Julian Assange: US rejects Australia’s calls to end pursuit of WikiLeaks founder during Ausmin talks

Australia’s Richard Marles and Penny Wong with the US’s Antony Blinken and Lloyd Austin at a press conference after Ausmin talks in Brisbane. Photograph: Pat Hoelscher/AFP/Getty Images

The US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, has pushed back at the Australian government’s calls to end the pursuit of Julian Assange, insisting that the WikiLeaks founder is alleged to have “risked very serious harm to our national security”.

After high-level talks in Brisbane largely focused on military cooperation, Blinken confirmed that the Australian government had raised the case with the US on multiple occasions, and said he understood “the concerns and views of Australians”.