The below is attributable to Deputy Spokesperson Robert Palladino:

Secretary Michael R. Pompeo met today with Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh in Hanoi. Secretary Pompeo thanked the Deputy Prime Minister for Vietnam’s partnership in hosting the President’s February 27-28 summit with D.P.R.K. Chairman Kim Jong Un. The Secretary and the Deputy Prime Minister discussed a wide range of bilateral and regional issues. They affirmed the strength of the U.S.-Vietnam Comprehensive Partnership and our joint efforts to promote peace, security, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region.

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The United States Government confirms the recovery of U.S. Citizen Danny Burch from Yemen.

The United States expresses our deep gratitude to the United Arab Emirates, its people, and its leadership in facilitating the release of Mr. Burch. I applaud the innumerable lines of effort from across the U.S. Government to enable this effort, to include the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs Robert O’Brien, U.S. Embassy Abu Dhabi, and the Hostage Recovery Fusion Cell. These efforts reflect the best of what America and its partners can accomplish.

In 2017, U.S. citizen Danny Burch was taken hostage from Sanaa, Yemen. Today he is safe and secure, and is reunited with his wife and children. The family has asked for privacy as they recover from this ordeal. The safety and well-being of Americans remains one of the highest priorities of the Trump Administration.

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Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary (PDAS) for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Patrick Murphy will travel to the Philippines, New Zealand, and Fiji February 26-March 7.

PDAS Murphy will visit Manila, Philippines February 26-March 1 to support Secretary Pompeo’s visit and meet with Filipino counterparts to discuss issues of mutual interest, in addition to engaging with business and civil society.

March 1-5, he will travel to Wellington, New Zealand to meet with the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Defense, Parliament, and other leaders to discuss the bilateral partnership and cooperation on Indo-Pacific priorities.

In Suva and Nadi Fiji, March 5-7, PDAS Murphy will meet with senior government officials to discuss regional security, economic development, and environmental resilience. He will give closing remarks at the first “Strengthening the U.S. – Pacific Islands Partnership” conference in Nadi co-sponsored by the Department of State and the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). He will also participate in the 6th annual Young Pacific Leaders Initiative conference being held this year in Suva. While in Fiji, he will also meet with Peace Corps volunteers.

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Today, Vice President Pence announced that the United States is providing nearly $56 million in additional humanitarian assistance to support the regional response for the nearly 3.4 million Venezuelans who have fled Venezuela due to the political and economic crisis caused by Nicolas Maduro. This assistance complements the aid that the United States and its partners pre-positioned near the Colombia- and Brazil-Venezuela borders over the last few weeks, and it will provide urgently needed shelter, food, medical services, and livelihoods support that will help the integration of Venezuelans who have fled into host communities in the region.

The United States will continue to pursue all avenues to increase humanitarian assistance to Venezuelans both inside and outside Venezuela. We support the courageous efforts and leadership of Interim President Guaido, National Assembly members, citizens, and partners in the region to deliver humanitarian assistance immediately to those in need inside Venezuela, and we will continue to work with them towards that goal. Now is the time to strengthen our commitment to the brave Venezuelan people.

With this new funding, since Fiscal Year 2017, the United States has provided more than $195 million, including more than $152 million in humanitarian assistance and approximately $43 million in development and economic assistance, since Fiscal Year 2017 to provide life-saving aid and critical basic services to Venezuelans and affected communities and to build the long-term capacity to assist those who have fled repression and chaos in Venezuela.

In addition, as announced by Secretary Pompeo on January 24, the United States is ready to provide more than $20 million in additional funding to support humanitarian assistance activities in Venezuela. This additional funding is going, in part, to the procurement of the humanitarian supplies pre-positioned on the Colombia- and Brazil-Venezuela borders.

We continue to applaud the contributions of the governments and communities in Latin America and the Caribbean that are generously hosting Venezuelan refugees and migrants and permitting the pre-positioning of humanitarian assistance during this time of crisis. We call on other donors to join us in meeting the growing needs in Venezuela and the region.

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Today, the United States took action against four governors aligned with the illegitimate Maduro regime who prevented desperately needed international humanitarian assistance from entering Venezuela and/or engaged in corruption to the detriment of the Venezuelan people, in some cases involving human rights violations. Sanctions were imposed on the governors of the states of Zulia: Omar Prieto, Carabobo: Rafael Lacava, Apure: Ramon Carrizalez, and Vargas: Jorge Garcia Carneiro.

The United States will not stand by idly while the people of Venezuela are denied basic necessities and made to suffer needlessly. These actions have consequences.

We reaffirm our call on Venezuelan officials and security forces to allow urgently needed food and medicine to enter and be distributed throughout the country. This humanitarian assistance must be allowed to reach Venezuelans in need.

U.S. sanctions need not be permanent; they are intended to change behavior. The United States will continue to take appropriate action to respond to the situation in Venezuela as it develops.

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