Biden, Zelensky Asked Point Blank About 'Stalled' Counteroffensive And If It Is Time For Peace Talks
At a press briefing on Tuesday, President Biden and President Zelensky were asked about potential peace talks.
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00:00 Thank you.
00:01 Look, we're going to alternate asking questions.
00:03 We're going to ask a total of – each ask two questions.
00:06 I will ask the first question.
00:08 I will ask.
00:09 I will recognize the first question asker.
00:12 (Laughter.)
00:13 I'll ask a question to all of you.
00:16 But Danny Kim.
00:24 Thank you, Mr. President.
00:25 For President Biden, Ukraine's counteroffensive has stalled in recent months.
00:30 Congress is blocking aid, and Vladimir Putin appears ready to just wait things out.
00:36 So what is the strategy for the U.S. and Ukraine next year to try and turn this around?
00:42 And if that fails, at what point do you say to Ukraine, as a friend, that it is perhaps
00:46 time to start looking at peace talks?
00:49 And for President Zelensky – welcome back to Washington – can I ask you, did you hear
00:54 what you wanted to hear from Congress and from President Biden?
00:59 And – or are you indeed more worried than when you got here?
01:02 Thank you very much.
01:03 Well, let me answer the question first.
01:06 Let's put this in perspective.
01:09 Remember how far Ukraine has come.
01:12 Russia has failed – failed thus far in trying to erase Ukraine from the map and subsume
01:18 it into Russia.
01:20 Ukraine has taken back more than 50 percent of its territory seized since February of
01:25 '22.
01:27 And it's pushed back Russian – the Russian Navy so Ukraine can export grain and steel
01:32 to the world through the Black Sea.
01:35 And thanks to the incredible courage of the Ukrainian people and the bipartisan support
01:39 from our Congress, but it's not just American support.
01:43 There are more than 50 countries – 50 countries – helping Ukraine with military, economic,
01:48 and humanitarian assistance – 50.
01:51 The burden-sharing, the U.S. has put up $75 billion, and our allies and partners have
01:56 put up $100 billion.
01:58 And more than 90 percent of our security assistance to Ukraine is being spent in the United States
02:04 to provide weapons for Ukraine and to replenish our stockpiles and build our industrial base.
02:10 We need to ensure Putin continues to fail in Ukraine and Ukraine to succeed.
02:15 And the best way for that – to do that is to pass the supplement.
02:21 FOREIGN MINISTER LAVROVSKY (through translator): Can I answer in Ukrainian, please?
02:34 Thank you.
02:35 First of all, I would like to add to the words of Mr. President Biden about successes.
02:44 I think that these were not easy successes.
02:49 Nonetheless, they were quite serious.
02:51 They were serious steps forward.
02:54 Indeed, we gained victory on the sea.
02:58 We've destroyed ships of the Russian Federation.
03:00 We throw the remnants of their fleet to Russian territorial waters.
03:07 Yes, they have something in the Black Sea, in the vicinity of our temporarily occupied
03:13 Crimea, but we are going to proceed this activity.
03:16 Now, the guys destroyed 20,000 of Wagner mercenaries.
03:21 These are serious terrorists who were messing everywhere on African continent, in Syria,
03:29 in Ukraine.
03:30 There were a lot of mess.
03:32 And nucleus of this terroristic organization is not existing anymore.
03:38 Yes, we had a lot of problems, but nonetheless, we are able to do this.
03:44 Moreover, Russia were not able to seize any part of our territory, any village, any town.
03:52 I'm not talking about large cities.
03:55 And we are going to proceed with this.
03:58 It is good without saying that we have objective, we have clear plan, but if you allow me, I
04:04 am not able to tell you in public on the details of 2024 operations.
04:11 If I heard what I want, I heard a lot.
04:14 Surely, I told what I wanted to.
04:17 I feel and experience the support from President Biden administration, from senators, and we
04:24 will be talking with the speaker.
04:26 I got this signal.
04:27 They were more than positive.
04:30 But we know that we have to separate world and particular result.
04:35 Therefore, we will count on particular result.
04:37 Thank you.