WEBVTT 00:02.243 --> 00:04.333 - Well, good afternoon, all. 00:04.333 --> 00:07.620 It truly is a pleasure to be back in Brussels. 00:07.620 --> 00:10.277 Someone reminded me this is my seventh trip 00:10.277 --> 00:13.644 to Europe already this year, but it is great to be back. 00:13.644 --> 00:17.811 I had a great visit with our tri-mission here in Brussels. 00:18.012 --> 00:21.292 These are the people who represent America's interests here 00:21.292 --> 00:24.929 at NATO, with the EU and here in Brussels, as well. 00:24.929 --> 00:27.615 Really working hard, and had a chance to meet 00:27.615 --> 00:29.065 their newest member of their family, 00:29.065 --> 00:31.087 a two-week-old son that was born 00:31.087 --> 00:35.254 to one of our folks that's located here from the U.S. 00:35.615 --> 00:39.615 And, of course, to be with Ambassador Hutchison, 00:39.633 --> 00:41.579 who I've known for a very long time, 00:41.579 --> 00:44.362 and we have a very deep and strong friendship 00:44.362 --> 00:45.859 and a deep respect for one another, 00:45.859 --> 00:47.739 in terms of her service in the United States Senate 00:47.739 --> 00:50.412 for so many years, and really proud 00:50.412 --> 00:53.488 that she leads our NATO mission here, as well. 00:53.488 --> 00:57.231 The United States, obviously, I think has affirmed now 00:57.231 --> 01:01.285 on multiple occasions our support for NATO's mission. 01:01.285 --> 01:03.557 We know that the security NATO provides 01:03.557 --> 01:06.807 protects Western democratic principles, 01:07.613 --> 01:10.780 protects our right to live in freedom. 01:11.078 --> 01:12.949 To that end, the United States is eager 01:12.949 --> 01:15.758 for our NATO allies to exert their sovereignty 01:15.758 --> 01:18.335 and take on greater responsibility 01:18.335 --> 01:22.418 for our shared deterrence and our defense burden. 01:22.551 --> 01:24.885 I think, as each of us contributes, 01:24.885 --> 01:26.766 the better we will be able to deter 01:26.766 --> 01:29.693 and defend against the threats on Europe's frontiers, 01:29.693 --> 01:33.193 which also can become threats for America. 01:33.201 --> 01:36.068 We do commend the many countries that have made 01:36.068 --> 01:38.642 additional commitments and greater contributions. 01:38.642 --> 01:42.050 This year, Romania joined the United States, 01:42.050 --> 01:43.771 Greece, Estonia, the United Kingdom, 01:43.771 --> 01:46.532 and Poland as six allies that spend 01:46.532 --> 01:49.949 at least 2% of their GDP on defense. 01:50.338 --> 01:53.130 And two more allies, Latvia and Lithuania, 01:53.130 --> 01:55.463 will join that club in 2018. 01:56.130 --> 01:58.508 We expect 26 allies will increase 01:58.508 --> 02:00.434 their defense spending budgets this year 02:00.434 --> 02:04.258 and five more NATO allies have put plans in place 02:04.258 --> 02:07.675 to achieve the 2% objective by 2024. 02:09.492 --> 02:11.196 Increased spending, however, is not enough. 02:11.196 --> 02:13.420 It's really about increasing capabilities, 02:13.420 --> 02:16.847 and we've spent a lot of time in the sessions here at NATO 02:16.847 --> 02:19.575 over the last day-and-a-half talking about that. 02:19.575 --> 02:22.509 It's interesting, since NATO was formed, 02:22.509 --> 02:25.926 the single largest cause of loss of lives 02:25.989 --> 02:29.053 within NATO from threats has been terrorism. 02:29.053 --> 02:31.326 And I think President Trump, as all of you well know, 02:31.326 --> 02:33.317 has made it clear that stopping terrorism 02:33.317 --> 02:36.752 must be a growing focus of attention for NATO, 02:36.752 --> 02:40.060 and we had just completed a session on the subject. 02:40.060 --> 02:42.892 Yesterday, we discussed how to further leverage 02:42.892 --> 02:46.236 the action plan to strengthen the allies' resilience 02:46.236 --> 02:48.845 against terrorist attacks and, in particular, 02:48.845 --> 02:51.476 to build upon NATO's already long-standing commitments 02:51.476 --> 02:55.643 in Iraq and Afghanistan, increase their cooperation 02:56.029 --> 02:59.804 as the President has announced his new South Asia strategy. 02:59.804 --> 03:02.380 We appreciate NATO members' commitments 03:02.380 --> 03:06.415 to the United States effort to defeat ISIS globally, 03:06.415 --> 03:10.175 as well as our other counterterrorism efforts. 03:10.175 --> 03:13.734 The original mission of NATO, obviously, is still relevant. 03:13.734 --> 03:15.657 We have been clear with Russia 03:15.657 --> 03:18.343 that we cannot return to business as usual 03:18.343 --> 03:21.993 in the NATO-Russia relations as long as Russia continues 03:21.993 --> 03:24.826 its illegal occupation of Ukraine. 03:25.296 --> 03:29.017 And Russia's continued use of hybrid warfare seeks 03:29.017 --> 03:30.616 to undermine Western institutions, 03:30.616 --> 03:33.009 and this stands as a significant obstacle 03:33.009 --> 03:36.176 to normalizing our relations, as well. 03:37.106 --> 03:39.377 Russia's aggression in Ukraine remains 03:39.377 --> 03:43.417 the biggest threat to European security, and demands 03:43.417 --> 03:47.584 continued transatlantic unity in confronting that threat. 03:48.288 --> 03:51.104 Our NATO allies stand firm in our support 03:51.104 --> 03:54.585 of Ukraine's sovereignty and their territorial integrity. 03:54.585 --> 03:57.466 We do not accept Russia's efforts to change 03:57.466 --> 04:00.320 the internationally-recognized borders of Ukraine 04:00.320 --> 04:04.487 or recognize Russia's illegal occupation of Crimea. 04:04.497 --> 04:07.600 Earlier this morning, we also had a productive discussion 04:07.600 --> 04:11.017 with Georgian Foreign Minister Janelidze. 04:11.434 --> 04:13.688 Georgia is a large contributor 04:13.688 --> 04:15.643 to our joint efforts in Afghanistan. 04:15.643 --> 04:18.065 In fact, they're the largest per capita 04:18.065 --> 04:21.879 of any contributing nation, and we strongly support 04:21.879 --> 04:25.712 Georgia's aspirations to become a NATO member. 04:26.872 --> 04:28.607 Looking ahead to our final session, 04:28.607 --> 04:32.295 which will be over lunch today, the United States does 04:32.295 --> 04:34.962 support NATO's open-door policy, 04:35.160 --> 04:38.435 and our commitment that any Europe-Atlantic country 04:38.435 --> 04:40.552 that wishes to join the alliance and meets 04:40.552 --> 04:44.408 the requirements to do so should be allowed to do so. 04:44.408 --> 04:46.384 And no third party should have anything to say 04:46.384 --> 04:49.551 about that pursuit of NATO membership. 04:50.137 --> 04:52.829 As we've done for decades, the United States will continue 04:52.829 --> 04:54.669 to maintain our straightforward, 04:54.669 --> 04:57.245 ironclad commitment to Article V. 04:57.245 --> 04:59.743 We will continue to work for the common defense 04:59.743 --> 05:01.533 and the preservation of peace called for 05:01.533 --> 05:04.838 in the NATO charter, and do so with confidence 05:04.838 --> 05:08.588 that our allies will continue to do the same. 05:09.134 --> 05:10.822 Thank you, happy to take questions. 05:10.822 --> 05:12.417 - The Secretary has time for a few questions. 05:12.417 --> 05:13.917 Josh Lederman, AP? 05:14.419 --> 05:16.300 - Thank you, Mr. Secretary. 05:16.300 --> 05:18.967 On several occasions, thank you. 05:19.101 --> 05:21.121 On several occasions, the President has 05:21.121 --> 05:23.961 publicly undermined your diplomatic efforts. 05:23.961 --> 05:26.371 In recent days, White House officials have said 05:26.371 --> 05:27.859 that you're going to be pushed out, 05:27.859 --> 05:29.923 and these are not media inventions. 05:29.923 --> 05:32.883 These are coming from the White House. 05:32.883 --> 05:36.820 Many Americans see these efforts as humiliating to you. 05:36.820 --> 05:39.090 You've had an illustrious career. 05:39.090 --> 05:40.450 Why do you put up with it? 05:40.450 --> 05:42.033 Why don't you quit? 05:42.249 --> 05:44.247 - This is a narrative that keeps coming up 05:44.247 --> 05:47.553 about every six weeks, and I would say y'all need to get 05:47.553 --> 05:51.720 some new sources because your story keeps being wrong. 05:53.073 --> 05:55.990 - Teri Schultz from Deutsche Welle, 05:56.084 --> 05:58.251 right there in the middle. 05:58.734 --> 06:00.067 - Hi, over here. 06:01.344 --> 06:03.408 Yesterday, the German foreign minister arrived 06:03.408 --> 06:05.351 at the meeting saying that there was 06:05.351 --> 06:09.434 an increasing divide between the U.S. and Europe, 06:10.413 --> 06:12.685 that Europe needs to take more of its responsibility, 06:12.685 --> 06:15.066 which is not just the funding question, 06:15.066 --> 06:18.399 and that transatlanticism was suffering. 06:19.797 --> 06:23.156 So I'm interested particularly in whether you've heard 06:23.156 --> 06:24.605 that in your meetings with allies, 06:24.605 --> 06:26.806 you had a meeting with them on Iran yesterday, 06:26.806 --> 06:30.277 and did they express, as strongly as we hear them, 06:30.277 --> 06:33.378 differences with the administration on Iran policy? 06:33.378 --> 06:37.545 - Well, I heard Foreign Minister Gabriel's statement, 06:37.827 --> 06:39.795 and Sigmar and I have become quite close. 06:39.795 --> 06:42.221 I think I've probably met with him as many times and had 06:42.221 --> 06:45.643 as many telephone conversations as any of my counterparts. 06:45.643 --> 06:47.364 And, look, Germany is going through 06:47.364 --> 06:49.473 a very difficult political process right now. 06:49.473 --> 06:52.443 Sigmar is part of that, and I don't want to say anything 06:52.443 --> 06:56.610 that's gonna suggest any leanings one way or another. 06:57.762 --> 07:01.048 In terms of the support that we've received 07:01.048 --> 07:02.744 in our talks around our approach 07:02.744 --> 07:04.817 to Iran and in our Quad meeting yesterday, 07:04.817 --> 07:06.776 it was a very productive meeting. 07:06.776 --> 07:09.746 We share a common view of the threat that Iran poses 07:09.746 --> 07:12.616 in terms of its destabilizing activities 07:12.616 --> 07:15.830 in the Middle East region, most particularly in Yemen 07:15.830 --> 07:19.570 and in Syria, its support for terrorist organizations 07:19.570 --> 07:23.320 like Hizballah, its export of lethal weapons, 07:23.385 --> 07:25.968 including rockets and missiles. 07:26.233 --> 07:30.400 We're all very concerned about how to address that issue, 07:30.457 --> 07:33.498 and that was the discussions that we held 07:33.498 --> 07:34.888 in our Quad meeting yesterday. 07:34.888 --> 07:37.805 It was very productive discussions. 07:37.985 --> 07:39.818 - Dave Clark from AFP. 07:40.296 --> 07:42.129 - Thank you very much. 07:42.887 --> 07:44.360 Much of the world is holding its breath 07:44.360 --> 07:47.991 as President Trump declares Jerusalem the capital of Israel. 07:47.991 --> 07:50.160 Major European allies are saying it's wrongheaded, 07:50.160 --> 07:52.189 and Middle Eastern partners and even some 07:52.189 --> 07:53.724 in your own department are warning 07:53.724 --> 07:55.780 of potential violence and unrest. 07:55.780 --> 07:57.396 Is this part of a thought-out strategy 07:57.396 --> 07:59.804 to improve peace prospects, or is President Trump 07:59.804 --> 08:02.220 just fulfilling a campaign promise? 08:02.220 --> 08:03.789 And how can you claim to be a neutral 08:03.789 --> 08:06.116 broker in the Middle East conflict? 08:06.116 --> 08:08.548 - Well, I want to be respectful that the President 08:08.548 --> 08:11.452 has not been allowed to address this issue himself, 08:11.452 --> 08:14.302 which he will be doing later today, as you know, 08:14.302 --> 08:17.219 with a speech that he'll be giving, 08:17.388 --> 08:19.727 so I don't want to go too far in terms 08:19.727 --> 08:21.148 of getting ahead of his speech. 08:21.148 --> 08:23.900 What I would encourage people to do is a couple of things. 08:23.900 --> 08:27.028 First, listen carefully to the entirety of the speech. 08:27.028 --> 08:29.604 Listen to the full content of the speech. 08:29.604 --> 08:31.350 The President is very committed 08:31.350 --> 08:33.005 to the Middle East peace process. 08:33.005 --> 08:35.630 He has a team that he put in place 08:35.630 --> 08:38.484 almost immediately upon entering the White House. 08:38.484 --> 08:41.548 That team has been working very diligently 08:41.548 --> 08:44.798 on new approaches to the peace process. 08:44.908 --> 08:46.367 They've been engaged in a quiet way 08:46.367 --> 08:50.034 with many in the region around that process. 08:50.052 --> 08:52.372 They've shared it with me so that I could give them 08:52.372 --> 08:56.039 my steer on certain elements of the process, 08:56.535 --> 08:58.822 give them guidance on areas that I thought 08:58.822 --> 09:00.281 would be challenging to address, 09:00.281 --> 09:04.119 and they've done the hard work to try to address those. 09:04.119 --> 09:06.875 So, I would just say that all of this, 09:06.875 --> 09:10.418 we continue to believe there is a very good opportunity 09:10.418 --> 09:14.259 for peace to be achieved, and the President has a team 09:14.259 --> 09:17.009 that is devoted to that entirely. 09:17.696 --> 09:19.696 With respect to the decision on Jerusalem, 09:19.696 --> 09:21.448 I really would leave that until you hear 09:21.448 --> 09:24.698 the President's full statement on that. 09:24.759 --> 09:27.482 - Julian Barnes with The Wall Street Journal. 09:27.482 --> 09:30.921 - Mr. Secretary, Julian Barnes, Wall Street Journal. 09:30.921 --> 09:33.254 Ukraine, is the peacekeeping 09:33.280 --> 09:35.280 proposal by Russia real? 09:36.688 --> 09:39.558 Is there a possibility to negotiate something 09:39.558 --> 09:43.454 that the United States could support, that would put 09:43.454 --> 09:47.621 peacekeepers on the border, restore control to Ukraine? 09:48.567 --> 09:51.650 And related, do you support expanding 09:52.281 --> 09:56.448 Russia-NATO dialogue or is the current sort of high-level 09:57.211 --> 10:00.873 NATO-Russia Councils the right track to be on? 10:00.873 --> 10:02.705 - We've been engaged with the Russians now 10:02.705 --> 10:05.329 for some time through, as you know, 10:05.329 --> 10:08.059 I appointed Ambassador Volker to be 10:08.059 --> 10:10.097 our point of contact with the Russians 10:10.097 --> 10:14.097 on finding a way to break the logjam on Ukraine. 10:14.121 --> 10:17.369 We've prioritized ending the violence as our first priority, 10:17.369 --> 10:18.689 and we think to do that, we need 10:18.689 --> 10:21.057 to put a peacekeeping force in place. 10:21.057 --> 10:23.665 Russia has long resisted a peacekeeping force, 10:23.665 --> 10:26.841 but they have agreed now, and as you point out, 10:26.841 --> 10:30.131 they put the first proposal forward for peacekeepers. 10:30.131 --> 10:31.657 I think it's significant that we're 10:31.657 --> 10:34.157 talking about the right thing. 10:34.338 --> 10:38.465 We have a significant difference between the mandate 10:38.465 --> 10:40.587 that a peacekeeping force would be given 10:40.587 --> 10:42.721 and the scope of their mandate, 10:42.721 --> 10:45.201 and that's what we continue in conversations 10:45.201 --> 10:48.938 with the Russians as to the peacekeeping force. 10:48.938 --> 10:51.605 We hope we can close those gaps. 10:52.010 --> 10:53.497 We think it's vitally important 10:53.497 --> 10:55.425 to stop the violence in east Ukraine. 10:55.425 --> 10:58.564 People are still dying every day from that violence, 10:58.564 --> 11:01.123 and that's our objective, is to stop the killing, 11:01.123 --> 11:04.010 stop the violence, and then we still have a lot of work 11:04.010 --> 11:06.555 to do to address all elements of the Minsk accord, 11:06.555 --> 11:08.202 and including the government in Kyiv 11:08.202 --> 11:10.444 has significant work to do as well. 11:10.444 --> 11:12.699 But this is a process that's ongoing, 11:12.699 --> 11:15.123 and the peacekeeping and stopping the violence 11:15.123 --> 11:17.899 was our first and foremost objective. 11:17.899 --> 11:20.195 With respect to dialogue with Russia, 11:20.195 --> 11:23.883 we had a lot of discussion during this NATO meeting, 11:23.883 --> 11:26.379 and in particular around dinner last night, 11:26.379 --> 11:28.667 over what is the proper engagement with Russia. 11:28.667 --> 11:31.036 And I think there is broad consensus 11:31.036 --> 11:34.369 among all the NATO members that there is 11:34.873 --> 11:38.313 no normalization of dialogue with Russia today. 11:38.313 --> 11:40.324 What dialogue occurs, whether it be 11:40.324 --> 11:43.410 through periodic meetings of the NATO-Russia Council, 11:43.410 --> 11:45.650 and I say periodic because we are not going 11:45.650 --> 11:49.233 to return to regularized calendar meetings. 11:50.851 --> 11:54.602 If there is a reason to meet, if there is a dialogue 11:54.602 --> 11:57.746 with a result expected, then we should meet 11:57.746 --> 12:01.219 and we support dialogue to produce results. 12:01.219 --> 12:03.337 But having dialogue just to be talking 12:03.337 --> 12:07.266 and trying to regularize or renormalize this relationship 12:07.266 --> 12:11.137 cannot be undertaken until some of these actions 12:11.137 --> 12:14.762 that I've addressed, in particular Ukraine, hybrid warfare, 12:14.762 --> 12:17.506 until Russia begins to address those actions 12:17.506 --> 12:21.673 which we find not just unacceptable but intolerable. 12:22.076 --> 12:26.243 So, I think we do support dialogue when there is a purpose, 12:26.306 --> 12:28.290 when there's a substance, when there's a result 12:28.290 --> 12:31.040 that we're attempting to achieve. 12:31.836 --> 12:33.826 - Carol Morello, Washington Post. 12:33.826 --> 12:35.586 - Mr. Secretary, you've often said 12:35.586 --> 12:38.593 that you start every meeting every day 12:38.593 --> 12:41.946 asking about the safety of diplomats abroad. 12:41.946 --> 12:44.475 It's been more than a year now since your diplomats 12:44.475 --> 12:46.930 started coming under attack in Cuba, 12:46.930 --> 12:49.114 and you have still not put forward publicly 12:49.114 --> 12:51.530 a single piece of evidence, yet you've taken 12:51.530 --> 12:53.714 some pretty drastic steps in response 12:53.714 --> 12:56.013 that have seriously damaged the Cuban economy 12:56.013 --> 12:59.587 and reputation, and Havana has complained that you won't 12:59.587 --> 13:03.395 share even basic information that they need to investigate. 13:03.395 --> 13:05.426 So are you still convinced that these 13:05.426 --> 13:08.218 were attacks, and will you tell us 13:08.218 --> 13:11.075 what you know about what happened to them? 13:11.075 --> 13:14.105 - We are convinced these were targeted attacks. 13:14.105 --> 13:16.667 We have shared some information with the Cubans, 13:16.667 --> 13:18.969 and there are two restrictions 13:18.969 --> 13:20.745 I've placed on sharing information. 13:20.745 --> 13:22.874 One is respect for the privacy of individuals 13:22.874 --> 13:26.618 and their medical conditions, and the second is not 13:26.618 --> 13:29.995 to provide whoever was orchestrating these attacks 13:29.995 --> 13:33.602 with information that's useful to how effective they were. 13:33.602 --> 13:37.602 What we've said to the Cubans is a small island, 13:37.748 --> 13:40.546 you got a sophisticated security apparatus, 13:40.546 --> 13:43.601 you probably know who's doing it, you can stop it. 13:43.601 --> 13:46.106 It's as simple as that, so that's 13:46.106 --> 13:47.786 what we've asked the Cubans. 13:47.786 --> 13:50.899 We understand the Cubans don't like the actions we've taken. 13:50.899 --> 13:54.482 We don't like our diplomats being targeted. 13:55.290 --> 13:57.623 - Essia Bouguerra, Al-Sabah. 13:58.387 --> 13:59.649 - Thank you, Secretary. 13:59.649 --> 14:01.138 I'm Essia from Tunisia. 14:01.138 --> 14:05.305 My question is related to the, does the U.S. Secretary 14:05.431 --> 14:09.354 still believe that the two-state solution is still available 14:09.354 --> 14:12.354 or still present in your priorities? 14:13.833 --> 14:15.733 But the second one, concerning the meeting 14:15.733 --> 14:19.142 of President Putin and President Bashar al-Assad, 14:19.142 --> 14:21.589 what role has the Syrian regime right now 14:21.589 --> 14:24.987 in the incoming negotiation in the future about Syria? 14:24.987 --> 14:25.820 Thank you. 14:25.947 --> 14:28.709 - With respect to anything related to Jerusalem, 14:28.709 --> 14:30.316 I really would like to let the President 14:30.316 --> 14:33.316 make his statement before I comment. 14:33.508 --> 14:37.675 So, we'll be happy to comment later today or tomorrow, 14:37.716 --> 14:39.636 after he's had an opportunity to lay out 14:39.636 --> 14:43.123 the full contours of the decision he's made. 14:43.123 --> 14:47.036 With respect to the Syrian regime and Bashar al-Assad's role 14:47.036 --> 14:49.731 in the peace discussions in Geneva, 14:49.731 --> 14:52.027 and this is a process that will follow 14:52.027 --> 14:55.360 the UN Security Council Resolution 2254, 14:55.635 --> 14:59.302 we have said to the Russians it is important 14:59.579 --> 15:02.651 that the Syrian regime be at the table and be part 15:02.651 --> 15:05.707 of these negotiations and part of the discussion. 15:05.707 --> 15:08.583 We think it's important that as long as Bashar al-Assad 15:08.583 --> 15:11.051 is still the leader of that regime, that he be 15:11.051 --> 15:15.218 directly engaged in these discussions and negotiations. 15:15.387 --> 15:16.947 We have left it to the Russians 15:16.947 --> 15:20.043 to deliver them to the table, and we did have 15:20.043 --> 15:23.715 a delegation from the Syrian regime attended the first week 15:23.715 --> 15:26.131 of the talks that have resumed in Geneva. 15:26.131 --> 15:30.261 We hope that they will return to those discussions. 15:30.261 --> 15:32.412 These talks have a process, as you know, 15:32.412 --> 15:35.475 that lays out the development of a new constitution, 15:35.475 --> 15:37.424 that moves towards an election process 15:37.424 --> 15:39.304 where all Syrians will have an opportunity 15:39.304 --> 15:42.568 to voice their views on the future of Syria, 15:42.568 --> 15:46.485 including all Syrian diaspora that may have had 15:46.584 --> 15:48.371 to leave the country due to the violence. 15:48.371 --> 15:50.147 This is all as is called for under 15:50.147 --> 15:52.441 the UN Security Council resolution. 15:52.441 --> 15:54.116 - Thank you very much. 15:54.116 --> 15:54.949 Thank you. 15:54.949 --> 15:57.134 That concludes, the Secretary has to go to his lunch. 15:57.134 --> 16:00.051 (cameras clicking)