Transcript: National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan on “Face the Nation,” June 9, 2024

The following is a transcript of an interview with National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan on “Face the Nation” that aired June 9, 2024.

MARGARET BRENNAN: We start with President Biden’s National Security Advisor, Jake Sullivan, who joins us from Paris. Jake, it’s good to have you back with us. I wonder if all the hostages can be rescued in these operations like the ones we saw carried out successfully in Gaza yesterday? Or do you need to go back to the negotiating table?

NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR JAKE SULLIVAN: Look, Margaret, by far the most effective, right and sure way to get all the hostages out is to get a comprehensive ceasefire and hostage agreement that President Biden outlined in public a few days ago, which Israel has accepted, and now we are waiting for Hamas’ response. If Hamas said yes to this deal, there would be a ceasefire in effect, the hostages would return home, more humanitarian aid would arrive, and a better day for the Palestinian people would begin to unfold. So what we would like to see is for this deal to come to fruition, because it is the safest way to get the hostages home.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Jake, I know the U.S. provided intelligence support to this military operation. Are you concerned that this could jeopardize the chances of this diplomatic agreement? And is there an expiry date by which Yahya Sinwar must respond to this offer?

JAKE SULLIVAN: It’s a fair question, Margaret, what will Hamas do in terms of calculating this deal after this operation. And I, of course, cannot put myself in the head of a Hamas terrorist. But the fact is that the whole world is waiting for Hamas to say yes, because for all those people, all these months, who have been calling for a ceasefire, now is the time. There could be a ceasefire tomorrow, even today, if Hamas said yes to the deal. So from our perspective, the world needs to continue to reinforce that message very clearly and strongly. We have not yet received an official response – response from Hamas. We are waiting for one. We are waiting to hear from the Qataris and the Egyptians who are the mediators in communicating with them, and we will continue to reinforce the message: accept the agreement until we get that answer.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Jake, I was looking back at comments you made about this program just a week after that horrible attack on Israel on October 7th, and even in the early days, you were pushing the Israeli government for a clear plan about what they’re going to do. . do in Gaza the day after the end of the war. Has Netanyahu accepted any of the US proposals or suggestions? Did he present anything to his own war cabinet?

JAKE SULLIVAN: We have a detailed discussion with our Israeli counterparts about the day ahead. But we have also been clear, as I said, from the beginning, that a military strategy to defeat a terrorist group must be linked to a political and humanitarian strategy and a logical strategic end. And too often throughout this conflict, we have not seen that clear connection, and we have continued to reinforce the need for Israel to exert pressure, to ensure that it has a holistic strategy to ensure the lasting defeat of Hamas and to ensure a better day of peace and stability. for both Israelis and Palestinians. This is something we will continue to talk to them about every day. It’s something the President talks about directly with the Prime Minister and, frankly, it’s something we have hard-earned experience about and can share from our own efforts to deal with terrorist organizations in entrenched insurgencies in other parts of the world. .

MARGARET BRENNAN: So it appears that no, there is no agreement on that yet. Do you hope to have one when the Israeli prime minister speaks to Congress next month?

JAKE SULLIVAN: Well, my hope is that by the time the Israeli prime minister addresses Congress, which will be near the end of July, we will have implemented this ceasefire and hostage agreement. We will be building a future in which Israel is secure, the Palestinian people have a future of freedom, dignity and self-determination, Israel is integrated into the region with better relations with its Arab neighbors, and the region in general is more stable and secure, which It is deeply in America’s interest. All this, Margaret, is not just fanciful. All of this is available as the steps that could follow the entry into force of an agreement, and an agreement, as I said, could enter into force as soon as this very time for Hamas to say yes. This would be the starting gun for a better future for everyone in the region and for the full guarantee of America’s vital interests and a reflection of our values.

MARGARET BRENNAN: President Biden gave an interview to Time magazine that was published last week, and was asked if he saw evidence of Israeli war crimes in Gaza. He said “the answer is uncertain and has been investigated by the Israelis themselves.” He rejected the idea that Israel was starving people to death as part of its war strategy. But he also said, “I think they engaged in inappropriate activities.” What would you say is inappropriate?

JAKE SULLIVAN: Well, actually, Margaret, a few weeks ago, the State Department published a comprehensive report that didn’t just speak in generalities, but also addressed specific incidents that raised real concerns…

MARGARET BRENNAN: –And it was inconclusive, which is what the Secretary of State said about this program at that time.

JAKE SULLIVAN: – Right, and that’s exactly what the president said when he was asked the question. We do not have enough information to reach definitive conclusions about specific incidents or to make legal decisions, but we do have enough information to worry – more than worry, our hearts break at the loss of innocent Palestinian lives. The President himself has said publicly that the Palestinians, innocent Palestinians, are going through real hell in this conflict, and much of that is due to the fact that Hamas has put them in an impossible situation. Hamas hides among the civilian population, holds hostages among the civilian population, fires at the IDF from behind the civilian population. And so, yes, we asked Israel to take steps to be more precise and targeted in its military operations. But there is only one answer to all of this, and it is the answer I keep coming back to, and that is a ceasefire and a hostage agreement that would end the suffering, end the conflict, end the war and bring all the hostages to House. This is what President Biden has vigorously and tirelessly defended in recent days. The G7 asked for this. Our Arab partners called for this. Even the United Nations is mobilizing to demand this. Therefore, it is time for Hamas to come to the table, say yes, and end all the suffering that is occurring in Gaza right now.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Yes, but of all those who supported the idea of ​​ending the war through these negotiations, Prime Minister Netanyahu, as you know, has not said publicly that he supports it. When the Prime Minister comes to the US to address Congress, will he meet with President Biden?

JAKE SULLIVAN: I have nothing to announce today, and as you know, schedulers run the White House, so I’m not in a position to announce visits like this in advance. He’s coming to speak in Congress. The President talks to him all the time, has regular communication with him. You will continue to have regular communication with him. And if we have anything to share in this regard, we will definitely share it.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, we’ll be watching, because we know there’s tension there. I want to ask you, since you’re in Europe, I know you’ll be spending a lot of time there. This month, the President recently approved authorization for Ukraine to use US-supplied weapons to fire across the Russian border, a restricted area but which remains a new political option here. Did it make a difference on the battlefield?

JAKE SULLIVAN: Well, I have a habit of letting the Ukrainians speak for themselves about their military operations and their impact. All I will say is that, from the President’s point of view, this was common sense. What was happening around Kharkiv, which was new only in the last few months, was a Russian offensive where they were moving from one side of the border directly to the other side of the border, and that just didn’t make sense, not to allow for the Ukrainians to fire across that border, to target Russian weapons and positions that were firing at the Ukrainians. So the president authorized this. The Ukrainians fulfilled this authorization on the battlefield. And one thing I would like to point out is that the dynamics of this operation in Kharkiv have stagnated. Now, Kharkiv is still under threat, but the Russians have been unable to make material progress on the ground in recent days in that area, and the United States will continue to support Ukraine in holding the line and suppressing Russian aggressor forces. .

MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, as you know, Vladimir Putin said in response to this that Russia has the option of arming Western adversaries. In response, one of his top advisors here in Washington on Friday gave a rather remarkable speech, Jake, in which he said that the US may soon need to increase its arsenal of strategic nuclear weapons, given the expanding arsenals of adversaries. of America. He has seen evidence that Russia, China, North Korea and Iran are sharing nuclear technology right now, and what would lead President Biden to make that decision?

JAKE SULLIVAN: Well, Margaret, I can’t talk about intelligence issues, especially highly sensitive intelligence issues relating to nuclear capability. But what I can say is that we are worried. We are concerned about cooperation between the countries you just mentioned and we are concerned about the advancement of the nuclear arsenals of countries like China and Russia, as well as North Korea. This is something we are focused on. We are closely analyzing and will consult with our allies and partners on the best path forward to ensure a safe, reliable, and credible nuclear deterrent for the United States. We don’t make decisions. We will monitor the situation closely and will also listen to bipartisan calls, including from a recent panel of experts who asked us to at least keep the possibility we just described on the table. It’s something we’ll be making decisions about in the coming months and years.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Is this because China has rejected your attempts at arms control?

JAKE SULLIVAN: Well, actually, Margaret, in recent months China has demonstrated a greater willingness, not a lesser willingness, to engage with us on issues related to proliferation and arms control. These are nascent conversations. It’s nothing like the kind of intense arms control negotiations we had with the Soviet Union at the height of the Cold War or with Russia in the post-Cold War era, but it’s the beginning of a dialogue, and we’ll continue on that path. while also ensuring that we have a credible nuclear deterrent so that the United States is safe and all of our allies are safe.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Jake Sullivan, thank you so much for joining us from Paris.

JAKE SULLIVAN: Thanks for having me.