Press Release
☷Press Briefing by Press Secretary Karine Jean Pierre and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan
White House ( By Press Release office)
Mar 14,2024
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Lastly , I want to acknowledge the passing of David Mixner , a trailblazer in the fight for LGBTQ+ rights . His dedication to mentoring the next generation of leaders in the LGBTQ+ community has left a lasting impact . We are grateful for his contributions to creating a better world . Also , the President will be heading to Milwaukee , Wisconsin tomorrow to talk about the administration ' s investments in rebuilding communities and creating jobs . These investments are crucial for all Americans , and we ' re excited to showcase some of them in Milwaukee . Moving on to today ' s agenda , President Biden is looking forward to hosting President Duda and Prime Minister Tusk of Poland at the White House this afternoon . They ' ll be celebrating Poland ' s 25th anniversary in NATO , which is now stronger and bigger than ever . Alright , so now I ' m gonna pass things over to our National Security Advisor , Jake Sullivan . He ' s gonna chat about the meeting the President will have with the leaders of Poland in a couple of hours , and also touch on the situation in Ukraine . Over to you , Jake . Starting off with Haiti , we ' re keeping a close eye on the situation there . We ' re pleased with the progress made in the recent meeting in Jamaica , where a transitional presidential council was discussed . We ' re grateful for the support from CARICOM and other partners , and we ' re urging others to help out too . Thanks , Karine . First off , I just wanna say it ' s been a real honor and privilege working with Olivia . We ' re gonna miss her a lot . And I just found out it ' s her last day today , so I might be a bit off at the podium because of that . ( laughs ) Bear with me , though . I also want to update you on Ukraine . With the support of over 50 partners , led by the United States , Ukraine has shown resilience in the face of an adversary determined to destroy them . They have retaken more than half of the territory occupied by Russia at the beginning of the conflict and have successfully defended against Russian attempts to seize more land . They have also weakened Russia ' s Black Sea Fleet . However , they still need our urgent support . Ukrainian troops have been fighting bravely throughout this war , but they are now facing ammunition shortages on multiple fronts , making it difficult for them to respond to Russian advances . This is resulting in the loss of territory and lives . So , here ' s the deal: The United States and NATO are being strategically affected by this situation . That ' s why President Biden has authorized an emergency package of security assistance worth $300 million in weapons and equipment for Ukraine . We actually saved some money on contracts for replacing the equipment we previously sent them , so we have some extra funds to work with . This package includes artillery rounds and GMLRS for the HIMARS , which Ukraine really needs to defend against Russian attacks . But let me be clear , this is only a temporary solution . Ukraine will still run out of ammunition in a few weeks . So , it ' s important for Congress to pass the national security bill as soon as possible . We can ' t keep providing assistance without impacting our military readiness . The House of Representatives needs to act quickly . If they vote on it , it will pass with bipartisan support , just like it did in the Senate . It ' s the only way we can continue helping Ukraine and supporting our own military and job market . Time is running out , and the world is watching . Q: Jake , just to follow up on that . The President mentioned that crossing the red line would have consequences . What would the Biden administration do if Israeli forces enter Rafah? Q: First , regarding Israel . If Israel goes ahead with the Rafah operation without ensuring adequate safety for civilians , would the White House impose any conditions on further aid? MR . SULLIVAN: Well , you conveniently stopped after one sentence , and it might not have been exactly that sentence . But regardless , I won ' t get into semantics . The defense of Israel is still crucial , and the President has made that clear . We have concerns about an operation in Rafah , and we ' ve communicated those concerns . I won ' t entertain hypotheticals . Yeah . And we need to see action as soon as possible , while also doing everything we can to support Ukraine in its time of need . That ' s another step we took today at the President ' s direction . With that being said , I ' m happy to answer your questions . Yeah . MR . SULLIVAN: I ' ve been around long enough to know that the media is fixated on the concept of red lines . The President didn ' t make any formal declarations or announcements . The red line was brought up in a question , and he responded to it . I suggest reading his full answer to understand his position . As for hypothetical scenarios , I won ' t engage in them . We ' ve clearly expressed our concerns about an operation in Rafah and the risk it poses to civilians . We haven ' t seen a credible plan to protect them . That ' s the United States ' position , and we ' re actively communicating with the Israeli government about it . Yeah . Q: But the question he was asked , Jake , was whether there ' s a red line . Would the invasion of Rafah , which you ' ve advised against , be a red line? MR . SULLIVAN: I ' ve seen these reports , but they ' re based on uninformed speculation from anonymous officials . I can ' t comment on hypothetical scenarios . The President has been clear about our stance on Rafah . We do not support a military operation that endangers civilians , disrupts humanitarian assistance , and puts pressure on the Israel - Egypt border . We ' re in discussions with Israel about this issue , but I won ' t entertain hypotheticals . Yeah . SULLIVAN: Just to sum up , the President has his own way of addressing the red line issue , which he communicated to the Israelis . The whole concept of the red line has become a bit of a game for some , but the President is more focused on the substance and policy . He wants to ensure the protection of civilians and for Israel to have a successful campaign that leads to peace and stability in the region . As for the discussions with Poland , the U . S . already has a significant military presence there in response to the threats posed by Russia . The President is open to considering additional capabilities if needed , but believes the current posture is strong . He ' s made it clear that he ' s got NATO ' s back and that every inch of NATO territory will be protected . We ' ve had some good talks with the Polish about nuclear plants , but nothing official to announce yet . As for TikTok , the main issue is about who owns it and where the data goes . The President supports having an American company own TikTok . In terms of Netanyahu ' s response to the President ' s red line , the President has been clear in his support for Israel since the start of the crisis with Hamas . He has consistently followed through with actions to support Israel ' s security against Hamas and Hezbollah , as well as taking broader military measures to prevent the situation from escalating out of control . The President will also address concerns about the protection and humanitarian assistance for civilians in Gaza . Prime Minister Netanyahu has the authority to make decisions for his country , and the President will continue to communicate with Israel at various levels . The focus is on the situation on the ground rather than just words . There are regular channels of communication with the Israeli government , and the President will speak with the Prime Minister when necessary . If preferred , we can avoid discussing Israel and Hamas further . The President has met with Itay Chen ' s family and offered his condolences . It really hits hard for the President . It hits hard for me too . And it hits hard for a lot of people in the U . S . government who are working tirelessly to get Itay released . I can ' t even imagine what the family is going through . The President and the First Lady put out a statement on it today , but that ' s not the end of it for him . He ' s personally invested in trying to bring all the hostages home , not just in Gaza but also around the world . It ' s devastating to hear that Itay was killed on October 7th . And in terms of the other hostages , we ' ve been honest with you from the beginning that we don ' t know their condition or if they ' re still alive . All we can do is keep working to bring everyone home , especially the American hostages . The President checks in with me every day for updates on our efforts . We ' re working around the clock and won ' t stop until we succeed . We ' ll keep the American people informed every step of the way . We ' re not gonna speculate on what the President is thinking , and the reports are just guesses . We think we ' re following U . S . law and the President is focused on providing humanitarian aid . As for the Ukraine package , no updates on ATACMS . In terms of the hostage talks , Hamas needs to release women , elderly , and wounded civilians for a ceasefire to be considered . It ' s important for both sides to stay engaged in negotiations . Despite the fact that it ' s Ramadan , Bill Burns was just in Qatar and Egypt actively pushing for this . Secretary Blinken , Brett McGurk , and even the President himself have been involved in this . So , we ' re gonna keep at it . Our goal is to try and achieve a ceasefire for at least six weeks with the release of hostages , and then build on that for a more lasting solution . But I can ' t make any promises about where this will end up . I will say though , as we urge Israel to help with the ceasefire , it ' s important for everyone to put pressure on Hamas to release innocent hostages as a first step . Thank you , Jake . Regarding Hungary , I can ' t speak for the Biden campaign , but as the Biden administration , we have serious concerns about Hungary ' s assault on democratic institutions , corruption , and erosion of democracy . We ' ve raised these concerns directly with their leadership and will continue to do so . It ' s not for me to officially label Hungary as a dictatorship . Our position is that they have attacked democratic institutions , and that ' s a concern for us . And on Haiti , did the U . S . take too long to support Prime Minister Henry , considering the accusations against him in the assassination plot? How can the U . S . avoid getting more involved in the conflict? Mr . Sullivan: Ultimately , decisions about Haiti should be made by the Haitian people . We supported a conference led by Haitian stakeholders , not by us . It ' s not our place to decide who leads Haiti . We hope the efforts made will progress and we support Prime Minister Henry ' s decision , not because of us , but because we believe it ' s in the best interest .
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