Secretary Blinken At a Press Availability Following November Foreign Ministerial Brussels, Belgium November 29, 2023 NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg with the US Secretary of State, Antony J. Blinken SECRETARY BLINKEN:  Well, good afternoon, everyone. In March of 2021, I came here to NATO to affirm President Biden’s commitment to rebuild, to revitalize, to re-energize our core alliances and partnerships.  Indeed, they’re our greatest strategic asset: an unmatched network of alliances and partnerships. And I did this at NATO because some back then were questioning its r ..read more

NATO Defense Ministers Meeting: Secretary Austin Press Conference NATO HQ, Brussels, Belgium October 12, 2023 SECRETARY OF DEFENSE LLOYD J. AUSTIN III: Good afternoon, everyone. We’ve had a great few days of discussion with my fellow ministers of defense, but before I get to that, let me add a few words about the terrible situation in Israel. We are appalled by the emerging scope of the atrocities committed by the terrorists of Hamas. Our hearts are with all those whose loved ones were murdered or wounded or taken hostage. No country would live with the wholesale killing and kidnapping of ..read more

Ukraine Defense Contact Group Meeting: Secretary Austin and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Brown Press Conference Following the Ukraine Defense Contact Group Meeting Brussels, Belgium October 11, 2023 Lloyd J. Austin III, Secretary of Defense; Air Force Gen. CQ Brown, Jr., Chairman, Joint Chiefs   STAFF: Well, good afternoon, everyone. Thank you so much for being here today. It is my pleasure to introduce Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin III and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General CQ Brown, Jr. The secretary and the chairman will have some brief opening comm ..read more

Joint Declaration of Support for Ukraine The text of the following statement was released by the G7 leaders Left to right: Rishi Sunak (UK Prime Minister; Chancellor Olaf Scholz (Germany); President Emmanuel Macron (France); Fumio Kishida (Prime Minister of Japan); US President Joe Biden; President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (Ukraine); Justin Trudeau (Prime Minister of Canada); Giorgia Meloni (Prime Minister of Italy); Charles Michel (President EU Council); Ursula von der Leyen (President EU Commission)   The text of the following statement was released by the G7 leaders of Canada, France, G ..read more

NATO Summit: President Biden at a Public Event at Vilnius University Vilnius, Lithuania │ July 12, 2023 President Joe Biden delivers remarks following the NATO Summit in Vilnius, Lithuania President Joe Biden delivers remarks Wednesday, July 12, 2023, at Vilnius University in Vilnius, Lithuania. (Official White House Photo by Oliver Contreras)   THE PRESIDENT:  Hello, Lithuania!  (Applause.)  As my mother would say, “God love ya.”  No seats.  Holy mackerel.  (Laughter.) It’s good to be back in Vilnius, a nation and a region that knows better than anyone the ..read more

Secretary of Defense Austin Press Conference Following NATO Defense Ministers Meeting NATO HQ, Brussels, Belgium June 16, 2023 Left to right: Niko Peleshi (Minister of Defence, Albania); NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg; Lloyd J. Austin III (US Secretary of Defense); Ben Wallace (UK Secretary of State for Defence)   SECRETARY OF DEFENSE LLOYD J. AUSTIN III: All right, good afternoon, everyone. It’s great to be back at NATO. I’d like to thank the secretary-general for gathering us here today. His leadership has helped NATO navigate turbulent times with unity and resolve. So let m ..read more

Following the Ukraine Defense Contact Group Secretary Austin and Gen. Milley Hold a Press Conference Brussels, Belgium June 15, 2023 Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III; Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Mark A. Milley   STAFF: Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you very much for being here today. It’s my pleasure to introduce Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin III and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley. The secretary and the chairman will deliver opening remarks, and then have time to take a few questions. Please note that I will modera ..read more

Secretary Antony J. Blinken at a Press Availability Following Foreign Ministerial Brussels, Belgium April 5, 2023 Press Availability After a NATO Foreign Ministerial     SECRETARY BLINKEN:  Well, good afternoon, everyone.  It’s always good to be back in Belgium, in Brussels, at the NATO Headquarters, which has become almost a home away from home.  But this week, these last two days, this has genuinely been a historic NATO meeting. Yesterday, on the 74th anniversary of the Alliance, I accepted Finland’s membership documents to join NATO.  Finland is now our 31st ..read more

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin Press Conference Following the NATO Defense Ministerial NATO HQ, Brussels, Belgium February 15, 2023 STAFF: Good afternoon, everyone. Thank you very much for being here today. It’s my pleasure to introduce Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, III. The secretary will deliver opening remarks, and then we’ll have time for just a few questions. Please note that I will be moderating and will call on the journalists, and we do have a very tight schedule, so I appreciate your limiting follow-ups. And with that, I will turn it over to Secretary Austin. SECRETARY OF ..read more

Following the Ukraine Defense Contact Group Secretary Austin and Gen. Milley Hold a Press Conference Brussels, Belgium February 14, 2023 STAFF: (Off camera) Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for joining us today. It’s my pleasure to introduce Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley. Secretary Austin will begin with some brief comments, followed by General Milley. I will call on the reporters, and due to timing constraints, I would ask you to please limit your follow-ups. With that, I’ll turn it over to Secretary Austin. SECRETARY OF D ..read more