Press Release
☷Press Briefing by Press Secretary Karine Jean Pierre and White House National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby
White House ( By Press Release office)
Feb 17,2024
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On a different note , we ' re excited to announce that President Biden will be meeting with President Duda and Prime Minister Tusk of Poland on March 12th to discuss our commitment to the NATO Alliance and support for Ukraine . The President has taken steps to address gun violence through executive action and legislation , but more needs to be done . Congress must act to implement measures such as banning assault weapons , requiring safe storage of guns , and investing in violence prevention . It ' s unacceptable that there have been more mass shootings than days in the year so far . So , we ' ve got a solid energy partnership with Poland , a strong economic relationship , and both countries are all about democracy . Now , I ' ll pass the mic to the Admiral , who ' s got some juicy new info that ' s got everyone in Washington talking . Go ahead , Admiral . Now , regarding the Russian anti - satellite system , I can ' t give a definitive answer on whether the United States can defend against it . It ' s still a capability that Russia is developing , and we ' re analyzing the information available . We don ' t publicly discuss our strategic deterrent capabilities , but we ' re taking this potential threat seriously and looking into our options . It ' s important to note that the system is not currently active or deployed . Now , let me briefly talk about the situation in Ukraine . The fighting in the east , especially in Avdiivka , is incredibly intense . Unfortunately , the Ukrainians are reporting that the situation is critical and the Russians are constantly attacking their positions . Avdiivka is at risk of falling under Russian control because the Ukrainian forces are running out of artillery ammunition . Russia keeps sending forces to attack , and without the supplemental bill from Congress , we can ' t provide Ukraine with the artillery shells they desperately need to fight back . Russian forces are already reaching Ukrainian trenches in Avdiivka and overpowering their defenses . The consequences of Congress not taking action are clear , and it ' s the Ukrainian soldiers who are paying the price . We need Congress to pass the national security supplemental bill right away . If House Republicans don ' t act soon , what ' s happening in Avdiivka could happen elsewhere on the front . So , once again , we need Congress to act immediately . Jean - Pierre: Hey Ed , go ahead . Q: So , it could be either? Kirby: I ' m not going to provide more details . We handle intelligence disclosures carefully and strategically . Q: What does "nuclear - capable" mean? Q: There ' s been talk about whether it ' s a nuclear weapon , nuclear - powered weapon , or nuclear - capable weapon . Can you clarify? Kirby: We ' ve been cautious about declassifying and sharing information since Russia ' s invasion of Ukraine . We ' re careful about what we make public . Q: Thanks , Karine . Thanks , John . It seems like you ' re pushing back on Turner ' s call to declassify this information . But the intelligence community ' s statement was preapproved by the Biden administration . Was Turner ' s statement outside of that approval? Kirby: It depends on the device and its purpose . Nuclear energy can be used for propulsion or as a weapon . Q: Thanks , Admiral . When did the President first learn about this threat and how concerned is he about it?So , basically , there ' s a whole process involved in deciding whether or not to share certain information , starting with analyzing if it can be shared safely . Then , there ' s a strategy to engage with allies , partners , and Congress . Once all of that is done , specific language is worked out with the intelligence community to share the information . We were already in the middle of this process when the information leaked prematurely yesterday . We were working on informing allies , partners , and even engaging with Russia on this matter . We were planning to share the information with the public eventually , but the leak messed up our timeline . We ' re still in the process of consulting with allies and partners and engaging with Russia before we can share more details . Why should Americans care about a Russian ability to target satellites? Well , any anti - satellite capability is a concern because there are a lot of satellites up there doing important things like communication , weather forecasting , and more . It could affect services on Earth and even put astronauts at risk . As for the timeframe of this threat , I can ' t give too many details , but it ' s not currently deployed . And as for the decision to share classified information with all members of Congress , that ' s something Chairman Turner should address . We ' re still going through the information and discussing it with our allies and partners . We ' re not ready to share all the details yet , but we will eventually . The chairman worked with the administration on some language , but I can ' t get into specifics . The Kremlin ' s claim is nonsense . The U . S . and its allies are on the same page regarding Israel ' s potential offensive in Rafah . Satellites are crucial to our way of life and attacking them would have serious consequences . So , if something starts heading in a different direction , when and why would the national security threat go up? Mr . Kirby mentioned that it ' s hard to answer that right now because the capability in question isn ' t active or deployed . They plan to talk directly with the Russians and other allies to figure out their next steps . They ' re taking the situation seriously because any significant anti - satellite capability could cause disruptions on Earth . When it comes to dealing with Russia , it ' s not about blindly trusting them , but rather watching their actions and making decisions based on that . As for Vladimir Putin ' s comments on a Biden administration , Mr . Kirby emphasized the administration ' s efforts to counter Russia ' s influence and interference , especially in Ukraine . And as for the Indonesian election , Prabowo Subianto has claimed victory , sparking some questions . So , when does the administration plan on congratulating him? Are they waiting for the official counts to come out , which could take days or weeks? Also , this person was banned from entering the U . S . for many years due to human rights violations . Can the administration work with someone with that kind of track record? Kirby mentioned that congratulations will be given at the right time , and they are still waiting for all the results . Regarding the issue of human rights values and geopolitical expediency , Kirby reiterated that President Biden ' s foreign policy is centered on human rights and civil rights . Moving on to the House Foreign Affairs Committee ' s hearing on the Afghanistan withdrawal , Kirby mentioned that the administration inherited the Doha Agreement from the previous administration and had to make tough decisions . As for the remarks made by Martin Griffiths regarding Hamas not being a terrorist organization , Kirby reaffirmed that Hamas is indeed a terrorist organization . You don ' t need to look any further than what happened on October 7th to see it clearly . Just look at their manifesto , even the watered - down version from 2017 . It ' s obvious they want to erase Israel from the map . They ' re a terrorist organization , plain and simple . As for reaching out to Griffiths about those comments , I ' m not sure if we ' ve done that yet , but I don ' t think we need to . We ' ve already made it clear what we think of Hamas . Regarding the flour shipments to Gaza , it ' s crucial for the Palestinian people , and we ' re working with Israel to try and get them in . We ' re aware of the comments made by Israeli officials about the flour and the port , and we ' re putting in a lot of effort to make sure it gets to those in need . As for the anti - satellite weapon capability , the Russian development would violate the Outer Space Treaty , which over 130 countries have signed . It would likely be space - based . And as for diplomatic engagement with Russia , I ' m not sure if that contact has been made yet , but discussions are ongoing . KIRBY: We ' re working on it . We ' ve reached out to the Russian side , but we haven ' t had any actual conversations yet . We ' re also considering if revealing sources and methods could be compromised . As for the CIA Director ' s visit to Israel , I can ' t comment on that , but he has been involved in hostage negotiations . Regarding the Polish leaders ' visit , President Biden invited them to celebrate Poland ' s 25th anniversary in NATO and to thank them for their support of Ukraine . It ' s a special occasion to have both the Prime Minister and President of Poland at the White House . They ' ve been really supportive of the alliance and Ukraine , and the President is really looking forward to seeing both leaders here in Washington , D . C . It ' s a bit unusual to have them both here at the same time , but it was all planned out with our Polish counterparts . The President is really excited about it . We ' re almost done here , any more questions? Thank you . Some U . S . congressmen have expressed concerns about the recent Pakistani elections , saying they weren ' t free and fair . The White House shares those concerns , especially regarding reports of intimidation and voter suppression . We ' re keeping a close eye on the situation as votes are still being counted and international monitors are reviewing the results .
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