National Security adviser on Biden-Trump transition and international affairs
WASHINGTON (CBS, KYMA/KECY) - National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan spoke with Face the Nation host Margaret Brennan on Sunday about the peaceful transition of power in the White House.
When asked what President Biden wants to deliver in terms of "a focus and message," Sullivan said:
"The first and most important message will be that President Biden is committed to the peaceful transfer of power and to a responsible handoff from one president to the next, which is in the best tradition of our country and has been for the last 240 years. And then they will go through the top issues, both domestic and foreign policy issues. Including what is happening in Europe and Asia and the Middle East. And the President will have the chance to explain to President Trump how he sees things, where they stand and and talk to President Trump about how President Trump is thinking about taking on these issues when he takes office."
During the interview, Brennan and Sullivan talked about the latter's outlook on international affairs such as the War in Ukraine.
"Our approach remains the same as it's been for the last two and a half years, which is to put Ukraine in the strongest possible position on the battlefield, so that it is ultimately in the strongest possible position at the negotiating table. And it should be up to Ukraine to decide, for its own sovereignty and its own territorial integrity, when and how it goes to the negotiating table. It should be up to the United States and a coalition of nations that we have built to continue to supply Ukraine with the means to defend itself against brutal Russian aggression."
Jake Sullivan, National Security Adviser
Brennan and Sullivan also talked about the conflicts in Israel, with Brennan asking Sullivan what makes him think, "in these final days of the Biden administration," that the prime minister "would agree to peace in Gaza or agree to peace in Lebanon and not hold on to that political capital for the new president," to which Sullivan said:
"Prime Minister Netanyahu will make his decisions, and he'll speak to his decisions. Here's what I see. First in Gaza, it really, today, is not Israel that is standing in the way of a ceasefire and hostage deal. It is Hamas. Israel has said it's prepared to do a temporary ceasefire for a number of hostages and then try to build on that to get all of the hostages home...So what we need to do is get the rest of the world to continue to increase pressure on Hamas to come to the table, to do a deal in Gaza, because the Israeli government has said it's prepared to take a temporary step in that direction. And then when it comes to Lebanon, we have been actively engaged in discussions with the Israeli government. Those should remain behind closed doors, but we do believe that at some point the Israeli government wants to do a deal that gets its citizens back home. I don't think it's doing that deal for American politics. I think it's doing that deal to try to secure Israel, and I expect that in the coming weeks, we will see progress in that direction. "
To watch more of Brennan's interview with Sullivan, click here.
