Blinken tells AP he’s worried Trump administration may abandon key Biden foreign policy initiatives

“When we came in, we inherited partnerships and alliances that were earnestly frayed,” helium said. “So if past is prologue, yes, it would beryllium a concern.”“I don’t know, can’t know, however they attack things,” helium said. “I bash deliberation that determination is, determination could and I judge should, beryllium immoderate existent continuity successful a mates of places.”

President-elect Donald Trump has been skeptical of US alliances, including NATO and defence partnerships successful the Asia-Pacific, each of which the Biden squad has worked to enactment up implicit the past 4 years. Trump has besides been captious of U.S. subject assistance to Ukraine and praised Russian President Vladimir Putin.

But Trump’s incoming Middle East envoy has been profoundly progressive successful helping the Biden medication broker a ceasefire statement betwixt Israel and Hamas this week. Both incoming and outgoing presidents claimed recognition for the breakthrough.“The champion laid plans: There’s, of course, nary warrant that our successors volition look to them, trust connected them,” Blinken said. “But astatine slightest there’s that option.

At slightest they tin determine whether this is simply a bully ground for proceeding and marque changes.”Efforts to scope the Trump’s modulation squad for remark were not instantly successful.

Blinken and the Biden medication wide person been heavy criticized for their handling of the chaotic US withdrawal from Afghanistan successful 2021 and, much recently, for their enactment for Israel successful its warfare against Hamas. Critics impeach them of not imposing meaningful restrictions connected weapons shipments to Israel oregon pushing its state hard capable to easiness a humanitarian situation successful Gaza.

On Thursday, protests accusing Blinken of complicity successful Israeli unit against Palestinian civilians interrupted his last quality successful the State Department property briefing room, and demonstrators person routinely gathered extracurricular his home.

Blinken lamented that the Biden medication has been diverted from its cardinal overseas argumentation priorities by satellite developments, including the withdrawal from Afghanistan, Russia’s penetration of Ukraine and the Gaza crisis, each of which took clip and vigor distant from pursuing halfway objectives, notably successful the Indo-Pacific.

These are “not what we came successful wanting oregon expecting to person to beryllium focused on,” helium said. That said, helium stressed that adjacent arsenic the medication dealt with those crises, it had inactive been determined to look astatine the remainder of world, and had succeeded, successful his estimation, astatine rebuilding frayed alliances and partnerships astir the world. “Rest of world: can’t suffer show of it,” helium said. “Got to support the absorption connected successful the places wherever it truly matters for America’s information and for America’s future.”

The interview, conducted successful Blinken’s bureau connected the seventh level of the State Department, followed his farewell remarks to the agency’s staffers. He urged vocation unit to transportation connected successful their ngo amid uncertainty astir however the incoming medication volition grip relationships and rivalries overseas oregon dainty vocation American diplomats.

In that code to employees, Blinken paid tribute to their enactment implicit the past 4 years contempt aggregate challenges, ranging from Afghanistan and Ukraine to the Middle East.“Without you successful the picture, this world, our state would look truthful overmuch different,”

Blinken told a cheering assemblage of respective 100 staffers gathered astatine the department’s main Washington entrance, decorated with the flags of each countries with which the U.S. has diplomatic relations.“With you successful the picture, some are truthful overmuch better,” helium said. “You’re moving each time to marque things conscionable a small spot better, a small spot much peaceful, a small spot much afloat of hope, of opportunity. That’s your mission, and you bash it truthful well.”Trump has been publically skeptical of the State Department and its accepted relation successful crafting medication overseas policy.

Trump erstwhile referred to the bureau arsenic the “Deep State Department,” and helium and his associates person made nary concealed of their tendency to purge vocation officials who bash not amusement capable loyalty to the president. His prime to beryllium Blinken’s successor, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, has said helium respects the overseas service, but helium has not yet elaborate immoderate plans for however the section volition beryllium managed.

Blinken called for staffers to stay resilient. “This is simply a clip of transition, and erstwhile we speech astir transition, sometimes we speech astir passing the baton. That’s what I’ll beryllium doing,” helium said. “But that’s not what astir of you volition beryllium doing. Most of you travel Monday, you volition support running, and what gives maine much assurance than thing other is to cognize that that’s precisely what you’ll do.”