https://www.youtube.com/embed/F9TAp-3-7is
LIVE FROM UKRAINE, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. PLEASE STAY SAFE. >>> JOINING ME, STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESPERSON NED PRICE. NED, Thank you for asking FOR COMING TO “THE SUNDAY SHOW.” >> GOOD MORNING, JONATHAN. >> SO, NED, I WOULD Adoration THE U.S. REACTION TO THE RUSSIAN ATTACK ON THAT UKRAINIAN MILITARY BASE OUTSIDE OF LVIV. >> WELL, JONATHAN, OVER THE COURSE OF THE PAST 18 Eras NOW, WE HAVE Discovered RUSSIA ESCALATE ITS ATTACKS AGAINST UKRAINE. WE HAVE ALWAYS SAID THIS WOULD BE A WAR REALLY ON THREE AXES. ONE, A WAR AGAINST THE INTEGRITY OF THE STATE OF UKRAINE.TWO, AN ASSAULT ON THE UKRAINIAN GOVERNMENT. AND THREE, AN ASSAULT ON THE UKRAINIAN PEOPLE. AND WE’VE SEEN RUSSIA ESCALATE ITS TACTICS, ESCALATE ITS OPERATIONS OVER THE COURSE OF THESE PAST 18 Days ON ALL THREE TRACKS. BUT HERE’S THE THING, JONATHAN. WE ARE Practically THREE WEEKS INTO THIS Exertion. AND I THINK EVERY DAY IT IS BECOMING CLEAR THAT PRESIDENT PUTIN GRAVELY MISS CALCULATED. NOW THREE WEEKS IN, WE HAVE SEEN RUSSIAN FORCES IN MANY AREAS STALLED. WE’VE SEEN CONVOYS UNABLE TO MAKE SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS.NOW, CLEARLY THEY CONTINUE TO POSE A THREAT TO MAJOR URBAN CENTERS, Includes the 2.9 MILLION People IN THE CITY OF KYIV. BUT IF VLADIMIR PUTIN THOUGHT THAT HIS FORCES COULD GO INTO UKRAINE AND WOULD NOT FIND AND CONFRONT STIFF RESISTANCE FROM THE PEOPLE OF UKRAINE, HE WAS MISTAKEN. IF VLADIMIR PUTIN THOUGHT THAT HE WOULDN’T FIND STIFF RESISTANCE AT HOME FROM HIS OWN PEOPLE, HE WAS CLEARLY MISTAKEN. MORE THAN 14,000 RUSSIANS IN RUSSIA ACROSS DOZENS OF CITIES, HAVE BEEN DETAINED, HAVE BEEN ARRESTED FOR DOING NOTHING MORE THAN EXERCISING WHAT IS THEIR UNIVERSAL RIGHT TO FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION, TO FREEDOM OF ASSEMBLY, PROTESTING PUTIN’S WAR OF CHOICE. AND IF PUTIN WAS — IF PUTIN THOUGHT THAT HE WOULDN’T FACE STIFF RESISTANCE IN THESE SEVERE CONSEQUENTIAL MEASURES WE WARNED ABOUT, HE Miscalculated, HE WAS WRONG THERE AS WELL. >> WE WERE TOLD ABOUT THE 90 -MINUTE PHONE CALL BETWEEN THE GERMAN CHANCELLOR AND FRENCH PRESIDENT, A CALL THEY HAVE HAD IN THE LAST FOUR DAYS. ONE, ARE THEY TALKING TO HIM ABOUT POTENTIAL OFF-RAMPS FOR PUTIN TO TAKE TO END THE WAR? THE QUESTION IS, IF HE WERE TO TAKE ONE, CAN HE BE TRUSTED GIVEN THAT HE IS LUFLLY TARGETING CIVILIANS? >> WELL, JONATHAN, THERE HAS BEEN A VERY CLEAR OFF-RAMP BEFORE THIS INVASION BEGAN AND SINCE THIS INVASION BEGAN.IT IS QUITE SIMPLE. IT IS FOR PURITY IN TO END THIST WAR, TO REMOVE HIS FORCES FROM UKRAINIAN SOIL. WE HAVE BEEN CLEAR ABOUT THAT. WE HAVE BEEN CLEAR AS LONG AS PUTIN ESCALATES HIS TACTICS, THE ESCALATION WE’VE SEEN EVEN IN RECENT HOURS, WE WILL CONTINUE TO ESCALATE WHAT WE ARE DOING, WHAT THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY IS DOING TO HOLD PRESIDENT PUTIN ACCOUNTABLE AND TO PROVIDE EVEN MORE ASSISTANCE TO OUR UKRAINIAN PARTNERS. AND JUST YESTERDAY WE ANNOUNCED AN ADDITIONAL $ 200 MILLION IN SECURITY ASSISTANCE FOR UKRAINE BRINGING IT TO $ 550 MILLION IN RECENT WEEKS ALONE. AND THOSE Give ARE CONTINUING DAY BY DAY.SO PRESIDENT PUTIN HAS AN OPTION. HE CAN CONTINUE TO FACE STIFF RESISTANCE IN UKRAINE. HE CAN CONTINUE TO FACE REALLY UNHEARD OF OPPOSITION ON THIS SCALE AT HOME. HE CAN CONTINUE TO FACE THESE CONSEQUENTIAL ECONOMIC MEASURES THAT HAVE WROUGHT DEVASTATION UPON HIS ECONOMY AND FINANCIAL SYSTEM. OR HE CAN Elect THE PATH OF GENUINE DIPLOMACY. HE CAN Pick THE PATH OF GENUINE DE-ESCALATION. AND HE’LL BE MET ON THE OTHER END OF THE TABLE BY OUR UKRAINIAN PARTNERS AND WE’LL BE STANDING WITH THEM IN THAT. >> NED, HOW WILL THE UNITED STATES RESPOND IF, INDEED, RUSSIA GOES THROUGH WITH THE REPORTED FALSE FLAG OPERATION AND USES CHEMICAL WEAPONS ON THE UKRAINIAN PEOPLE? >> WELL, LET ME SAY, JONATHAN, WE’RE CONCERNED ABOUT THIS. AND YOU’VE HEARD OF OUR CONCERN OVER RECENT DAYS AND THERE ARE REALLY TWO ELEMENTS THAT UNDER GIRD THAT CONCERN.FIRST, WE KNOW THE TRACK RECORD. WE KNOW THAT THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION AND PRESIDENT PUTIN HAS EMPLOYED THESE WEAPONS, CHEMICAL WEAPONS AGAINST OTHERS IN THE PAST. HE’S DONE SO ON HIS OWN SOIL. HE HAS DONE SO IN EUROPE AGAINST PERCEIVED DISSIDENTS IN BOTH PLACES. HE SUPPORTED THE ASSAD REGIME AND ITS BRUTAL CAMPAIGN USING CHEMICAL WEAPONS AGAINST ITS OWN PEOPLE. SO THAT WE KNOW. WE ALSO KNOW THE RUSSIAN TACTICS AND THE RUSSIAN PLAYBOOK. AND IF YOU WERE TO DIAGNOSE RUSSIA, YOU MIGHT CLAIM — YOU MIGHT BE ABLE TO SAY THEY HAVE WHAT’S CALLED A CASE OF PROJECTION. THEY ARE PROJECTING ONTO OTHERS WHAT THEY INTEND TO DO OR IN SOME CASES HAVE ALREADY DONE. SO THAT’S WHY WE’RE VERY CONCERNED TO HEAR RUSSIAN OFFICIALS CLAIM, MAKE THESE BASELESS FALSE CLAIMS THAT THE UNITED State OR UKRAINE OR ANY OTHER COUNTRY HAS AN ACTIVE CHEMICAL WARFARE PROGRAM, THAT WE’RE Educating A CHEMICAL ATTACK OR BIOLOGICAL ATTACK AGAINST RUSSIAN FORCES, AGAINST RUSSIAN SPEAKERS IN UKRAINE.WE ALL KNOW NOTHING COULD BE FURTHER FROM THE TRUTH. BUT IT DOES ADD TO OUR CONCERN BECAUSE WE KNOW THIS TACTIC OF PROJECTION. THE RUSSIANS ACCUSE OTHERS OF WHAT THEY HAVE IN MIND. WE’RE NOT GOING TO SPELL OUT WHAT PRECISELY WOULD HAPPEN IN THE CASE OF THIS HORRIFYING HYPOTHETICAL. BUT AS YOU HEARD FROM THE PRESIDENT YESTERDAY, VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIA WOULD PAY A VERY, VERY, VERY SEVERE PRICE .>> I WAS GOING TO ASK, YOU COULD BE CONCERNED, BUT WILL THAT LEAD TO A MILITARY RESPONSE FROM THE WEST IF HE DOES INDEED DO THAT? RATHER THAN HAVE YOU REPEAT WHAT YOU JUST SAID, I Crave TO MOVE ON TO BELARUS. HOW CONCERNED IS THE UNITED STATES ABOUT BELARUS WITH THE POTENTIAL TO COMMIT TROOPS TO FIGHT WITH RUSSIA? >> JONATHAN, BELARUS SHOULD BE A SOVEREIGN INDEPENDENT COUNTRY. BUT IN RECENT MONTHS, THE LUKASHENKO REGIME HAS SEEDED THE PROVINCE OF HIS PROUD COUNTRY TO PUTIN. WE’VE SEEN OVER THE PAST TEN MONTHS WHEN TENS OF THOUSANDS OF RUSSIANS HAVE POURED INTO WHAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN SOVEREIGN RUSSIAN BELARUSIAN TERRITORY TO CLAIM WHAT LUKASHENKO CLAIMED WERE WAR EXERCISES.WE HAVE NO DOUBT THAT PUTIN, GIVEN THE CONTROL THAT HE WIELDS OVER THE LUKEASHENKO REGIME WERE TO NEED ADDITIONAL REINFORCEMENTS, THE BULL A RUSSIANS WOULD POUR OVER THE BORDER. THEY ARE UNDER THE SOVEREIGN CONTROL OF THE LUKASHENKO REGIME. PUTIN WIELDS NEARLY ABSOLUTE CONTROL OVER THAT COUNTRY. WE’VE SEEN THAT IN RECENT DAYS. AND THAT’S OUR CONCERN GOING FORWARD .>> WE TALKED ABOUT THE PHONE CALL BETWEEN THE FRENCH, GERMANS AND PUTIN THE LAST WEEK. THERE ARE REPORTS JERUSALEM COULD BE THE SITE OF PEACE TALKS. WHAT’S THE VIEW OF THE UNITED Regime AND THE ROLE ISRAEL IS PLAYING IN TRYING TO MAKE — TO BROKEN PEACE, IN TRYING TO MAKE THOSE PEACE TALKS HAPPEN? >> WELL, THERE ARE A NUMBER OF COUNTRIES WITH WHOM WE’RE WORKING VERY CLOSELY, JONATHAN, ON COORDINATED DIPLOMATIC EFFORTS.WE WERE IN EUROPE EARLIER THIS WEEK. WE MET WITH LAPID. HE BRIEFED SECRETARY BLINKEN AND THE TEAM ON PRIME MINISTER BENNETT’S EFFORTS TO ENGAGE IN DIPLOMACY. OUR FRENCH ALLIES HAVE DONE THE SAME ON THE WAY BACK TO THE UNITED STATES EARLIER THIS WEEK WE STOPPED IN PARIS. WE MET WITH PRESIDENT MACRON, HEARD DIRECTLY FROM HIM AND HIS TEAM ABOUT THE FRENCH EFFORTS TO ENGAGE IN DIPLOMACY. WE’VE BEEN IN CLOSE TOUCH WITH OUR GERMAN ALLIES. PRESIDENT BIDEN SPOKE WITH PRESIDENT ERDOGAN OF TURKEY. THERE WAS A MINISTERIAL MEETING BETWEEN LAVROV AND KULEBA OF UKRAINE. WE ARE SUPPORTIVE OF EVERY EFFORT DONE IN COORDINATION AND CONSULTATION WITH UKRAINE. THAT IS MOST IMPORTANT. BUT THAT IS ALSO DONE IN FULL COORDINATION WITH US. ALL OF THESE EFFORTS ARE BEING DONE IN COORDINATION WITH US AND UKRAINE, AND WE’LL CONTINUE TO ENGAGE IN THEM AND SUPPORT THEM IN ANY WAY WE CAN. HERE’S THE THING. DIPLOMACY CAN ONLY SUCCEED IF THE RUSSIANS ARE SERIOUS ABOUT IT. AND TO DATE WE’VE SEEN THEM TAKE PART IN WHAT APPEARS TO US TO BE THE PRETENSE OF DIPLOMACY. THAT IS TO SAY, THEY ARE Vanishing THROUGH THE DIPLOMATIC MOTIONS.THEY ARE TRYING TO FOOL THE WORLD INTO BELIEVING THAT THEY ARE SERIOUS ABOUT DIPLOMACY, WHEN THEY ARE INVESTING CONTINUOUSLY IN THE WAR MACHINE IN UKRAINE. THEY ARE Increasing Day by day. SO WE ARE TRYING TO DO TWO THINGS TO CHANGE THE CALCULUS. WE’RE CONTINUING TO SUPPORT OUR UKRAINIAN PARTNERS, MASSIVE AMOUNTS OF SECURITY ASSISTANCE, JUST AS WE CONTINUE TO ESCALATE OUR OWN MEASURES TO BRING ADDITIONAL SIGNIFICANT COSTS ON PRESIDENT PUTIN’S ECONOMY, PRESIDENT PUTIN’S FINANCIAL SYSTEM, AND ULTIMATELY HIS STRATEGIC POSITIONING IN THE WORLD. AND WITH HIS STRATEGIC POSITIONING, REGARDLESS OF HOW OR WHEN THIS ENDS, RUSSIA WILL BE WEAKER, NATO AND THE.
