00:00Events of past couple of days and also next two days, I know that the Ukrainian delegation is in town.
00:05I understand they were in this field this morning.
00:07We are in the second week of the president's latest two weeks deadline, if you want.
00:13And the Ukrainians said that yesterday they met with the Russians and, you know, whatever they put on the table, which was the last minute, they didn't have, you know, time to respond.
00:21Is it your concern that they're slow walking the process and what do you expect from the talks in the next two weeks?
00:26Well, I would disagree with your characterization that it's the latest two weeks deadline, right?
00:32Is that what you meant?
00:33You know, there is, again, a commitment to not have this go on for months or to have meetings about meetings.
00:38It's not going to go on for a year.
00:40The president and the secretary want an accomplishment, a deadline.
00:44They know what can be accomplished.
00:46And sometimes, remarkably, in negotiations, you have some progress and then things move forward, right?
00:54Then you actually can make a difference and you're somewhat flexible in being able to make it work.
00:59So I think that it is, has to be taken within that framework.
01:05As far as the negotiations between Ukraine and Russia, you know, we did not have delegation there.
01:12I think we are certainly reading a lot of things in the media.
01:16But as the president has said, and as the secretary has noted as well, this has now got to be between the parties.
01:22And there's some discussion of the exchange of wounded prisoners and very young prisoners.
01:31And we can read that in the news.
01:33But, again, we do look at what people do, not what they say.
01:38I thought the media reports on the Russian side, they are beating up their demands.
01:41Not only they cover Ukraine, they also talk about Georgia, Moldova, their next aspirations.
01:47Does the United States have any position?
01:49Well, we've seen those reports.
01:51He's asking about Georgia and Moldova, the support of additional countries, et cetera.
01:55We've seen those reports.
01:56And we continue to support direct talks between Russia and Ukraine.
02:01We, of course, have said repeatedly there's no military solution to this conflict.
02:05And the president supports, though, any mechanism that leads to a just, durable, and lasting peace.
02:10Any mechanism.
02:12But, yeah, we'll have to see where that plays out.
02:15Yes, sir.
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