The United States has deepened its partnership with India, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday at the year-ending presser in Washington, where he warned both China and Russia.
“We’ve deepened our partnership with India. We’ve elevated cooperation through the QUAD with India, Japan, and Australia,” Blinken said during the end-of-year press availability. In the wake of the growing assertiveness of China on the global stage, Blinken said Washington will continue to engage with Beijing from a position of strength.
NATO and Indo-Pacific
Underlining that US partnerships in the Indo-Pacific have never been stronger, the top American diplomat said that his country is more closely aligned than ever with the G7, with the EU, and with other allies and partners on the challenges presented by Beijing.
“We’re working together to address them. We’re deepening cooperation and coordination between NATO and our Indo-Pacific allies. These efforts have allowed us to engage more effectively when tackling areas of concern, like China’s coercive trade and economic practises, peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and the East and South China Seas, and human rights,” he said.
Israel and Hamas War
Amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas, Blinken said the US will continue to help Israel ensure that what happened on October 7 can never happen again and try to bring the conflict to an end as quickly as possible. “We continue to believe that Israel does not have to choose between removing the threat of Hamas and minimising the toll on civilians in Gaza. It has an obligation to do both and it has a strategic interest to do both,” he said.
Blinken also stressed that the US is more determined than ever to ensure that “out of this horrific tragedy comes a moment of possibility for Israelis, for Palestinians, for the region to live in lasting peace and lasting security; that out of this darkness comes light.”
On Ukraine
On the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Blinken promised that President Vladimir Putin would succeed in his goal of erasing Ukraine from the map and subsuming it into Russia. “That has failed, and it’s failed first and foremost because of the courage of the Ukrainian people, but also because of the leadership we provided in making sure, with dozens of countries around the world, that Ukraine had what it needed to succeed in repelling the Russian aggression,” he said.
“Militarily, we have 30 countries around the world now that are helping – including the United States – that are helping Ukraine build a future force, one that can deter aggression and defend against it if it comes in the future,” he added.
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