QUESTION: Nicaragua. The – I know there’s some – there was a reaction to this last week, but the Nicaraguan Government is saying that it’s not accepting the confirmed U.S. ambassador. It’s also declared persona non grata the European Union representative and the Dutch ambassador. Do you have any comment on this, either where the United States is going with this in terms of whether Ambassador Rodriguez will still try to go or more broadly speaking about where you see the direction of diplomacy with Nicaragua?
QUESTION: Thank you. I’m Mark Stone from Sky News. Just on Russia and Ukraine, there have been some quite confused reporting – there has been some confused reporting about a Russian train, military train that might be connected somehow to its nuclear capabilities moving. I wondered if you could comment on that and simply comment on whether you have seen any change in Russia’s nuclear posture.
MR PATEL: Again, due to privacy considerations, I don’t have further assessments to provide on this.
MR PATEL: No policy implication to what, Matt?
Anything else on the region before we move away?
MR PATEL: Right. I don’t have any specifics to offer yet, Said, but we will have a readout on this meeting later today. Like I said, these are part of efforts to renew and deepen our engagement with Palestinian leadership, and so we’ll have more to offer in the readout of this meeting.
QUESTION: Okay. On the Palestinian issue, first of all, can you update us on the meeting that Hussein al-Sheikh and PA official have had today?
MR PATEL: I will have to get back to you on that. I don’t have anything to offer on that right at this moment.
QUESTION: Okay. Well, since you’re going to quibble over his use of words, I’m going to quibble with yours because you didn’t say we would welcome. You said, “We support a thorough and immediate investigation,” unless the transcript that I’m reading off of that I just pulled up on the website is wrong.
Together with the international community, we call on the DPRK to refrain from further provocations and to engage in sustained and substantive dialogue. We continue to consult closely with our allies, as is evidenced by the number of high-level communications that have happened from across the interagency with their counterparts. And I’d also reiterate that our commitments to Japan and the Republic of Korea are ironclad.
MR PATEL: I –
QUESTION: Sure. I mean, has there been an access in this case? Is that a concern in this case?
MR PATEL: Actually – okay, you had a couple questions. Michel, did you have – you had a question on a similar topic?
MR PATEL: We have taken – I don’t have any specific actions to read out specifically, but I will note that we have taken a number of actions since last week to make clear our vehement condemnation and opposition to the efforts around not just the sham referenda but also the annexation.
QUESTION: Well, I get it, but you —
QUESTION: On the issue of administrative detention, rights groups, Israeli and international rights groups are saying that the Israelis are holding somewhere in the neighborhood of 800 Palestinians under administrative detention. Now these detentions or imprisonments can go on forever sometimes. I mean, some people are still under that kind of detention for decades, I mean for 20 years and so on. What is your position – what is the United States position – on holding someone indefinitely without any charges?
QUESTION: Has there been any progress towards securing the freedom of Brittney Griner or Paul Whelan? And can you characterize any ongoing talks with Russian officials to that aim?
MR PATEL: Thank you.
MR PATEL: Yeah, so I don’t have any additional updates to provide as it relates to the wrongful detention of Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan. We continue to urge their release. Secretary Blinken spoke to you all a number of weeks ago and spoke about a substantial proposal that was on the table earlier this summer to facilitate their release. Our governments are communicating about that, but the Russians should take the deal that’s on the table. But I don’t have any other updates to provide.
QUESTION: There was a payment of billion from South Korea to —
Go ahead.
QUESTION: I wonder if you had anything on sort of just – there’s unconfirmed reports just before we came into this briefing, I guess, that there was an explosion, possibly multiple explosions and a fire at a South Korean air force – the South Korean air force’s 18th fighter wing base. At the moment it’s very unconfirmed, but I’m wondering if you guys have any —
QUESTION: Can we do Russia a little bit more?
Resolving this dispute is a key priority for this administration, and we firmly believe that a deal has the potential to promote lasting stability and economic prosperity for both countries. But I don’t have an update to provide or anything to offer yet in terms of next steps.
MR PATEL: Sure. So Deputy Secretary Sherman and Special Representative Kim had a chance to speak with their counterparts as well. But beyond that, I want to take a little bit of a step back and reiterate what you saw the Secretary and some of the communications coming from the administration have reiterated, which is that we condemn this dangerous and reckless launch of a long-range ballistic missile that flew over Japan, and it posed an unacceptable threat to the Japanese public. This action is a clear violation of multiple resolutions adopted by the UN Security Council, and it again demonstrates the threat that the DPRK holds both as it relates to its unlawful weapons of mass destruction program, but also its ballistic missiles program, and the threat that it poses to its neighbors as well.
QUESTION: Okay.
MR PATEL: Sure. So Secretary General al-Sheikh is in Washington today for meetings. He met today with Deputy Secretary Sherman, and we will have a readout of that later today. He also met with other senior State officials and other interagency officials as well. The – what this is largely about, Said, is this administration’s focus on renewing engagement with Palestinian leadership and deepening diplomatic ties with the Palestinians. And as you saw, this is – President Biden had a meeting with President Abbas in July, and this is an extension of those efforts to deepen relationships, and engagement in Washington is naturally a part of that.
MR PATEL: On same region or shifting subjects?
MR PATEL: Go ahead.
MR PATEL: — again reiterate our proud nomination of Amy.
MR PATEL: — again reiterate our proud nomination of Amy.
QUESTION: Okay, fair enough. So North – let’s start with North Korea. As we saw, the Secretary spoke overnight, I suppose, or very late last night, with his Japanese and South Korean counterparts. I see the White House announce that the President spoke with Prime Minister Kishida and Jake Sullivan spoke with their national security advisor. So are you aware of any other contacts that there have been since this missile launch? And where does the administration intend to go next with its response?
QUESTION: Okay, fair enough. So North – let’s start with North Korea. As we saw, the Secretary spoke overnight, I suppose, or very late last night, with his Japanese and South Korean counterparts. I see the White House announce that the President spoke with Prime Minister Kishida and Jake Sullivan spoke with their national security advisor. So are you aware of any other contacts that there have been since this missile launch? And where does the administration intend to go next with its response?
QUESTION: Okay, fair enough. So North – let’s start with North Korea. As we saw, the Secretary spoke overnight, I suppose, or very late last night, with his Japanese and South Korean counterparts. I see the White House announce that the President spoke with Prime Minister Kishida and Jake Sullivan spoke with their national security advisor. So are you aware of any other contacts that there have been since this missile launch? And where does the administration intend to go next with its response?
QUESTION: Okay, fair enough. So North – let’s start with North Korea. As we saw, the Secretary spoke overnight, I suppose, or very late last night, with his Japanese and South Korean counterparts. I see the White House announce that the President spoke with Prime Minister Kishida and Jake Sullivan spoke with their national security advisor. So are you aware of any other contacts that there have been since this missile launch? And where does the administration intend to go next with its response?
QUESTION: Okay, fair enough. So North – let’s start with North Korea. As we saw, the Secretary spoke overnight, I suppose, or very late last night, with his Japanese and South Korean counterparts. I see the White House announce that the President spoke with Prime Minister Kishida and Jake Sullivan spoke with their national security advisor. So are you aware of any other contacts that there have been since this missile launch? And where does the administration intend to go next with its response?
QUESTION: Okay, fair enough. So North – let’s start with North Korea. As we saw, the Secretary spoke overnight, I suppose, or very late last night, with his Japanese and South Korean counterparts. I see the White House announce that the President spoke with Prime Minister Kishida and Jake Sullivan spoke with their national security advisor. So are you aware of any other contacts that there have been since this missile launch? And where does the administration intend to go next with its response?
QUESTION: Okay, fair enough. So North – let’s start with North Korea. As we saw, the Secretary spoke overnight, I suppose, or very late last night, with his Japanese and South Korean counterparts. I see the White House announce that the President spoke with Prime Minister Kishida and Jake Sullivan spoke with their national security advisor. So are you aware of any other contacts that there have been since this missile launch? And where does the administration intend to go next with its response?
MR PATEL: So I don’t have any assessment to provide about any updates on the ground or any of that reporting, but I would say is that as Secretary Blinken has said, we have heard a lot of irresponsible rhetoric coming from Russia and coming from Vladimir Putin. And we are focused on making sure that we are all acting responsibly, especially when it comes to this kind of loose rhetoric and saber-rattling. We’ve been very clear with Russia publicly as well as privately to stop its irresponsible rhetoric regarding nuclear weapons, and we’ve addressed this both from the Secretary and the President have spoken to this as well.
She has proven her exceptional capacity to achieve results that serve migrants, to lead and support IOM’s workforce, and to collaborate closely with member states. The U.S. strongly supports her candidacy, and we are confident that under her leadership IOM will thrive.
QUESTION: A couple more questions.
MR PATEL: There has been no facilitation of any funds transferred. That is absolutely false.
QUESTION: Okay.
So I am happy to announce today that the United States is proud to nominate Amy Pope to be the next director general of the International Organization for Migration.
