During Wednesday’s House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing, Rep. Jim Costa (D-CA) questioned Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00Representative Costin.
00:01Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman, for this important hearing today.
00:04I too, like many of our colleagues here today, mourn the loss of our dear friend Jerry Connolly
00:10and our thoughts and prayers go to him and his family.
00:14Mr. Secretary, there are a couple different issues I want to touch upon here that have
00:18been raised but I would like clarity on.
00:21First of all, would you agree that the transatlantic alliance, the partnership post-World War
00:28II, has been a hallmark of freedom throughout the world?
00:33Yes, and it continues to be a strong feature of our foreign policy.
00:37Yes.
00:38You said that you had not discussed post-closures as it relates to those in Europe as part of
00:44your overhaul of the State Department.
00:47Four are in France, three are in Germany, one in Italy, one in Portugal, one in Brazil, not
00:51Europe.
00:53And then, I thought you said that no determination has yet been made with those post-closures?
00:59There, no.
01:00There was an article, some of these are cultural places like, I forget the exact ones, but they're
01:05not even embassies or consulates.
01:07But they're not being closed, but I don't know where these things are coming from.
01:10I mean, people are putting stuff out there.
01:12Now, listen.
01:13If you could respond with a letter on that point, I would appreciate that.
01:15Sure.
01:16I'll tell you this.
01:17If we find a post that's wasteful, we'll close it, but we haven't-
01:19The Consul General I know in Portugal is our oldest.
01:20What's that?
01:21The Consul General's post in Portugal is our oldest, historically.
01:25I don't know where that's coming from.
01:26I mean, that's a press report.
01:27Well, okay.
01:28We'll clear that up later on.
01:29Mr. Secretary, you know, America has been the beacon of light for democracy, post-World
01:38War II, certainly.
01:40And almost every president has been used as a voice of a defender of democratic principles.
01:46Do you agree that China and Russia are adversaries today, along with Iran, I might add?
01:55I think both.
01:56Well, there's no doubt in the case of China seeks to replace us on the world stage as the
02:00world's most powerful country.
02:01Russia and Iran.
02:02In the case of Russia, they clearly do not support a world order in which the United States
02:07plays the role it's currently played.
02:09They're an adversary in that front.
02:10In the case of Iran, they're a threat to regional peace.
02:12I wouldn't say they're a global threat, but they're an increasing threat.
02:14Yeah.
02:15No, I understand.
02:16And I would even go further.
02:17I consider today modern-day Russia a syndicate masquerading as a country with a mob boss
02:23called Putin.
02:24And so, in these negotiations, I want to do a comparative analogy.
02:29The president has indicated that with Iran, as we've noted, that maximum pressure are
02:35the tactics that will be used to engage Iran to ensure that they do not obtain nuclear capability.
02:42Is that correct?
02:44Maximum pressure on Iran?
02:47Right.
02:48As compelling them to not seek a nuclear weapon?
02:50Right.
02:51Correct.
02:52The alternative is worse.
02:53Yes.
02:54In the negotiations that the president is trying to seek a ceasefire and a peace between Ukraine
02:59and Russia, I would like to ask you why the president has not considered using maximum pressure
03:07on Russia to ensure which we have the ability to do so.
03:12Sanctions are being considered, as you know, over in the Senate, additional sanctions, to
03:17pressure Russia into a ceasefire mode and to a cease and to a peace agreement, realizing
03:23that they've broken the last three agreements they've had with Ukraine in the last 20 years.
03:28Well, I think the president has made clear that he understands clearly he has options with
03:32increased sanctions on Russia if necessary.
03:34He would prefer that they agree to a peace deal.
03:36And so it's a process of trying to encourage them to reach peace.
03:39If ultimately that doesn't work, the president has publicly stated.
03:42He's very well aware of the sanctions options, devastating sanctions options that he has.
03:46And I just want to make sure that we're clear about this because we have leverage on Russia.
03:51And it's not clear to me that we're using it in the same sense that we're using it with
03:55Iran.
03:56And I think, frankly, we and our allies must be together in defending democracy.
04:02And certainly Ukraine is a democratic and intending to become more democratic, wants to join with
04:07the West, with the European Union, as well as ultimately with NATO.
04:12And I think Poland, Romania, and the Baltic states are watching very carefully to America's
04:18commitment to Ukraine.
04:19Let me go on quickly here.
04:21The effort was raised, and you commented on Armenia and Azerbaijan, another country that
04:28Azerbaijan that has not kept its commitments in the Minsk Accord.
04:33We've tried to get Republican and Democratic administrations to forego the waiver on Section
04:39907 on military aid to Azerbaijan.
04:42Finally, last year, the Biden administration rightfully refused to issue the waiver.
04:47I think it should be permanent.
04:49What is your position?
04:51And will you commit to not resisting Section 907 waiver again this year that would block
04:57military aid to Azerbaijan?
04:58Well, we haven't made a determination on that yet because what we're focused on right
05:01now is getting them to agree to a peace agreement that does not cause them to invade a neighboring
05:06country in Armenia.
05:07We would like to prevent that from happening.
05:08The President is very committed to preventing wars, and we've tried to outline to both sides,
05:13especially the Azerbaijani side, the tremendous benefits that would come from signing a peace
05:17deal and not engaging in a war that we would find to be destructive, counterproductive, and
05:22the last thing we need right now in the region.
05:24And Armenia is looking for our help and our support.
05:27Representative Cain is recognized.