Online Briefing with Ambassador Yuri Kim, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs and Christopher W. Smith, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Eastern Europe and Policy and Regional Affairs

MODERATOR:  Good afternoon from the State Department’s Brussels Media Hub.  Apologies for the short delay there.  We had some technical problems.

I would like to welcome everyone joining us for this virtual press briefing.  We are very honored, of course, to be joined by both the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, Ambassador Yuri Kim, and by the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Smith.

Finally, a reminder that today’s briefing is on the record.  With that, Ambassador, I’ll turn it over to you for opening remarks.

AMBASSADOR KIM:  Great.  Thank you very much for the opportunity to speak.  As mentioned, I’m also joined here today by Chris Smith, who is our deputy assistant secretary responsible for Ukraine, Moldova, and Belarus.  So we’re looking forward to your questions.

Just we wanted to get the group together as we look ahead to February 24th, which, as everybody knows, is the second anniversary of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia.  I think it’s a good time to be reminded of how we got to February 24th, 2022, and where we’ve been since then, and then to look ahead at where we think we’re going and where we ought to be going.

So I’ll remind everybody that in the runup to the full-scale invasion, Putin had launched invasions against other areas of Ukraine, not only Donetsk and Luhansk but also Crimea, and then followed up with disclaimers that he had no intention of going any further.  He repeated that many, many times, including in direct response to information that we shared with our allies and then more publicly about indications that Putin had every intent to launch a further invasion of Ukraine.

So we get to February 24th, 2022, and since then Putin has been relentless and brutal in his assault against Ukraine, denying its sovereignty, denying its very existence, even while he pretends that he is interested in negotiations.  Our view on this is that what he says certainly does not match up with what he’s doing, and that the intent of claiming that he is interested in negotiations is to probe for soft spots in support for Ukraine, and specifically for support for Ukraine’s military response to Russia’s invasion.

As we head towards the second anniversary, it becomes even more urgent and as important as ever to stand up to Putin’s attempt to seize territory, his flagrant disregard for the UN Security Council and its resolutions – the very same resolutions and principles that Russia as a permanent member of the Security Council has a special responsibility to uphold.

So we’re at a moment now when the rules that have undergirded global prosperity and security since World War II are being challenged in ways that we haven’t seen, certainly not since the Cold War.  And it is incumbent upon the United States and our friends and allies – and others around the world, who may not necessarily count themselves as friends or allies but who have to live in the world just as we do – to recognize that this is a moment where decisive, clear action is necessary.  If we are unable to respond in the way that we should, we are allowing space for a world that I think we would not want for our own children and for future generations.

So as everybody knows, the moment now is upon us when we have to step up with financial assistance, military assistance, humanitarian assistance.  We’re very pleased to have seen the Europeans come through with their end with a €50 billion facility that they voted in a few weeks ago, and we’ll start to see the money from that flowing in just a couple of weeks.  We are very much looking forward to the U.S. Congress taking similarly wise, self-interested action to defend America’s leadership and to defend the kind of world we want to see in the future for our own children.

So let me just stop there and we’ll go to questions and we can get into some of the specifics.

MODERATOR:  Great.  Thank you, Ambassador.  We’ll go to a submitted question first, and after that we have a couple of hands raised.  The first question comes from Nicolas Barotte from Le Figaro in France.  He asks:  “Ambassador, could you assess the destruction of Ukraine, including the – an assessment of the critical infrastructure that’s been destroyed?  How much will be required to rebuild Ukraine?”

AMBASSADOR KIM:  We have a special representative designated by the President, and her name, of course, is Penny Pritzker, our former secretary of Commerce, who is principally responsible for the rebuild and reconstruction of Ukraine.  It’s going to take billions.  Do I have a more specific number for you than that?  It’s hard to say at this moment.  We do know that it will go into the hundreds of billions.

So we’re looking a couple of options.  The first thing is to continue to support Ukraine’s ability to fight back militarily so that Putin’s efforts to destroy industrial centers is resisted to the greatest extent possible.  At the same time, we’re working with the Ukrainian Government to enable them to create not only the security situation, but the investment conditions that will attract Americans, Europeans, Asians, others to come in and invest in the Ukrainian economy as it stands now and also to prep and begin the rebuild.

As we do that, in addition to the funding that we and more than 50 other countries around the world are joined together in providing to Ukraine, we’re looking at ways to ensure that Russia is not able to conduct business as usual.  That’s why you have seen us discussing this – the frozen Russian assets, to make sure that they can’t benefit from that.  You’ve seen us impose a series of sanctions not only from the United States but also from the EU, and we see those sanctions having an impact on the Russian economy.  I can get into that a little bit more if you would like.

But as far as the Ukrainian economy is concerned, we do see signs of resilience, and I think you’re going to see, for example, just in the grain export out of Odessa, that their ability to fight back and to figure out workarounds against every Russian attempt to destroy the economy – that’s been quite impressive.  We’re looking at a situation in which their grain trade right now and shipments of other commodities is almost approaching pre-war levels.  So you’ve gone from a situation in which Odessa was basically shut down into a situation where the Ukrainians have worked with the Romanians, Bulgarians, Moldovans, and the Europeans to figure out alternative routes.  They have struck back at Russia’s Black Sea fleet and pushed that back, reined in Russia’s ability to dominate that sea, and they are now up to about – close to 350 million metric tons of mostly grain but other commodities as well going in and out, and that’s about 730 ships moving in out of the – in and out of the Black Sea.

MODERATOR:  Thank you, Ambassador.  We’ll go to a live question now – Rabia Turan, who I believe is from the Anadolu agency in Türkiye.  Rabia, please go ahead.

QUESTION:  Hello.  Can you hear me?

AMBASSADOR KIM:  Yes.

QUESTION:  Thanks very much for doing this, Ms. Ambassador.  I have a question on Turkish mediation efforts, if I may.  Turkish President Erdogan last week said that Türkiye will continue its efforts for a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine.  I was wondering what is the U.S. position on this?  Does the U.S. support peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine?

And also, Russian President Putin said recently in an interview that Istanbul talks between Moscow and Kyiv under the Turkish mediation in 2022 have been suspended because of the West’s interference.  Do you have any response to this?

AMBASSADOR KIM:  We very much value the role that Türkiye plays.  As you know, Türkiye is a key member of NATO, and for us the bond that we have as NATO is the most important thing.  We need to stay united.  We welcome the efforts that President Erdogan personally has made to try to address some of the biggest problems arising from the war as well as the war itself.  We appreciate, for example, his personal initiative in getting the Black Sea Grain Initiative started.  Very, very unfortunate that President Putin has not reciprocated President Erdogan’s goodwill and that the grain initiative has now become defunct.

We appreciate also that President Erdogan continues to seek other ways to alleviate the suffering and the impact of the war on the people of Ukraine.  We know that he has a special place in his heart for the Tatar community in Crimea, and we hope that he will continue to coordinate closely with us as NATO Allies address this historic threat to all Allies.

MODERATOR:  Thank you, ma’am.  Going into another submitted question from Luana Pavaluca or Pavalucha in Romania.  Luana asks, “Do you see” – is it likely for Putin to expand the war into Moldova or to interfere in the elections there?  Is the United States worried that the rise of the far right in Europe will hamper the joint effort to help Ukraine?

AMBASSADOR KIM:  I think all of us have either seen the interview or heard of the interview recently by an American journalist in which Putin claimed very lightheartedly that he had no intention of going into Poland or Lithuania.  I think it’s very important to remind ourselves that he also said he had no intention to go into Ukraine, and yet here we are.  So you asked the question whether we’re worried – I wouldn’t say that “worried” is the right word, but we are wary, and it behooves us – in our own self-interest, once again, it behooves us to look very carefully at Putin’s actions, not his words, and to prepare ourselves and to maneuver accordingly.

MODERATOR:  Thank you, ma’am.  Go to another live question now, Alex Raufoglu.  Alex, please go ahead.

QUESTION:  Hey, John.  Thank you so much for doing this.  Ambassador, two quick questions.  Going back to your opening statement, how much momentum does Putin now have with this latest city grab?  How big of a blow is this for Ukraine in your assessment?  How much maybe concerns there that this is some kind of a dam breaking for Ukrainian forces?

Second question:  There are calls on the Hill – members of Congress are calling on the administration to take action in response to latest developments, such as declaring Russia a state sponsor of terrorism prior to the anniversary.  Any possibility of that happening this week?  Thank you so much.

AMBASSADOR KIM:  Thanks very much.  That’s a great question.  I do take issue, though, with the framing of that question.  I think rather than looking at this very specific moment related to what is happening in Avdiivka, you should look at the broader scope of what has happened over the last two years.  Ukraine has consistently beaten the odds.  So they’ve taken back more than 50 percent of the territory that Putin seized in his initial onslaught.  The Ukrainians have also pushed back, as I mentioned, the Black Sea fleet, which is a bit of a humiliation for the Russians.  Speaking of humiliation, they are also cut off from the global economy in ways such that they are now relying on North Korea and Iran as major trade partners and suppliers for their weaponry so that they can continue their attacks on Ukraine.  So this is not good news.  The broader overall strategic picture for Russia is pretty bleak.  We look at also the economic data that points in that direction.

So while it’s understandable that Putin and his cronies might be playing up and exaggerating the importance of Avdiivka, I think it’s important for us to maintain full-scope visibility on the course of the war and the momentum, and the incredible strides that the Ukrainians have been able to make against this onslaught.

MODERATOR:  Thank you, Ambassador.  Going to another submitted question, this time from Andrei Sadouski from Pozirk in Belarus:  “Judging by recent events, the European Union is not ready to expand sanctions against the Belarusian regime, despite its continued support for Russian – for the Russian aggression in Ukraine.  What about the United States expanding sanctions?”

AMBASSADOR KIM:  Let me ask Chris Smith to take that.

MR SMITH:  Thanks very much.  The United States has already imposed sanctions against the Lukashenka regime, not only for its attacks on democracy and human rights at home but also for its support for Russia’s war on Ukraine.  We will continue to do so in a measure – in measures that are commensurate and appropriate, and we will continue to do so with our allies and partners, including the European Union, in order to hold the Lukashenka regime to account and persuade them to stop supporting Putin’s war in Ukraine.

MODERATOR:  Thanks so much for that.  Going now to TVNET from Latvia, a question from Annija Vinkalna.  Annija asks:  “Can you comment on the unconfirmed reports that the administration is ready to send long-distance tactical missiles to Ukraine, and is looking for ways to do that?”

AMBASSADOR KIM:  No comment on that.

MODERATOR:  Understood.  Next question, this time from Camille Cerise Gessant, from a French outlet.  Camille asks:  “We have seen France and Germany signing with Ukraine security commitment deals.  Are you negotiating the same kind of agreement?  If yes, on which subjects?”

AMBASSADOR KIM:  Yeah, so back in the summer of 2023, the G7 initiated a series of bilateral agreements that are being negotiated, as you point out, two – but actually it’s three now, with the UK, Germany, and France having signed bilateral security arrangements with Ukraine.  The United States will also sign our own.  On top of that, I believe that there are about 30 others around the world who are negotiating similar agreements with the Ukrainians.

MODERATOR:  Thank you, ma’am.  I think we have time for one more question.  We can go to Judit Csernyanszky from Klubradio in Hungary.  Judit asks:  “What’s your evaluation of the visit of the four visitors – the four senators in Budapest who discussed strategic issues, including NATO?”

AMBASSADOR KIM:  We think that the Congress has a critical role, and it’s not replaceable.  Embassies, American embassies around the world are always honored and pleased to have members of Congress visiting, and we’re always happy to help make arrangements.  We think it’s a good thing for members to go to NATO Allies like Hungary and to engage in important discussions directly.

MODERATOR:  Thank you, ma’am.  Do you have time for one more question?

AMBASSADOR KIM:  Sure.

MODERATOR:  Great.  Let’s go to Momchil Indjov from Bulgaria, also a submitted question:  “Does the United States plan to reassure, and if so how, its support to European countries after the former president’s remarks about NATO last week?  And how would you comment on the idea by former NSC Keith Kellogg who said – who mentioned the possibility of removing the Article 5 concept from the North Atlantic Treaty?”

AMBASSADOR KIM:  I will – I won’t comment on our internal politics.  As you know, that’s not something that diplomats do.  What I will say, though, is that as far as the Biden administration is concerned and as far as the United States Government is concerned, our commitment to Article 5 remains ironclad, and it is important for all Allies to step up to the mutual obligations we have towards each other.  That includes meeting the commitment that we have made to each other.  We did that 10 years ago in Wales, that each of our countries would spend 2 percent of our GDP on our defense and 20 percent of that on capital investments.  It is extremely important for all Allies to meet our commitment to each other in every respect.

I’m very pleased to say that by the time we get to the Washington summit in July of this year, almost 20 Allies will have met that commitment.  But more broadly, over the last three years, in particular, every Ally has increased its defense spending.  So I think the message is clear.  I think it’s been heard in all of our allied partners, and all of us are taking action accordingly.

MODERATOR:  Thank you, Ambassador.  Unfortunately, that’s all the time we have for today.  Thanks, everyone, for your questions.  And thanks, obviously, in particular to Ambassador Kim and to Deputy Assistant Secretary Christopher Smith.  Thank you both for joining us.

AMBASSADOR KIM:  Thank you very much.  I really appreciate this opportunity.  Again, I just want to emphasize that rather than focusing on specific instances when you take a look at the broader picture here, that we keep in mind that Putin is running a regime that has conducted a merciless and unjustifiable onslaught against a neighbor, that all of Russia’s neighbors, frankly, are now sleeping with one eye open, as they should.  And you’re seeing the impact of that from – everywhere from Armenia to Kyrgyzstan.  So I think we should focus on that.

The second thing to keep in mind is that we really do have to step up to defend the freedom of individual countries and to take action when countries like Russia and tyrants like Putin engage in a program of killing fathers, raping mothers, and stealing children.  This is not something that any country should accept and think that it doesn’t affect their own national interests.

MODERATOR:  Thank you, Ambassador —

AMBASSADOR KIM:  Thank you very much.

MODERATOR:  Thank you, ma’am.  Thank you for those final thoughts.  Shortly, we will send an audio recording of the briefing to all journalists who participated, and we’ll provide a transcript as soon as it is available.  Thanks again to everyone for your participation.  We hope you can join us for another press briefing in the future.  This ends today’s briefing.

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