Okay, thank you. Does it work? Secretary of State, dear, please allow me to once again welcome you and your delegation to Bratislava under the auspices of the government of the Slovak Republic. Dear ladies, dear John, we had a meeting with the Secretary and then a delegation discussion, where we discussed topics. The point of our today's meeting is to briefly sum up the conclusions of our discussions, be it in our eyes or, let's say, in our meeting of the delegation.
First of all, I deeply appreciate the fact that this visit comes quickly after our meeting in Florida, where I had a chance to speak with Donald Trump and with Mr. Rubio. So it's a great continuation. And in Florida, we can discuss how much we achieved during those few weeks. And the most important thing about today's meeting with the Secretary of State, I consider, and that is our mutual respect. He mentioned that I am a representative of the government of a sovereign state, and that Slovak foreign policy reaches all corners of the world. He also underlined the fact that a crucial priority is not to defend national and state interests. My basic obligation is to protect the national and state obligations and interests of the Slovak Republic. It is a correct understanding where our interests meet. We act in areas where we have different opinions. We have to negotiate and find a suitable solution. We are sincere in our discussions. Nothing is possible if we do not speak in private meetings and also say the same things in public. So let's say conclusions based on our agreement about our cooperation with the US in the area of nuclear energy. On the 13th of February, an intergovernmental agreement, a power agreement between Slovakia and the US regarding cooperation in the area of nuclear energy. I informed the Secretary of State about the current status, saying we are greatly, deeply interested in the options of the US partner to create a multinational consortium which would guarantee the fact that we could build another nuclear block until 2040, with a power of 1200 megawatt. We'd be happy if it would be possible to sign a specific agreement with Westinghouse in the span of the following year. Our American partners regarding cooperation at different levels of preparation of this project, because it's a project that goes above, it concerns, because of that we will have to have intensive discussions with the European partners, and because of that we need cooperation and help of our partners when we are speaking about energy. Secretary of State, what's going on in the region regarding gas and oil? Deep, or I will not detail, but I can say that the United States has always been at the beginning of any pipeline, be it gas or oil, at their end. Truly, the situation because of ideological reasons, the European Union, I'm not sure about the flow from east to Europe. In case of November 2020, we're looking for potential solutions to this crisis, undergoing supplies of oil and gas to under control of Hungary, of course related to the war in Ukraine. It has its unique and unrepeateable positions that always reflect positions of our European partners. Our openness in foreign policy to the world. I clearly and openly state my opinion on this conflict. How we perceive the military conflict is that it is going to continue for a certain period of time. We know peace solutions for a short period of time, and I offer as a country which understands the language of Ukraine and the Russian Federation, as a country which has intelligence services, as a country now which is a neighbor of Ukraine, to exchange opinions. And dear Secretary, I praise the approach of your president because it's an approach of pragmatic and rational. And we also consider, if any peace initiative that could bring this war to an end, we are totally ready for it. I want to inform you that in July 2026, we will preside over a truly unique regional cooperation, the Visegrad Group. I would like to confirm, Secretary of State, that this organization should be used for cooperation, but we should think about which topics, in regards to current topics, may be relevant. On the 1st of July 2026, we have a topic where we have the US partners involved in such events, the US and basic questions of international cooperation and energy cooperation. We also exchanged information and opinions about lots of different things. We are a member state of NATO in the North Atlantic. We understand that we have to take care of more, and I think in Europe we spoke about expenditures on our defense, development of things of that. We spoke about that topic, how to continue with the following years. We also have to care and we have to pay attention to obligations. But if a country wants to be a member of collective security in Europe and NATO, we have to participate also in strengthening our capacities for understanding in the area. The fact that we want to do projects, use on, a good example is a military hospital which is being built in the eastern part of Slovakia. We'll continue our military cooperation. You know that we have F-16s from the US, and we want to increase the numbers to 18. And now we're discussing about getting more of the planes. There is a situation where our air is protected by, we get into this sad situation because military equipment was gifted to Ukraine in 2022 to 2023. There are lots of different aspects of military cooperation because they are in together. And Vice Minister, Minister of Defense mentioned this. The state also, other members of the delegation participated: Minister of Environment, Vice Prime Minister, Minister of Economy, he's responsible for cooperation in the area of economy, also partner of the state, Secretary, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Blanár. So again, Mr. Secretary, please welcome to Slovakia. I think our discussion was open. Nobody tried to hide opinions that you don't hear, especially in relation to the war in Ukraine. That's why we are here. We are not here to lie to our partners or to mislead about information that are not based on facts. Thank you for coming, and we're looking for further cooperation with the Secretary of the US.
Well, first of all, thank you, Mr. Prime Minister, for welcoming us. This is a follow-up, as you said, to a meeting we had not too long ago in Florida, in my home state, with the President of the United States. And in the aftermath of that meeting, we discussed some things during that meeting regarding a specific purchase of airplanes. There were some impediments to it. We were able to resolve those, and we're happy that that got resolved because it's an example of how this direct engagement could lead to more things we can achieve together. In fact, that meeting happened the day after a deal was signed with Westinghouse and with our Secretary of Energy, Chris Wright, to lay the groundwork for this energy opportunity, which is so incredible. I use these things only to illustrate the importance of this direct engagement. We both have excellent teams and people that work very hard and communicate all the time, but there is no replacement for that direct level of engagement. And engagement in Central Europe is what you can expect to see more of from the United States of America. Mr. Prime Minister, you mentioned the Visegrad Group, the V4. It is something we are eager to engage with as a forum in which we can find areas where we can work together and achieve cooperation. You mentioned something else, which I don't know why it ever became controversial, but it's important to remind everybody of it, is the view of the President of the United States, President Trump, and of the United States under his presidency, that we expect every country in the world to act in their national interest. That is what countries are supposed to do. That is what leaders of their countries do. I don't know why that is like a strange consideration. The fact of the matter is we view policy the exact same way. Now, when our national interests are aligned, when the national interests of the United States, for example, and the national interests of Slovakia are aligned, this is an extraordinary opportunity for cooperation and for partnership. Where there might be some misalignment, well, that's where the relationship comes in. That's where the partnership comes in. That's where we try to accommodate one another and find a way forward. There's nothing controversial about that, at least not as long as President Trump is in the White House. And we believe that within the area of common alignment, there are so many things we can work on together that are good for your country, good for our country, but frankly good for Europe and good for the world. I also appreciate your input with regards to the war in Ukraine. It is important that we take as many viewpoints. Your viewpoint and the viewpoint that you've expressed both to me and publicly as well is one that's informed by both your geography and by your history. And it's a very important point of view to take into account in the broader context. As I said yesterday in response to some questions in Munich, we view the United States' role as one of trying to facilitate an end to a very deadly, very bloody, very costly war with horrible suffering. What's happening in Kyiv right now is horrifying. You know, people in the coldest part of the year, you know, not going without electricity and energy. There's nothing positive about that. The death, regardless of what the numbers are on both sides, way too high. And the President has spent a year at the highest levels of our government trying to find whether we can be facilitators of a negotiated end to this terrible conflict. And it is something that we care about, but it is something you live next door to. You're on the border. You're right there. You face, and not only do you have to face the consequences of the war, but you also have to face the benefits or the consequences of the peace. And so we appreciate your input in that regard. We talked about a lot of things we have an opportunity to work together on. Energy is one of them. I think you have an opportunity as a nation, not just because you can generate energy, to also be in a very advantageous role when it comes to new technologies like artificial intelligence, as an example. It's an opportunity there. There's a very energy-dependent industry, and so it's something we can work together on. We're always talking about military sales, and this is important. We're very happy that the F-16 program is your program of choice. We hope you'll consider some others as well that we can work together on, because apart from one of the key components of any country's national interests is the ability to protect their people. There is no more important obligation of any government than the ability to protect your own people and your own nation. This is why, by the way, we talk about the importance of our partners having capabilities in NATO. Every time we say this, people, you know, they go crazy. They think, oh, that means you're going to abandon NATO. You're going to abandon your allies. I think the point we're making is that the stronger our allies are, the stronger we are collectively. And so we want to play a positive role in that regard, and you're doing many good things in that space, and we want to thank you and want to continue to work with you on that. So there are many things that we have an opportunity to work together on. But first, thank you for receiving me here on a Sunday, and I try never to burden people on Sundays. It's an important day for me because of my faith, and I know for many of you as well. But I thank you for opening this space to us on this day because we wanted to show, and we are showing, and we are going to show in the weeks and months and years to come that under President Trump, this administration is going to make not just Slovakia but Central Europe a key component of how we engage the continent and the world, and that we are not just going to engage in meetings and pleasantries, but in concrete actions that we will take together in ways that are beneficial to your people and our people, and ways that are beneficial to your country and our country. I'm very excited about this opportunity. I know the President is as well. That's why I'm here. When did we meet? It wasn't too long ago. It was just a few weeks ago.
A few weeks. And here we are. So, and we'll be back, and we'll be sending others back. And I think some members of your team are going to be coming to Washington this week to have a conversation. So, you're going to get used to seeing us, and you're going to get used to dealing with us because we're very happy to be here, and we look forward to working with you very closely.
Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you very much. Questions, please. First question.
You said that NATO is that regarding, you also in the defense cooperation agreement that you wanted to cancel, then you allowed for some changes. Did you mention this topic?
Do you want me to go first? Okay. On NATO, yeah, I don't understand. The United States has thousands and thousands of troops deployed to the NATO mission. And we've made very clear, I think it was made very clear at the summit just a few days ago at the meeting of the defense minister level, we're not leaving NATO. We're not leaving. I mean, we may move a couple thousand troops from one country to another, but this has always been the case. This has always happened. By the way, we are not threatened or feel that it's hostile to see NATO grow in its own capabilities, not independent of the United States, in conjunction with the United States. We don't think it's a negative thing that other countries have more influence in NATO, other partner nations have more influence in NATO, or that other countries within NATO have more capability. We view that as a positive. I see it reported yesterday in some places. Oh, the Europeans are very upset. They're going to be less dependent on America. Now, we never, we don't want Europe to be dependent. Now, we're not asking Europe to be a vassal of the United States. We want to be your partner. We want to work with Europe. We want to work with our allies. We want to work in cooperation with you. And our point has been and continues to be the stronger you are both on an individual basis in terms of countries and collectively as an alliance. The stronger the members of NATO are, the stronger NATO is. That's not minus the United States. That's just common sense. Okay? If you have an alliance made up of countries, the stronger all those members are, the stronger the alliance is, and we want the alliance to be so strong that no one will ever dare test it. No one will ever dare challenge it. So we welcome any measures that are taken to strengthen the alliance by the individual members, and we see that as a very positive thing.
I would just like to mark the question asking the agenda was not on our schedule, but nonetheless, the Minister of Defense and Vice Prime Minister will tell you more about those discussions. But today, it was not part of our discussion.
Thank you very much. Now, second question, Washington Post.
Thanks very much. Mr. Secretary, will the Trump administration consult and inform Congress in advance if it decides to attack Iran or remove the Supreme Leader? It's a question on the minds of many given the major potential consequences of a new war in the Middle East. And also, five European countries issued a joint statement saying Alexei Navalny was most likely poisoned by a toxin found in South America, a South American frog. How come the United States didn't join the statement? Any response to it? And then, Mr. Prime Minister, sorry to interrupt, thank you for your hospitality. On Venezuela, you strongly opposed America's removal of Maduro by force, saying it demonstrates a deepening breakdown of the international order. Do you still feel that way given where we're at now? And also, you've denied saying that you were worried about President Trump's psychological state following your meeting with him in Mar-a-Lago. Can you explain how this was potentially misinterpreted?
Let me go first on your... I'm not going to talk about attacks on Iran or anything of that nature because the President's made clear he prefers diplomacy and an outcome of a negotiated settlement. Now, we're dealing with radical Shia clerics, okay? We're dealing with people who make geopolitical decisions on the basis of pure theology. And it's a complicated thing. I mean, no one's ever been able to do a successful deal with Iran, but we're going to try. Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will be traveling, I think they're traveling right now, to have important meetings, and we'll see how that turns out. And we'll always comply with the applicable laws of the United States in terms of involving Congress in any decisions. But right now, we're not talking about any of that. We are postured in the region for one simple reason, and that is that we understand that there could be threats to our forces in the region. We've seen them be threatened in the past, and we want to make sure that we have sufficient capacity to defend them if, God forbid, that were to happen. We'll follow whatever the law is on it, and it depends on the circumstances that lead to it. But right now, we're talking about negotiations. We are focused on negotiations. That's what the President's made clear. If that changes, it'll be obvious to everyone, and obviously, whatever the law requires us to do, we'll do. With regards to your question about the frog toxin, no, it's a very serious thing. Look, those countries came to that conclusion. They coordinated that. We chose not to join. It doesn't mean we disagree with the outcome. It just wasn't, you know, our endeavor. Sometimes countries go out and do their thing based on the intelligence they've gathered. We obviously are aware of the report. It's a troubling report. We're aware of that case of Mr. Navalny, and certainly, it's, you know, we don't have any reason to question it, or we're not disputing or getting into a fight with these countries over it. But it was their report, and they put that out there. And I mean, let me just make one more point because I think you asked him a question in order to, like, see if you can get him against us with some thing about, oh, you criticize a lot of countries, didn't like what we did in Venezuela. That's okay. That was in our national interest. I'm sure there's something he'll do one day that we don't like, and we'll say, hey, we didn't like you did this. So what? That doesn't mean we're not going to be friends. We're not going to be partners. We're not going to be able to cooperate with one another. Countries express their opinion all the time. We have very close allies that didn't like what we did in that regard. I can tell you what, it was successful. We're proud of it. It was necessary because the guy was a narco-terrorist, and we made him a bunch of offers, and he chose to tear them down. And look what's happened in Venezuela in the six weeks since he's been gone. Okay, it is a... now it's got a long way to go. There's still much work that needs to be done, but I can tell you Venezuela is much better off today than it was six weeks ago. So, you know, we're very proud of that project. And, you know, I know some will disagree and didn't like, but irrespective, I think everyone can now agree that Venezuela has an opportunity at a new future that wasn't there six weeks ago.
Thank you very much. There is no reason to avoid answering our questions. You know, the United States doesn't like this sovereign behavior. They are always trying to create this sovereign, independent behavior. I will not avoid your question. I'm just going to use another example. I decided independently, in the name of sovereign policy, to participate in the celebration of the 80th anniversary of the Second World War and the victory against Nazism. I have thousands of good reasons for that because the Red Army liberated Slovakia in 1944 and 1945. Believe it or not, member states of the EU, two member states of NATO, our partners, did not allow us to fly through their airspace to Russia. I don't remember anyone from the US administration telling me, don't go there. Celebration of the end of the Second World War, the anniversary, the European Union ignored the celebration solely based on political, ideological reasons. I had thousands of good reasons to go to China, and so I went there. It seems strange to me when you meet informally, like when I meet with my colleagues without... I'm mentioning we have to lead discussions. We have dialogue. We have to have dialogue with the Russian president. We cannot say that we are interested in ending this conflict we see today in Ukraine. Now I approach your question like in this manner. I believe not everyone made cooperation regarding energy. So then making up... even focus always... for they do obstacles, they make things up, damages. The second part of your question regarding the first, that's the question regarding Venezuela. 5.5 million. We cannot compare it economically with superpowers which we have today, and we base our work on first principle. We are interested in peaceful cooperation, and because of that, completely different opinions. I do not support some member states of the EU that are interested in continuing the war. The principle of non-interference, not to interfere in internal matters of other countries. You know, it's funny when I go and visit China. We have a great strategic partnership. We talk about how they manage their income. Every country has the right to choose the rule they buy. And that's the question regarding... we have different opinions. As far as I know, the US is not a signatory to the International Court of Justice. We are different on other things. Since the very beginning, we have the same opinions on certain matters that we... and when we disagree, we should have negotiations and come to conclusions. So all reform such principles, and that's the reason why you still... why we didn't, because we believe that it is against international... just like stated our opinion. We did the same. Military for Ukraine is also making of international law. We come the same things in the same manner. We recognize because we see this after a period of time in foreign policy. That's what... and I think the American president, foreign and policy, common sense, privacy, looking at everyone to consider their own interest, of course, considering that it will lead to peaceful cooperation of countries and nations. Thank you for asking questions.
My first question is for Mr. Secretary. Mr. Secretary, yesterday in Munich you said, and you repeated it basically today here, that...
Can you hold the mic up just a little bit there?
