USA: Blinken talks Russia, China, Iran at end of year conference in DC

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US Secretary of State Antony Blinken delivered his final presser of 2021 on Tuesday in Washington DC, briefing reporters on this year’s achievements and efforts of the Biden administration to reassert American leadership into the world.
“American engagement, American leadership matters, the world doesn’t organize itself. When we’re not engaged, when we don’t lead, then one of two things happen either some other country tries to take our place, but probably not in a way that advances our interests and values.”
Blinken spoke of the efforts carried out this year to strengthen partnerships worldwide, including the one with NATO, amid rising tensions overseas with Russia, China and Iran, “We’re much more aligned with our allies and partners now than we were a year ago on nearly every issue, including Russia’s aggression toward Ukraine and its neighbours, Iran’s nuclear program and China’s efforts to challenge the rules-based international order.”
Referring to Russia’s threat of invading Ukraine, the Secretary of State mentioned that there were no plans yet for President Biden to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin until now, and added, “I think we have to see if in the first instance there’s any progress diplomatically. We also want to see Russia de-escalate to move forces back from the border with Ukraine to take down the tension.”
Blinken highlighted efforts done by the Biden administration to revive a nuclear deal with Iran and criticised former US President Trumps’ decision to leave the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in 2018, calling it, “One of the worst decisions made in American foreign policy in the last decade.”

SOT, Antony Blinken, US Secretary of State: “American engagement, American leadership matters, the world doesn’t organize itself. When we’re not engaged, when we don’t lead, then one or two things happens either some other country tries to take our place, but probably not in a way that advances our interests and values. Or no one does. And then you get chaos. Either way, it doesn’t serve the American people.”

SOT, Antony Blinken, US Secretary of State: “We’re much more aligned with our allies and partners now than we were a year ago on nearly every issue, including Russia’s aggression toward Ukraine and its neighbors, Iran’s nuclear program and China’s efforts to challenge the rules based international order.”

SOT, Antony Blinken, US Secretary of State: “Whether that leads to at some point, another meeting between the president and President Putin, I leave that for another day. There are no plans to do that now. I think we have to see if in the first instance there’s any progress diplomatically. We also want to see Russia de-escalate to move forces back from the border with with Ukraine to take down the tension. It’s much more appropriate to have a conversation in those circumstances than it is when the escalation is happening, not de-escalation.”

SOT, Antony Blinken, US Secretary of State: “We continue to have a strong interest in seeing if we can put the nuclear program back into the box that it was in. But if we can’t do that because Iran will not engage in good faith, then we are actively looking at alternatives and options. And what will not endure is Iran playing for time at the negotiating table by not engaging in good faith and with speed, while at the same time continuing to build up its program. That is not a sustainable proposition, and it simply won’t be.”

SOT, Antony Blinken, US Secretary of State: “Now we are where we are because of what I consider to be one of the worst decisions made in American foreign policy in the last decade and that was getting out of the Iran nuclear agreement, the JCPOA, an agreement that had put Iran’s nuclear program in a box. And in getting out of that agreement, we were promised that it would be replaced by a stronger one. And at the same time, maximum pressure being exerted against Iran would curb its malicious activities throughout the region. And instead, of course, we’ve seen just the opposite. There hasn’t been a new and improved agreement. To the contrary. Iran has broken loose from the constraints imposed on it by the JCPOA. At the same time, it continues to act aggressively in country after country and the region.”

#Blinken #US #Russia #China #Iran

Video ID: 20211221-068

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