Foreign Affairs

Statement by NSC Spokesperson Adrienne Watson on National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan's Meeting with Minister for Foreign

National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan met today with Simon Coveney, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Defense of Ireland. They discussed their continued commitment to support Ukraine in the face of ongoing atrocities by Russia, as well as their ongoing coordination with international partners to impose severe costs on Moscow. They reviewed their efforts...

Updated: Fri Apr 29 2022

Statement by Press Secretary Jen Psaki on EPA Issuing Emergency Fuel Waiver for E15

The President is committed to doing everything he can to address the pain Americans are feeling at the pump as a result of Putin's Price Hike and his unjustified war's impact on global fuel supply. Today, the Environmental Protection Agency announced that it is issuing an emergency fuel waiver to allow E15 sales during the...

Updated: Fri Apr 29 2022

Syria - Joint declaration by the Special Envoys of the Syria contact group (28 Apr. 2022)

Representatives of the Arab League, Egypt, the European Union, France, Germany, Iraq, Jordan, Norway, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the United States met in Paris on April 28 to discuss Syria. We expressed our lasting commitment to alleviating the suffering of the Syrian people and welcomed the upcoming EU hosted Brussels 6 Conference for the future of Syria and the region. We emphasized the urgency of continuing to provide meaningful and sufficient support to (...)

Updated: Fri Apr 29 2022

A Proclamation on Law Day, U.S.A., 2022

America is unique among the nations of the world because we were not built around any particular tribe, religion, or ethnicity - instead, we were built around an idea: that all people are created equally and deserve to be treated equally throughout their lives. Though we have never fully lived up to that idea, we...

Updated: Thu Apr 28 2022

Burma/Myanmar - France condemns the latest prison sentence handed down against State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi (27 Apr. 2022

France condemns in the strongest possible terms the prison sentence handed down today against State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi at the end of arbitrary court proceedings. This decision represents a new attempt by the military junta to undermine the legitimacy of democratically elected leaders, in total contradiction with the expressed will of the Burmese people. It is another sign of the military's contempt for the basic principles of the rule of law since the coup d'état on February 1, 2021. (...)

Updated: Thu Apr 28 2022

FACT SHEET: U.S. Agencies Are Advancing the Human Rights of LGBTQI+ Persons Around the World

We're... making equality the centerpiece of our diplomacy around the world. We believe LGBTQ+ rights are human rights. In February, I signed a presidential memorandum establishing that it's the policy of the United States to pursue an end to violence and discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. - President Joe Biden...

Updated: Thu Apr 28 2022

FACT SHEET: White House Calls on Congress to Provide Additional Support for Ukraine

The assistance the Biden-Harris Administration has provided to Ukraine to date has made a significant difference on the battlefield, helping Ukrainians defend their country and win the battle for Kyiv. Now, as the war shifts to and intensifies in Ukraine's eastern front, the Biden-Harris Administration is calling on Congress to provide additional resources to help...

Updated: Thu Apr 28 2022

Italy - Telephone conversation between Jean-Yves Le Drian and his Italian counterpart (26 Apr. 2022)

Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Yves Le Drian spoke yesterday by phone with his Italian counterpart, Luigi Di Maio. The ministers discussed the continuation of close cooperation between France and Italy in support of Ukraine, in view of the repercussions of the war in that country. They addressed options for strengthening sanctions on Russia, especially in the energy sphere. They also spoke about the crisis in Libya, the importance of maintaining the country's stability, and (...)

Updated: Thu Apr 28 2022

Lebanon - Q&A (27 Apr. 2022)

Q: With regard to Lebanon and Ukraine: France had pledged to help strengthen the Lebanese armed forces. It is currently sending a great deal of military equipment to the Ukrainian armed forces. Is it possible that the pace of aid to the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) could slow because of the war in Ukraine? A: The Lebanese Armed Forces play a vital role in support of Lebanon's stability, given the current crisis there. France supports the Lebanese Armed Forces, both nationally and through (...)

Updated: Thu Apr 28 2022

Letter to the Speaker of the House of Representatives on Fiscal Year 2022 Emergency Supplemental Funding

Dear Madam Speaker: I am writing to provide you with my request for fiscal year (FY) 2022 emergency supplemental funding for critical security and economic assistance to Ukraine. I appreciate the Congress' continued bipartisan support for Ukraine, NATO, and other partner countries affected by Russia's War in Ukraine. My Administration is committed to providing the Ukrainian people...

Updated: Thu Apr 28 2022

Pakistan - Attack at Karachi University (26 Apr. 2022)

France condemns in the strongest possible terms yesterday's terrorist attack at Karachi University. The Baloch Liberation Army claimed credit for the attack, which killed Pakistani and Chinese civilians and left several injured. France offers its condolences to the families and loved ones of the victims of this cowardly, despicable act. It wishes those injured a speedy recovery. France assures the Pakistani authorities of its solidarity as they deal with the scourge of (...)

Updated: Thu Apr 28 2022

Poland - Conversation between M. Jean-Yves Le Drian and Mr Zbigniew Rau, Minister of Foreign Affairs (28 Apr. 2022)

M. Jean-Yves le Drian, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, spoke today to his Polish counterpart, Mr Zbigniew Rau. The ministers discussed Europe's response to the war in Ukraine, in particular measures to assist the large number of Ukrainian refugees who have arrived in Poland, the continuation and deepening of the support provided to Ukraine, the stepping-up of sanctions against Russia and the diversification of the European Union's energy supply sources, particularly in the context (...)

Updated: Thu Apr 28 2022

Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jen Psaki, April 28, 2022

James S. Brady Press Briefing Room 3:16 P.M. EDT????? MS. PSAKI: Hi, everyone. Good afternoon. Okay, two items for all of you at the top. Today, we released a report highlighting the historic small-business boom under the Biden-Harris administration. Last year, Americans applied to start 5.4 million new businesses - 20 percent more than any year...

Updated: Thu Apr 28 2022

Readout of White House Roundtable with Lesbian Leaders to Celebrate Lesbian Day of Visibility

Yesterday, in celebration of Lesbian Day of Visibility, the White House hosted a roundtable conversation with trailblazing lesbian and LGBTQI+ senior leaders from the White House and the broader Biden-Harris Administration. The roundtable included lesbian and queer advocates ,community leaders, leaders across the federal government, several of whom are the first out lesbians to hold...

Updated: Thu Apr 28 2022

Remarks by President Biden Before Meeting with Small-Business Owners

2:08 P.M. EDT THE PRESIDENT: Good afternoon, everyone. We're joined today by five small-business owners who are helping power America's economic recovery. And I want - I want to welcome the Administrator of the Small Business Administration, Isabella Guzmán. Nice to have you, kiddo. ADMINISTRATOR GUZMÁN: Thank you. THE PRESIDENT: And these enterprises and entrepreneurs...

Updated: Thu Apr 28 2022

Russia - Gas supplies - Q&A (27 Apr. 2022)

Q: What is your reaction to the suspension of Russian gas supplies to Poland and Bulgaria? Is Russia in breach of its obligations and are you afraid there will be repercussions for gas supplies in Europe? A: France stands in total solidarity with its European partners in the face of this latest Russian blackmail in the area of gas supplies. This situation illustrates the need to strengthen European strategic autonomy and reduce our energy dependencies in line with the Declaration adopted (...)

Updated: Thu Apr 28 2022

Statement by President Joe Biden on Gross Domestic Product

The American economy - powered by working families - continues to be resilient in the face of historic challenges. Last quarter, consumer spending, business investment, and residential investment increased at strong rates. The number of Americans on unemployment insurance remains at the lowest level since 1970. Later this morning, I will meet with small business...

Updated: Thu Apr 28 2022

UNESCO - Belarusian Association of Journalists awarded the UNESCO Guillermo Cano Prize (27 Apr. 2022)

France congratulates the Belarusian Association of Journalists on winning the UNESCO Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize. With this prize, UNESCO - which is particularly committed to promoting press freedom and journalists' safety - honors the work and bravery of the association, whose candidacy was supported by 46 member states, including France. Despite its dissolution by the Belarusian authorities in August 2021 and the jailing of 27 journalists in Belarus, the Association, which has (...)

Updated: Thu Apr 28 2022

A Proclamation on Workers Memorial Day, 2022

Throughout America's history, workers have sacrificed to grow our food, build our roads, transport our goods, provide care for our neighbors and families, and manufacture the products that are the envy of the world. Our strength and resilience as a Nation is due in no small measure to the strength and resilience of our workers....

Updated: Wed Apr 27 2022

Belarus - France calls for the release of Aksana Kolb and 26 other journalists (26 Apr. 2022)

France deplores the arrest of Belarusian journalist Aksana Kolb, editor-in-chief of the Novy Chas newspaper, and the charges filed against her on April 22. These proceedings once again illustrate the Belarusian authorities' ongoing policy of repression against independent media and all forms of opposition to the illegitimate regime of Alexander Lukashenko. We applaud Ms. Kolb's commitment, and that of all independent Belarusian journalists, to the right of Belarusian citizens to have access (...)

Updated: Wed Apr 27 2022

Fact Sheet: Biden Administration Underscores Urgent Need for Additional COVID-19 Response Funding and the Severe Consequences

The Biden Administration is sounding the alarm for the urgent need for Congress to provide funding for the nation's COVID-19 response and is underscoring the severe consequences of their inaction: Fewer vaccines, treatments, and tests for the American people, and fewer shots in arms around the world. Over the past 15 months, the Biden Administration...

Updated: Wed Apr 27 2022

Lebanon - Joint French-Saudi support for the Lebanese people (26 Apr. 2022)

The Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, the French Development Agency and the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center will sign an agreement today in Beirut aimed at providing support to vulnerable populations in Lebanon. This agreement grants nearly ?30 million to a series of humanitarian and development projects. The agreement, which is consistent with the guidelines adopted by President Macron and the Saudi Crown Prince on December 4 in Jeddah, represents an important step (...)

Updated: Wed Apr 27 2022