Blinken spells out US priorities in the Americas

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken spoke about the Biden administration's priorities in the Western Hemisphere at the State Department in advance of next month's Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles.

Blinken said this year's summit comes at a challenging time, given that COVID-19 has claimed the lives of 2.7 million men, women and children in our hemisphere, 40% of global reported deaths. He said "It's the highest per capita loss of any region in the world.” Blinken also said many pre-existing economic conditions around the globe have been made worse by the situation in Ukraine. Blinken said countries in the hemisphere should not give up on free markets and trade, "but to set the terms of trade and investment in ways that benefit all citizens, not just those on the very top."