Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Sunday that it is unlikely the United States will have an “on-the-ground diplomatic presence” in Afghanistan after withdrawing on August 31st.

Last week Blinken said that efforts to help evacuations would “continue every day” past the deadline. That August 31st deadline is this week.

Chuck Todd spoke with Blinken on Meet the Press and asked if the United States will have a diplomatic presence on the ground on September 1st.

“In terms of having an on-the-ground diplomatic presence on September 1st, that’s not likely to happen,” Blinken responded.

He added that “our commitment to continue to help people leave Afghanistan who want to leave and who are not out by September 1st — that endures, there’s no deadline on that effort.”

Blinken pointed to public comments from a Taliban official about people being able to travel after August 31st.

“Now, of course, we don’t take the Taliban at their word, we take them by their deed. And that’s what we’re going to be looking to.”

He brought up a joint statement from over 100 countries, the United States included, saying they’ll hold the Taliban to their promises.

You can watch above, via NBC.

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