In this context, a “Readout” is an official public summary issued by a government (here, the U.S. State Department’s Office of the Spokesperson) describing the main points of a diplomatic meeting or call. It is not a full transcript, but a short, curated account of what was discussed and how the meeting was characterized.
Christopher Landau is an American lawyer and diplomat who has served as the U.S. Deputy Secretary of State since March 25, 2025. As Deputy Secretary, he is the principal deputy and adviser to the Secretary of State, helps manage the State Department and its foreign‑policy work, and serves as Acting Secretary when the Secretary is absent. Landau previously served as U.S. Ambassador to Mexico from 2019 to 2021.
Maxime Prévot is a Belgian politician from the centrist Les Engagés party. Since February 2025 he has been Belgium’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Affairs and Development Cooperation, making him the country’s top diplomat. He previously served as mayor of Namur and has long experience as a federal and regional parliamentarian and party leader.
The official readout does not state where the January 5, 2026 meeting took place, and there is no publicly available official source that clearly identifies the location. Based on current information, the location cannot be determined with confidence.
The Office of the Spokesperson is the unit within the U.S. Department of State that handles public and media communications about U.S. foreign policy, including press briefings, statements, and readouts. Tommy (Thomas) Pigott has served as the Department’s Principal Deputy Spokesperson since March 10, 2025; in that role he is a senior official who helps lead the press operation and often delivers or is credited with official statements like this readout.
In U.S.–Belgium talks, “commerce, security, and migration” usually refer to: • Commerce: two‑way trade and investment (Belgium hosts many U.S. companies; annual goods‑and‑services trade is around $74 billion), cooperation on supply chains, technology, and economic policy. • Security: NATO and defense cooperation, counterterrorism, cyber and hybrid threats, and coordination on regional crises (including in Europe and the Middle East). • Migration: managing migration and asylum flows, border security, and humanitarian/refugee issues, often coordinated through EU and transatlantic frameworks. These are longstanding pillars of the U.S.–Belgium bilateral relationship.