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Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield
US representative to the UN
New York, New York
September 23, 2022
AS DELIVERED
QUESTION 1: As world leaders gather to address the most critical issues facing the planet, President Biden has some strong words on why Russia’s war on Ukraine should make everyone’s blood run cold. Joining us now is the woman at the center of it all, the United States Ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield. [Applause.] Welcome to the show.
AMBASSADOR LINDA THOMAS-GREENFIELD: Thank you.
QUESTION 1: Madam Ambassador, let’s start with Russia, shall we? Here is Putin. He grows increasingly desperate as the war in Ukraine continues.
AMBASSADOR THOMAS-GREENFIELD: Exactly.
QUESTION 1: He has now issued what you call conscription, and they are running like mad because they do not want to fight in his country. China and India have actually signaled that they will not help him. And now he’s saber rattling about nuclear war, which is very scary to listen to. I’m old enough now to remember the Cuban Missile Crisis –
AMBASSADOR THOMAS-GREENFIELD: Me too.
QUESTION 1: – when JFK made a deal with the Russians, with Khrushchev. Do you think Biden can do something behind the scenes the way Kennedy did during that time to stop this crazy talk and behavior?
AMBASSADOR THOMAS-GREENFIELD: We are in contact with the Russians before they take this terrible action against Ukraine. President Biden talked to Putin, he met with Putin, we talked them out of taking that action. And Putin was determined to do that. They are clearly not ready for diplomacy yet, but we will continue to push them until he decides to stop these efforts to try to wipe Ukraine off the map and intimidate the world into bowing to his will. And that’s not happening. That didn’t happen in New York. [Applause.]
QUESTION 1: Is Biden trying to make a deal, a backroom deal with him to save face and move on?
AMBASSADOR THOMAS-GREENFIELD: There is no backroom deal with people like Putin. He doesn’t understand backroom deals. This attempt was made. So now he is at war with the Ukrainian people. We are strongly behind Ukraine; they defeat him. The rattling of sabers you describe is a sign of a person who is desperate. He is on his back heels. And he just makes every attempt to intimidate us. And we simply will not bow to this intimidation.
QUESTION 2: Madam Ambassador, thank you very much for being here. Iran is in the news again – after the murder of Mahsa Amini and the violent protests in the streets and women standing up for their rights. I know you are a big advocate for human rights and women’s rights abroad. But I have to ask, as the Biden administration contemplates re-entering nuclear talks with Iran, can we trust that the world’s largest state sponsor of terror is actually a true negotiating partner?
AMBASSADOR THOMAS-GREENFIELD: Over the past year, we have tried to negotiate with the Iranians. We actually put a deal on the table that we think is a good deal that they should accept. Our ultimate goal in our national interest is that Iran will never have access to a nuclear weapon. So, we’ve cleared that up. We think the Iran deal is the best way to avoid that. And we will continue to engage in diplomacy to find a way forward.
Separate from that though is what we see happening in Iran today and what they have done in terms of committing human rights abuses against their own people. And we have taken action to apprehend these individuals, the moral police as they are called, and those involved in the security sector who commit human rights abuses. Only yesterday we imposed sanctions on them. [Applause.]
QUESTION 3: Madam Ambassador, you have served in diplomatic posts – many people may not know this – all over the world, from Liberia to Switzerland to Pakistan. But you come from very humble roots, much like mine, growing up not in the Bronx, but in the segregated South—the deeply segregated South—in a neighborhood frequented by the KKK. Your father could not read or write. And you were the first person in your family to graduate from high school, going on to attend LSU with classmates like David Duke. Can you tell us more about that and how it shaped your worldview?
AMBASSADOR THOMAS-GREENFIELD: I’m looking at the picture you show. [Laughter.] That’s where I started. I graduated from a segregated high school outside of Baker, Louisiana, where I grew up. And I was going to go to Louisiana State University, and it was only four miles down the road, to be honest. But it could be 1000 miles away. Because it was a new world for me because I grew up in the environment that I grew up in. And it was a challenge. But looking back at the challenges, the challenges are what created the person you see sitting in front of you today. [Applause.]
QUESTION 4: Madam Ambassador, in your 35 years of foreign service, you have developed your own signature negotiating style that seems to harken back to those humble roots. It’s called gumbo diplomacy. [Laughter.] Can you tell us a little bit about that?
QUESTION 3: Do you make good gumbo? [Laughter.]
AMBASSADOR THOMAS-GREENFIELD: I make good gumbo. [Laughter.] I make good gumbo. I’m sure there are family members looking at this now and saying please. [Laughter.] But for me, it was about bringing a piece of home to the places I served and using what I learned in my environment at home to develop connections, build friendships, and fulfill my responsibilities as a diplomat abroad.
QUESTION 4: Because that’s what your father used to do, like cook for people?
AMBASSADOR THOMAS-GREENFIELD: My father, my mother, my brothers still cook for everyone today. And people always knew they could eat well at the Thomases. So, all my college friends always knew they could get a good meal at my apartment, even if it was just red beans and rice. And over the course of my career, I made it part of my signature engagement and made gumbo for people like the President of Liberia, President Sirleaf. [Applause.]
QUESTION 4: You got that gumbo on the road. [Laughter.]
AMBASSADOR THOMAS-GREENFIELD: I did. And I made gumbo –
QUESTION 1: So food is love. Food is love.
AMBASSADOR THOMAS-GREENFIELD: Food is love. Food is at home.
QUESTION 4: And that’s culture.
AMBASSADOR THOMAS-GREENFIELD: And that’s culture. It is.
QUESTION 5: And that’s diplomacy.
AMBASSADOR THOMAS-GREENFIELD: And that’s diplomacy. Thank you. [Laughter.]
QUESTION 1: Well, we’re going to take a break, but we’re going to keep you here a little longer. We’ll have more with US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield.
[Applause.]
QUESTION 1: We’re back with US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield.
Anna, do you have a question?
QUESTION 5: yes, well, ambassador, we spoke at the break. And I just want to tell you how grateful I am that there are little girls who can look at the screen right now and see people who look like them and see women in that role. [Applause.] I remember how much [inaudible] UN ambassadors meant a lot to me as a little girl. So, thank you for the introduction. [Applause.]
We are seeing a shift in migration patterns. It’s been in the news a lot this week because of the things Governor DeSantis has been pulling. But we have seen a shift in migration patterns from Latin America. First there were many people coming from the Northern Triangle and Central America. Now we’re seeing more and more, it’s people from Venezuela, it’s people from Nicaragua, it’s people from Cuba. And you know, I know how important and meaningful international solidarity is – the international community speaking openly. I feel like it’s not talked about much. And I’m a refugee from Nicaragua, so this hits very close to home. Tell us what the United Nations can do to stand up to the likes of Nicolás Maduro and Daniel Ortega and the remnants of the Castro regime in Cuba?
AMBASSADOR THOMAS-GREENFIELD: Well, first and foremost, one thing I’ve been proud of in my 35 years of service overseas is that our country has always welcomed refugees. We have always welcomed people fleeing persecution and people fleeing the situation in Venezuela, fleeing the situation in Nicaragua, fleeing persecution, they are fleeing communism, they are fleeing human rights abuses, and we must welcome these people. in our country. At the United Nations, the Human Rights Council is an important tool for holding states accountable for human rights abuses against their citizens. And this is where we need to push for more recognition of the situation that is happening in these countries. But more than what we’re doing here in the United States, we need to do a better job of meeting—
QUESTION 5: Didn’t we leave the Human Rights Council under Trump?
AMBASSADOR THOMAS-GREENFIELD: But we’re back. We joined the first day of administration. [Applause.]
QUESTION 5: Okay.
QUESTION 1: So thank you very much for coming. We really appreciate it. It was nice to meet you.
QUESTION 3: Next time you can bring gumbo. [Laughter.]
AMBASSADOR THOMAS-GREENFIELD: It’s a deal. It’s a deal. Thank you so much. I really enjoyed being here.
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