RUSSIA
The State Department is expelling 10 Russian officials from the US and calling on Russia to de-escalate the situation near the Ukrainian border. Secretary of State Antony Blinken also announced formally that the US is holding the Russian Government accountable for the SolarWinds intrusion, reports of bounties on American soldiers in Afghanistan, and attempts to interfere in the 2020 U.S. elections. According to Blinken, President Biden will be signing a new Executive Order on Russia that will broaden the scope of the US’ sanctions authorities. The Treasury Department is issuing a directive prohibiting US financial institutions from conducting transactions in the primary market for new ruble or non-ruble denominated bonds issued after June 14, 2021.
“In terms of Russia, we’ve made very clear – the President has, and the Secretary has underscored that – that there is a price to be paid, the kind of sanctions that the Russians have, what we call Crimea sanctions, but a variety of other sanctions from us, from the European Union, and from others globally, because of their earlier actions, according to a senior State Department official. He added that “…to this day, they (Russians) have given no good explanation of what they’re doing with this enormous and costly buildup….”
NORWAY
With Russia potentially on the move in the Ukraine, the US and the Kingdom of Norway concluded a Supplementary Defense Cooperation Agreement (SDCA), which will allow the two countries to deepen bilateral security cooperation, strengthen NATO operations, and increase Transatlantic security, according to a statement released by the State Department. The SDCA builds on the 1951 NATO Status of Forces Agreement to facilitate further development of opportunities for US forces to train and exercise in Norway, promoting improved interoperability with Norwegian and other allied forces.
CHINA
Asked in a recent NBC interview if the US would respond to a Chinese attack on Taiwan, Secretary Blinken hesitated to make any commitment saying: “All I can tell you is we have a serious commitment to Taiwan being able to defend itself. We have a serious commitment to peace and security in the Western Pacific. And in that context, it would be a serious mistake for anyone to try to change that status quo by force.”
“What we’ve seen and what is a real concern to us is increasingly aggressive actions by the government in Beijing directed at Taiwan, raising tensions in the straits. And we have a commitment to Taiwan under the Taiwan Relations Act, a bipartisan commitment that’s existed for many, many years, to make sure that Taiwan has the ability to defend itself and to make sure that we’re sustaining peace and security in the Western Pacific,” Blinken added.
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The United State announced that beginning May 1 the US will start withdrawing its troops from Afghanistan and finish by September 11, 2021. Secretary of State Blinken in a press conference at the American Embassy in Kabul that “The threat from al-Qaida in Afghanistan is significantly degraded. Osama bin Laden has been brought to justice…But even when our troops come home, our partnership with Afghanistan will continue. Our security partnership will endure… We’ll intensify our diplomacy with the Government of Afghanistan, the Taliban, countries in the region and around the world that have a stake in Afghanistan’s future.”
SOUTH SUDAN
The State Department in Washington announced it is sending more than $95 million to support the response to the South Sudan humanitarian emergency. The funding will provide critical protection, economic opportunity, shelter, essential healthcare, emergency food assistance, safe drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene services to some of the nearly four million South Sudanese refugees and internally displaced people in South Sudan. It also supports refugees and host communities in Uganda, Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
IRAN
Iran announced it is enriching uranium to 60%, which puts it closer to weapons-grade levels of more than 90 percent enrichment and exceeds its current top level of 20 percent. Secretary Blinken said the US takes this “very seriously” and considers it a “provocative announcement.” He called on the P5+1 countries to remain unified and united in rejecting Iran’s move. “I have to tell you the step calls into question Iran’s seriousness with regard to the nuclear talks, just as it underscores the imperative of returning to mutual compliance with the JCPOA,” said Blinken. The United States and Iran have both stated a common objective of returning to mutual compliance with the JCPOA. We’ve been engaged constructively in a diplomatic process to achieve that goal. In Vienna last week, we explored concrete approaches that we could take, the steps that Iran and the United States would take to return to compliance.
DARIA NOVAK served in the United States State Department during the Reagan Administration, and currently is on the Board of the American Analysis of News and Media Inc., which publishes usagovpolicy.com and the New York Analysis of Policy and Government. Each Saturday, she presents key updates on U.S. foreign policy from the State Department.
Illustration: Pixabay