Question: And joining us now from Normandy is United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Thank you very much for joining us on Morning Joe.
What should our friends and enemies do?
Secretary Blinken: Good morning, Micah.
Question: – What can be learned from the President’s speech in Normandy this morning?
Secretary Blinken: The extraordinary men and women we’re celebrating today, they showed the same resolve then, they show the same resolve now. Because of what they did, we are here today. And we not only have to honor what they did, but the real way to honor it is to make sure that we’re good at meeting the challenges that we face, in our time, in our moment.
And one of them that we’re seeing now is Russia’s aggression, not just against Ukraine but against the fundamental principles of the international system that were established after World War II to make sure that we don’t have another world war, that we maintain peace and security. The president is determined to make sure that we stand on these principles today as they stood 80 years ago.
Question: And the president talked about Ukraine, one of the current challenges, as an example of the fight against insatiable dark forces. And he made another – another commitment. He further strengthened his commitment to Ukraine.
And by the way, if I may point out, we’re seeing live images right now of President Biden and the First Lady walking through the cemetery in Normandy, France. And as we look at these images – which really symbolize the losses that were suffered on D-Day 80 years ago – and talk about the losses that Ukraine is suffering right now from a similar invasion, the President said that support for Ukraine will continue, that we will be there for Ukraine. How does this parallel some of the silence we’ve seen in Washington that has really delayed the assistance that Ukraine needs to fight Russian aggression?
Secretary Blinken: Well, you know, Micah, this aid should have gotten there a long time ago. But I’m glad it’s there now, and it’s making a difference. Every single day we’re getting it to the front lines, making sure that the Ukrainians who need it against this Russian aggression have it and can use it.
But there is also a very powerful parallel between what we are commemorating today and what we are doing now. At that time, it was not just the United States. Here in Normandy, 12 countries came together, 160,000 people came to this beach, came together to begin the final battle that ultimately, 11 months later, led to victory in World War II. In Ukraine, we have more than 50 countries standing together to make sure that Ukraine has everything it needs to defend itself and push back this invasion. And that is the power of our alliances and that is the biggest difference maker we have in the world.
Our adversaries, our competitors, they don’t have voluntary alliances. Yes, sometimes they force countries to help them, or maybe they give them money. Here we have one country after another voluntarily standing together, standing together to defend the principles that we share and know need to be defended. We’re seeing that in Ukraine; we saw that in Normandy 80 years ago.
Question: Mr. Secretary, good morning. Jonathan Lemire. Of course, in war—
Secretary Blinken: Jonathan.
Question: — Ukraine is the backdrop to where you are today in Normandy. And I wanted to get your reaction to — Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, has said a few times now, including last night on social media, that — he’s saying that Vladimir Putin will release The Wall Street Journal Reporter Ivan Gershkovich, who is in prison for espionage, has been in prison for more than a year. And Trump suggests that Putin will do this immediately after the election if Trump wins. Can you tell us what he’s talking about? Is there some kind of back-channel conversation between Trump and Putin, or is this just dangerous and inflammatory rhetoric?
Secretary Blinken: Look, I don’t know what he’s talking about; I can’t speculate on it. All I can tell you is that we’re working every day to make sure that Americans who are being arbitrarily detained, whether it’s in Russia or elsewhere, get back home. And we’ve managed to bring back home more Americans who are being arbitrarily detained, I believe, than any administration. And I carry with me every day a list of Americans who are detained by one power or another, and we’re working every day to make sure that not another day passes before they’re brought back to their families. So I’m not sure what he’s referring to, but I can tell you that we’re working on it every day.
Question: Mr. Secretary, as you sat on hallowed ground this morning, you watched a group of veterans ranging in age from 98 to 103 struggle to stand to receive the Legion of Merit from both the President of the United States and the President of France. I was wondering, given the burdens that the President and you are carrying in Gaza, Donbass, Kiev, what were you thinking about as you watched the ceremony and looked into the faces of these aging veterans?
Secretary Blinken: Mike, it was – it was an incredibly powerful moment to look at these guys and imagine what it was like for them 80 years ago, when they were 18, 19, 20 years old. And I have to tell you, I thought back, too, because it resonates with me – my father then, 80 years ago, left college in the middle of his school year to join the Air Force to prepare to go into World War II. And somewhere else on this continent, my stepfather was imprisoned in a concentration camp, a death camp.
And those men who came to Normandy 80 years ago and changed the tide of the war – because 11 months later, World War II was over – some of them liberated those camps and liberated my stepfather. And they were liberated by an American tank with a five-pointed white star on it, walked up to the one soldier in the tank who opened the hatch – an African American soldier – and he said to them the only words he knew in English: God bless America. That’s what I was thinking about today. God bless America. God bless the men who were before us who saved the world.
Question: Mr. Secretary, the President talked about NATO, how it’s growing, how strong it will be against these dark forces. We had a period in the United States when the Commander in Chief, at that time, did not respect NATO and – I’ll put it politely – weakened it. Can you share what’s most important about the conviction and commitment of this international alliance?
Secretary Blinken: Micah, as I said, it’s really our comparative advantage that we can bring other countries together for a common purpose so that it’s not just the United States. We’re all advancing and upholding the cause of freedom. In Ukraine, it’s more than 50 countries, not just the United States, and whatever we’re putting into it, collectively, our partners, our allies are putting in even more. And that’s what’s making the difference. So to deprive ourselves of those alliances, those partnerships, would be undermining our own interests and would mean that we either have to do everything ourselves or it wouldn’t get done.
You know, after World War II we had an idea called enlightened self-interest, where what we invested in others, what we did with others, we got 10 times, 100 times, 1000 times the return. That meant we had new allies to deter aggression; it meant we had new partners to tackle big problems that no country can tackle alone. We had new markets to sell our businesses and our workers to. That made sense for America. It still makes sense for America, and President Biden is determined and — as he has been from day one to make sure that our alliances are strong, that our partnerships are real, because that’s good for the country.
Question: Secretary of State Antony Blinken, thank you so much for coming live from Normandy this morning. We appreciate it.
Secretary Blinken: Thanks, Mika.
Question: It’s okay. Take care of yourself.
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