Nazira.
QUESTION: So one more, quick. Regarding the joint declarations on the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula which the two Koreas – I mean South Korea and North Korea – agreed to, but South Korea is trying to scrap this. Do you think that if North Korea conducts its seventh nuclear test it should be abandoned because North Korea violated joint declaration on the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula?
MR PRICE: We’ll see if we can get you the latest date of consular access there.
QUESTION: But you’ve not had —
MR PRICE: I would say both. This is a process that will play out over the course of weeks and months. This is a process that needs to be – that needs to be over the course of weeks and months because we want to hear those perspectives. We want to understand the proposals. We want to understand the implications. We want to hear the perspectives of other stakeholders. We want to consult with partners around the world as well.
MR PRICE: Our most recent consular access with Brittney Griner was at the beginning of August. We continue to impart on the Russian Government the necessity of consistent and regular consular access to Brittney Griner, but also to all of those Americans who are detained in Russia, whether they are detained wrongfully, as is Paul Whelan and Brittney Griner, or if that designation has not been made.
MR PRICE: I’m not familiar with that line of analysis. It has always been our contention and our firm belief that President Putin is and has been behind this aggression. He has been behind this brutal assault. It has – may well have been the case that this is the – an example of the Achilles’ heel of autocrats, as Secretary Blinken – the point Secretary Blinken has made on a number of occasions, that he has received guidance, received advice that may not have been fully accurate, that may not have been all that wise. But ultimately, President Putin is the one who has called the shots. He is the one who ordered the invasion. He is the one that could put an end to this brutal war tomorrow.
MR PRICE: Andrea.
QUESTION: We haven’t had consular access since the beginning of August. Have – has the United States Government sought consular access since then and been rejected?
MR PRICE: Again, Said, I am not in a position to go beyond what I just told Andrea, what I said yesterday as well. And that’s precisely because this is a process that needs to be deliberate, it needs to be deliberative, it needs to be inclusive, and it needs to be one that we take great care with. And we’re going to. This is a process that will play out over the course of weeks and months. There are a number of proposals, some of which have been floated publicly, some of which have been conveyed privately. We want to make sure that we are familiar with them, that we understand them, we understand the implications of them, and that we have an opportunity to speak with stakeholders on the Hill and elsewhere.
MR PRICE: I can’t speak to what might happen, what could happen after her appeals hearing, and that is principally because at every step of the way these proceedings have been largely shams. They’ve been shambolic. They have been of course not rooted in the rule of law, and that is a broad concern we have with Russia, but it is a particular concern we have when American citizens are wrongfully detained and go through this process that is not reflective of the rule of law.
MR PRICE: What this – and I don’t want to go too far into this, of course, because the National Security Advisor is, I believe, at this moment offering remarks on this National Security Strategy. But what this strategy does, rather than provide an extensive accounting of every single challenge or opportunity America faces, it really touches on our plans in every region of the world and outlines how we will seize what it calls a “decisive decade” to advance our vital interests.
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Thank you. Thanks.
And as we are focused on relocating those U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents who wish to depart Afghanistan, we have not taken our eye off the urgent need to relocate those Afghan allies who also wish to depart. And we have done that. Thousands of Afghan allies have been relocated over the course of the months since the end of our U.S. military engagement in Afghanistan, and there is no end to our commitment to these individuals. This will continue, and it will continue indefinitely.
We will do our part, bilaterally and multilaterally, to hold accountable criminal actors who impede the provision of humanitarian assistance.
QUESTION: NetBlocks, which is a internet observatory, today they reported that there was a major disruption to internet traffic in Iran starting 6:00 a.m. Tehran time. So this outage is very severe and it’s been covered by U.S. media today as well. So I’m going to ask you about the general license because we were talking about it in the last three weeks, and this GL, the updates has been flagged and sold to Iranian people, the Iranian media, as a great support. So I think we can verify that today by the very, very big, severe outage we are witnessing.
MR PRICE: So Andrea, this is something that we have focused on at every step of this. Of course, we do have a special responsibility to those Afghans who have served with and for the United States Government over the course of our 20-year military commitment in Afghanistan. They have been an object of a great effort on the part of the department. That was the case before the evacuation from Kabul International Airport last August. It has been the case ever since.
QUESTION: So if South Korea is trying to scrap this, would United States support this, their actions?
QUESTION: And —
So there have been a number of opportunities for the international community to isolate Russia, to support Ukraine, and we expect this general assembly vote will be another one of them.
QUESTION: Ned —
QUESTION: There is a proposal by Senator Blumenthal and Representative Ro Khanna to hold arms sales and deliveries to the Saudis for like 10 months. Is that something that you would support?
If there is an opportunity for dialogue and diplomacy to bring an end to this war, that ultimately will have to take place between Ukraine and Russia. We are not going to make decisions for, we are not going to negotiate on behalf of Ukraine or any other country.
Earlier today, Secretary Blinken also took steps to impose visa restrictions under Section 212(a)(3)(C) of the Immigration and Nationality Act against Haitian officials and other individuals involved in the operation of street gangs and other Haitian criminal organizations. Such actions may also apply to these individuals’ immediate family members.
MR PRICE: We seek regular and consistent consular access to Brittney Griner and to every other American who is in Russian custody. That includes Paul Whelan; that includes other Americans who are detained in Russia.
Our goal – and this is our goal in every bilateral relationship we have, but our goal is to see to it that our relationship with Saudi Arabia is calibrated and recalibrated in such a way that it is most effectively serving our interests. This is a relationship that, over the course of years, has not always effectively served our interests. We want to make sure that going forward, we have a relationship that is sustainable and a relationship that ultimately redounds to the benefit of Americans and the benefit to our interests in the region.
QUESTION: And what if the balance at the Capitol or in the Congress changed in November?
MR PRICE: We are —
QUESTION: Good afternoon.
QUESTION: But Ned, going – just going back to the general license for a second, insofar – well, and the fact that it doesn’t appear at this have really helped internet access in Iran. Right? Because —
MR PRICE: Please.
MR PRICE: I don’t. This is – I was not aware of that. Obviously, that is something that comes as a tremendous setback. Siamak Namazi had been held unjustly for far too long. This is – he was released on furlough. Our message had been that his furlough should be extended, and ultimately, like his father, he should have been allowed to leave the country. Siamak Namazi and the other Americans who are unjustly detained in Iran, they are detained on a wrongful basis. They should be released. We are working to do everything we can to advance the prospects for their release and for their safe return to their families just as soon as we can.
MR PRICE: To your point, Matt, information and energy are distinct in many ways. I think one of those is the fact that information and access to information is a universal public good. In some ways you can never have too much information. And perhaps this is making the point that you are seeking to make, but the point I’m making is that we are going to continue to do what we can to support the ability of the Iranian people —
This is engagement that took place over the course of many months, and it took place over the course of many months because we wanted to send a clear and consistent message that energy supply needed to meet energy demand, and especially at this moment, this moment where the global economic recovery is ongoing but has the potential to endure setbacks from the headwinds that we’ve discussed and any additional headwinds that would come from an announcement like this one.
If there is a window of opportunity where senior-level engagement could advance the prospects of the release of Paul Whelan and Brittney Griner, we will do exactly what we did last time. Secretary Blinken or another senior-level official won’t hesitate to reach out. In engaging with the Russians, however, we will make very clear that there are bilateral issues that may be appropriate for us to discuss, and of course Russia’s wrongful detention of Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan, that is an issue between the United States Government and Russia. But we’ll also make equally clear that it is not the role of the United States Government to negotiate on behalf of any other country, and that of course includes Ukraine.
QUESTION: Hello.
MR PRICE: No, Matt, it will be a topic of discussion. We have worked very closely with Mexico on the challenges that the people of Haiti are facing at the moment owing to gang activity, owing to crime, owing to violence, owing to the growing cholera epidemic. As you know, we’ve worked with our Mexican partners in the UN context on the existing Security Council resolution to ensure that those criminal and other actors who are in large part responsible for the suffering of the Haitian people are held accountable and face appropriate consequences.
As the situations in Haiti worsens, the time has come for political leaders in Haiti to put aside their differences to find a path toward sustainable peace. Assistant Secretary Nichols will urge Prime Minister Henry, members of the Montana Group, the private sector, and civil society to develop consensus on a path forward that will lead to the re-establishment of democratic institutions, free and fair elections, and economic prosperity for the benefit of all Haitians.
MR PRICE: On the general license, this is a general license that is self-executing, meaning that companies who believe their wares – their hardware, their software – are permitted to – for export to Iran under this general license are able to engage in those transactions.
QUESTION: Could I follow up with you?
My point on OFAC and the point we’ve made on OFAC is that if companies wish to discuss the applicability or potential applicability of the general license to what it is that they seek to export, those are conversations that OFAC will engage in. And OFAC, in turn, has prioritized review of those companies who have – that have gone to them seeking guidance on the applicability of the general license to their product.
QUESTION: On the agreement between Israel and Lebanon, the Israeli Government has agreed on the agreement. Have you received any answer from them? And when should we expect now —
MR PRICE: Well, there is no question that we have spent countless hours focused on the threat that Russia is posing to Ukraine, but more than that, the threat that Russia is posing to the international order. This is not only an unjustified, brutal assault on the people and Government of Ukraine. This is an assault, a strike at the very heart of the UN principles, of the UN Charter, of the UN system, of the international order that has undergirded some eight decades of unprecedented levels of stability, of prosperity, of opportunity for people all over the world – including, by the way, a system that in many ways enabled the rise of a country like Russia.
QUESTION: So do you view the – do you view Russia as a top national security threat that you are facing right now?
QUESTION: On that topic —
MR PRICE: Let me move around a – yes, sir.
2:35 p.m. EDT
QUESTION: Well, I mean, so there’s blackouts all over the place, as she was just saying and I think has been well reported that there are. But surely insofar as it relates to U.S. Government policy, supply should meet the demand, shouldn’t it?
QUESTION: Follow-up on Afghanistan. We spoke earlier about obviously the steps you’re taking about the women and the Taliban. What obligation does the State Department have to some of the SIVs who are still coming back? One family I talked to who got here in July – a year, just about a year later – and can’t get any help. They can’t get – this is someone who worked for the State Department and has not been able to get any assistance to live, to get a job, four children, rent, high rents. What – other than private agencies, which don’t seem to – seem overwhelmed, what obligation does the United States Government have?
We are coordinating with international partners as well as within our own government to increase security assistance that will facilitate the movement of humanitarian relief.
And if you – if I can, another one in the same matter, past week three Latin America countries – Mexico, Argentina, and Brazil – they choose to not join any statement regarding Ukraine. Your comment on that, too.
And if you – if I can, another one in the same matter, past week three Latin America countries – Mexico, Argentina, and Brazil – they choose to not join any statement regarding Ukraine. Your comment on that, too.
QUESTION: I have a question for Whelan.
QUESTION: Well, if there’s more that you can do to increase the supply of internet access in Iran, surely, after your using the “supply must meet demand” argument – I think 10 – at least eight, maybe 10 times at the top when talking about Saudi – there is stuff that you can do, that the U.S. Government can do —
QUESTION: Okay. Thank you.
MR PRICE: We are always reviewing what additional steps might be appropriate for us and possible for us to take to facilitate the ability of the Iranian people to express what is their universal right.
MR PRICE: I do expect migration to be discussed with our Mexican partners tomorrow. As you know, DHS Secretary Mayorkas will take part; his counterpart will take part, in addition to Foreign Secretary Ebrard. So I do expect the challenge of migration in our hemisphere to feature in these discussions, just as they were a feature of our engagement in Lima last week.
MR PRICE: Sure. Let me take those questions in order. As you noted, we did mark International Day of the Girl Child yesterday, and it was an opportunity for us to honor the contributions that girls and women are making to countries around the world. And Afghanistan is an example of a country where women and girls face extraordinary adversity, adversity that they should not have to face, adversity that the Taliban committed publicly and privately on many different occasions that they would not enforce, that they would not apply against the women and girls of Afghanistan. Of course, that has not been the case.
If the DPRK has the erroneous belief that the types of provocations that it has mounted, especially in recent weeks and recent months, give it any additional leverage, the consequences that it will bear from the international community will prove once again that is not the case. The provocations that we’ve seen from the DPRK have only further isolated the DPRK regime. They have only made it the object of condemnation. Certainly have not given it, afforded it any additional leverage. And if the DPRK were to go forward, there would be significant additional costs imposed on it.
Yes.
There are a number of members on the Hill who have very strong opinions in terms of what the U.S.-Saudi relationship should look like. We want to make sure that we are hearing those ideas and those proposals directly from them. We want to ensure that we understand those initiatives, those proposals, as well as their implications. We also want to make sure that we’re consulting closely with other stakeholders as well as other countries, partners in the region and around the world.
QUESTION: Ned, the President said last night that he agreed that the relationship with the Saudis has to be recalibrated – not his word – given what their decision was on OPEC+, especially with the implications for Russia. How do you – take a look at the various proposals that have been floated from the Hill to change the defense posture or freeze it or review it without affecting our situation vis-à-vis Iran?
MR PRICE: Well, you heard from the President about this yesterday. You also heard from the Secretary who spoke to this at the top of his bilateral engagement with our Norwegian partners. But this deal will create a region that is more stable, a region that’s more prosperous, a region that is more integrated. It showcases the – ultimately the indispensability of American leadership and American diplomacy. This was the consequence of more than a decade of concerted effort on the part of successive administrations. And this was something that this administration put a lot of sweat into helping to facilitate not only to advance opportunity and prosperity for Israel and Lebanon, but also to see to it that, once fully implemented, the region is better integrated. That ultimately is in the interests of a more stable region, of a region that is potentially less prone to conflict.
As you know, the Secretary in Lima took part in a ministerial focused on migration, focused on follow-up from the Summit of the Americas where we met with those countries that have signed on, those 20 other countries – 21 total countries that have signed on to the L.A. Declaration. It was an opportunity for them to review the three pillars of the L.A. Declaration, and more importantly, to demonstrate the progress that these signatory countries have been able to achieve in the months since June when the L.A. Declaration was initially signed and came into force.
QUESTION: But the point is that you haven’t done anything at – or OFAC hasn’t done anything since the general license.
MR PRICE: But my point was exactly that. If there are bilateral issues, and of course —
These are issues on which we must work together with allies and partners around the world knowing that there is no challenge the United States can more effectively take on alone than we can when we have allies and partners by our side. And I think over the course of the 20 months or so of this administration, you’ve seen any number of proof points in the way we’ve tackled COVID, in the way we have sought to slow the effects of climate change, in the way we have marshaled a coalition to take on Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, to support Ukraine in the first instance but also to impose massive costs and consequences on the Russian Federation. That is a model that can apply to the strategic challenges we face, but it is also a model we can and will continue to apply to the shared challenges we face.
QUESTION: Yeah, on Ukraine. The UN General Assembly is about to vote a resolution that condemned the Russian referendum on Ukraine, and also the Russian annexation of territories in eastern Ukraine. How the U.S. see the position of the delegations that are going to choose the no, which means to not condemn Russia? And also how do you see the position of the delegations that are not going to vote at all, saying that they want to be neutral?
MR PRICE: Well, the general license was issued just a couple of weeks ago. So I think that is an important detail, but we are always reviewing —
Shannon.
QUESTION: So how is such a relationship that was so strong, such an alliance that was unbreakable, move from being so strong to something like we have today? What can you do, in other words? I mean, should you be using arm deliveries as leverage?
MR PRICE: That’s not our focus right now. I think it is very clear, the Iranians have made very clear that this is not a deal that they have been prepared to make. A deal certainly does not appear imminent. Iran’s demands are unrealistic; they go well beyond the scope of the JCPOA. Nothing we’ve heard in recent weeks suggests they have changed their position. And so right now our focus, just as we were discussing, is on the remarkable bravery and courage that the Iranian people are exhibiting through their peaceful demonstrations, through their exercise of their universal right to freedom of assembly and to freedom of expression. And our focus right now is on shining a spotlight on what they’re doing and supporting them in the ways we can.
MR PRICE: I certainly can’t confirm that report. What I can confirm is that we conveyed a consistent message to the Saudis: energy supply needs to meet energy demand. We have made the point repeatedly that we have a multiplicity of interests with Saudi Arabia; energy is one of them. And in the context of those discussions regarding energy, we have had senior members of the administration travel to Saudi Arabia in recent months. This was not – this engagement did not take place solely in the context of October ’22 – 2022 or September 2022.
QUESTION: When was the last time you had Paul Whelan access?
QUESTION: Ned, can I just follow up on that? Can you understand, though, why it would look curious to some, considering we’re just about a month away from the midterm elections, where there is reporting that U.S. officials called Saudi Arabia to delay this decision by a month, putting it after the midterm election?
QUESTION: Thanks, Ned. Just two brief – very brief logistical ones. The press conference tomorrow is just going to be Foreign Secretary Ebrard and the Secretary or is Attorney General Garland and their counterparts —
QUESTION: Okay. And then just on the broader migration issue, no doubt you have seen reports from yesterday about the administration considering a new plan for Venezuelan migrants and offering them the same parole process that Ukrainians, for example, have. Whether or not you want to discuss that plan, which I understand is not fully baked yet, but is this a topic that will – that you also expect to come up?
So in that sense, our ultimate goal is to see to it that this resolution is passed – whether that happens today or tomorrow. We want it to become an official condemnation on the part of the UN General Assembly for what Moscow is seeking to do by attempting to annex these regions of sovereign Ukrainian territory.
Now, over the long term, that won’t be the case. Over the longer term, this decision will not work to the interests of Saudi Arabia. It will not work to the interests of Russia. It will not be in the interests of any other member of the OPEC cartel. And that’s principally because this decision is just another reminder of what we have known for some time now, that we need to – we must – lessen our dependence on foreign supplies of oil. We must become more dependent on what we’re able to produce from ourselves, what we are able to do with our allies and partners, and ultimately to accelerate the transition to renewables. This is a decision that will only accelerate all of those processes, and that ultimately won’t work to the benefit of President Putin.
Final question, yes.
QUESTION: And are you still interested in pursuing the nuclear talks?
QUESTION: Thank you. I have a couple of questions involving Russia. Let me start with the new National Security Strategy. How do you want us to read this strategy when it comes to the Russia threat? Is Russia posing the – as the most dangerous, let’s say, threat against the U.S. and its allies right now than – in comparison with the guidance that we saw earlier this year?
Now, of course, this deal does establish a permanent maritime boundary, but it doesn’t constitute normalization between Israel and Lebanon. It doesn’t settle all of the land disputes between Israel and Lebanon. So we will continue to be a constructive force between and with these two countries and a constructive force in the region more broadly.
MR PRICE: Explain your – explain that.
The United States Government recognizes the role armed gangs and criminal actors play in disrupting the free flow of fuel, humanitarian supplies, and life‑saving services for the Haitian people.
QUESTION: Do you – do you – do you —
With that, happy to turn to your questions.
QUESTION: I didn’t know if you were ruling that out. But let me also ask you about what Ambassador Richardson said on Sunday, because he said he is cautiously optimistic after his trip to Moscow and meeting with officials – who he would not name – that they would be released by the end of the year, without explaining. So let me just ask you whether you have any expectation in connection to the October 25th appeals schedule, that that court date will be – will change anything. And the concern that apparently her family has, that after that court date, if she’s not released, she will be sent to a labor camp and not kept in the facility where she has been kept during the trial.
This is an issue that we are discussing with countries around the world. The legitimacy and support that the Taliban seek from the international community depend on their conduct, including, centrally, their respect for universal rights, fundamental freedoms, and that includes the universal rights that are accorded to women, to girls, to religious minorities, to ethnic minorities, and to all the people of Afghanistan.
Right now, however, our staff are – is on the ground in Haiti working alongside Haitian health workers and NGOs to respond to the cholera outbreak and deliver care to those who need it. We will accelerate delivery of additional humanitarian relief to the people of Haiti.
As a friend of Haiti, the United States Government is accelerating our diplomatic, humanitarian, and security response.
MR PRICE: Sure.
In the back. Yeah. Go ahead, Jenny.
There are tools, including some that may be – that may be subject to this general license that will help the Iranian people access the outside world, that will help the Iranian people express their voice freely, and to communicate not only with one another but also with the outside world. And that is something that was the core animating principle behind the decision to issue this general license, as it was behind the decision to issue GLD-1 in 2014.
MR PRICE: Said, it is an unfortunate reality that the recent period has seen a sharp and in many ways alarming increase in Palestinian and Israeli deaths and injuries, including numerous children. It is vital that the sides take urgent action to prevent even greater loss of life. In all of our engagements with our Israeli partners, with our Palestinian partners, we are making the point that now is the time for de-escalation, that further escalation is not in the interests of anyone. It is certainly not in the interests of creating a more stable and calm environment. That’s our goal.
MR PRICE: We’ll see what more we can provide. But we do have a host of partners, refugee resettlement partners across the country, with whom we work every single day on this, But we’ll get you some more specifics.
MR PRICE: All – what I can tell you when it comes to the potential release of Paul Whelan and Brittney Griner is that we are working on it every single day. We have no higher priority than the safety of Americans around the world. That certainly includes Americans who are wrongfully detained. We are doing everything we can to see their release as soon as we can.
(The briefing was concluded at 3:48 p.m.)
QUESTION: Follow-up on Griner?
Said.
MR PRICE: This is – this is something that we’re always working on. It is a priority of ours. It has been a priority of ours even before we started indirect negotiations regarding a potential mutual return to compliance with the JCPOA in Vienna early last year. I’m just not in a position to detail the cadence of those efforts, but I can tell you that they remain an absolute priority of ours.
MR PRICE: Oh, sure. Go ahead, go ahead.
It is also, I think, important to demonstrate that the world stands against what Russia is seeking to do. So in that sense, the yes votes will show that. But so, too, will the no votes, and specifically, so too will what I think we can expect to be a scant number of no votes. Moscow will almost certainly be isolated. Those countries that vote against this resolution will constitute a rogue’s gallery of, one might imagine, the countries that consistently seek to subvert the principles of the UN Charter.
Nick.
MR PRICE: I’m sorry?
So there is no question that we view Russia’s aggression with the priority that it deserves. I think you can see that in what we do day in, day out here. And again, the backbone of our strategy – there are many different facets of it that we can speak to in any tactical detail – but the backbone of our strategy is the same strategy you see us applying across the board, whether it is to shared challenges or strategic competitors. It is built on the efforts that we’ve undertaken to repair, to refurbish, to revitalize our systems of partnerships and alliances, and it’s ultimately marshaling those with American engagement, with American diplomacy, with American leadership to make sure that our efforts are calibrated, they’re effectively trained, and ultimately that they’re effective in taking on the challenges that we face.
QUESTION: Ned —
QUESTION: Ned —
MR PRICE: We – and we seek regular and consistent access, yes.
QUESTION: And what is your comment about the opposition government is attacking on opposition, peaceful demonstration, and freedom of speech and freedom of association?
Regardless of what happens in the general assembly, I think the final point is that Moscow is isolated in the UN system. You saw that in the profound failure on the part of its procedural efforts earlier this week to shield the identity of those countries who will vote in this. You see this in the defeat they received in the Human Rights Council a number of days ago. You see it in the fact that Moscow no longer has a seat on the Human Rights Council.
QUESTION: And then just a quick follow-up. Why wait to take action? We keep hearing about actions, consequences, but they won’t happen until senators come back to the Hill, which is not going to be for a while; this is going to put us deeper into a further energy crisis. People are wondering about how to heat their homes; it’s getting colder out. Why wait?
QUESTION: (Off-mike.)
MR PRICE: Let me move around just to people who haven’t asked a question.
QUESTION: Thank you. On the Israel-Lebanon deal, do you feel that this deal mitigates the likelihood of violence erupting between Israel and Hizballah?
QUESTION: I had a question for Whelan and —
QUESTION: Yes, and one more question on a Putin factor. We hear recently some Western officials are subscribing to a new narrative, saying that Putin is under pressure of, quote/unquote, “hardliners,” which is, like, a clear departure of, let’s say, the viewpoint that you have been putting here, saying that Putin started this war and he’s the only man that could stop this war. What is your reaction to that narrative, and also the fact that your Western allies, including some hawks in this administration, are increasingly subscribing to that in light of recent attacks in Ukraine?
And number three, so many Afghan refugee in the Abu Dhabi’s camps, they demonstrated and they complained because their situation is very badly left behind in Abu Dhabi. Three questions. Any comment to expedite their case to come to the United States, all those refugee?
The second question, Secretary Blinken today announced that for Taliban and their family they bring some change for their visa and their families’ visas issue.
QUESTION: Ned, the Saudi foreign minister has said today that the OPEC+ decision was based on the oil market needs, not on politics, and Saudi Arabia didn’t stand with Russia against the U.S. Do you have any reaction?
MR PRICE: In comparison with?
QUESTION: Sorry to backslide a little bit to Russia, but we saw yesterday the President said – he suggested that he might be willing to meet with Putin at the G20 if he wanted to discuss the case of Brittney Griner. Today it seems like the White House clarified and said he wouldn’t be open to talking about Griner to Putin. I just was wondering if you could say specifically if this administration saw room for top-level dialogue about the case of wrongfully detained Americans in Russia. And also, there’s a recent report that Brittney Griner’s lawyers say she doesn’t appear to be holding up well anymore. Her condition is deteriorating. I’m just wondering if you’ve had recent consular access to Griner and if the U.S. shares that same assessment on her condition.
Yes.
We’ve called on the Taliban to overcome whatever impediments exist to allow girls to obtain access to education at all levels, to cease any additional restrictions that impede their ability to move and to study freely, and to honor the commitments that the Taliban has repeatedly made to the people of Afghanistan. We’ve repeatedly stated that the legitimacy and support the Taliban seeks from the international community begins with the legitimacy they earn from their own people and from the actions that they direct towards their own people. And in unison with our partners around the world, we’ll continue to watch the Taliban’s actions very closely. We’ll continue not only to support the people of Afghanistan with humanitarian support – hundreds of millions of dollars of humanitarian support that has flowed from the United States to the people of Afghanistan since late last year – but also to impose costs and consequences on those Taliban officials who are responsible for what are grievous affronts to the human rights of the Afghan people. We took a step in that direction yesterday with the imposition of visa restrictions on two members, on two senior leaders, and we’ll continue to impose costs and consequences as appropriate.
MR PRICE: Okay, very quickly.
Secretary Blinken will co-lead the dialogue, and U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, USAID Administrator Samantha Power, and other senior U.S. Government officials will join the Secretary in welcoming their Mexican counterparts to discuss the implementation of the U.S.‑Mexico Bicentennial Framework for Security, Public Health, and Safe Communities as adopted during the 2021 High‑Level Security Dialogue hosted in Mexico City.
QUESTION: Ned.
It does lay out a couple strategic challenges. It makes the point that strategic competition between major powers to shape the future of the international order is a decisive force. It makes the point that while we recognize this competition between major powers, people all over the world are struggling to cope with the effects of the shared challenges that know no borders, that cross borders, that are by their very definition transnational – whether that’s climate change, whether that’s food security, whether it is communicable disease, terrorism, energy shortages, or inflation. And the strategy makes clear that shared challenges like these oftentimes – while they have oftentimes been relegated to the sidelines, these are not marginal issues that are secondary to geopolitics.
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