LIVE: State Department briefing with Matthew Miller

U.S.-Israel Relations

• The U.S. is awaiting more information from Israel regarding the bombing of a university in Gaza used by Hamas for terrorist attacks.
• The U.S. opposes Israeli settlement construction in the West Bank but acknowledges Israel's sovereignty and right to make its own decisions.
• The U.S. provides significant security assistance to Israel but does not necessarily agree with all of Israel's actions.
• The U.S. supports the establishment of an independent Palestinian state but recognizes that Palestinians do not currently enjoy the same rights of sovereignty as other nations.
• The U.S. is considering reopening the consulate for Palestinians in Jerusalem but has no updates at this time.

U.S.-Russia Relations

• The U.S. is closely monitoring the situation in Georgia, where Russian occupiers have kidnapped another Georgian citizen.
• The U.S. is not participating in the Berlin talks on the conflict in Ukraine but is closely monitoring the situation.
• The U.S. is working to secure the release of American citizens Paul Whelan and Evan Gershkovich, who are detained in Russia.

U.S.-South Korea Relations

• Secretary of State Antony Blinken will meet with South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin to discuss cooperation on regional issues, including North Korea and the trilateral partnership between the U.S., Korea, and Japan.
• The U.S. has encouraged South Korea to provide more weapons, including artillery shells, to Ukraine, but specific conversations and military items are not discussed publicly.

U.S.-Pakistan Relations

• The U.S. supports Pakistan's efforts to break free from the cycle of debt and international financing.
• The U.S. is helping Pakistan in the energy sector, with recent projects adding 4,000 megawatts of energy capacity.

U.S.-India Relations

• The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom has not been granted visas by the Indian Embassy in Washington, DC for the past three years.

U.S.-Middle East Relations

• The U.S. hopes for broader normalization between Israel, Saudi Arabia, and other Arab countries, with Israel agreeing to a two-state solution.
• The U.S. is concerned about the dire situation in Gaza, including malnutrition and the inability to distribute aid due to the security situation.
• The U.S. is working to open additional crossings and explore other ways to get humanitarian assistance into Gaza.
• The U.S. is trying to resolve the security situation to improve the distribution of humanitarian assistance and is not solely relying on a hostage deal.

U.S.-Taliban Relations

• An Austrian hostage was released by the Taliban regime with Qatar's mediation, and there are American hostages in Taliban prisons.
• U.S. officials have consistently pressed the Taliban for the immediate and unconditional release of detained Americans, emphasizing that these detentions hinder positive engagement.

U.S.-Congress Relations

• The State Department is cooperating with the House Foreign Affairs Committee (HFAC) in providing documents and making witnesses available for transcribed interviews related to the department's response to the Afghanistan withdrawal.
• The HFAC majority staff expressed dissatisfaction with the State Department's response, considering it disingenuous and untrue.
• The State Department has offered to have Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman discuss the matter with the committee to resolve the issues.

U.S. Military Assistance

• The State Department is engaged in a process with countries receiving military assistance from the United States to provide written assurances regarding the use of weapons in accordance with international law and the facilitation of humanitarian assistance.

U.S. Position on Pegasus Spyware

• The U.S. denounces the use of the Pegasus spyware by repressive regimes, including Russia and the UAE, to target human rights defenders.