'Are You Guys Planning To Inform The Ukrainians?': State Department Spokesperson Grilled Over US-Russia Talks

Forbes Breaking News

State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce was asked about ongoing negotiations between the U.S. and Russia, and talks with Ukraine.

Transcript

00:00MS NAUERT- Yes, Alex.

00:02I appreciate it.

00:03I want to go back to Ukraine, press a little bit more, if I may.

00:05You said the Secretary will inform the President about the new ideas.

00:10At what point do you guys are planning to inform the Ukrainians?

00:12MS NAUERT- I'm sorry, what are we –

00:14The Ukrainians.

00:15They are in a talk.

00:16So are you going to –

00:17MS NAUERT- Well, obviously, I'm not going to speak about every conversation or connection

00:21we have with partners that we're working with every day, all the time.

00:27The communications don't just happen when you hear about it in the news or if there's

00:30one phone call that's talked about.

00:33These are – in every region that is required, special envoys and discussions and help regarding

00:40ceasefires or at least finding where you can find some common ground is a 24-7 operation

00:48with innumerable people working on it.

00:50So when it comes to the Ukrainians, our friends, President Zelenskyy had a fabulous phone call

00:56with President Trump.

00:58That was discussed somewhat publicly, certainly when it comes to the issue of armaments and

01:04defensive weapons, essentially.

01:06That was discussed publicly, and of course, we have news in that regard.

01:10So you might not hear it in the news.

01:13It doesn't mean that we're not talking quite often, if not all the time, with our Ukrainian

01:17friends.

01:19MS.

01:20Yes.

01:21And to Andrea's point earlier, we all heard just two days ago from the President

01:23that he expressed his frustration of Putin.

01:25MS.

01:26Yes.

01:27So that he was lying to him.

01:28And then we also have seen the past few days Russians have been engaging in record-breaking

01:33attacks, Kyiv and other cities.

01:37Why do you think Lavrov deserves a Secretary-level meeting, given all this background?

01:41MS.

01:42Well, again, a lot of people didn't think Putin should be talked with at all during the last

01:47administration he wasn't talked to for three years.

01:50That's not a way that you can come to some kind of understanding or agreement or an effort

01:53to stop any carnage and the suffering.

01:56You've got to talk to everyone at any point when it comes to those who are involved in

02:00the situation, to say nothing of the leverage that we have with the ideas and the power of

02:06President Trump and clearly the effectiveness of Secretary Rubio in the midst of this.

02:11At the same time, the escalating Russian attacks, the President's been clear they're abhorrent.

02:18I can say to you here that we strongly condemn Russia's escalating attacks on Ukraine and

02:24extend our deepest condolences to the victims and families of those killed.

02:28Every week we see reports of Russia setting new records for the scale of its aerial attacks.

02:36Every nation wants to have records, but not that kind.

02:39As Secretary Rubio said today, we've seen an acceleration of attacks.

02:44President Trump's number one interest is to stop people from dying and the destruction

02:48that's ongoing every single day.

02:52He is going to do everything he can within his power to end this war and any other war he

02:59has a chance to end.

03:01We're going to continue to work at it.

03:02We understand that these things take time and patience, but obviously we are also frustrated

03:09that more progress has not been made.

03:12And I, again, would remind you that that's an opinion regarding the state of situation

03:17now in the midst of ongoing conversations that are conveyed publicly.

03:24And while I won't speak or characterize the Secretary's conversations with Lavrov or any

03:29other person, it's clear that this is part of that movement toward making decisions about

03:36what is necessary to stop this madness.

03:39All right.

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