Oval Office 2:08 P.M. EST PRESIDENT BIDEN: Well I - let me start by saying a few words - before I talk about our guest - about Russia and Ukraine. I've - I had a productive talk last week with President Zelenskyy. And we continue to engage in nonstop diplomacy and to deescalate tensions and...
East Room 11:23 A.M. EST THE PRESIDENT: Well, thanks. Thank you very much. Look, I'm going to - (applause) - thank you. Governors, it's truly to have a - it's a pleasure to have you all here. And I'm glad you're having an opportunity - and my Cabinet and overall team is getting a chance...
One year ago, the Burmese military denied the will of the people of Burma, overthrew the democratically elected government, and seized power in a coup d'etat. Since then, the regime has perpetrated countless brutal actions and committed unspeakable violence against civilians, including children. More than 1,500 people have been killed. Thousands have been unjustly detained...
France strongly condemns the January 31st missile attacks on Abu Dhabi, for which the Houthis claimed responsibility. They follow Houthi attacks on the Emirates on January 17 and 24. These repeated attacks, which are absolutely unacceptable, threaten the UAR's security and regional stability. France reaffirms its solidarity and support for its Emirati partner, as well as its determination to work for regional security and stability. France calls for de-escalation in Yemen and in the (...)
The United States commends the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), who, along with Coalition forces, completed operations to re-take full control of the Hasakah prison in Syria. Thanks to the bravery and determination of the SDF, many of whom paid the ultimate sacrifice, ISIS failed in its efforts to conduct a large-scale prison break to reconstitute...
Two years ago tomorrow, U.S. Navy veteran Mark Frerichs was taken hostage in Afghanistan. A civil engineer, he spent a decade helping the people of Afghanistan. He has done nothing wrong. And yet, for two years the Taliban has held him captive. Mark is a native of Illinois. A son. A brother. And his family...
Joint Base AndrewsPrince George's County, Maryland 5:27 P.M. EST Q Any update on the situation in Ukraine? THE PRESIDENT: I didn't hear you. Q Any update on the situation in Ukraine? THE PRESIDENT: No, not in the last couple hours. Q Have you decided how soon you would be moving U.S. troops to Eastern Europe?...
3:21 P.M. EST THE PRESIDENT: (Applause.) Please sit down. Please, please sit down. JoJo, thank you very much. You know, I can picture him in Desert Storm as a sergeant, barking out orders, can't you? When my son Beau was promoted to major in Iraq and - I said, "Now you're a field-grade officer." He said,...
Thirteen years ago, Lilly Ledbetter became a household name, as the bill named in her honor became the first bill signed into law during the Obama-Biden Administration. The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act was an important step forward in the fight to close the gender and racial wage gaps that unfairly hold women, especially women of color, back in the workplace, and...
We wish to express our deep concern over the deterioration in the human rights situation in Belarus. Since the summer of 2020, Belarusian society has experienced the most brutal crackdown the country has known in 31 years of independence. There are now more than 1,000 political prisoners in Belarus, some of whom were minors at the time of their incarceration. These men and women who have been jailed for defending freedom are being held in unacceptable conditions, and many have been (...)
Today, the White House and the Department of Justice announced 99 law schools have responded to the Attorney General's Call to Action to the Legal Profession, issued on August 30, 2021, to address the housing and eviction crisis. The Attorney General's Call to Action asked lawyers and law students to take immediate action to help...
On January 26, France and the International Association of Lighthouse Authorities (IALA) held a signing ceremony for the Convention on the International Organization for Marine Aids to Navigation. France is the depository state for this convention, which elevates IALA's status to that of an international organization. Twenty-six countries, represented by their foreign minister or their ambassador to Paris, signed the convention at IALA's headquarters in Saint-Germain-en-Laye: Angola, Antigua (...)
We are jointly committed to Europe's energy security and sustainability and to accelerating the global transition to clean energy. We also share the objective of ensuring the energy security of Ukraine and the progressive integration of Ukraine with the EU gas and electricity markets. The EU and the United States cooperate closely on energy policy,...
M. Jean-Yves Le Drian, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, is pleased to announce the launch of the Night of Ideas 2022, on the theme "(Re)building together". This international event - emblematic of our diplomacy of influence, initiated by the Institut français and promoted by the French cultural network abroad - will be held in more than 100 countries from 27 January until the end of May 2022. The events organized will be tailored to local circumstances and to the health situations in (...)
Q : Yesterday evening, the Malian authorities rejected the joint communiqué issued by the 15 members of the Task Force Takuba, insisting that Danish forces must leave the country and listing other countries that had not yet received authorization to deploy forces in Mali. What is your response to this latest statement, which appears to reject your request that they reconsider their decision? A : Please consult the language in the joint communiqué issued yesterday by the 15 members of the (...)
Aboard Air Force OneEn Route Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 12:41 P.M. EST MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Hi, guys. I'm so sorry this is so short. Okay. Welcome, welcome, welcome. But before we get started, I'm going to give you guys a little bit at the top. The President has been briefed on the bridge collapse in Pittsburgh, and the...
Frick ParkPittsburgh, Pennsylvania 1:30 P.M. EST Q Mr. President, what do you think of the site? THE PRESIDENT: It's incredible. I mean, this is - first of all, these guys deserve an incredible amount of credit going down here. And while this was going on, they tell me the gas leak was - explain what...
Presidential PalaceTegucigalpa, Honduras PRESIDENT CASTRO: (As interpreted.) Madam Vice President. I wanted to tell you, Madam Vice President, that it was the right decision sending me on the tour because it opened dialogue, it created that peace of sitting down with different sectors, and to be very clear that President Biden's government - his desire...
Hernán Acosta Meijía Air Force BaseTegucigalpa, Honduras THE VICE PRESIDENT: Okay. Hi, guys. So, this was an important trip and - this was an important trip. As you know, I head the Root Causes Strategy that is designed to address the issue of irregular migration into the United States. And so we came here today...
Q : The United States and NATO responded to Moscow's security demands. What concrete actions does France expect from Russia? A : In response to the proposals issued by the Russian authorities this past December, several written proposals were formally conveyed to Russia yesterday. One was from the NATO allies and was discussed and agreed upon by its 30 members. The other was from the United States, and was drafted on the basis of close coordination between U.S. authorities and the (...)
The Nor'easter that will move up through the mid-Atlantic States to the Northeast this weekend will bring extreme cold and hazardous conditions to many communities. Be sure to pay close attention to the information and guidance that is provided by your State and local leaders and homeland security and emergency preparedness officials. We will be actively...
A job is about more than a paycheck. It's about dignity. When I was running for president, I said it was past time to increase the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour. Last year, I made a down payment on that pledge with Executive Orders directing my Administration to work toward ensuring that employees working...
Q : Are France's NATO assurance measures calculated in the context of the military posture taken in the face of the Russian army? A : France's participation in NATO's assurance measures falls under the framework of the Enhanced Forward Presence (eFP). Since 2016, this collective mechanism has been deployed in Poland and in three Baltic countries (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania). The French Lynx mission, which includes at present over 300 soldiers and a dozen Leclerc tanks, is contributing to (...)
Q : What is France's take on Russian troop movements? Are these movements illegal according to the bilateral Russia-NATO agreements that are currently in effect? Has France observed any Russian military or naval violations of customs practices and agreements on overflights and intrusive navigation? A : Over the past several months, France has noted an unusual, substantial, concerning concentration of Russian troops along the Ukrainian border. President Macron, the Minister for Europe and (...)
On this International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust, which commemorates the 77th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz and has also become a day for remembrance of genocides and the prevention of crimes against humanity, France reiterates its commitment to the memory of the Holocaust never being concealed, distorted or forgotten. The Nazi regime and its partners and collaborators, who participated in these unprecedented crimes in the history of (...)
