Secretary says U.S. diplomacy rallied allies for Ukraine and other global challenges; stresses need for enduring deterrence

The Secretary of State said Jan. 16, 2025, that U.S. diplomacy has rallied roughly 50 countries to help Ukraine defend itself and that Ukraine has "repelled Russia's invasion and took back half the territory it originally seized," crediting Western resolve and firepower for helping Ukraine hold ground.

"As a result of some of our latest sanctions, Russian oil tankers are piling up along the Chinese coast unable to offload," the Secretary said, using the example to illustrate the economic pressure applied to Russia. He said extraordinary costs and export controls have constrained Russia's ability to sustain its war economy and that these measures are part of making Ukraine strong enough to negotiate from a position of strength.

The Secretary warned that any ceasefire with Russia will need built-in deterrence to prevent a future reattack: "In Putin's mind, if there's a ceasefire, he's simply going to rest, refit, and then when he deems the moment right, reattack. So you have to have built into any ceasefire the effective deterrence necessary so that he doesn't reattack." He outlined options including continued military and economic pressure and coordination with European partners to ensure an enduring settlement.

On supply chains and the Panama Canal, the Secretary said the United States has a longstanding treaty and settled policy and that the focus should remain on supply-chain resilience. "We have a we have a treaty. We have a settled policy, of many years, and that's not going to change," he said, adding that the U.S. has sought to diversify and strengthen supply chains to reduce dependence on adversarial sources.

The Secretary also addressed the case of Austin Tice, the U.S. citizen missing in Syria, saying "Not a day goes by where we're not out there trying to, obviously find him, or get information about, what, what has become of him" and that U.S. personnel are pursuing leads in Syria.

He framed the four years of the administration as a period of rebuilding alliances and partnerships to address challenges from China to fentanyl trafficking, citing a "coalition of more than 160 countries to address the synthetic opioid crisis" as an example.

Provenance: Remarks about Ukraine, sanctions on Russia, supply-chain resilience and Austin Tice occurred in the Secretary's prepared comments and follow-up answers to reporters about Ukraine and other strategic priorities.