WEBVTT 00:08.240 --> 00:10.462 Good afternoon . Happy monday . Good to 00:10.462 --> 00:12.684 see everyone . Just one item at the top 00:12.684 --> 00:14.740 and then we'll take your questions . 00:14.740 --> 00:16.462 The United States condemns the 00:16.462 --> 00:18.629 overnight attack by the Houthis on the 00:18.629 --> 00:20.684 United Arab Emirates in Saudi Arabia 00:20.684 --> 00:22.851 which resulted in civilian injuries in 00:22.851 --> 00:24.907 Saudi Arabia . And follows a similar 00:24.907 --> 00:26.796 Houthi encouraging last week that 00:26.796 --> 00:28.907 killed three civilians in abu Dhabi . 00:28.907 --> 00:30.851 We reaffirm our commitment to help 00:30.851 --> 00:33.073 strengthen the defense of our Saudi and 00:33.073 --> 00:35.296 emirati partners . These attacks on the 00:35.296 --> 00:37.518 U . A . E . And Saudi Arabia as well as 00:37.518 --> 00:39.684 recent airstrikes in Yemen that killed 00:39.684 --> 00:41.462 civilians represent a troubling 00:41.462 --> 00:43.518 escalation that only exacerbates the 00:43.518 --> 00:45.518 suffering of the Yemeni people . We 00:45.518 --> 00:47.684 call on all parties to the conflict to 00:47.684 --> 00:49.920 commit to a ceasefire . It by abide by 00:49.920 --> 00:52.031 their obligations under international 00:52.031 --> 00:53.976 humanitarian law , including those 00:53.976 --> 00:56.142 related to protection of all civilians 00:56.142 --> 00:58.476 and participate fully in an inclusive U . 00:58.476 --> 01:00.890 N . Led peace process . The Yemeni 01:00.890 --> 01:02.779 people urgently need a diplomatic 01:02.779 --> 01:05.001 solution to the conflict . A diplomatic 01:05.001 --> 01:07.168 solution that improves their lives and 01:07.168 --> 01:09.279 allows them to collectively determine 01:09.279 --> 01:11.223 their own future . With that , I'm 01:11.223 --> 01:14.150 happy to turn to your questions . Yes . 01:14.160 --> 01:16.850 Well , I'll start back there as I as I 01:16.850 --> 01:20.660 promised please . Okay , great . 01:25.440 --> 01:27.730 The last thing they so these attacks 01:27.730 --> 01:29.990 have been accelerated lately , are we 01:29.990 --> 01:32.390 going to see now the same acceleration 01:32.390 --> 01:35.420 in the consideration process by the by 01:35.420 --> 01:38.170 the administration to enlist on the 01:38.170 --> 01:42.150 terrorist attack . Sorry . And let 01:42.160 --> 01:43.160 them back on the 01:44.910 --> 01:47.730 acceleration with the resulted in the 01:47.730 --> 01:50.000 same acceleration in the consideration 01:50.000 --> 01:52.480 process . That's been taken care by the 01:52.490 --> 01:54.712 by the administration regarding putting 01:54.712 --> 01:57.130 them back on the tourists . So your 01:57.130 --> 01:59.130 question is about the status of the 01:59.130 --> 02:00.630 Houthis uh and a potential 02:00.630 --> 02:02.686 redesignation . Well , as you know , 02:02.686 --> 02:04.797 the president spoke to this last week 02:04.797 --> 02:06.741 when he spoke to the nation in his 02:06.741 --> 02:08.963 press conference uh last Wednesday , he 02:08.963 --> 02:10.630 said that the question of the 02:10.630 --> 02:12.797 redesignation potential re designation 02:12.797 --> 02:15.660 of Ansar Allah , the name for the 02:15.670 --> 02:18.200 Houthi movement um is under 02:18.200 --> 02:20.367 consideration . Uh and so I'm not in a 02:20.367 --> 02:23.790 position to discuss any potential uh 02:23.800 --> 02:27.600 steps that might be considered . Uh 02:27.610 --> 02:29.721 Here's what I will say though . Um We 02:29.721 --> 02:32.660 will continue to work with our partners 02:32.660 --> 02:34.882 in the region including Saudi Arabia uh 02:34.882 --> 02:37.650 in the U . A . E . To help them defend 02:37.840 --> 02:41.020 against these deplorable Houthi attacks . 02:41.030 --> 02:44.920 As the last data I saw indicated 02:44.930 --> 02:47.420 with the help of the United States , uh 02:47.430 --> 02:49.486 the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has been 02:49.486 --> 02:52.590 able to prevent about 90% of these 02:52.600 --> 02:55.800 incoming attacks from Yemen from the 02:55.800 --> 02:57.856 Houthis . Of course , our goal , our 02:57.856 --> 03:00.078 collective goal well to get to get that 03:00.078 --> 03:03.290 to be uh 100% . Um but we are still 03:03.300 --> 03:07.170 uh we will continue to stand by our our 03:07.170 --> 03:10.730 partners on this . Uh We are also and 03:10.730 --> 03:13.920 we have uh continuing to hold to 03:13.920 --> 03:17.120 account Houthi leaders for this 03:17.120 --> 03:20.210 reprehensible conduct . We have issued 03:20.220 --> 03:22.740 sanctions on key leaders and 03:22.740 --> 03:25.650 designations on key leaders in recent 03:25.650 --> 03:27.650 months and we will continue to call 03:27.650 --> 03:30.480 upon all appropriate tools in our 03:30.480 --> 03:34.480 toolkit to hold these who 03:34.480 --> 03:36.810 these those who the leaders responsible 03:36.820 --> 03:40.670 for these attacks accountable . We will 03:40.670 --> 03:43.240 not relent in designating Houthi 03:43.240 --> 03:45.110 leaders and entities involved in 03:45.110 --> 03:46.860 military offensives that are 03:46.860 --> 03:48.804 threatening civilians and regional 03:48.804 --> 03:50.916 stability , perpetuating the conflict 03:50.916 --> 03:53.240 uh committing human rights abuses or 03:53.250 --> 03:54.917 violating international human 03:54.917 --> 03:57.790 humanitarian law or exacerbating the 03:57.800 --> 04:00.220 very grave humanitarian crisis by , 04:00.230 --> 04:03.020 according to most accounts , is the 04:03.020 --> 04:06.700 most profound humanitarian crisis on 04:06.710 --> 04:09.170 the face of the earth . Um but this is 04:09.170 --> 04:11.310 a complex consideration . Uh and we 04:11.310 --> 04:13.610 spoke to this consideration in the 04:13.610 --> 04:15.832 earliest days of administration about a 04:15.832 --> 04:18.054 year ago . Now when we talked about the 04:18.054 --> 04:20.470 initial decision vis a vis the houthis 04:20.500 --> 04:24.250 uh because in making that determination 04:24.250 --> 04:26.583 and in coming to that original decision , 04:26.583 --> 04:29.390 we listened to a number of stakeholders . 04:29.400 --> 04:32.580 We heard warnings from the U . N . We 04:32.580 --> 04:35.520 listened to concerns from humanitarian 04:35.520 --> 04:37.870 groups . We listened to bipartisan 04:37.880 --> 04:41.350 members of Congress who were 04:41.350 --> 04:44.000 opposed uh to the last administration's 04:44.000 --> 04:47.060 decision to designate the Houthis as a 04:47.060 --> 04:49.393 foreign terrorist organization and an S . 04:49.393 --> 04:53.270 G . T . Because primarily uh that 04:53.270 --> 04:55.650 blanket determination uh could 04:55.650 --> 04:57.539 conceivably have an impact on our 04:57.539 --> 04:59.840 ability to deliver and provide much 04:59.840 --> 05:02.560 needed humanitarian relief to the 05:02.560 --> 05:06.530 citizens of Yemen . Um Uh 05:06.540 --> 05:08.730 it could act also impact access to 05:08.730 --> 05:11.630 basic commodities like food and fuel . 05:11.640 --> 05:13.910 And so we heard those concerns loud and 05:13.910 --> 05:17.540 clear and we know that about 90% of 05:17.550 --> 05:20.440 essential commodities in Yemen are 05:20.450 --> 05:22.283 imported by private businesses , 05:22.283 --> 05:24.920 businesses uh and out of an abundance 05:24.920 --> 05:28.580 of caution . Uh the suppliers of these 05:28.590 --> 05:31.010 um these suppliers and financial 05:31.020 --> 05:34.060 institutions uh may um 05:34.070 --> 05:37.420 uh may cease uh that activity which is 05:37.420 --> 05:40.610 important to the humanitarian needs of 05:40.620 --> 05:42.731 the Yemeni people . So we heard those 05:42.731 --> 05:44.953 concerns loud and clear , we are taking 05:44.953 --> 05:46.731 a close look at the appropriate 05:46.731 --> 05:48.953 response . But what we will continue to 05:48.953 --> 05:51.064 do , no question about it is to stand 05:51.064 --> 05:53.009 with you , we stand with the Saudi 05:53.009 --> 05:55.176 Arabia's sand with Saudi Arabia and to 05:55.176 --> 05:57.064 hold to account who the leader is 05:57.064 --> 05:59.287 responsible for these terrorist attacks 06:00.140 --> 06:02.400 on this issue . Usa also has said in 06:02.400 --> 06:04.344 previous statements from the State 06:04.344 --> 06:06.511 Department , I believe , and the White 06:06.511 --> 06:08.511 House that it will support you a in 06:08.511 --> 06:10.733 defending its territories . So how does 06:10.733 --> 06:12.678 this support is going to unfold in 06:12.678 --> 06:14.733 practical terms , that's when two is 06:14.733 --> 06:16.344 the U . S . Going to help in 06:16.344 --> 06:18.360 prohibiting the flow of arms and 06:18.360 --> 06:20.660 financial support to the Houthis ? 06:20.840 --> 06:23.020 Given the fact that they are supported 06:23.020 --> 06:26.800 and backed by Iran . So , to your first 06:26.800 --> 06:29.240 question , we work extensively with our 06:29.240 --> 06:31.351 Emirati partners , just as we do with 06:31.351 --> 06:34.130 our Saudi partners to provide them with 06:34.140 --> 06:37.590 uh what they need uh to help defend 06:37.590 --> 06:40.950 themselves against these types of types 06:40.950 --> 06:44.070 of attacks , we will continue to do 06:44.070 --> 06:46.126 that . We will continue to work with 06:46.126 --> 06:48.292 them in different ways uh to help them 06:48.292 --> 06:50.690 fortify themselves against these 06:50.690 --> 06:53.320 attacks . In your second question about 06:53.330 --> 06:55.880 is the U . S . Going to help in 06:55.880 --> 06:57.810 prohibiting the flow of arms and 06:57.810 --> 06:59.754 financial support to the Houthis , 06:59.754 --> 07:01.921 given the fact that they are supported 07:01.921 --> 07:04.250 by Iran . Absolutely . And we have been 07:04.250 --> 07:07.210 hard at work on that . Uh not only in 07:07.210 --> 07:08.990 this administration , but over 07:08.990 --> 07:11.101 successive administrations . You have 07:11.101 --> 07:13.323 heard our partners in the Department of 07:13.323 --> 07:15.870 Defense uh speak to uh seizures at sea , 07:15.880 --> 07:18.490 for example of web of weapons that have 07:18.490 --> 07:21.530 been bound for Yemen . And for the 07:21.530 --> 07:23.860 Houthis , you have seen us shine a 07:23.860 --> 07:25.960 bright spotlight on the level of 07:25.960 --> 07:28.980 support uh that Iran and Iran backed 07:28.980 --> 07:31.360 groups are providing to the Houthis . 07:31.360 --> 07:33.220 You've heard us speak to uh the 07:33.220 --> 07:35.750 destabilizing role that Iran and its 07:35.750 --> 07:38.060 proxies are playing across the region . 07:38.060 --> 07:40.116 And that certainly includes in Yemen 07:40.116 --> 07:42.060 and that certainly includes Iran's 07:42.060 --> 07:44.004 support for the Houthi movement in 07:44.004 --> 07:47.730 Yemen , stop the flow of 07:47.730 --> 07:49.897 arms physically . How are you going to 07:49.897 --> 07:52.400 carpet the force of arms ? And I think 07:52.400 --> 07:55.100 that's the well , in my answer to that 07:55.100 --> 07:57.211 was yes , we are going to continue to 07:57.211 --> 08:00.010 do everything we can to stop the flow 08:00.020 --> 08:02.570 of arms assistance 08:02.580 --> 08:06.410 of I'm sorry , I would like to 08:06.410 --> 08:08.950 see attacks intended to stop the flow 08:08.950 --> 08:10.910 of arms . You you you have seen 08:10.910 --> 08:13.290 consistent action by the part of this 08:13.290 --> 08:14.846 administration and previous 08:14.846 --> 08:16.846 administrations to stop the flow of 08:16.846 --> 08:19.360 arms to stop the flow of supplies to 08:19.360 --> 08:21.193 the Houthis . And that certainly 08:21.193 --> 08:22.971 includes what the Iranians have 08:22.971 --> 08:25.850 provided . Come on um on Russia . So 08:25.850 --> 08:27.683 there's gonna be a call with the 08:27.683 --> 08:30.340 Europeans about , well , sorry , let's 08:30.340 --> 08:32.562 close out , let's close out Yemen . And 08:32.562 --> 08:36.560 then we'll come to Russia , think claim 08:36.940 --> 08:39.080 they were targeting the US airbase 08:39.400 --> 08:41.950 yesterday . And the U . S . Military 08:41.950 --> 08:42.760 has said that 08:45.740 --> 08:48.270 their missiles , will there be any U . 08:48.270 --> 08:50.700 S . Reaction to the healthy especially 08:50.700 --> 08:53.950 that they are targeting US forces . 08:54.340 --> 08:57.950 We will continue to hold the 08:57.950 --> 09:00.510 houthis to account for these terrorist 09:00.510 --> 09:03.480 attacks . Uh We will do that in 09:03.490 --> 09:06.400 different ways . We have used a number 09:06.400 --> 09:09.550 of tools already and I suspect you will 09:09.550 --> 09:11.717 see us continue to do that in the days 09:11.717 --> 09:15.620 and weeks . One more in Yemen . Has the 09:15.620 --> 09:18.650 US reached any different conclusion 09:18.650 --> 09:20.817 about what impact , what the impact on 09:20.817 --> 09:22.428 a delivery would be with the 09:22.428 --> 09:24.770 designation and if not why entertain 09:24.780 --> 09:28.140 the idea ? Well we are engaging with 09:28.140 --> 09:30.420 some of those same same stakeholders I 09:30.420 --> 09:34.120 mentioned before uh to um continue 09:34.120 --> 09:37.050 to hear their viewpoints uh to garner 09:37.050 --> 09:40.200 their perspectives . Um certainly some 09:40.200 --> 09:43.620 of the concerns we heard about a year 09:43.620 --> 09:46.140 ago um would still apply . The question 09:46.150 --> 09:49.380 is whether we can whether a 09:49.380 --> 09:52.450 redesignation would um 09:53.040 --> 09:55.340 would be to would be in the interests 09:55.350 --> 09:58.770 of the United States , would be in our 09:58.780 --> 10:00.836 security interests , would be in the 10:00.836 --> 10:02.947 security interests of our partners in 10:02.947 --> 10:04.836 the region uh and would be in the 10:04.836 --> 10:08.130 interests we have in seeing an end to 10:08.140 --> 10:09.973 the conflict in the humanitarian 10:09.973 --> 10:12.960 emergency in Yemen . So it was a 10:12.960 --> 10:15.580 difficult um uh it's a difficult set of 10:15.580 --> 10:17.747 factors that we're weighing but as the 10:17.747 --> 10:20.380 President said we are considering uh we 10:20.380 --> 10:22.590 are considering the decision anything 10:22.590 --> 10:25.920 else on Yemen tomorrow ? Okay take two 10:25.930 --> 10:27.986 on Russia . So there's going to be a 10:27.986 --> 10:31.520 call with Europeans this afternoon with 10:31.520 --> 10:34.880 President biden . I was wondering um 10:34.890 --> 10:36.779 this was asked in the White House 10:36.779 --> 10:38.779 briefing as well . But if you could 10:38.779 --> 10:40.779 shed light a little bit on what the 10:40.779 --> 10:43.001 administration hopes to achieve through 10:43.001 --> 10:45.112 this call . And we've heard President 10:45.112 --> 10:47.168 Biden last week publicly acknowledge 10:47.168 --> 10:49.390 the cracks within NATO alliance as well 10:49.390 --> 10:51.501 as with the with the Europeans on how 10:51.501 --> 10:53.612 to how exactly to respond . Has there 10:53.612 --> 10:55.668 been any improvement since then with 10:55.668 --> 10:58.850 the Europeans ? Are you closer to being 10:58.850 --> 11:00.850 on the same page ? And is there any 11:00.850 --> 11:03.400 reason for us to expect that after this 11:03.400 --> 11:06.600 call you will be sort of you know more 11:06.600 --> 11:08.760 on the same page on how to respond to 11:08.770 --> 11:11.480 minor incursion or major incursion ? 11:11.490 --> 11:15.270 Whatever that may be Humira . As you 11:15.270 --> 11:18.170 know , we were in europe last week , we 11:18.170 --> 11:21.810 were in Kiev . We then went to Berlin 11:21.810 --> 11:23.921 where in addition to meeting with our 11:23.921 --> 11:25.977 german allies , the Secretary had an 11:25.977 --> 11:28.143 opportunity to meet with the so called 11:28.143 --> 11:30.970 european quad . Before that uh we were 11:30.970 --> 11:33.660 in europe the previous month where we 11:33.660 --> 11:35.660 had an opportunity to meet with our 11:35.660 --> 11:37.940 NATO allies with the O . S . C . E . In 11:37.940 --> 11:40.162 the intervening weeks . The Secretary , 11:40.162 --> 11:41.662 the Deputy Secretary , the 11:41.662 --> 11:43.773 undersecretary of State for political 11:43.773 --> 11:43.600 affairs , not to mention the President 11:43.600 --> 11:45.850 the National Security Advisor and many 11:45.850 --> 11:49.410 others were on the phone constantly 11:49.420 --> 11:53.270 with allies and partners uh to 11:53.270 --> 11:57.190 discuss this Russian aggression uh and 11:57.200 --> 11:59.720 the response uh and I want to take 11:59.720 --> 12:01.942 issue with the premise of your question 12:01.942 --> 12:04.053 because in all of those engagements , 12:04.053 --> 12:05.831 the in person engagements , the 12:05.831 --> 12:08.960 conversations , the video conferences i 12:09.340 --> 12:11.320 in every single one of those 12:11.320 --> 12:13.940 engagements we have heard and you in 12:13.940 --> 12:17.270 turn have heard from not only us but 12:17.270 --> 12:20.110 from our european allies and partners , 12:20.120 --> 12:23.520 individual allies , NATO , the Osc , 12:23.530 --> 12:26.490 the G seven , uh , the european Union , 12:26.490 --> 12:28.960 the european council . You have heard 12:29.140 --> 12:32.140 the same message . If any Russian 12:32.140 --> 12:34.450 forces moved across the border , that's 12:34.450 --> 12:36.450 a renewed invasion , it will be met 12:36.450 --> 12:39.070 with a swift , severe and united 12:39.080 --> 12:41.280 response on the part of the United 12:41.280 --> 12:43.447 States and on the part of our Allies . 12:43.447 --> 12:46.190 So there is no ambiguity about that . 12:46.200 --> 12:49.210 Uh , there is no ambiguity . There is 12:49.220 --> 12:53.150 uh , there is no daylight . Uh , 12:53.160 --> 12:56.000 we know that . And importantly , the 12:56.000 --> 12:58.420 Russian Federation knows that . Okay , 12:58.430 --> 13:00.374 thank you . There's quite a bit of 13:00.374 --> 13:02.597 daylight but I'm not going to entertain 13:02.597 --> 13:05.040 that's for it took too long . I was I'm 13:05.040 --> 13:07.151 wondering , can you shed a little bit 13:07.151 --> 13:10.460 light on what you , what you guys want 13:10.460 --> 13:12.793 to achieve with this particular meeting ? 13:12.970 --> 13:15.460 And then I'm going to go onto the non 13:15.460 --> 13:17.627 paper . Well , let me let me come back 13:17.627 --> 13:19.920 to your flippant remark and maybe it 13:19.920 --> 13:21.864 was just intended to be a flippant 13:21.864 --> 13:23.920 remark , but I I couldn't resist . I 13:23.920 --> 13:25.864 mean , the President has said that 13:25.864 --> 13:27.920 there are differences of opinion and 13:27.920 --> 13:29.864 this has been something that we've 13:29.864 --> 13:31.976 we've been experiencing , we've we've 13:31.976 --> 13:34.031 been seeing what what you have heard 13:34.031 --> 13:35.976 from the President , what you have 13:35.976 --> 13:37.976 heard from the Secretary , What you 13:37.976 --> 13:37.340 have heard from the National Security 13:37.340 --> 13:39.562 Advisor ? What you've heard from others 13:39.562 --> 13:41.960 is that in the event of Russian 13:41.960 --> 13:44.810 aggression against Ukraine , uh there 13:44.810 --> 13:47.500 will be a response . It will be swift , 13:47.510 --> 13:50.970 it will be severe uh in the event of an 13:50.970 --> 13:53.192 incursion , it will be unprecedented in 13:53.192 --> 13:55.660 terms of uh the steps we are prepared 13:55.660 --> 13:57.716 to take and you can say that there's 13:57.716 --> 14:00.680 daylight , but I hope you also take a 14:00.680 --> 14:03.410 look uh and listen to the statements 14:03.410 --> 14:05.660 that have emanated from european 14:05.660 --> 14:07.660 capitals , the statements that have 14:07.660 --> 14:09.680 emanated from NATO , from the Osc , 14:09.690 --> 14:11.746 from the G seven , from the european 14:11.746 --> 14:13.746 Commission from the United States , 14:13.746 --> 14:16.000 from our Allies standing next to 14:16.000 --> 14:18.056 Secretary Blinken . Whether that was 14:18.056 --> 14:20.167 Foreign Minister Barabak , whether it 14:20.167 --> 14:22.389 was other allies and partners with whom 14:22.389 --> 14:25.120 we have met in recent weeks and over 14:25.120 --> 14:27.287 the past two months . So one can claim 14:27.287 --> 14:29.342 there is daylight . But certainly if 14:29.342 --> 14:31.453 you take a look at the volume and the 14:31.453 --> 14:34.270 material that is prominently within the 14:34.270 --> 14:36.214 public record ? I think that would 14:36.214 --> 14:38.214 belie that assertion . Are you guys 14:38.214 --> 14:40.500 going to be sending this non paper like 14:40.500 --> 14:42.611 this week ? Can you talk a little bit 14:42.611 --> 14:44.833 about the technicalities of that , what 14:44.833 --> 14:46.944 it would entail ? So as the Secretary 14:46.944 --> 14:49.111 said on friday , we do expect to be in 14:49.111 --> 14:52.310 a position to send a written response 14:52.320 --> 14:55.280 this week um before we do that and what 14:55.280 --> 14:57.502 we are doing right now , when this gets 14:57.502 --> 14:59.447 to your earlier question about the 14:59.447 --> 15:01.730 engagement with our european allies and 15:01.730 --> 15:04.130 partners , What we have been doing , as 15:04.130 --> 15:06.440 you know , and as you've seen is 15:06.450 --> 15:09.110 constant coordination and consultation 15:09.120 --> 15:11.160 with our allies and partners on the 15:11.160 --> 15:13.382 other side of the atlantic . We've been 15:13.382 --> 15:15.730 doing this in terms of uh the 15:15.730 --> 15:18.480 unprecedented swift , strong , severe 15:18.480 --> 15:21.600 united response that Russia would 15:21.610 --> 15:24.710 endure in the event of uh further 15:24.720 --> 15:26.887 aggression . But we've also been doing 15:26.887 --> 15:28.720 it in the context of the written 15:28.720 --> 15:30.776 response that we will provide to the 15:30.776 --> 15:32.887 Russian Federation just as we've been 15:32.887 --> 15:35.109 doing it in response to what we've been 15:35.109 --> 15:38.360 saying about areas where there may be 15:38.370 --> 15:40.790 the potential for progress on 15:40.790 --> 15:44.580 reciprocal steps that could enhance our 15:44.580 --> 15:46.691 collective security and by collective 15:46.691 --> 15:48.913 security . I mean , the security of the 15:48.913 --> 15:50.747 transatlantic community but also 15:50.747 --> 15:52.524 potentially address some of the 15:52.524 --> 15:54.691 concerns that Russia has put forward . 15:54.691 --> 15:56.858 So as we consider the next step in our 15:56.858 --> 16:00.060 engagement and that is in fact , the 16:00.540 --> 16:02.707 provision of a written response to the 16:02.707 --> 16:06.150 Russian Federation . We are sharing uh 16:06.160 --> 16:09.450 those ideas um uh with our we have 16:09.450 --> 16:11.506 shared those ideas with our european 16:11.506 --> 16:13.506 allies and partners . We are taking 16:13.506 --> 16:15.617 their feedback . We are incorporating 16:15.617 --> 16:17.839 that feedback into the written response 16:17.839 --> 16:20.117 and when we're prepared to transmit it , 16:20.117 --> 16:19.910 we will I do expect that will be this 16:19.910 --> 16:23.630 week Francesca net . So you said there 16:23.630 --> 16:25.741 is no daylight on the response and we 16:25.741 --> 16:28.190 will see that . But there's clearly and 16:28.190 --> 16:31.270 it's public out there , uh daylight on 16:31.280 --> 16:33.840 the characterization of the threat of 16:33.850 --> 16:37.510 the the european french and 16:37.520 --> 16:40.690 others . Mr Borrell seemed to be pretty 16:40.690 --> 16:44.140 annoyed by the alarm , alarming tone in 16:44.140 --> 16:46.400 Washington about an imminent threat . 16:46.400 --> 16:48.511 And there they've they've been saying 16:48.511 --> 16:50.233 we don't have to get a nervous 16:50.233 --> 16:52.289 breakdown , we have to come down and 16:52.289 --> 16:55.580 and we don't see that . So imminent 16:55.580 --> 16:59.010 threat as the the U . S . Says , do you 16:59.010 --> 17:00.954 still say that there's an imminent 17:00.954 --> 17:04.040 threat of invasion ? Why there is this 17:04.040 --> 17:05.762 difference between you and the 17:05.762 --> 17:07.929 Europeans Francesco ? We don't see the 17:07.929 --> 17:10.750 difference . You refer to what what 17:10.750 --> 17:13.610 what what what what we do see and what 17:13.610 --> 17:15.332 what you can see . Two are the 17:15.332 --> 17:17.221 statements and the statements the 17:17.221 --> 17:19.388 statement that for example , came from 17:19.388 --> 17:21.610 the european commission uh that said in 17:21.610 --> 17:25.270 strikingly similar if not um 17:25.640 --> 17:28.270 If not identical language to the 17:28.270 --> 17:30.820 statement that emanated from the G7 and 17:30.820 --> 17:33.550 NATO regarding the consequences that 17:33.550 --> 17:35.717 would befall the Russian Federation in 17:35.717 --> 17:37.772 the event of such aggression against 17:37.772 --> 17:40.650 Ukraine . Uh it has this has not been 17:40.660 --> 17:43.580 the United States alone . Making this 17:43.580 --> 17:47.360 case . We have been i speaking 17:48.040 --> 17:50.770 as a chorus with our european allies 17:50.770 --> 17:52.750 and partners with multilateral 17:52.750 --> 17:55.050 institutions and bodies like NATO and 17:55.050 --> 17:57.880 the U . S . C . And the G . Seven . Uh 17:57.890 --> 17:59.890 And again if you take a look at the 17:59.890 --> 18:02.057 language and you won't be surprised to 18:02.057 --> 18:05.460 hear this uh was not unintentional . 18:05.470 --> 18:07.320 You will see strikingly similar 18:07.320 --> 18:10.280 language across our allies and partners 18:10.290 --> 18:11.957 and across these multilateral 18:11.957 --> 18:14.690 institutions when it comes to what the 18:14.690 --> 18:18.260 Russians have planned , it is clear as 18:18.260 --> 18:22.050 day that anyone can see the 18:22.540 --> 18:25.760 massive build up of Russian forces 18:25.770 --> 18:28.280 along Ukraine's borders . We have been 18:28.280 --> 18:31.510 very clear about our concerns when it 18:31.510 --> 18:34.240 comes to other forms of aggression and 18:34.240 --> 18:37.450 provocations that the Russians might 18:37.460 --> 18:41.170 seek to take uh and have already taken . 18:41.340 --> 18:43.860 But there's only one person who knows 18:43.860 --> 18:46.370 what the Russian Federation has in 18:46.370 --> 18:48.920 store for Ukraine . And that's Vladimir 18:48.920 --> 18:52.170 Putin . Our goal has been to 18:52.840 --> 18:56.770 deter and to defend against 18:56.780 --> 19:00.240 any such plans . Just as we are ready 19:00.240 --> 19:02.880 to continue down the path of diplomacy 19:02.880 --> 19:04.990 and dialogue . You have seen us 19:05.000 --> 19:07.210 continue down that path of diplomacy , 19:07.220 --> 19:09.620 diplomacy and dialogue in a sincere uh 19:09.630 --> 19:13.050 and steadfast way over recent weeks . 19:13.060 --> 19:16.850 The Secretary has traveled to um Geneva 19:16.860 --> 19:18.860 ultimately , last week was just the 19:18.860 --> 19:21.300 latest step in that process . That has 19:21.300 --> 19:23.750 also involved the Deputy Secretary in 19:23.750 --> 19:25.417 her meetings with the Russian 19:25.417 --> 19:27.528 Federation at the Strategic Stability 19:27.528 --> 19:29.528 dialogue . The meetings at the NATO 19:29.528 --> 19:31.639 Russia Council , uh the engagement in 19:31.639 --> 19:33.930 the context of the OsC and other allies 19:33.940 --> 19:36.540 have also been engaging the Russian 19:36.540 --> 19:40.370 Federation uh to this end . Uh so to be 19:40.370 --> 19:42.570 very clear , we are prepared to 19:42.580 --> 19:44.810 continue down this path this path can 19:44.810 --> 19:47.270 only be successful if it takes place in 19:47.270 --> 19:50.410 the context of de escalation , but just 19:50.410 --> 19:53.320 because we are ready and engaged in the 19:53.320 --> 19:55.209 process and path of diplomacy and 19:55.209 --> 19:57.350 dialogue , it doesn't mean we aren't 19:57.350 --> 19:59.572 preparing with defense and deterrence , 19:59.572 --> 20:01.572 we're doing both at the same time , 20:01.572 --> 20:03.530 precisely because we are ready for 20:03.540 --> 20:05.484 either choice . The Vladimir Putin 20:05.484 --> 20:08.450 makes consider it as an image threat of 20:08.450 --> 20:10.617 attack that the the the the the attack 20:10.617 --> 20:12.672 could be imminent immediate . As the 20:12.672 --> 20:14.561 Europeans say you're telling them 20:14.561 --> 20:16.783 according to your intelligence . Well , 20:16.783 --> 20:19.320 we have been clear about this in any 20:19.320 --> 20:22.090 number of venues , including uh in the 20:22.090 --> 20:24.420 Consular Advisory we issued last night . 20:24.430 --> 20:27.900 The threat that we are seeing that 20:27.910 --> 20:31.620 is clear , not only to us , but clear 20:31.630 --> 20:33.797 to any casual observer , given what is 20:33.797 --> 20:35.963 taking place along Ukraine's borders , 20:35.963 --> 20:38.190 what is taking place within what should 20:38.190 --> 20:40.990 be sovereign belarussian territory ? Uh 20:41.000 --> 20:44.810 it is a cause for great concern uh and 20:44.810 --> 20:46.977 so we are taking prudent steps . We of 20:46.977 --> 20:48.921 course are sharing information and 20:48.921 --> 20:51.520 intelligence with our allies that 20:51.520 --> 20:53.980 speaks to our concern and also speaks 20:53.980 --> 20:57.230 to the fact that the Russians certainly 20:57.230 --> 20:59.130 seem to be poised to be able to 20:59.140 --> 21:01.510 undertake aggressive action against 21:01.510 --> 21:05.300 Ukraine at any moment . I'm just what 21:05.300 --> 21:09.120 should we expect new encounter or 21:09.120 --> 21:11.390 meeting of virtual meeting between the 21:11.390 --> 21:13.612 Secretary and Foreign Minister . Lavrov 21:13.612 --> 21:15.834 after the written response . Well , you 21:15.834 --> 21:17.890 heard from the Foreign Minister last 21:17.890 --> 21:17.570 week , you also heard from the 21:17.570 --> 21:20.160 Secretary last week uh that we will 21:20.160 --> 21:22.550 provide a written response . We are 21:22.560 --> 21:26.040 open to additional engagements in 21:26.040 --> 21:28.640 person engagements . Um should it be , 21:28.650 --> 21:31.220 should it prove useful ? Um if we think 21:31.220 --> 21:33.387 it could be constructive , if we think 21:33.387 --> 21:35.750 it should be the next element as we 21:35.750 --> 21:37.640 pursue the path of dialogue and 21:37.640 --> 21:39.862 diplomacy . So we're we're open to it , 21:39.862 --> 21:40.862 Rosalind 21:44.640 --> 21:48.450 spokespersons . Hi mom here 21:50.240 --> 21:53.200 after the N . R . All told 21:54.040 --> 21:56.620 That the secretary , Mr Alston has 21:56.620 --> 21:58.731 placed on heightened alert , comes up 21:58.731 --> 22:01.660 to about 8500 personnel 22:02.940 --> 22:06.810 in that in that scope . The 22:06.810 --> 22:09.370 former U . S . Ambassador to Ukraine , 22:09.370 --> 22:12.210 john Herbst told NPR this morning that 22:12.210 --> 22:15.210 he thought that any talk of having US 22:15.210 --> 22:18.950 forces forward deployed as an 22:18.950 --> 22:21.061 additional deterrent should have been 22:21.061 --> 22:24.010 done before now . Why has it come to 22:24.020 --> 22:25.850 this weekend that the biden 22:25.850 --> 22:28.280 administration is deciding to put U . S . 22:28.280 --> 22:30.880 Forces in a forward deployed position 22:30.890 --> 22:33.500 as part of NATO to basically send a 22:33.500 --> 22:36.040 message to Vladimir Putin . Well , let 22:36.040 --> 22:38.180 me make a couple points first , I'm 22:38.180 --> 22:40.810 going to defer to my colleague and my 22:40.810 --> 22:44.470 my predecessor to speak to the plans of 22:44.470 --> 22:47.510 the pentagon is working on . But the 22:47.510 --> 22:50.510 president has been very clear about the 22:50.510 --> 22:52.454 consequences that would befall the 22:52.454 --> 22:54.621 Russian federation . If Russia were to 22:54.621 --> 22:56.843 move forward with additional aggression 22:56.843 --> 22:58.954 against Ukraine , We've spoken of the 22:58.954 --> 23:01.121 economic uh and financial consequences 23:01.121 --> 23:03.920 uh that Russia would endure . That 23:03.920 --> 23:05.920 would in many ways be unprecedented 23:05.920 --> 23:08.370 measures that we very pointedly opted 23:08.370 --> 23:11.770 not to take in the aftermath of 2014 , 23:11.780 --> 23:15.080 we have spoken of the additional levels 23:15.090 --> 23:17.660 of defensive security assistance that 23:17.660 --> 23:20.530 we would be prepared to Provide to our 23:20.530 --> 23:23.630 Ukrainian partners above and beyond the 23:23.630 --> 23:25.760 $650 million dollars that we have 23:25.760 --> 23:28.470 provided to Kiev within the last year 23:28.470 --> 23:30.370 alone . That is more security 23:30.370 --> 23:32.950 assistance than has ever been provided 23:32.960 --> 23:36.700 in a single year uh to our partners in 23:36.700 --> 23:39.400 Ukraine . But the president has also 23:39.400 --> 23:41.622 been clear that if the Russians were to 23:41.622 --> 23:45.010 go forward that we would reinforce the 23:45.010 --> 23:47.177 east of the so called eastern flank of 23:47.177 --> 23:49.890 NATO . But even as we have said that we 23:49.890 --> 23:51.834 have never ruled out the option of 23:51.834 --> 23:53.779 providing additional assistance in 23:53.779 --> 23:56.030 advance of a potential invasion . Uh 23:56.030 --> 23:58.110 And so there are a number of 23:58.110 --> 24:00.221 consequences that we have spelled out 24:00.221 --> 24:02.277 that the Russian Federation would uh 24:02.277 --> 24:04.388 endured . There are a number of steps 24:04.388 --> 24:06.554 that we are taking now in terms of our 24:06.554 --> 24:08.590 defensive security assistance to 24:08.590 --> 24:11.750 Ukraine , in terms of the deterrent 24:11.760 --> 24:13.816 messaging that we're putting forward 24:13.816 --> 24:15.704 about the consequences that would 24:15.704 --> 24:17.927 befall the Russian federation . And now 24:17.927 --> 24:20.038 what you're hearing from my colleague 24:20.038 --> 24:22.110 at the pentagon , have these 24:22.110 --> 24:24.980 discussions about whether to use US 24:24.980 --> 24:27.480 troops . Has that been part of the 24:27.480 --> 24:29.820 ongoing response within the biden 24:29.820 --> 24:32.260 administration before these reports 24:32.270 --> 24:34.520 became publicly known this weekend , 24:34.600 --> 24:37.310 was that an active part of the 24:37.310 --> 24:40.030 discussion on how to deal with the 24:40.040 --> 24:41.873 Russian aggression ? I would say 24:41.873 --> 24:44.040 generally without speaking to internal 24:44.040 --> 24:46.410 deliberations that uh something like 24:46.410 --> 24:48.630 this typically would not become public 24:48.630 --> 24:50.852 if it were just introduced . We've been 24:50.852 --> 24:52.908 considering a number of steps uh and 24:52.908 --> 24:54.797 you're hearing the pentagon speak 24:54.797 --> 24:56.852 publicly to it today . The fact that 24:56.852 --> 24:56.650 they are speaking publicly to it today 24:56.660 --> 24:58.750 suggests that it is not a new 24:58.750 --> 25:01.930 ingredient as we consider a response to 25:01.940 --> 25:04.700 what we're seeing now designed to make 25:04.700 --> 25:07.060 the Russians perhaps rethink the 25:07.070 --> 25:09.390 deployment of additional troops inside 25:09.390 --> 25:12.850 belarus and trying to uh belief up its 25:12.860 --> 25:14.693 presence in the southern part of 25:14.693 --> 25:17.580 Ukraine . Our goal in all of this is to 25:17.580 --> 25:21.330 both defend and deter . Uh So we are 25:21.330 --> 25:23.760 taking a number of steps in the defense 25:23.770 --> 25:25.690 of Ukraine including by providing 25:25.690 --> 25:27.870 defensive uh security assistance but 25:27.870 --> 25:31.370 taking a number of steps to deter uh 25:31.380 --> 25:35.260 what uh the Russian federation and what 25:35.270 --> 25:37.870 Vladimir Putin specifically uh may have 25:37.870 --> 25:40.270 in mind . Uh So to your question yes 25:40.640 --> 25:44.460 more the US ambassador to the U . 25:44.460 --> 25:47.680 N . Gave a briefing earlier today and 25:47.690 --> 25:50.100 the question came up , what sorts of 25:50.100 --> 25:52.400 conversations has she been having with 25:52.400 --> 25:54.511 other members on the Security council 25:54.511 --> 25:56.622 about this situation ? And Ambassador 25:56.622 --> 25:58.844 thomas Greenfield even allowed that she 25:58.844 --> 26:00.733 has been talking with her Russian 26:00.733 --> 26:03.200 counterpart . What has she been charged 26:03.200 --> 26:05.890 with saying to ambassador dementia 26:06.090 --> 26:09.550 about the threat that the U . S . Sees 26:09.560 --> 26:12.960 to Ukraine's sovereignty and why hasn't 26:12.960 --> 26:15.700 the US pushed for a Security Council 26:15.700 --> 26:17.950 meeting on this matter before Russia 26:17.950 --> 26:20.260 takes over the presidency next Tuesday ? 26:20.270 --> 26:22.326 Well I think you also heard from the 26:22.326 --> 26:24.250 ambassador that she has been very 26:24.250 --> 26:27.790 engaged with her counterparts on the 26:27.790 --> 26:30.012 Security council and her broader set of 26:30.012 --> 26:32.012 counterparts at the U . N . She did 26:32.012 --> 26:34.068 acknowledge that she's been in touch 26:34.068 --> 26:36.123 with her Russian counterpart , but I 26:36.123 --> 26:38.123 can assure you . And I think as you 26:38.123 --> 26:40.179 also heard from her that her Russian 26:40.179 --> 26:39.630 counterpart is not the only counterpart 26:39.630 --> 26:41.574 she is speaking with , and I would 26:41.574 --> 26:43.797 expect you would hear from her that her 26:43.797 --> 26:46.680 engagement with our allies , including 26:46.680 --> 26:48.791 those on the Security Council and our 26:48.791 --> 26:50.513 partners um has been much more 26:50.513 --> 26:52.680 extensive than has her engagement been 26:52.680 --> 26:54.850 with her Russian counterpart on the 26:54.850 --> 26:57.017 Security Council . But in terms of the 26:57.017 --> 26:59.239 message , the message that the Russians 26:59.239 --> 27:01.183 have been hearing from us has been 27:01.183 --> 27:03.294 clear and it also has been consistent 27:03.294 --> 27:05.461 uh it has been clear and consistent in 27:05.461 --> 27:07.683 public . It's been clear and consistent 27:07.683 --> 27:10.620 in private . First and foremost , we 27:10.630 --> 27:12.650 prefer the path of diplomacy and 27:12.650 --> 27:15.390 dialogue . We believe it's the only 27:15.400 --> 27:19.180 responsible way to pursue a de 27:19.180 --> 27:22.630 escalation uh and to put an end to 27:22.640 --> 27:24.760 Russian ongoing aggression against 27:24.760 --> 27:27.590 Ukraine and what any other plans that 27:27.590 --> 27:29.701 the Russian Federation uh may have in 27:29.701 --> 27:31.980 store . Uh they've also heard and 27:31.980 --> 27:34.680 they've heard this in our private uh 27:34.690 --> 27:36.690 private engagements , but also very 27:36.690 --> 27:38.857 publicly as well , that just as we are 27:38.857 --> 27:40.968 prepared for dialogue and diplomacy , 27:40.968 --> 27:42.690 we are pursuing uh defense and 27:42.690 --> 27:44.690 deterrence and we've spoken to that 27:44.690 --> 27:47.840 extensively already today . But the 27:47.840 --> 27:49.951 Russians know because they have heard 27:49.951 --> 27:51.810 it from us directly that we are 27:51.810 --> 27:54.510 prepared to engage . They know that 27:54.520 --> 27:58.470 there are some issues where we think 27:58.480 --> 28:01.260 that dialogue and diplomacy may 28:01.840 --> 28:05.180 uh redound positively on our collective 28:05.190 --> 28:07.301 security , the collective security of 28:07.301 --> 28:09.412 the translating community . Uh and it 28:09.412 --> 28:12.520 could help respond to some of the 28:12.530 --> 28:14.586 concerns that the Russian federation 28:14.586 --> 28:16.586 has made . But they have also heard 28:16.586 --> 28:18.808 from us . And this is just as important 28:18.808 --> 28:20.641 uh that there are other areas uh 28:20.641 --> 28:23.220 including NATO's open door policy where 28:23.220 --> 28:25.600 there is no trade space . Absolutely 28:25.600 --> 28:28.510 not . And so across all of our 28:28.510 --> 28:30.310 engagements , whether it is the 28:30.310 --> 28:32.270 secretary , the deputy secretary , 28:32.280 --> 28:34.370 ambassador , thomas Greenfield , uh 28:34.380 --> 28:36.324 those messages have been clear and 28:36.324 --> 28:39.030 consistent . That's right . Anything 28:39.030 --> 28:41.170 else on on Okay . I see there maybe a 28:41.170 --> 28:42.781 couple other questions Ben , 28:45.040 --> 28:48.740 Yeah , safety of americans in 28:48.740 --> 28:50.684 Ukraine , you've also made it very 28:50.684 --> 28:52.851 clear what would happen if Russia were 28:52.851 --> 28:54.573 to invade . Will you take this 28:54.573 --> 28:56.573 opportunity now also to warn Russia 28:56.573 --> 28:58.684 against harming any americans and say 28:58.684 --> 29:00.796 what the consequence would be if they 29:00.796 --> 29:02.851 did . I . So let me let me take that 29:02.851 --> 29:06.360 question uh and make clear that we have 29:06.370 --> 29:09.670 no higher priority than the safety and 29:09.670 --> 29:12.070 security of americans around the world . 29:12.080 --> 29:14.560 Uh And last night you heard us speak to 29:14.560 --> 29:17.230 the prudent steps we are taking uh in 29:17.230 --> 29:19.940 the context of our diplomatic community 29:19.940 --> 29:23.510 in keith . Uh knowing uh that the 29:23.520 --> 29:27.090 Russians have this large military build 29:27.090 --> 29:29.430 up that they could well be poised to 29:29.430 --> 29:32.250 take significant aggressive action at 29:32.260 --> 29:35.050 any moment . And so the authorized 29:35.050 --> 29:38.890 departure of uh non emergency employees 29:38.890 --> 29:41.140 of our embassy uh and the ordered 29:41.140 --> 29:43.620 departure of dependence is part and 29:43.620 --> 29:47.020 parcel of and reflective of the 29:47.030 --> 29:49.070 paramount priority we attach to the 29:49.070 --> 29:51.280 safety and security of the american 29:51.280 --> 29:53.500 people . I don't want to go into 29:53.510 --> 29:55.930 private discussions , but we have made 29:55.930 --> 29:59.640 it abundantly clear to the Russians the 29:59.640 --> 30:02.410 priority we attach to the safety and 30:02.410 --> 30:04.970 security of the american people . Uh 30:04.980 --> 30:07.620 They know that that is our highest 30:07.620 --> 30:11.240 priority . Uh They know that we go to 30:11.240 --> 30:14.400 extraordinary links to protect their 30:14.400 --> 30:16.511 safety and security and I'll leave it 30:16.511 --> 30:18.456 at that in terms of the numbers of 30:18.456 --> 30:20.400 people of americans inside Ukraine 30:20.400 --> 30:22.622 yesterday . I know that the state party 30:22.622 --> 30:22.540 wouldn't be drawn on exact numbers . 30:22.540 --> 30:24.707 But is that because you don't know how 30:24.707 --> 30:26.707 many or you just won't say how many 30:26.707 --> 30:28.929 americans are inside Ukraine . Our goal 30:28.929 --> 30:32.850 always is to provide you with timely 30:32.860 --> 30:35.790 uh and accurate information . And right 30:35.790 --> 30:39.690 now we do not have an account that we 30:39.690 --> 30:41.990 consider to be accurate of the number 30:41.990 --> 30:44.380 of americans , private americans who 30:44.380 --> 30:46.602 are resident in Ukraine . And I'll tell 30:46.602 --> 30:48.436 you why you've heard this in the 30:48.436 --> 30:50.324 context of Afghanistan . But when 30:50.324 --> 30:52.324 americans travel overseas , they of 30:52.324 --> 30:54.324 course are not required to register 30:54.324 --> 30:57.030 with the embassy in country . We always 30:57.030 --> 30:59.086 encourage americans to register when 30:59.086 --> 31:01.141 they're traveling abroad with our so 31:01.141 --> 31:03.141 called step system . But I think as 31:03.141 --> 31:05.308 many of you can attest when you travel 31:05.308 --> 31:07.363 overseas , you you may not always do 31:07.363 --> 31:09.474 that . Uh and some of you um probably 31:09.474 --> 31:11.474 have never done that . Uh Similarly 31:11.474 --> 31:13.641 when americans depart the country , uh 31:13.641 --> 31:17.290 they would need to de register uh 31:17.300 --> 31:21.170 themselves . Uh And so given that many 31:21.170 --> 31:23.392 may not register in the first place , I 31:23.392 --> 31:25.614 think it is a safe assumption that many 31:25.614 --> 31:27.670 would those who actually do register 31:27.670 --> 31:29.670 may not remove themselves from that 31:29.670 --> 31:32.420 tally of american citizens who may be 31:32.420 --> 31:34.420 resident in a foreign country . The 31:34.420 --> 31:36.780 other point is that even when people do 31:36.780 --> 31:39.290 register , uh the State Department is 31:39.290 --> 31:41.450 not in a position to independently 31:41.450 --> 31:44.910 verify uh that a person who has signed 31:44.910 --> 31:47.077 up in step , the so called step system 31:47.077 --> 31:49.590 uh is actually an american citizen . Uh 31:49.600 --> 31:52.430 So there are a number for a number of 31:52.430 --> 31:56.270 reasons . Uh the tally . Uh we 31:56.270 --> 31:58.326 just don't have an accurate tally at 31:58.326 --> 32:02.050 the moment when we have a message with 32:02.050 --> 32:05.110 the american people . Uh in private 32:05.110 --> 32:07.830 american citizen community in Kiev in 32:07.830 --> 32:11.100 Ukraine . Uh In in recent days we have 32:11.100 --> 32:13.970 encouraged them to fill out a form that 32:13.970 --> 32:16.830 will help us acquire greater 32:16.830 --> 32:19.280 granularity on the size of the american 32:19.280 --> 32:22.030 private american citizen community uh 32:22.040 --> 32:24.070 in Ukraine , but that's just not 32:24.070 --> 32:26.237 something that we have right now . You 32:26.237 --> 32:28.237 mentioned Afghanistan . I wonder if 32:28.237 --> 32:27.980 there is there anything from 32:27.980 --> 32:29.924 Afghanistan that you learned about 32:29.924 --> 32:31.869 identifying and rescuing americans 32:31.869 --> 32:34.091 inside a war zone that you think can be 32:34.091 --> 32:36.313 applied here . Well these are obviously 32:36.313 --> 32:38.313 not analogous situations . And so I 32:38.313 --> 32:40.400 would hate to um suggest uh suggest 32:40.400 --> 32:44.140 otherwise . Our primary charge is to 32:44.150 --> 32:47.070 um uh keep the U . S . Citizen 32:47.070 --> 32:49.290 community informed of safety and 32:49.290 --> 32:51.512 security developments . That is what we 32:51.512 --> 32:53.700 did most recently yesterday evening 32:53.710 --> 32:56.200 when we issued the updated travel 32:56.200 --> 32:59.010 advisory and accompanying media note to 32:59.020 --> 33:00.853 keep them informed of safety and 33:00.853 --> 33:03.150 security developments . Um and that can 33:03.150 --> 33:05.620 include information on commercial 33:05.620 --> 33:09.030 travel options . Um We have done this 33:09.030 --> 33:11.070 because as the president has said 33:11.080 --> 33:13.880 military action by Russia could come at 33:13.880 --> 33:16.580 any time . Uh and we all know uh and we 33:16.580 --> 33:18.747 have we have all seen indications that 33:18.747 --> 33:20.858 that that is the case given the large 33:20.858 --> 33:22.913 scale military build up . We've also 33:22.913 --> 33:24.900 been clear that we won't be in a 33:24.900 --> 33:27.270 position to evacuate . Us citizens 33:27.270 --> 33:28.937 private US citizens in such a 33:28.937 --> 33:30.937 contingency . And so that is why we 33:30.937 --> 33:33.460 have encouraged private US citizens who 33:33.460 --> 33:36.260 may be in Ukraine uh to plan 33:36.260 --> 33:38.710 accordingly including by availing 33:38.710 --> 33:41.150 themselves of commercial options . 33:41.160 --> 33:43.382 Should they choose to leave the country 33:43.382 --> 33:47.310 even though we are reducing the 33:47.310 --> 33:49.477 size of our embassy footprint . Uh The 33:49.477 --> 33:52.960 embassy is there to assist american 33:52.970 --> 33:56.020 citizens . Uh in this we are in a we 33:56.020 --> 33:58.242 have the ability to provide for example 33:58.242 --> 34:00.730 repatriation loans for any americans 34:00.730 --> 34:03.540 who seek to to avail themselves of 34:03.540 --> 34:05.651 those commercial options to return to 34:05.651 --> 34:08.750 the United States . Yeah . 34:11.040 --> 34:13.730 First what do you want to achieve from 34:13.730 --> 34:15.980 the meeting with that biden is having 34:15.980 --> 34:18.760 with with european leaders presumably 34:18.760 --> 34:21.140 it's building on Mr Blinken meeting 34:21.140 --> 34:23.251 this morning . So what do you want to 34:23.251 --> 34:25.680 achieve from that two in the meeting 34:25.690 --> 34:27.920 this morning that mr Blinken had with 34:27.920 --> 34:29.960 the european council . Did he get 34:29.960 --> 34:33.120 questions about the U . S . Decision to 34:33.120 --> 34:36.750 start downsizing the embassy because 34:36.760 --> 34:39.093 some Europeans are not on the same page . 34:39.093 --> 34:41.290 And as Francesca was saying , we're 34:41.290 --> 34:44.640 suggesting that the rhetoric needed to 34:44.640 --> 34:46.807 be dialed down a bit that there wasn't 34:46.807 --> 34:49.530 any difference in security to suggest 34:49.530 --> 34:51.540 an imminent attack . So what do you 34:51.540 --> 34:53.540 expect to achieve ? And what did Mr 34:53.540 --> 34:55.651 Blinken here about about the american 34:55.651 --> 34:58.590 approach ? Uh So as you alluded to 34:58.590 --> 35:00.701 Barbara , the Secretary did take part 35:00.701 --> 35:03.220 earlier today uh in the U . S . Foreign 35:03.220 --> 35:06.830 Affairs Council . Uh He was invited by 35:06.840 --> 35:08.729 the EU high representative just a 35:08.729 --> 35:11.470 barrel uh to give you a flavor of that . 35:11.470 --> 35:13.850 The secretary briefed his counterparts 35:13.850 --> 35:16.670 on his visit last week to Kiev to 35:16.670 --> 35:20.080 Berlin and to Geneva as part of the 35:20.080 --> 35:22.840 effort we have spoken to to de escalate 35:22.850 --> 35:24.970 the tension that's been caused by 35:24.980 --> 35:27.780 Russia's unprovoked military build up 35:27.790 --> 35:29.846 and its continued aggression against 35:29.846 --> 35:33.720 Ukraine in the engagement 35:33.720 --> 35:36.430 this morning , the Secretary emphasized 35:36.440 --> 35:38.460 that we will continue to coordinate 35:38.460 --> 35:40.950 closely with the EU and its member 35:40.950 --> 35:43.140 states . In addition to the other 35:43.140 --> 35:45.362 multilateral institutions we've already 35:45.362 --> 35:47.529 mentioned . That's NATO that's the OsC 35:47.529 --> 35:50.630 uh and with individual allies uh and 35:50.640 --> 35:53.340 and partners . Uh And uh in the course 35:53.340 --> 35:56.350 of this meeting , the secretary uh 35:56.360 --> 35:59.410 demonstrated that by briefing them on 35:59.410 --> 36:01.521 the engagements last week of course , 36:01.521 --> 36:03.632 including the engagement with Foreign 36:03.632 --> 36:05.466 Minister . Lavrov , you saw that 36:05.466 --> 36:07.632 shortly after the meeting with Foreign 36:07.632 --> 36:09.854 Minister . Lavrov concluded on friday . 36:09.854 --> 36:11.799 The Secretary also had a chance to 36:11.799 --> 36:14.270 speak to his Ukrainian counterpart to 36:14.280 --> 36:16.580 back brief him on those discussions . 36:16.580 --> 36:18.747 And that's a practice we've undertaken 36:18.747 --> 36:20.969 in the course of all of our engagements 36:20.969 --> 36:23.240 with our european allies , our european 36:23.240 --> 36:25.296 partners , of course , including our 36:25.296 --> 36:27.296 Ukrainian partners , because we are 36:27.296 --> 36:29.810 operating by the maximum nothing about 36:29.810 --> 36:31.699 them without them , nothing about 36:31.699 --> 36:33.921 Ukraine without Ukraine , nothing about 36:33.921 --> 36:36.143 europe , without europe , nothing about 36:36.143 --> 36:38.310 NATO without NATO . So , the secretary 36:38.310 --> 36:40.421 of participation in the meeting today 36:40.421 --> 36:42.421 was another opportunity and another 36:42.421 --> 36:45.290 venue for us to do just that . The 36:45.300 --> 36:47.300 president of course has been deeply 36:47.300 --> 36:51.100 engaged in this as well . You saw that 36:51.100 --> 36:53.490 he convened his team both in person and 36:53.490 --> 36:55.323 virtually at Camp David over the 36:55.323 --> 36:57.590 weekend to discuss this . So it should 36:57.590 --> 36:59.368 not come as a surprise that the 36:59.368 --> 37:01.479 president will have an opportunity to 37:01.479 --> 37:03.646 speak to his counterpart on these very 37:03.646 --> 37:07.420 issues with that , Same with that same 37:07.430 --> 37:10.840 maximum in mind when it comes to the 37:10.840 --> 37:14.430 decision that we made last night , I 37:14.430 --> 37:16.880 just want to reiterate the core point 37:16.890 --> 37:20.710 and that is uh that this is about one 37:20.710 --> 37:23.450 criterion and one criterion alone and 37:23.450 --> 37:27.170 that is the safety and security of our 37:27.180 --> 37:30.900 team on the ground uh in Ukraine . Uh 37:30.910 --> 37:33.077 And it was a prudent step when it came 37:33.077 --> 37:35.354 to the ordered departure of dependence . 37:35.354 --> 37:37.466 It was a prudent step when it came to 37:37.466 --> 37:39.243 the authorized departure of non 37:39.243 --> 37:41.354 essential employees . But let me also 37:41.354 --> 37:45.250 be clear that that decision , I 37:45.260 --> 37:47.630 says nothing about our commitment to 37:47.630 --> 37:49.463 Ukraine's sovereignty and to its 37:49.463 --> 37:51.574 territory and territorial territorial 37:51.574 --> 37:53.797 integrity . Our commitment to Ukraine's 37:53.797 --> 37:55.908 sovereignty and territorial integrity 37:55.908 --> 37:58.000 is unwavering . Uh The embassy 37:58.000 --> 38:00.880 continues to operate and the charge of 38:00.880 --> 38:04.040 course , remains in Ukraine . The fact 38:04.040 --> 38:06.151 that we're taking prudent precautions 38:06.151 --> 38:09.830 for the sake of uh and the safety of U . 38:09.830 --> 38:13.180 S . Citizens uh in no way undermines 38:13.180 --> 38:16.490 our support for or commitment to 38:16.500 --> 38:20.150 Ukraine . You've seen that support take 38:20.150 --> 38:22.430 any number of forms of course . Uh The 38:22.440 --> 38:25.190 secretary was just in Kiev last week 38:25.190 --> 38:27.190 where you heard him reiterate these 38:27.190 --> 38:29.301 messages next to President Zelensky , 38:29.301 --> 38:31.412 next to Foreign Minister ? Uh We have 38:31.412 --> 38:34.430 continued to provide Defense of 38:34.430 --> 38:36.610 security assistance . The first 38:36.610 --> 38:38.721 delivery of the additional tranche of 38:38.721 --> 38:42.120 $200 million December , arrived in Kiev 38:42.130 --> 38:44.310 overnight friday into saturday . We 38:44.310 --> 38:46.590 will continue to provide defensive 38:46.590 --> 38:48.812 security assistance to our partners and 38:48.812 --> 38:50.646 we will continue to signal in no 38:50.646 --> 38:52.534 uncertain terms . Uh the enduring 38:52.534 --> 38:54.646 commitment we have to the territorial 38:54.646 --> 38:56.701 integrity and the sovereignty of our 38:56.701 --> 38:58.590 partner , Ukraine . Yeah , let me 38:58.590 --> 38:59.440 please . 39:03.220 --> 39:05.387 Pretty government clearly opposed this 39:05.387 --> 39:07.387 move and the Foreign Ministry today 39:07.387 --> 39:09.276 called it excessively excessively 39:09.276 --> 39:13.130 cautious . Is there a sense 39:13.140 --> 39:15.251 in the administration that this could 39:15.251 --> 39:18.330 have created a panic within Ukraine at 39:18.330 --> 39:20.497 a time when that's exactly what Russia 39:20.497 --> 39:22.663 is trying to do by stoking instability 39:22.663 --> 39:24.608 in the country . This is about one 39:24.608 --> 39:26.920 thing and one thing only . Uh and it's 39:26.920 --> 39:29.087 the panic that it could have created . 39:29.087 --> 39:31.253 I'm sorry . Do we want to consider the 39:31.253 --> 39:33.476 panic that it could have created ? What 39:33.476 --> 39:35.531 what we considered is the safety and 39:35.531 --> 39:37.587 security of the american people . Uh 39:37.587 --> 39:39.809 and uh this is a decision that only the 39:39.809 --> 39:41.698 United States government can make 39:41.698 --> 39:43.698 because it is a priority uh that we 39:43.698 --> 39:45.920 attach to the safety and security of in 39:45.920 --> 39:48.060 this case our colleagues and their 39:48.060 --> 39:50.960 families as well . Uh This says nothing 39:50.960 --> 39:54.810 to our unwavering , unrelenting support 39:54.820 --> 39:57.980 for our Ukrainian partners . Uh It is 39:57.980 --> 40:00.040 about one thing and one thing only , 40:00.050 --> 40:02.090 the very narrow safety and security 40:02.100 --> 40:04.322 considerations of our colleagues . This 40:04.322 --> 40:05.933 combined with the Pentagon's 40:05.933 --> 40:08.044 announcement today about putting 8500 40:08.044 --> 40:10.211 troops on standby . In addition to the 40:10.211 --> 40:12.560 very public posturing on Friday with 40:12.560 --> 40:16.070 the arrival of the new lethal aid , it 40:16.070 --> 40:19.020 does seem like you are escalating your 40:19.020 --> 40:21.131 pressure here on Russia in some way . 40:21.131 --> 40:23.298 Do you reject that ? Do you think that 40:23.298 --> 40:25.353 your posture has changed at all ? Uh 40:25.353 --> 40:27.620 This is about defense and deterrence . 40:27.630 --> 40:29.760 What we are concerned about is the 40:29.760 --> 40:31.760 possibility of Russian aggression . 40:31.760 --> 40:33.982 That is not about defense . That is not 40:33.982 --> 40:35.760 about deterrence . That's about 40:35.760 --> 40:38.110 offensive operations against a 40:38.110 --> 40:40.810 sovereign country , a sovereign country 40:40.810 --> 40:43.470 that is a close partner of the United 40:43.470 --> 40:46.040 States . So to equate these two things 40:46.050 --> 40:50.040 uh is deeply inaccurate . Uh And 40:50.040 --> 40:53.700 it also is precisely what we're hearing 40:53.710 --> 40:56.110 out of Moscow . Uh These are 40:56.120 --> 40:59.240 qualitatively uh different elements uh 40:59.250 --> 41:01.480 and different steps that we're taking , 41:01.490 --> 41:04.660 were the Russians to deescalate . Um 41:04.670 --> 41:07.980 uh you would not see precisely the same 41:07.980 --> 41:10.740 set of moves from our Ukrainian 41:10.740 --> 41:13.550 partners from NATO from the United 41:13.550 --> 41:15.494 States , here's here's the broader 41:15.494 --> 41:17.661 point . And you've heard the Secretary 41:17.661 --> 41:19.439 made this point repeatedly , he 41:19.439 --> 41:21.439 actually um in the meeting with the 41:21.439 --> 41:23.439 Foreign Minister , Lavrov on friday 41:23.439 --> 41:25.383 made this directly made this point 41:25.383 --> 41:27.494 directly to the Foreign Minister . Uh 41:27.494 --> 41:29.717 and he said the United States genuinely 41:29.717 --> 41:33.200 does not understand Russia's strategic 41:33.200 --> 41:36.930 posturing here , because across the 41:36.930 --> 41:39.810 years , uh and in the context of this 41:39.820 --> 41:42.070 escalation , Vladimir Putin and the 41:42.070 --> 41:45.030 Russian Federation has precipitated 41:45.040 --> 41:46.910 everything that it has sought to 41:46.910 --> 41:48.632 prevent . And you've heard the 41:48.632 --> 41:51.370 secretary speak to uh the increasing 41:51.370 --> 41:53.310 support for NATO membership among 41:53.310 --> 41:56.700 Ukrainians since 2014 levels of support 41:56.700 --> 41:59.450 that have just about doubled . You have 41:59.450 --> 42:03.400 heard um us and NATO as an alliance , 42:03.410 --> 42:05.900 speak to the reassurance initiatives 42:05.910 --> 42:08.850 that were precipitated precisely by 42:08.860 --> 42:11.580 Russia's unprovoked aggression against 42:11.580 --> 42:15.200 Ukraine uh in 2014 . Uh so the 42:15.200 --> 42:19.080 Russians uh may well uh complain uh 42:19.080 --> 42:21.750 and may well take note and point to uh 42:21.760 --> 42:25.480 these efforts towards defense 42:25.490 --> 42:29.250 uh and deterrence , but it is 42:29.250 --> 42:33.170 their aggression that has precipitated 42:33.180 --> 42:36.560 precisely what it is we're hearing . 42:36.570 --> 42:38.550 And seeing them 0.2 and here's the 42:38.550 --> 42:40.550 other concern , and we have made no 42:40.550 --> 42:42.661 bones about this , are concerned that 42:42.670 --> 42:45.730 the Russians as they did in 2014 , 42:46.100 --> 42:49.700 maybe seeking to manufacture a pretext 42:49.710 --> 42:51.830 for additional aggression against 42:51.830 --> 42:54.420 Ukraine uh if you wanted to do that , 42:55.100 --> 42:57.322 this is in some ways what it would look 42:57.322 --> 42:59.544 like ? Uh that is what has concerned us 42:59.544 --> 43:01.433 for some time . It is why we have 43:01.433 --> 43:03.530 spoken to uh not only that concerned 43:03.530 --> 43:05.940 broadly , but why we have put forward 43:05.950 --> 43:07.783 uh information in our possession 43:07.783 --> 43:09.930 specifically that speaks to the steps 43:09.940 --> 43:11.829 that the Russian Federation maybe 43:11.829 --> 43:14.051 taking towards this towards the scent . 43:14.051 --> 43:16.910 Let me let me just let let her finish 43:17.800 --> 43:20.800 just one . Specifically on the question 43:20.800 --> 43:23.420 of NATO's unity . The Ukrainian foreign 43:23.420 --> 43:25.630 Minister again said that Germany is 43:25.640 --> 43:27.950 undermining unity in the alliance , in 43:27.950 --> 43:30.061 part because they're blocking Estonia 43:30.061 --> 43:32.228 from transferring weapons . They won't 43:32.228 --> 43:34.061 provide weapons themselves . The 43:34.061 --> 43:36.117 comments from their naval chief over 43:36.117 --> 43:38.172 the weekend or last week . Um Do you 43:38.172 --> 43:40.283 have any response to that ? This idea 43:40.283 --> 43:39.700 that that Germany is not doing enough 43:39.700 --> 43:42.180 within the alliance to to support a 43:42.180 --> 43:45.460 unified unified front . The Secretary 43:45.460 --> 43:47.404 had a chance to meet not only with 43:47.404 --> 43:49.293 Chancellor Schulz , but also with 43:49.293 --> 43:51.404 Foreign Minister Burbach last week in 43:51.404 --> 43:53.516 Berlin . And the Foreign Minister was 43:53.516 --> 43:52.670 actually asked this question standing 43:52.670 --> 43:54.760 right next to the Secretary . Uh and 43:54.760 --> 43:57.220 she spoke to precisely what Germany is 43:57.220 --> 43:59.276 doing the important contributions uh 43:59.276 --> 44:02.570 that Germany is making uh to uh Ukraine , 44:02.570 --> 44:04.737 I will leave it to Germany to to speak 44:04.737 --> 44:06.860 to those important uh contributions , 44:06.860 --> 44:09.690 but to be clear there is no daylight 44:09.700 --> 44:12.800 among our allies and our partners 44:12.810 --> 44:15.430 about the serious consequences that 44:15.430 --> 44:17.597 would befall the Russian Federation if 44:17.597 --> 44:21.300 it were to go forward one fine . 44:25.190 --> 44:27.190 I mean , do they have to now ? It's 44:27.190 --> 44:29.301 alleged that they have 100,000 troops 44:29.390 --> 44:31.640 along in their own territory along the 44:31.640 --> 44:33.751 border . So the escalation would look 44:33.751 --> 44:36.470 like maybe if they would do 25,000 to 44:36.480 --> 44:39.490 50 . I mean , what with the escalation ? 44:40.190 --> 44:42.710 Uh it could include that . I'm not 44:42.710 --> 44:46.010 going to be prescriptive , look , I'm 44:46.010 --> 44:48.343 not going to be prescriptive about that ? 44:48.343 --> 44:50.343 I think de escalation can take many 44:50.343 --> 44:53.510 forms . Uh it can take the form of what 44:53.510 --> 44:55.454 we're seeing and what we have seen 44:55.454 --> 44:57.566 along Ukraine's borders . It can take 44:57.566 --> 45:00.200 the form of what we are seeing in terms 45:00.200 --> 45:02.460 of Russian activity and what should be 45:02.470 --> 45:04.581 another sovereign sovereign country . 45:04.581 --> 45:06.748 Belarus . Uh it could take the form of 45:06.748 --> 45:08.748 what we're hearing from the Russian 45:08.748 --> 45:10.803 Federation . The escalation can take 45:10.803 --> 45:12.970 many forms . It can take many forms as 45:12.970 --> 45:15.081 an initial step . Uh and that is what 45:15.081 --> 45:17.248 we would like to see with the end goal 45:17.248 --> 45:20.460 in mind of uh , seeing Russian forces 45:20.470 --> 45:24.450 returned to their permanent barracks 45:24.600 --> 45:27.790 to cease this and put an end in reverse 45:27.950 --> 45:31.640 this build up along Ukraine's 45:31.640 --> 45:34.210 borders . To cease with the aggressive 45:34.210 --> 45:36.510 rhetoric . Um , the escalation can take 45:36.510 --> 45:38.677 many forms . We would we would welcome 45:38.677 --> 45:40.843 any of it . Only a freshman forces are 45:40.843 --> 45:43.010 back in their barracks is at all times 45:43.010 --> 45:46.110 will be , can see it will be considered 45:46.690 --> 45:49.220 the escalation . No , my my point is 45:49.220 --> 45:51.300 that there are many forms . The de 45:51.300 --> 45:53.244 escalation intake ? There's also a 45:53.244 --> 45:55.356 continuum , We would welcome at least 45:55.356 --> 45:58.220 as an initial step . Any form of de 45:58.220 --> 46:01.540 escalation . Yes . Yeah . Are you aware 46:01.540 --> 46:04.550 of the meeting that based on Wednesday 46:05.280 --> 46:07.780 Iranian and Russian officials and you 46:07.780 --> 46:11.690 expect any breakthrough ? Yes . So 46:11.690 --> 46:14.480 I I do not expect um any 46:14.490 --> 46:18.260 american involvement in 46:18.260 --> 46:21.870 that . Um let's see . 46:21.880 --> 46:24.920 Um as you know , we're consulting with 46:24.920 --> 46:27.031 allies and partners including Ukraine 46:27.031 --> 46:28.976 to determine the next steps uh and 46:28.976 --> 46:31.330 we're in communication with uh with the 46:31.330 --> 46:33.330 Russian Federation as well as we've 46:33.330 --> 46:35.497 said . Um we do believe that diplomacy 46:35.497 --> 46:38.330 is the best path forward uh and we're 46:38.330 --> 46:41.430 prepared to support dialogue and 46:41.430 --> 46:44.960 diplomacy um that serves to deescalate 46:44.960 --> 46:48.540 tensions . So we are uh supportive of 46:48.550 --> 46:50.328 those efforts that are that are 46:50.328 --> 46:52.439 undertaken on the part of the Russian 46:52.439 --> 46:55.490 Federation in good faith ? You're 46:55.500 --> 46:58.480 Ukrainian counterpart spokesperson he 46:58.480 --> 47:00.702 tweeted while we were in the briefing . 47:00.702 --> 47:02.869 Um I'll read super quickly . There are 47:02.869 --> 47:04.980 129 diplomatic missions in grain . Of 47:04.980 --> 47:06.980 these , only four have declared the 47:06.980 --> 47:08.924 departure of the family members of 47:08.924 --> 47:10.924 personnel , U s u k . Australia and 47:10.924 --> 47:10.730 Germany . The rest including the U zero 47:11.070 --> 47:13.350 cc O e NATO and U N . And not expressed 47:13.350 --> 47:15.072 their intention to follow such 47:15.072 --> 47:16.850 premature steps . Do you have a 47:16.850 --> 47:19.530 response to that ? I don't I don't have 47:19.530 --> 47:21.752 a response to that . My my only comment 47:21.752 --> 47:23.641 would be what you've heard me say 47:23.641 --> 47:25.863 before . This is based on one criterion 47:25.863 --> 47:27.697 and one criterion alone . It's a 47:27.697 --> 47:29.752 priority we attach to the safety and 47:29.752 --> 47:31.974 security of our colleagues in Ukraine . 47:31.974 --> 47:34.030 Question . Anything else in Russia ? 47:34.030 --> 47:36.252 Ukraine ? Yes , the full of awful up on 47:36.252 --> 47:38.363 the from Ukrainian media . And yeah , 47:38.363 --> 47:41.170 and I want to make it clear that the 47:41.180 --> 47:43.670 United States did not evacuate the 47:43.670 --> 47:46.140 diplomats even during the worst day 47:46.150 --> 47:49.060 over the last eight years . And Kiev is 47:49.060 --> 47:51.650 far enough from Russian border . Does 47:51.650 --> 47:53.706 it mean that from your knowledge and 47:53.706 --> 47:56.930 from your intelligence , our capital , 47:56.930 --> 47:59.970 Ukrainian capital is targeted and it is 47:59.980 --> 48:03.090 their main target of Russian invasion ? 48:03.470 --> 48:05.581 Well look , of course , I'm not going 48:05.581 --> 48:08.280 to speak to any intelligence . But as 48:08.280 --> 48:10.058 we have said , including in our 48:10.058 --> 48:12.290 announcement last night , we are doing 48:12.290 --> 48:16.040 this as a prudent uh step 48:16.050 --> 48:18.272 because of continued Russian efforts to 48:18.272 --> 48:19.994 destabilize the country and to 48:19.994 --> 48:21.994 undermine the security of Ukrainian 48:21.994 --> 48:24.000 citizens and others visiting or 48:24.070 --> 48:27.420 residing in Ukraine and the United 48:27.420 --> 48:29.253 States officials have repeatedly 48:29.253 --> 48:31.400 mentioned . And so you are that you 48:31.400 --> 48:33.800 don't give up on diplomatic efforts on 48:33.800 --> 48:36.120 Russia , Could you please clarify , you 48:36.120 --> 48:38.440 have already mentioned about security , 48:38.450 --> 48:42.150 uh collective security . What precisely 48:42.150 --> 48:44.206 do you mean ? What where is the room 48:44.206 --> 48:46.390 for negotiation with Russia ? And what 48:46.400 --> 48:49.290 is the subject of compromise ? 48:49.970 --> 48:53.840 So we have um consistently said that 48:53.850 --> 48:56.500 we are willing to engage in dialogue 48:56.500 --> 48:58.640 and diplomacy and we have engaged in 48:58.640 --> 49:01.790 dialogue and diplomacy with the Russian 49:01.790 --> 49:04.420 federation . Uh knowing of course that 49:04.420 --> 49:06.531 the Russians have published their two 49:06.531 --> 49:08.642 treaties . There are certain elements 49:08.642 --> 49:10.809 in those treaties , as you've heard us 49:10.809 --> 49:12.864 say repeatedly , that are absolutely 49:12.864 --> 49:15.230 nonstarters , including um NATO's so 49:15.230 --> 49:19.140 called open door policy . But there 49:19.140 --> 49:22.600 are other areas that where dialogue and 49:22.600 --> 49:26.280 diplomacy uh could um help 49:26.290 --> 49:29.130 improve our collective security , 49:29.140 --> 49:31.810 transatlantic uh security . I would 49:31.810 --> 49:34.140 make the point that even before this 49:34.140 --> 49:35.918 Russian military build up along 49:35.918 --> 49:37.973 Ukraine's borders start started , we 49:37.973 --> 49:41.670 had already undertaken to uh convening 49:41.680 --> 49:44.230 of the strategic stability dialogue the 49:44.240 --> 49:46.830 venue uh that Deputy Secretary Sherman 49:46.840 --> 49:49.120 utilized the other week to meet with 49:49.120 --> 49:51.540 her Russian counterpart to discuss some 49:51.540 --> 49:53.762 of these issues . And the fact that the 49:53.762 --> 49:56.600 so called SSD uh started after the 49:56.610 --> 49:58.554 summit between President Putin and 49:58.554 --> 50:00.721 President biden and june speaks to the 50:00.721 --> 50:03.380 fact that we do believe there are 50:03.390 --> 50:06.420 issues when it comes to arms control , 50:06.430 --> 50:09.960 for example , where we can 50:09.970 --> 50:12.081 potentially have fruitful discussions 50:12.081 --> 50:14.480 with the Russians uh that could address 50:14.490 --> 50:17.900 our uh security concerns uh meaning 50:17.900 --> 50:20.260 those of the United States uh and our 50:20.270 --> 50:22.650 allies and partners and could also be 50:22.650 --> 50:25.980 responsive to some of the concerns that 50:26.060 --> 50:28.370 the Russians have said so specifically , 50:28.380 --> 50:30.250 we've spoken to the placement of 50:30.250 --> 50:32.510 missiles in europe options for 50:32.510 --> 50:34.454 strategic and nonstrategic nuclear 50:34.454 --> 50:36.566 weapons , other arms control measures 50:36.566 --> 50:38.454 uh and those designed to increase 50:38.454 --> 50:41.250 transparency and stability . The key 50:41.250 --> 50:44.640 point in that is that any steps that we 50:44.640 --> 50:46.920 would take would not be concessions uh 50:46.930 --> 50:49.041 they would need to be on a reciprocal 50:49.041 --> 50:51.980 basis meaning that the Russians would 50:51.990 --> 50:55.650 also have to do something uh that would 50:55.660 --> 50:59.340 help improve our security our 50:59.340 --> 51:01.480 security posture . The final point on 51:01.480 --> 51:04.080 this , all of this has been and will 51:04.080 --> 51:07.580 continue to be conducted with 51:07.590 --> 51:10.760 thorough and full consultation with our 51:10.770 --> 51:12.992 allies and partners . And that includes 51:12.992 --> 51:14.992 Ukraine when the Secretary met with 51:14.992 --> 51:16.992 President Zelensky when he met with 51:16.992 --> 51:16.590 President Coolidge , both Foreign 51:16.590 --> 51:18.479 Minister culebra when he spoke to 51:18.479 --> 51:20.312 Foreign Minister on friday after 51:20.312 --> 51:22.780 meeting with Foreign Minister Lavrov uh 51:22.790 --> 51:26.060 we are in the practice of being fully 51:26.060 --> 51:28.282 transparent with our Ukrainian partners 51:28.282 --> 51:30.060 about the issues that are being 51:30.060 --> 51:32.227 discussed uh and the progress of those 51:32.227 --> 51:36.210 engagements . Anything else in 51:36.210 --> 51:40.060 Russia , Ukraine , Ben ? Yes . The 51:40.070 --> 51:42.800 way read in his discussion , Minister 51:42.800 --> 51:44.911 Lavrov , is there any update ? Do you 51:44.911 --> 51:47.133 think the current situation is going to 51:47.133 --> 51:46.510 make it better or worse for this 51:46.520 --> 51:48.520 situation ? That's really up to the 51:48.520 --> 51:50.631 Russian Federation ? I can confirm as 51:50.631 --> 51:52.742 the Secretary said before the meeting 51:52.742 --> 51:54.853 that he did raise the cases of paul , 51:54.853 --> 51:56.853 Whelan and Trevor Read both of whom 51:56.853 --> 51:59.020 traveled to Russia as tourists and who 51:59.020 --> 52:01.187 have been held unjustly um for far too 52:01.187 --> 52:03.187 long made the point that it is long 52:03.187 --> 52:06.580 past time to see them return safely to 52:06.580 --> 52:08.580 their families and will continue to 52:08.580 --> 52:10.636 continue to work on that ? Yes . You 52:10.636 --> 52:12.358 know , one more on the Russian 52:12.358 --> 52:15.040 Ukrainian Ukrainian crisis . Does the 52:15.040 --> 52:17.110 biden administration recognize or 52:17.110 --> 52:19.990 acknowledge that any incursion or 52:19.990 --> 52:22.220 invasion by Russia against Ukraine 52:22.230 --> 52:25.220 could trigger a dominant effect on so 52:25.220 --> 52:27.710 many issues . I'll name some examples 52:27.720 --> 52:30.470 china against Taiwan Iran and its 52:30.470 --> 52:33.130 proxies . North Korea and its ballistic 52:33.130 --> 52:35.320 missiles against South Korea and Japan 52:35.330 --> 52:38.190 Venezuela cuba and the authoritarian 52:38.190 --> 52:40.550 suppression tactics and moves so that 52:40.550 --> 52:43.190 the whole world is watching what the US 52:43.190 --> 52:46.290 is going to do to stop Russia . How 52:46.300 --> 52:48.522 have you comment on that ? What was the 52:48.522 --> 52:50.800 last part ? How do you comment on this ? 52:50.800 --> 52:53.120 Is that by the administration aware of 52:53.130 --> 52:55.010 how critical the whole world is 52:55.010 --> 52:57.121 watching , just like what happened in 52:57.121 --> 52:59.720 Afghanistan . And then some reports are 52:59.720 --> 53:01.942 saying that Russia are taking a page of 53:01.942 --> 53:04.164 what happened in Afghanistan and moving 53:04.164 --> 53:06.276 against you create or could move . So 53:06.276 --> 53:08.770 now if if they did that all of these 53:08.770 --> 53:10.870 dominant effect , it could happen . 53:11.550 --> 53:13.710 Well before I get to your broader 53:13.710 --> 53:15.710 question , I do want to address the 53:15.710 --> 53:17.710 last part of your question . Uh and 53:17.710 --> 53:19.877 that is Afghanistan . Um I have a hard 53:19.877 --> 53:23.790 time understanding how it is that uh 53:23.800 --> 53:26.720 putting an end to a 20 year military 53:26.720 --> 53:29.440 commitment where the United States 53:29.450 --> 53:31.283 spends billions upon billions of 53:31.283 --> 53:33.394 dollars every year where thousands of 53:33.394 --> 53:35.561 american troops at one point , tens of 53:35.561 --> 53:37.450 thousands of american troops were 53:37.450 --> 53:39.394 stationed . Where there was a NATO 53:39.394 --> 53:41.860 commitment where thousands of NATO 53:41.860 --> 53:44.550 troops were stationed for many years 53:44.560 --> 53:48.000 taking casualties uh enduring the loss 53:48.000 --> 53:51.340 of life with an open ended military 53:51.340 --> 53:54.590 commitment . Howe were we were that 53:54.590 --> 53:56.830 still to be the case , how we would be 53:56.830 --> 54:00.090 better strategically positioned to take 54:00.090 --> 54:02.780 on what we're seeing now from the 54:02.780 --> 54:04.947 Russian federation . The president was 54:04.947 --> 54:06.947 clear when he made his announcement 54:06.947 --> 54:09.490 that we would be putting an end to our 54:09.490 --> 54:11.950 military engagement in Afghanistan , 54:11.950 --> 54:14.006 That part of the reason that we were 54:14.006 --> 54:15.839 doing so was not only to prevent 54:15.839 --> 54:18.180 another generation of american service 54:18.180 --> 54:20.820 members or NATO service members From 54:20.830 --> 54:22.750 fighting and potentially dying in 54:22.750 --> 54:25.540 Afghanistan , but to allow us to focus 54:25.550 --> 54:28.300 on the threats and the opportunities of 54:28.300 --> 54:31.080 the 21st century . And so as we take on 54:31.090 --> 54:33.980 uh this Russian aggression , as we uh 54:33.990 --> 54:36.157 seek to engage on this path of defense 54:36.157 --> 54:38.270 and deterrence , uh that is precisely 54:38.280 --> 54:40.580 what what we are doing . So I just 54:40.580 --> 54:42.469 wanted to address the point about 54:42.469 --> 54:45.910 Afghanistan allies there and many 54:45.910 --> 54:48.132 people saw it as such may be allies are 54:48.132 --> 54:50.299 concerned that that might happen now . 54:50.299 --> 54:52.521 Uh First of all , the United States has 54:52.521 --> 54:54.854 not turned its back on Afghanistan . Uh , 54:54.854 --> 54:56.966 you have seen us consistently partner 54:56.966 --> 54:58.940 with and um uh demonstrating our 54:58.940 --> 55:01.410 enduring commitment to the people of 55:01.410 --> 55:03.577 Afghanistan and we've done that in any 55:03.577 --> 55:05.799 number of ways . I need not run through 55:05.799 --> 55:07.854 them right now because we do this uh 55:07.854 --> 55:10.021 consistently . So anyone who is taking 55:10.021 --> 55:12.430 uh any lesson other than the fact that 55:12.440 --> 55:14.870 uh the United States uh felt it was 55:14.870 --> 55:18.170 time to put an end to what had been an 55:18.180 --> 55:20.280 open ended military commitment where 55:20.280 --> 55:22.420 thousands upon thousands of american 55:22.420 --> 55:24.720 troops have fought and thousands had 55:24.720 --> 55:28.440 died . Uh and uh same for NATO as well . 55:28.450 --> 55:31.550 Uh sapped the United States And our 55:31.550 --> 55:33.772 NATO partners of billions upon billions 55:33.772 --> 55:35.994 trillions over the course of 20 years , 55:35.994 --> 55:38.106 anyone who would take any lesson from 55:38.106 --> 55:40.161 that other than the fact that uh the 55:40.161 --> 55:42.470 United States is positioning itself to 55:42.470 --> 55:44.581 take on the threats and opportunities 55:44.581 --> 55:46.692 uh that we face now while we continue 55:46.692 --> 55:49.200 to partner with and support the people 55:49.200 --> 55:51.440 of Afghanistan , um that would be 55:51.450 --> 55:53.672 mistaken analysis . But to your to your 55:53.672 --> 55:55.728 question though , uh we have thought 55:55.728 --> 55:57.783 about that and that is precisely why 55:57.783 --> 55:59.783 the secretary delivered a speech in 55:59.783 --> 56:01.894 Berlin last week . Uh that was really 56:01.894 --> 56:04.117 on this very question to make the point 56:04.117 --> 56:07.330 that what we're seeing , Russia 56:07.340 --> 56:10.910 attempt and undertake against Ukraine 56:10.920 --> 56:12.864 is important in its own right . Of 56:12.864 --> 56:16.420 course , Ukraine is a close partner . 56:16.430 --> 56:20.150 We have um uh 56:20.530 --> 56:22.970 close friends in the Ukrainian people . 56:22.980 --> 56:25.990 Um but in some ways this is as 56:25.990 --> 56:28.130 important as Ukraine is even bigger 56:28.140 --> 56:31.050 than the question of a conflict . 56:31.430 --> 56:33.880 Russian produced conflict between 56:33.880 --> 56:36.090 Russia and Ukraine . Uh this is about 56:36.090 --> 56:38.700 what should be the inviolable rules of 56:38.710 --> 56:40.932 the so called rules-based international 56:40.932 --> 56:43.043 order . What should be the inviolable 56:43.043 --> 56:46.600 rules that for the past 70 years since 56:46.600 --> 56:49.750 the conclusion of World War II has um 56:49.830 --> 56:52.160 protected and really allowed 56:52.330 --> 56:54.960 unprecedented levels of security of 56:54.960 --> 56:57.770 stability of prosperity . That includes 56:57.780 --> 57:01.280 uh in the uh in europe , but it also 57:01.280 --> 57:03.800 includes uh in areas well beyond that . 57:03.810 --> 57:06.220 And of course , you hear us talk about 57:06.230 --> 57:08.341 the rules based international order , 57:08.341 --> 57:10.563 not only in the case of europe , uh and 57:10.563 --> 57:12.730 what Russia is doing to undermine it , 57:12.730 --> 57:14.786 but in other regions too notably the 57:14.786 --> 57:16.730 indo pacific where we have similar 57:16.730 --> 57:19.120 concerns about what certain countries 57:19.120 --> 57:21.890 have also uh sought to do to undermine 57:21.890 --> 57:23.740 to a road that rules based 57:23.740 --> 57:26.160 international order . So it is not lost 57:26.160 --> 57:30.100 on us that the Russians and the 57:30.100 --> 57:32.230 implications of what they're doing as 57:32.230 --> 57:34.940 important as they are for Ukraine . Go 57:34.940 --> 57:38.750 go well beyond Ukraine . Don't get on . 57:39.230 --> 57:42.500 Wait , see you sir , I'll come back to 57:42.500 --> 57:46.250 you . So you've already you've already 57:46.260 --> 57:48.482 asked a question . You've already asked 57:48.482 --> 57:51.330 a question during this briefing . I 57:51.330 --> 57:53.510 want to ask you about the Palestinian 57:53.510 --> 57:55.840 american . He died in Israeli customs 57:56.530 --> 57:59.170 On 12 January . Now , I know that you 57:59.170 --> 58:01.337 called on the radio that you wanted to 58:01.337 --> 58:03.720 see what were the circumstances . First 58:03.720 --> 58:05.776 of all , did they respond to you ? I 58:05.776 --> 58:07.609 mean that could be any one of my 58:07.609 --> 58:10.210 brothers . That could be , never mind . 58:10.210 --> 58:12.543 I'm just saying did they respond to you ? 58:13.120 --> 58:15.490 So we have not yet seen a final report 58:15.490 --> 58:17.323 from the Israeli government . We 58:17.323 --> 58:19.240 continue to support a thorough 58:19.250 --> 58:21.910 investigation into the circumstances of 58:21.910 --> 58:23.910 the incident . We welcome receiving 58:23.910 --> 58:26.132 additional information from the Israeli 58:26.132 --> 58:28.354 government as soon as possible . We are 58:28.354 --> 58:30.480 deeply concerned by media reports of 58:30.480 --> 58:32.702 the circumstances surrounding the death 58:32.702 --> 58:35.540 of Mr assad American citizen who was 58:35.540 --> 58:38.130 found dead after the Israeli military 58:38.130 --> 58:40.400 detained him . As we said previously , 58:40.410 --> 58:43.200 we've been in close contact with his 58:43.200 --> 58:45.510 family to offer our condolences to 58:45.510 --> 58:47.510 provide consular services . We were 58:47.510 --> 58:49.850 represented at the wake of mr assad as 58:49.850 --> 58:52.060 well . He died while being handcuffed 58:52.060 --> 58:55.190 and gagged and so on . What kind of do 58:55.190 --> 58:57.412 they do ? You give them a time ? Do you 58:57.412 --> 58:59.357 trust the Israelis to do their own 58:59.357 --> 59:01.301 investigation ? And as I said , we 59:01.301 --> 59:03.412 welcome receiving that information as 59:03.412 --> 59:05.246 soon as possible . I have a very 59:05.246 --> 59:07.190 another quick question . There are 59:07.190 --> 59:09.301 reports that there are 17 Palestinian 59:09.301 --> 59:12.250 journalist who are detained today . Is 59:12.250 --> 59:14.250 that something that you would raise 59:14.250 --> 59:16.361 with the Israelis to look into ? What 59:16.361 --> 59:18.083 are the circumstances of their 59:18.083 --> 59:20.306 imprisonment ? We're we're aware of the 59:20.306 --> 59:22.670 reports that you cited as we do around 59:22.670 --> 59:24.614 the world . We support independent 59:24.614 --> 59:26.670 journalists and media organization , 59:26.670 --> 59:28.892 media organizations and you've heard us 59:28.892 --> 59:31.140 speak before of the indispensability of 59:31.140 --> 59:34.510 their reporting , especially um in 59:34.520 --> 59:36.520 areas where tensions are high or or 59:36.520 --> 59:39.200 conflict may erupt we believe that 59:39.200 --> 59:40.922 respect for human rights , for 59:40.922 --> 59:43.144 fundamental freedoms and a strong civil 59:43.144 --> 59:45.144 society are critically important to 59:45.144 --> 59:47.367 responsible and responsive governance . 59:47.367 --> 59:50.530 And finally , okay , us ambassador to 59:50.530 --> 59:52.930 the United Nations last week spoke out 59:52.930 --> 59:55.660 and highlighted the secular violence 59:55.660 --> 59:57.938 and aggression against the Palestinian . 59:57.938 --> 01:00:01.150 Yet we have seen only increase in the 01:00:01.150 --> 01:00:03.428 in the violence over the past few days . 01:00:03.620 --> 01:00:05.731 That's something that you would raise 01:00:05.731 --> 01:00:07.787 our you're too busy with issues like 01:00:07.787 --> 01:00:09.630 Ukraine and Iran and all these 01:00:10.610 --> 01:00:13.160 understand , I said we're we're a large 01:00:13.160 --> 01:00:15.382 government were a large department , um 01:00:15.382 --> 01:00:17.590 not to use an overused metaphor , but 01:00:17.600 --> 01:00:20.890 we can walk into gum at the same time 01:00:20.900 --> 01:00:23.450 when it comes to the issue you raised . 01:00:23.460 --> 01:00:25.571 You have heard us speak to this . You 01:00:25.571 --> 01:00:27.571 cited some comments recently in the 01:00:27.571 --> 01:00:29.349 State Department has previously 01:00:29.349 --> 01:00:31.516 commented on this as well . We believe 01:00:31.516 --> 01:00:33.404 it is critical for all parties To 01:00:33.404 --> 01:00:35.349 refrain from steps that exacerbate 01:00:35.349 --> 01:00:34.740 tensions and undercut efforts to 01:00:34.740 --> 01:00:37.073 advance a negotiated two state solution . 01:00:37.073 --> 01:00:38.796 This includes violence against 01:00:38.796 --> 01:00:41.860 civilians and settler violence . Uh 01:00:41.870 --> 01:00:44.530 Sure . So to run questions . Uh Sure . 01:00:44.910 --> 01:00:46.966 Um Iran's foreign minister on monday 01:00:46.966 --> 01:00:48.966 said they're ready to consider dyer 01:00:48.966 --> 01:00:51.021 talks with the United States if they 01:00:51.021 --> 01:00:52.966 feel they can get a good deal with 01:00:52.966 --> 01:00:55.132 guarantees either way . Has there been 01:00:55.132 --> 01:00:57.243 any communication on this ? And there 01:00:57.243 --> 01:00:59.243 you are you guys considering having 01:00:59.243 --> 01:01:01.410 direct talks with Humira as you know ? 01:01:01.410 --> 01:01:03.521 Um We are prepared to meet directly . 01:01:03.521 --> 01:01:05.880 Uh We have consistently held the 01:01:05.880 --> 01:01:07.970 position that it would be much more 01:01:07.970 --> 01:01:10.910 productive to engage with Iran directly 01:01:10.920 --> 01:01:13.070 on both J . C . P . O . A . 01:01:13.070 --> 01:01:15.237 Negotiations and and on other issues . 01:01:15.310 --> 01:01:19.030 Uh this extends to bilateral 01:01:19.040 --> 01:01:21.200 as well as multilateral formats . Uh 01:01:21.210 --> 01:01:24.190 meeting directly would enable more 01:01:24.200 --> 01:01:26.033 efficient communication which is 01:01:26.033 --> 01:01:28.480 urgently urgently needed to swiftly 01:01:28.480 --> 01:01:30.424 reach an understanding on a mutual 01:01:30.424 --> 01:01:32.758 return to compliance with the J . C . P . 01:01:32.758 --> 01:01:35.730 O . A . Uh we've made this point before . 01:01:35.730 --> 01:01:37.786 But given the pace of Iran's nuclear 01:01:37.786 --> 01:01:39.870 advancements , time is running very 01:01:39.870 --> 01:01:43.740 short until the nonproliferation 01:01:43.740 --> 01:01:45.740 benefits that the J . C . P . O . A 01:01:45.740 --> 01:01:48.060 conveyed as initially drafted and 01:01:48.060 --> 01:01:50.700 implemented in uh drafted in 2015 and 01:01:50.700 --> 01:01:53.310 implemented in 2016 are outweighed by 01:01:53.320 --> 01:01:55.487 the nuclear advancements that Iran has 01:01:55.487 --> 01:01:58.660 made . So we are seeking to um uh 01:01:58.670 --> 01:02:00.781 conduct this diplomacy urgently . And 01:02:00.781 --> 01:02:03.003 we've been consistently very clear that 01:02:03.003 --> 01:02:05.340 being able to engage directly would 01:02:05.350 --> 01:02:08.590 serve those purposes . You're position 01:02:08.590 --> 01:02:11.030 just now . And what they said , should 01:02:11.030 --> 01:02:13.190 we expect this to happen soon ? Is 01:02:13.190 --> 01:02:15.357 there any reason why this could happen 01:02:15.357 --> 01:02:17.579 soon ? Has there been any communication 01:02:17.579 --> 01:02:19.690 indirectly about making this happen ? 01:02:19.690 --> 01:02:21.468 You would you would have to ask 01:02:21.468 --> 01:02:23.523 officials in Tehran ? We this is not 01:02:23.523 --> 01:02:25.690 the first time we've made this point . 01:02:25.690 --> 01:02:27.912 We have made this point uh consistently 01:02:27.912 --> 01:02:30.134 up until now the Iranians have insisted 01:02:30.134 --> 01:02:32.246 on the indirect format in Vienna . We 01:02:32.246 --> 01:02:34.500 have long noted the fact that indirect 01:02:34.500 --> 01:02:36.790 talks especially on an issue of this 01:02:36.790 --> 01:02:39.080 complexity and of this importance is a 01:02:39.080 --> 01:02:41.220 hindrance . So our position has been 01:02:41.220 --> 01:02:42.887 clear . I would direct you to 01:02:42.887 --> 01:02:45.109 authorities in Iran . My final thing on 01:02:45.109 --> 01:02:47.053 this , we've had an interview with 01:02:47.053 --> 01:02:49.276 special envoy Denali yesterday who said 01:02:49.276 --> 01:02:51.498 it . He it would be hard to imagine for 01:02:51.498 --> 01:02:53.776 us to clinch a deal with Iran unless U . 01:02:53.776 --> 01:02:55.998 S . Hostages are released . I just want 01:02:55.998 --> 01:02:57.998 to push you a little bit on why the 01:02:57.998 --> 01:02:59.998 administration isn't willing to say 01:02:59.998 --> 01:03:02.290 outright that they won't rejoin J . C . 01:03:02.290 --> 01:03:04.350 P . O . A . Unless american citizens 01:03:04.350 --> 01:03:07.830 are released . Well what the special 01:03:07.830 --> 01:03:10.450 envoy said is that it is quote very 01:03:10.450 --> 01:03:12.450 hard for us to imagine getting back 01:03:12.450 --> 01:03:14.283 into the nuclear deal while four 01:03:14.283 --> 01:03:16.172 innocent americans are being held 01:03:16.172 --> 01:03:18.172 hostage by Iran ? This is the point 01:03:18.172 --> 01:03:20.172 he's made repeatedly before ? Um So 01:03:20.172 --> 01:03:22.283 this is uh it should not be news . It 01:03:22.283 --> 01:03:24.339 also , I can tell you is not news to 01:03:24.339 --> 01:03:26.520 the Iranians . They have heard uh this 01:03:26.520 --> 01:03:29.090 position indirectly from us before as 01:03:29.090 --> 01:03:32.370 well . But the special Envoy also made 01:03:32.370 --> 01:03:34.200 the point that these issues are 01:03:34.200 --> 01:03:36.033 operating on separate tracks and 01:03:36.033 --> 01:03:38.200 they're operating on separate separate 01:03:38.200 --> 01:03:40.311 tracks . For a very simple reason . A 01:03:40.311 --> 01:03:42.589 mutual return to compliance with the J . 01:03:42.589 --> 01:03:45.140 C . P . O . A is at best an uncertain 01:03:45.140 --> 01:03:49.000 proposition . Uh We want to see these 01:03:49.000 --> 01:03:51.056 americans who have been held against 01:03:51.056 --> 01:03:53.167 their will for years on end away from 01:03:53.167 --> 01:03:55.660 their families returned as soon as 01:03:55.660 --> 01:03:58.090 possible . Uh It would not serve our 01:03:58.090 --> 01:04:00.201 purposes . They would not serve their 01:04:00.201 --> 01:04:02.800 interests to tie their fates to a 01:04:02.800 --> 01:04:04.689 proposition that I said before is 01:04:04.689 --> 01:04:07.140 uncertain at best . So that is why it's 01:04:07.140 --> 01:04:11.060 certainly colors our interactions . Um 01:04:11.070 --> 01:04:13.070 but these are operating on separate 01:04:13.070 --> 01:04:14.810 tracks . Tell me 01:04:20.090 --> 01:04:23.710 again , it is uh not the case 01:04:23.720 --> 01:04:27.020 that there is any uh director explicit 01:04:27.020 --> 01:04:29.380 linkage precisely because uh mutual 01:04:29.380 --> 01:04:31.713 return to compliance with the J . C . P . 01:04:31.713 --> 01:04:31.650 O . A . Is the best an uncertain 01:04:31.650 --> 01:04:34.220 proposition . We want the return of 01:04:34.220 --> 01:04:35.998 these americans to be a certain 01:04:35.998 --> 01:04:38.164 proposition . Uh And so we are keeping 01:04:38.164 --> 01:04:40.276 these issues separate . Yes , sorry . 01:04:41.290 --> 01:04:43.960 Wes Foreign Minister visited Beirut on 01:04:43.960 --> 01:04:46.160 saturday and delivered the confidence 01:04:46.170 --> 01:04:48.190 building proposals to Lebanon in a 01:04:48.190 --> 01:04:50.250 message coordinated with the gulf 01:04:50.250 --> 01:04:52.950 states . And he is visiting Washington 01:04:52.960 --> 01:04:54.793 this week . Are you aware of the 01:04:54.800 --> 01:04:57.800 proposals ? And is there any link 01:04:57.810 --> 01:05:00.660 between his visits to Beirut and 01:05:00.670 --> 01:05:02.980 Washington ? Well , I do expect when 01:05:02.980 --> 01:05:05.036 the secretary meets with his kuwaiti 01:05:05.036 --> 01:05:07.258 counterpart on Wednesday that they will 01:05:07.258 --> 01:05:07.190 have an opportunity to discuss Lebanon . 01:05:07.200 --> 01:05:09.340 Uh It is something that the United 01:05:09.340 --> 01:05:11.340 States together with our partners , 01:05:11.350 --> 01:05:13.406 including our partners in the gulf , 01:05:13.406 --> 01:05:15.628 the french and others we've been very , 01:05:15.628 --> 01:05:17.850 very focused on . So I think we'll have 01:05:17.850 --> 01:05:19.850 more to say in the aftermath of the 01:05:19.850 --> 01:05:22.017 bilateral meeting on Wednesday . Yes , 01:05:22.090 --> 01:05:25.370 for our colleague Tracy Wilkinson on 01:05:25.370 --> 01:05:27.530 Honduras , rival factions in its 01:05:27.530 --> 01:05:29.540 Congress may derail thursday's 01:05:29.540 --> 01:05:31.707 inauguration of the new president whom 01:05:31.707 --> 01:05:33.596 the State Department was quick to 01:05:33.596 --> 01:05:35.540 embrace . Vice President Harris is 01:05:35.540 --> 01:05:37.096 scheduled to travel for the 01:05:37.096 --> 01:05:39.318 inauguration . Is the us doing anything 01:05:39.318 --> 01:05:42.090 to defuse that crisis ? Well , what 01:05:42.090 --> 01:05:44.201 I'll say is that the selection of the 01:05:44.201 --> 01:05:46.090 new provisional leadership at the 01:05:46.090 --> 01:05:47.868 Honduran National Congress as a 01:05:47.868 --> 01:05:50.034 sovereign decision of Honduras . Uh We 01:05:50.034 --> 01:05:51.979 look forward to deepening our work 01:05:51.979 --> 01:05:51.480 together with the incoming Castro 01:05:51.480 --> 01:05:53.580 administration uh and Hondurans from 01:05:53.580 --> 01:05:55.413 across the political spectrum to 01:05:55.413 --> 01:05:58.240 advance our shared interests . We call 01:05:58.240 --> 01:06:00.351 on political actors to remain calm to 01:06:00.351 --> 01:06:02.296 engage in dialogue to refrain from 01:06:02.296 --> 01:06:04.518 violence and provocative rhetoric . And 01:06:04.518 --> 01:06:06.518 we urge their supporters to express 01:06:06.518 --> 01:06:08.684 themselves peacefully while respecting 01:06:08.684 --> 01:06:12.500 the rule of law as you know , Vice 01:06:12.500 --> 01:06:14.510 President Harris has already had an 01:06:14.510 --> 01:06:16.650 opportunity to be in touch with 01:06:16.660 --> 01:06:19.130 president elect Castro to congratulate 01:06:19.130 --> 01:06:22.250 her on her historic victory as Honduras 01:06:22.260 --> 01:06:24.340 first woman president In that 01:06:24.340 --> 01:06:26.062 conversation last month , they 01:06:26.062 --> 01:06:28.007 discussed their shared interest in 01:06:28.007 --> 01:06:30.062 working together to address the root 01:06:30.062 --> 01:06:31.784 causes of migration to promote 01:06:31.784 --> 01:06:33.951 inclusive economic opportunity for the 01:06:33.951 --> 01:06:37.410 people of Honduras to improve um uh to 01:06:37.420 --> 01:06:39.587 combat corruption , to reduce security 01:06:39.587 --> 01:06:41.809 threats and to improve access to health 01:06:41.809 --> 01:06:45.550 and education . Sure , you have a was 01:06:45.550 --> 01:06:47.828 there a follow up now another question . 01:06:47.828 --> 01:06:50.860 So go ahead . If you don't mind the my 01:06:50.860 --> 01:06:52.804 blog , a colleague would wonder if 01:06:52.804 --> 01:06:54.804 there's any reaction from the State 01:06:54.804 --> 01:06:56.971 Department to two cases with regarding 01:06:56.971 --> 01:06:58.916 restrictions on free expression in 01:06:58.916 --> 01:07:01.082 Turkey . One is last saturday . A well 01:07:01.082 --> 01:07:03.304 known Turkish journalist was jailed for 01:07:03.304 --> 01:07:05.700 insulting President Erdogan today . The 01:07:05.700 --> 01:07:07.890 state agency , a state , the state has 01:07:07.890 --> 01:07:10.223 find the Tv channel for which she works . 01:07:10.370 --> 01:07:12.426 The second case is a famous musician 01:07:12.426 --> 01:07:14.648 who was getting threats by Islamist and 01:07:14.648 --> 01:07:16.703 nationalist groups for something she 01:07:16.703 --> 01:07:18.926 wrote a while ago and President Erdogan 01:07:18.926 --> 01:07:21.148 threatened to silence her during friday 01:07:21.148 --> 01:07:23.314 prayers saying quote it is our duty to 01:07:23.314 --> 01:07:25.690 cut those tongues . Unquote . Do you 01:07:25.690 --> 01:07:28.680 have any reaction to these cases ? Well , 01:07:28.680 --> 01:07:31.340 this applies in Turkey but it is 01:07:31.350 --> 01:07:33.406 universal in its application as well 01:07:33.406 --> 01:07:35.810 and that is the fact that we believe 01:07:35.820 --> 01:07:38.450 freedom of expression strengthens 01:07:38.450 --> 01:07:40.710 democracy and it needs to be protected 01:07:40.720 --> 01:07:43.320 even when it involves speech . Some may 01:07:43.320 --> 01:07:45.880 find controversial or some may find 01:07:45.890 --> 01:07:48.390 uncomfortable we're aware of and were 01:07:48.390 --> 01:07:50.279 disappointed by the attention and 01:07:50.279 --> 01:07:52.446 arrest of Sedef Kabas one of the cases 01:07:52.446 --> 01:07:54.446 you referenced and those principles 01:07:54.446 --> 01:07:56.557 apply equally to Turkey as they do to 01:07:56.557 --> 01:07:58.779 any other country . It has taken to the 01:07:58.779 --> 01:08:00.723 T . V . To declare that they're in 01:08:00.723 --> 01:08:02.834 power . The President's Office denied 01:08:02.834 --> 01:08:05.168 that but the president hasn't been seen . 01:08:05.168 --> 01:08:07.334 Are you aware of what's unfolding ? Is 01:08:07.334 --> 01:08:09.320 there a coup ? Have you begun an 01:08:09.320 --> 01:08:11.431 assessment of whether or not there is 01:08:11.431 --> 01:08:13.598 one ? Well we're aware of reports that 01:08:13.598 --> 01:08:15.598 the president Burkina Faso has been 01:08:15.598 --> 01:08:17.653 detained by members of the country's 01:08:17.653 --> 01:08:17.570 military . Our embassy team in 01:08:17.570 --> 01:08:19.792 Ouagadougou is monitoring the situation 01:08:19.792 --> 01:08:21.626 and maintains communication with 01:08:21.626 --> 01:08:23.792 international partners as well as with 01:08:23.792 --> 01:08:25.514 officials from President Boris 01:08:25.514 --> 01:08:27.840 government . We call for the immediate 01:08:27.850 --> 01:08:29.906 release of President Gabor and other 01:08:29.906 --> 01:08:32.128 government officials uh and for members 01:08:32.128 --> 01:08:34.017 of the security forces to respect 01:08:34.017 --> 01:08:35.794 Burkina Faso's constitution and 01:08:35.794 --> 01:08:38.017 civilian leadership . We urge all sides 01:08:38.017 --> 01:08:40.183 in this fluid situation to remain calm 01:08:40.183 --> 01:08:42.128 and to seek dialogue as a means to 01:08:42.128 --> 01:08:44.239 resolve grievances . We , our embassy 01:08:44.239 --> 01:08:46.510 in Ouagadougou has advised us citizens 01:08:46.510 --> 01:08:48.660 in Burkina Faso uh that a mandatory 01:08:48.660 --> 01:08:50.716 curfew has been implemented by local 01:08:50.716 --> 01:08:52.938 authorities and US citizens are advised 01:08:52.938 --> 01:08:55.210 to take shelter , avoid large crowds 01:08:55.210 --> 01:08:57.550 and to monitor local media for updates . 01:08:57.560 --> 01:08:59.782 Us provides a significant amount of aid 01:08:59.782 --> 01:09:02.004 to Burkina Faso . Are you undertaking a 01:09:02.004 --> 01:09:03.782 coup assessment . So this is an 01:09:03.782 --> 01:09:05.504 evolving situation . Uh It's a 01:09:05.504 --> 01:09:07.616 situation that remains fluid . It has 01:09:07.616 --> 01:09:09.880 continued to develop even within recent 01:09:09.880 --> 01:09:11.436 hours . So it's too soon to 01:09:11.436 --> 01:09:13.658 characterize uh at least officially for 01:09:13.658 --> 01:09:15.880 us the nature of ongoing developments , 01:09:15.880 --> 01:09:17.880 we have called for restraint by all 01:09:17.880 --> 01:09:19.769 actors as we carefully review the 01:09:19.769 --> 01:09:21.936 events on the ground for any potential 01:09:21.936 --> 01:09:23.980 impact on our assistance . AFP just 01:09:23.980 --> 01:09:26.580 reported that are attributed to a high 01:09:26.580 --> 01:09:30.180 level american officials as saying they 01:09:30.190 --> 01:09:32.510 would like to see direct talks . Can 01:09:32.510 --> 01:09:34.843 you confirm that you want direct doctor ? 01:09:34.843 --> 01:09:37.060 I thought we just discussed this for 01:09:37.060 --> 01:09:39.300 five minutes with you . Yeah , we we do 01:09:39.420 --> 01:09:43.350 yes , yes . Could be achieved by direct 01:09:43.350 --> 01:09:46.120 talks instead of what's going on . Well , 01:09:46.130 --> 01:09:48.241 we just had a rather lengthy exchange 01:09:48.241 --> 01:09:50.550 on this , so I was afraid of that . A 01:09:50.560 --> 01:09:52.449 couple of final questions . Yes , 01:09:52.449 --> 01:09:54.616 please . Yes . Is there any update you 01:09:54.616 --> 01:09:56.504 can give on the ISIS jailbreak in 01:09:56.504 --> 01:09:58.504 Northern Syria , either in terms of 01:09:58.504 --> 01:10:00.504 coalition support and the number of 01:10:00.504 --> 01:10:02.560 escapees . And then , just what does 01:10:02.560 --> 01:10:04.616 the strike or what does it say about 01:10:04.616 --> 01:10:06.504 the stf stf ability to secure the 01:10:06.504 --> 01:10:08.910 facilities And do you see this as an 01:10:08.910 --> 01:10:11.132 intelligence failure on the part of the 01:10:11.132 --> 01:10:13.410 coalition ? Well , as you probably saw , 01:10:13.410 --> 01:10:15.577 we issued a statement on this over the 01:10:15.577 --> 01:10:17.466 weekend and we condemned the ISIS 01:10:17.466 --> 01:10:19.580 attack last week on the uh Hasakah 01:10:19.580 --> 01:10:21.691 detention center in Northeast Syria , 01:10:21.691 --> 01:10:23.691 which we understand to have been an 01:10:23.691 --> 01:10:25.969 attempt to free detained ISIS fighters . 01:10:25.969 --> 01:10:28.220 We commend the sdf for their swift 01:10:28.220 --> 01:10:30.710 response and continued commitment to 01:10:30.710 --> 01:10:32.766 the fight against ISIS . Uh and this 01:10:32.766 --> 01:10:34.766 attack in our mind , highlights the 01:10:34.766 --> 01:10:36.766 importance of and the need to fully 01:10:36.766 --> 01:10:38.877 fund the global coalition defeat ISIS 01:10:38.877 --> 01:10:40.710 to defeat ISIS is initiatives to 01:10:40.710 --> 01:10:42.877 improve and secure humane detention of 01:10:42.877 --> 01:10:44.377 ISIS fighters including by 01:10:44.377 --> 01:10:46.210 strengthening detention facility 01:10:46.210 --> 01:10:47.877 security . Uh to us , it also 01:10:47.877 --> 01:10:49.654 underscores the urgent need for 01:10:49.654 --> 01:10:52.040 countries of origin to repatriate 01:10:52.050 --> 01:10:54.880 rehabilitate reintegrate and prosecute 01:10:54.890 --> 01:10:56.960 where appropriate their nationals 01:10:56.960 --> 01:10:59.182 detained in Northeast Syria . We remain 01:10:59.182 --> 01:11:01.404 committed to the enduring global defeat 01:11:01.404 --> 01:11:03.627 devices working by with and through the 01:11:03.627 --> 01:11:05.500 coalition and our and our local 01:11:05.500 --> 01:11:07.610 partners . But beyond that , for 01:11:07.620 --> 01:11:09.842 tactical developments on the ground , I 01:11:09.842 --> 01:11:11.953 need to refer you to D . O . D . Then 01:11:11.953 --> 01:11:14.064 the department said that if there was 01:11:14.064 --> 01:11:16.009 an invasion of Ukraine that the US 01:11:16.009 --> 01:11:17.787 would be unable to evacuate its 01:11:17.787 --> 01:11:20.009 citizens . I wonder if you just explain 01:11:20.009 --> 01:11:23.500 why Ben this is um this is historically 01:11:23.510 --> 01:11:26.650 always been the case . Uh The our 01:11:26.650 --> 01:11:29.810 primary charge is to uh 01:11:29.820 --> 01:11:33.540 provide updates and developments and to 01:11:33.550 --> 01:11:36.320 ensure communication to the private 01:11:36.320 --> 01:11:38.209 american citizen community in any 01:11:38.209 --> 01:11:40.880 country uh including when we undertake 01:11:40.880 --> 01:11:43.620 something like order departure or 01:11:43.630 --> 01:11:45.519 authorized departure . I know the 01:11:45.519 --> 01:11:48.080 recent experience of Afghanistan make 01:11:48.080 --> 01:11:51.690 color uh the uh sense that some 01:11:51.690 --> 01:11:53.710 people have about this , but 01:11:53.720 --> 01:11:55.831 Afghanistan , for reasons that we all 01:11:55.831 --> 01:11:59.800 know well , was unique . Uh It was um 01:11:59.810 --> 01:12:01.643 something that the United States 01:12:01.643 --> 01:12:04.000 Government had not done before . Uh and 01:12:04.000 --> 01:12:06.111 as you've heard us say in the context 01:12:06.111 --> 01:12:09.900 of Ethiopia , Ukraine uh and um uh 01:12:09.910 --> 01:12:12.890 and and and and other countries . Our 01:12:12.890 --> 01:12:15.110 charge is to continue to provide 01:12:15.120 --> 01:12:17.009 informational updates in american 01:12:17.009 --> 01:12:18.898 citizen community to provide them 01:12:18.898 --> 01:12:21.231 services , including repatriation loans , 01:12:21.231 --> 01:12:23.530 should they need to avail themselves of 01:12:23.540 --> 01:12:25.651 commercial options . Those commercial 01:12:25.651 --> 01:12:27.818 options , of course , still exist . In 01:12:27.818 --> 01:12:29.984 the case of uh , Ukraine . That is why 01:12:29.984 --> 01:12:32.450 last night's advisory urged americans 01:12:32.450 --> 01:12:34.800 to consider availing themselves of 01:12:34.800 --> 01:12:37.300 those uh , commercial options , and the 01:12:37.300 --> 01:12:40.150 embassy stands ready to assist in those 01:12:40.160 --> 01:12:43.070 in in in those efforts . Thank you all .