Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Tuesday that the Biden administration’s foreign policy will be determined first and foremost by the country’s interest, not public opinion.
Blinken said he doesn’t see signs of public support for Ukraine and the U.S. providing aid in the country’s war against Russia waning, but added that regardless of what poll numbers say, it will continue to be in America’s interest to help its Eastern European partner. Blinken was asked about a poll seemingly indicating that American support for Ukraine was softening if no end goal is determined, and what the administration will do if public opinion continues to turn.
“We don’t do policy by polls, we do policy based on the interests of the United States. And the interests of the United States are clearly in supporting and helping Ukraine defend itself against this aggression from Russia,” Blinken said. “I think Americans across the board care about a situation in which one country is trying to bully another, and to do terrible damage to the country, to its people… Beyond that, I think there’s an understanding that what’s at stake in Ukraine are vitally important principles that go to peace and security around the world.”
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The Secretary of State said he hadn’t seen the poll in question, which still showed that Americans were broadly supporting of providing aid to Ukraine as it fends off an invasion from Russia that began in February.
“The notion that one nation can’t simply try to redraw the borders of another by force… I think Americans know and understand that if we let something like that go with impunity, then we’re likely to see a pandora’s box open where aggressors around the world will get a message that they’re free to proceed,” Blinken continued.
He went on to clarify that public opinion does, of course, matter in foreign policy, but that he’s confident the American people understand the message the Biden administration is sending regarding the issue. (RELATED: Moscow Reports Third Long-Range Drone Strike On Russian Airfield In Two Days)
“Of course, and President Biden has said this many times, no foreign policy can be effectively sustained without the informed consent of the American people,” he said. “So it’s always important for us to make sure that we’re communicating, and that we’re hearing from Americans… but the hallmark to date of our efforts in support of Ukraine have been very strong bipartisan support. I don’t see signs of that ending.”
Blinken was speaking at a joint press conference with Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, alongside Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Deputy Prime Minister for Defense Richard Marles. Blinken and Austin were also asked about Taiwan, which was a topic of discussion between the leaders. Some supporters of aiding Ukraine have argued that abandoning Ukraine in its fight against Russia will send a message to China that Taiwan is free for the taking, an argument Blinken seemingly alluded to in his response.