 You know, before they were concerned that that could lead to an escalation.
25:26 Is that still a concern?
25:27 Of course, of course, the White House is concerned of the it's concerned with the escalation.
25:33 But it looks like this limited purpose as of now, they're saying they are allowing it to be used for a limited purpose of defending Kharkiv.
25:41 But again, adjusting and adapting to what's happening on the front lines.
25:46 It doesn't look like the White House is going to stop right now and right here.
25:51 So it looks like Antony Blinken is just voicing what is now being discussed in the White House.
25:58 And although there are concerns, the White House is ready to answer to those attacks by Russia and is ready to defend Ukraine even more than before.
26:10 There was also a lot of talk of this summer's NATO summit.
26:14 Now, Vladimir Zelensky has said that that summit needs to address Ukraine's invitation to become a member.
26:19 Blinken said that they would take concrete steps to bring Ukraine closer to NATO.
26:24 Does it sound like they're actually considering taking the step of membership?
26:27 Or did you hear something a bit noncommittal in what Antony Blinken said?
26:31 It mostly looks like, again, those talks about being a possibility, this being a possibility.
26:39 But it doesn't look like there is an actual possibility, at least in the foreseeable future,
26:44 because the office of the president, Zelensky, repeatedly has said that they do not want to enter NATO,
26:52 do not want to enter the alliance as a limited territory, because part of Ukraine is occupied, is still occupied by Russia,
27:00 and they want to enter Ukraine as a freed country.
27:05 But this is not something that NATO can allow right now, because, of course, this will really mean actual war between Russia and NATO.
27:15 This is how Russia tried to present this war.
27:18 Russia has been saying that this full scale invasion of Ukraine is actually war with NATO,
27:23 with the collective West, as Russian officials usually like to put it.
27:27 But NATO didn't want to show this war as a war, Russia with NATO, of course,
27:34 because this is a war of Ukraine with Russia, of two independent states.
27:38 So for now, I think there is not much possibility that Ukraine can become part of NATO in the foreseeable future.
27:46 But this is, of course, a very important point that Ukraine is becoming such a close ally of NATO.
27:53 And finally, Alexandra, how are we seeing Russia react to all of the latest developments?
28:00 Well, as we've been seeing Russian reaction through Dmitry Medvedev, for example, who was Russia's president.
28:07 And now we can rather call him a blogger, I would suggest.
28:11 And he's been very strong with his suggestions.
28:15 He suggested that Russia should bomb NATO countries and should retaliate in this manner.
28:21 But those threats of nuclear attack, we must actually look at what is really happening.
28:27 Yes, Russia is first among nuclear weapon states with more than 5000 nuclear warheads.
28:33 But of these, only about 1600 are deployed.
28:38 And this didn't change.
28:39 This didn't change since 2021.
28:42 This didn't change now.
28:44 Nothing is actually changing in the Russian nuclear doctrine.
28:48 Russia is actually not ready to use nuclear weapons.
28:52 But the talks of using nuclear weapons are all over Russian state media.
28:57 And of course, Russian officials are also using it as a talking point because they know that the West and the United States are really afraid of it.
29:05 And they try to keep the United States and the West afraid of it.
29:09 Although now it looks like just like Ukrainians, the West is not worried anymore about a Russian nuclear strike.
29:17 All right, Alexandra, thank you so much again for your analysis today.
29:21 That's political analyst Alexandra Filipenko joining us there from the Lithuanian capital.