US State Department spokesman Ned Price to step down

The US State Department said its spokesperson, Ned Price, will step down this month after more than two years to take a new position reporting to Secretary of State Anthony Blinken

Blinken said in a statement that Price has provided more than 200 briefings to reporters and served as the face and voice of US foreign policy

“Ned helped the US government defend and elevate press freedom around the world, and he was a model of the transparency and openness that we advocate for in other countries,” Blinken added.

Sean Tandon, president of the State Department Correspondents' Association, praised Price for taking back the daily press briefings for the department and facing the scrutiny of journalists, as happened in the case of the US withdrawal from Afghanistan

Price was sworn in on behalf of the department on January 20, 2021, the day Joe Biden was inaugurated as President of the United States. His tenure saw key events such as Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the chaotic withdrawal of US diplomats and other personnel from Afghanistan