HEADLINES, BACK TO YOU.
MARIA: ALL RIGHT, CHERYL, THANK
YOU SO MUCH.
ANTONY BLINKEN SPEAKING AT NATO
HEADQUARTERS SAYING ALLIANCE IS
AT A PIVOTAL MOMENT.
BLINKEN PLEDGED TO BUILD U.S.
ALLIANCES AND PLANS ON POSSIBLE
TROOP WITHDRAWAL FROM
AFGHANISTAN.
WATCH.
>> WE ARE UNITED WITH NATO
ALLIES TO END RESPONSIBLE END TO
CONFLICT AND REMOVE TROOPS FROM
HARM’S WAY AS WE WERE
COLLECTIVELY DETERMINE TODAY
ENSURE THAT AFGHANISTAN NEVER
AGAIN BECOMES A SAFE HAVEN FOR
TERRORISTS WHO COULD THREATEN
THE UNITED STATES OR OUR ALLIES.
MARIA: JOINING ME RIGHT NOW IS
FOX NEWS SENIOR STRATEGIC
ANALYST GENERAL JACK KEANE AND
GENERAL, ALWAYS A PLEASURE TO
SEE YOU, THANK YOU FOR BEING
HERE.
GENERAL, I WANT TO ASK YOU ABOUT
AFGHANISTAN, WE’VE TALKED ABOUT
THIS A LOT.
FIRST, WE ARE EVERY MORNING
TALKING ABOUT THE BORDER SURGE.
THIS IS CERTAINLY ENGULFING THE
ENTIRE AGENDA AT THE
ADMINISTRATION RIGHT NOW, WHAT’S
GOING ON AT OUR SOUTHERN BORDER.
I WANT TO GET YOUR THOUGHTS ON
THE NATIONAL SECURITY RISK THAT
IS WE ARE FAZING GIVEN THE SURGE
AT THE BORDER.
WE ARE TALKING ABOUT, GENERAL,
THOUSANDS OF MIGRANTS SHOWING UP
EVERY DAY.
>> IT’S HARD TO MAINTAIN
SOVEREIGNTY AS A NATION IF YOU
HAVE AN OPEN BORDER AND YOU’RE
NOT CHECKING PEOPLE WHO ARE
COMING IN.
THAT’S ESSENTIALLY WHAT IS
HAPPENING HERE.
AND I THINK -- I MEAN, IT’S
CLEARLY IN VIOLATION OF THE
UNITED STATES LAW.
AND WE HAD THE SECRETARY OF
HOMELAND SECURITY SUGGESTING
THAT THE BORDER IS, IN FACT,
SECURE AND CLOSED WHEN THE
EVIDENCE IS INDISPUTABLE AND
IT’S NOT.
IT’S WIDE OPEN.
WE HAVE KNOWN TO THE FACT THAT
IN ADDITION TO MIGRANTS COMING
ACROSS, THERE’S ALSO SERIOUS
DRUG TRAFFICKERS AND THERE’S
ALSO PEOPLE WHO ARE ON OUR WATCH
LIST, THREE PEOPLE ARRESTED IN
THE LAST 60 DAYS WHO ARE FROM
OTHER COUNTRIES NOT LATIN
AMERICAN COUNTRIES BUT COUNTRIES
THAT HAVE HISTORICALLY HOLD THE
RADICAL ISLAMIC VIEWS AT LEAST
INSIDE SOME OF THEIR POPULATION
AND THEY SEE THAT THE BORDER IS
OPEN SO, YEAH, IT’S A NATIONAL
SECURITY ISSUE AND IN ADDITION
TO HUMANITARIAN CRISIS.
MARIA: WHILE WE’VE GOT CHINA AS
A HUGE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM AND
NOW AFGHANISTAN AS WELL.
REAL QUICK ON AFGHANISTAN, WHAT
DID YOU HEAR FROM BLINKEN AT THE
NATO HEADQUARTERS TODAY BEFORE I
GET ONTO CHINA?
>> WELL, WE HAVE A ONE-MAY
DEADLINE TO REMOVE U.S. TROOPS
FROM AFGHANISTAN BASED ON
PRESIDENT TRUMP’S DECREE.
AND THE UNITED STATES IS MOVING
TOWARDS THAT END.
GIVEN THE FACT THAT NEGOTIATIONS
ARE STALLED, THE SO-CALLED PEACE
TALKS, THAT THERE IS NO CEASE
FIRE AND THERE’S NO ENFORCEABLE
PEACE AGREEMENT IN THE NEAR
FUTURE.
I THINK THE LOGICAL THING TO DO
AND LIKELY WHAT THE BIDEN
ADMINISTRATION WILL DO IS EXTEND
THAT DEADLINE TO SOME TIME PAST
1 MAY, MAYBE ANOTHER 6 TO 8
MONTHS TO GIVE THE PEACE
AGREEMENT AN OPPORTUNITY TO GET
BACK TOGETHER WHICH THEY ARE
SUPPOSED TO DO NEXT WEEK, THE
PEACE NEW YORK OTHERS AND TO SEE
IF THEY CAN CARVE OUT WHICH
SHOULD HAVE BEEN DONE IN MY
MIND.
MARIA: YEAH.
>> THAT’S WHERE I THINK WHERE
THEY ARE.
I THINK PRESIDENT BIDEN DOES
WANT TO GET OUT OF AFGHANISTAN.
HE SIGNALED THAT BUT RIGHT NOW
GIVEN THE TURMOIL THAT’S THERE
AND THE LACK OF STABILITY, IT IS
A PLACE WHERE AL-QAEDA CAN
THREATEN THE SECURITY OF THE
UNITED STATES AND THAT’S OUR
NUMBER 1 CONCERN. MARIA: ALL OF THIS AS THE BIGGER
MARIA: ALL OF THIS AS THE BIGGER
ISSUE AROUND CHINA CONTINUES TO
REBURBURATE AND EUROPEAN UNION
ANNOUNCING SANCTIONS TO CHINESE
OFFICIALS TIED WITH ABUSES
AGAINST THE UIGHURS.
WE ARE UNITED IN CALLING FOR
CHINA TO END REPRESSIVE
PRACTICES AGAINST UIGHUR MUSLIM
AND OTHER MINORITY GROUPS AND
RELEASE THOSE ARBITRARILY
DETAINED.
GENERAL, IT’S GOOD TO SEE THAT
THE UNITED STATES HAS ALLIES ON
THIS ISSUE.
BUT YOU’RE NOT REALLY SEEING
THAT KIND OF PUSHBACK FROM OUR
ALLIES.
WHAT DO YOU WANT TO SEE TO
ACTUALLY THINK THAT THIS WILL
MOVE THE NEEDLE FOR THE CCP OR
WILL ANY OF IT MOVE THE NEEDLE
AT ALL FOR THE CHINESE COMMUNIST PARTY?
>> WELL, FIRST OF ALL, THIS WILL
-- CHANGE BEHAVIOR AND TREATMENT
OF UIGHURS AND CRUSHING HONG
KONG’S DEMOCRACY, HE HAS GROWING
INTERNATIONAL HEADWINDS THAT HE
DIDN’T HAVE FOR THE LARGER PART
OF THE TENURE AS PRESIDENT AND
CHAIRMAN.
SO THAT’S A FACT.
AND THIS IS A VERY GOOD THING
THAT’S TAKING PLACE HERE AS YOU
CITED IN THE INTRODUCTION.
BUT AS BLINKEN GOES INTO NATO,
WHAT HE WANTS TO DO IS
STRENGTHEN THE TRANSALANTIC
ALLIANCE AND THAT’S CRITICAL AND
IMPORTANT AND I THINK WHAT HE’S
GOING TO DO GET MUCH CLOSER TO
EUROPEANS AND REMOVE SOME OF THE
STRESS THAT WAS IN THE
RELATIONSHIP THAT HE BELIEVES
WAS THERE UNNECESSARILY SO
BETWEEN THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION
AND OUR EUROPEAN ALLIES.
AND I THINK FOR THE FIRST TIME
WE HAD A PRESIDENT WHO
QUESTIONED WHY ARE WE DOING ALL
THE HEAVY LIFTING IN NATO AND
THE ALLIES THEMSELVES ARE NOT
EVEN MEETING THEIR OWN FINANCIAL
OBJECTIVES AND THAT BECAME THE
RUB EARLY ON IN THE TRUMP
ADMINISTRATION.
THE GOOD NEWS IS A LOT OF THOSE
COUNTRIES HAVE NOW IMPROVED
THEIR CONTRIBUTION TO THEIR OWN
DEFENSES AS TO WHAT IT SHOULD
BE.
MY CONCERNED ABOUT NATO HAS
BEEN, IS THAT THE NATO COUNTRIES
BY IN LARGE PUT THEIR ECONOMIC
SELF-INTEREST AHEAD OF THEIR OWN
SECURITY AND THE COLLECTIVE
SECURITY OF NATO.
YOU CAN SEE IT IN THE DEAL THAT
THE EU JUST MADE WITH CHINA
WHILE THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION
WAS IN TRANSITION AND THE BIDEN
ADMINISTRATION WAS SAYING, NO,
DON’T MAKE THAT DEAL.
LET US COME INTO OFFICE AND LET
US NEGOTIATE WITH YOU AND TALK
ABOUT RESTRUCTURING SOMETHING
LIKE THAT.
BUT THEY WENT OFF AND DID IT AND
IGNORED THE BIDEN
ADMINISTRATION.
AND ALSO WHEN IT COMES TO IRAN,
THEY PUT THEIR ECONOMIC INTEREST
IN DEALING WITH IRAN FINANCIALLY
AHEAD OF THEIR OWN SECURITY AND
STABILITY IN THE MIDDLE EAST.
THESE ARE THE CONCERNS --
MARIA: I SHARE THOSE CONCERN --
I WAS GOING SAY THAT.
>> HOPEFULLY HE WILL BRING IT UP
PRIVATELY.
MARIA: I WAS GOING TO SAY ABOUT
THAT IRAN BUT I KNOW THAT WE
HAVE SEEN SOME AGREEMENT WHEN IT
COMES TO HAUWEI IN EUROPE BUT WE
ARE STILL WAITING FOR PLACES
LIKE GERMANY TO UNDERSTAND THE
IMPLICATIONS OF USING A HAUWEI
INFRASTRUCTURE.
THIS IS SOMETHING THAT THE TRUMP
ADMINISTRATION WAS BATTLING AS
WELL.
>> YEAH, ABSOLUTELY.
GERMANY HAS THE LARGEST ECONOMY
IN EUROPE.
THEY -- ON A PER CAPITA BASIS
THEY ARE MAKING ONE OF THE LEAST
CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE NATO
DEFENSE.
THEY ARE OPENING UP A PIPELINE
WITH RUSSIA AND THE EUROPEAN
COUNTRIES THEMSELVES ARE
SCREAMING AT THEM TELLING THEM
IT’S NOT A GOOD THING AND IT’S
GOING TO MAKE GERMANY AND EUROPE
TOO DEPENDENT ON RUSSIA AND DO
AT THE EXPENSE OF UKRAINE,
POLAND AND OTHER ALLIES AND BE
PENALIZED BY THIS DEAL.
IT’S A CLEAR EXAMPLE OF ECONOMIC
SELF-INTEREST COMING FIRST.
WE’VE HAD A DIFFICULT PROBLEM
WITH ÁNGELA MERKEL FOR A NUMBER
OF YEARS NOW AND NO
SELF-ECONOMIC INTEREST AND
SOCIAL ISSUES INSIDE THE COUNTRY
DOMINATING THE POLITICS OF
GERMANY.
CHANGE OF ADMINISTRATION COMING
IN SEPTEMBER.
WE WILL SEE IF THERE’S
IMPROVEMENT HERE.
MARIA: YEAH, LOOK, WE SEE THE
FACT THAT THEY JAMMED DEAL WITH
CHINA DURING THE TRANSITION
PERIOD OF BIDEN.
GENERAL, GREAT TO SEE YOU.
ALL WONDERFUL POINTS AND WE SO