The US “immediately reached out to the Moroccan government” after a devastating earthquake there and “made it very clear to them that we are ready to help in any way we can,” said Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
“We have the U.S. Agency for International Development leading and mobilizing our efforts, and we are waiting to hear from the Moroccan government on how we can most help them. But we’re following this very carefully and we’re passionate about it to the people of Morocco,” Blinken told ABC “This Week” co-host Jonathan Karl in an interview that aired Sunday.
Moroccan authorities say the death toll from the quake that struck the High Atlas Mountains on Friday evening has already passed the 2,000 mark. Numerous other people were injured in the worst seismic event in the North African country in decades.
The U.S. response was just one of the items on Blinken’s agenda over the weekend, which he spent with President Joe Biden in New Delhi for a Group of 20 summit – a meeting of the leaders of the world’s leading economies.
While the powers eventually managed to sign a final declaration mentioning the invasion of Ukraine before the summit concluded, the group only reached consensus after language denouncing Russia for waging the war was removed.
Karl pressed Blinken on why this year’s joint statement ultimately did not specifically highlight Russia’s aggression, as was the case in the leaders’ statement following last year’s meeting in Bali, Indonesia, which noted that ” most members strongly condemned the war in Ukraine.”
In contrast, the recent G20 declaration requires that “all States must refrain from the threat or use of force to seek the acquisition of territory against the territorial integrity and sovereignty or political independence of any State.”
On “This Week,” Blinken defended the new language.
“The heads of state and government here are all very clear – including in the declaration – for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine,” he emphasized. “I think the statement is very strong.”
The minister also said that the presence of one “leader after another” at the summit underscored the negative global impact of the Russian war, particularly its impact on food security given Ukraine’s key role in grain production, for example.
“It was very clear in the room, going around the table, that countries are feeling the consequences and want Russian aggression to stop,” he said.
Foreign Minister Antony Blinken gives an opening statement during a meeting with Ukraine’s Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal at the Prime Minister’s Office in Kiev, Ukraine September 6, 2023.Brendan Smialowski/AP
The G20’s softened language on Russia comes as the US is considering further expanding its comprehensive support to Ukraine by supplying the Army with long-range tactical missile systems (ATACMS), according to US officials.
The missiles, which Ukraine has been demanding for months, would give the country the opportunity to penetrate deep into Russian territory. But throughout the conflict, Kiev has assured Washington that it will not use donated lethal supplies to attack Russia – but only to defend or help recapture its own territory.
Blinken did not confirm whether the administration would ultimately greenlight the delivery of ATACMS to Ukraine, but said officials were having an “ongoing conversation” with their Ukrainian counterparts about “what they need, when they need it.”
Blinken also said he would not comment on another issue in the war: tech billionaire and entrepreneur Elon Musk refused to rent Ukraine’s armed forces are using its Starlink satellite internet service, which it has provided to the country since the beginning of the conflict, to carry out an attack on Russia in the Black Sea.
Musk said last week that he viewed the move as advocating a potentially serious escalation in fighting, while Ukrainian officials maintain that Russian ships remain capable of attacking their civilians.
“Who is here?” asked Karl Blinken.
“Here’s what I know: Starlink was an essential tool, a vital link for Ukrainians’ communications and indeed for the Ukrainian military to be able to defend or retake all of its territory. … This is me. “I’m not going to go into specific episodes,” he said.
Blinken was fresh from a trip to Ukraine for the G20 summit, his fourth since the start of the war, where he met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukrainian Prime Minister Dens Shmyhal and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.
Karl asked if Blinken had raised in his engagements the increasing incursions by Kyiv into Russian territory – attacks that the country’s officials often defend as justified due to outcry from Moscow, but which Ukraine does not explicitly acknowledge having carried out.
Blinken did not answer the question directly, but responded that Biden administration officials “have not encouraged and have not permitted the use of weapons outside of Ukrainian territory.”
Karl also asked the secretary whether he believed Zelensky could bring about a resolution to the conflict at the negotiating table.
“I found both President Zelenskyy and every Ukrainian I met – whether they were people from the government or whether they were many other Ukrainians that we came into contact with over the course of two days – incredibly resilient and incredibly brave.” incredibly determined,” Blinken said. “And ultimately, that’s really the heart of the matter and why I remain very confident that Ukraine will ultimately succeed, which is fighting for their country, for their future, for their freedom.”
Blinken said: “Where exactly is this? [territorial] “Borders are being drawn, that’s up to the Ukrainians,” but that peace talks are out of reach at the moment because “Tango takes two.”
“And so far we don’t see any signs of that [Russian President] Vladimir Putin is interested in meaningful diplomacy. If he does, I think the Ukrainians will be the first to engage and we’ll be right behind them,” Blinken said. “Everyone wants this war to end.”