00:00What should people in Uzbekistan expect from this visit and also from the delegation of 200 American companies traveling here?
00:08Well, I think we'll have some concrete deals to announce.
00:11I mean, companies that are going to be doing business here, that are being welcomed here and that are excited
00:15about doing business here.
00:16So we'll have those announcements at the end of the forum.
00:18I think that's very positive for both countries.
00:21And I also think that's just the foundation that we intend to build on.
00:24We want to do more.
00:25This is not the end.
00:26This is the beginning.
00:27And so we're excited about it.
00:29And this is a part of the world that, frankly, has not gotten a tremendous sense.
00:32Central Asia has just not gotten the level of attention from our policymakers over the last 20 years that it
00:37deserves.
00:37But that's changing.
00:38That's why we're here now.
00:39That's why we had the meeting with the leaders and the president last year.
00:43And that's why I encourage more congressional delegations to come and visit.
00:49And ultimately why I hope to be able to come back as well and why we wanted to do the
00:52C5 plus one here in addition to the bilateral visit.
00:58Hold on.
00:59What?
00:59Mr. Secretary, what are the key issues of today's topic with your colleague and when the president of the United
01:04States is planning to visit Central Asia, especially Pakistan?
01:08Well, I can't comment on the president's future travel plans.
01:10I think I think we would love to see that happen.
01:13We'd have to work on that in the year to come and see what dates are possible, because I think
01:17he would like to come if he can.
01:19He has said so.
01:19So obviously, but I'm not the I can't speak about the presidential scheduling about today.
01:24It's the point that I made earlier.
01:26And that is we have a lot of bilateral issues to talk about.
01:28But ultimately, because I think like every country in the world, Uzbekistan is concerned and looking at what's going on
01:34in other parts of the world and the impact it's having economically on the global economy.
01:38But there's so much positive going on in our bilateral relationship.
01:41And really, the cornerstone of it is, if you think about it, it's a relationship that's defined not by challenges,
01:46not by conflicts, but by opportunity.
01:48This is a place that is growing dramatically and economically.
01:52It's providing incredible opportunities for prosperity for its people.
01:55And we have American companies that are interested in being a part of it.
01:58And we're here to explore how we can do more of it.
02:00I think that binds our people closer together, our countries closer together.
02:04There's nothing that strengthens relationships more than shared prosperity.
02:08And that's what we're looking to build on.
02:10And that's why we're here.
02:11Secretary, here we go back to discussing another...
02:13Do you speak the language here?
02:15Uzbekistan?
02:16What is that?
02:17A Russian?
02:18I speak Russian very often.
02:19Ah, okay.
02:20That's no longer the official language here, but it's good.
02:22But a lot of people speak it.
02:23I understand.
02:25All right.
02:25Well, next time.
02:26Go ahead.
02:26I'd like to ask you about the relationship between the U.S. and Ukraine.
02:31In that on Saturday, you were asked about Star Shield.
02:34And you mentioned that President Zelensky may not know what he's talking about,
02:37the way he's characterized it.
02:39President Trump has called for elections in Ukraine.
02:43Do you think that the relationship between the two administrations at this point
02:46is fundamentally broken?
02:48Is there a lack of trust that's developed?
02:51Yeah.
02:51Look, on Star Shield, there's something that the Department of War controls,
02:54and Ukraine has benefited from it.
02:55I think they'd like to expand how it's being used.
02:58And that's a conversation they're having with the Department of War on an ongoing basis.
03:01They'd like to expand it to be able to conduct attacks beyond Ukrainian territory.
03:06And that's not something I'm going to discuss in a press conference.
03:09As far as the relationship, the relationship, it's very simple.
03:11Our goal there is to end this war.
03:13That's what we want to do.
03:14We want the war to end.
03:15We see nothing good coming from this war, and we see a lot of downside to it,
03:18including the very real risk of escalation and the spread,
03:22of this thing spreading into another country because of a failed sabotage attack,
03:25because of drones that are hit with electronic warfare,
03:28and they wander into a neighboring country, we see that every night.
03:31Part of drone defenses is you disorient the drone,
03:35and so the drone doesn't hit its intended target, but it winds up hitting somewhere.
03:38And if it's a neighboring country and a neighboring country gets hit,
03:41you can see where these things can escalate.
03:42It's a very dangerous conflict, not just dangerous for Ukraine and Russia,
03:46but dangerous for the world and for the countries of Europe, especially in Eastern Europe.
03:50So we think there's great benefit to bringing it to an end,
03:52and we are doing everything we possibly can to try to bring both sides together.
03:56It has not been easy, because this is a war that, as I said,
03:59is the underlying factors that led to it and that have persisted are not easy ones to address.
04:07But we're going to continue to try, and if we can play a positive role,
04:10that really is the point of our relationship, is to try to bring this war to an end.
04:14That's what the president wants.
04:16The president has said repeatedly he wants this war to end,
04:18and he's willing to do whatever he can to try to bring it to an end,
04:21even if that means having to nudge both sides to get there.
04:25How do you see from Uzbekistan the U.S. efforts to diversify critical minerals and strategic supply chains?
04:32Well, I think the whole world is interested in that.
04:34I mean, it's just not smart for...
04:36And this is not an attack on any specific country.
04:38It's just not smart for the whole world to depend on one place for 100% of anything,
04:43because then you're dependent on what happens in that country, what happens in that region.
04:47It could be anything that disrupts it.
04:48So if you look at all of the technologies and industries that are going to define the 21st century,
04:54many of them will be heavy reliant on critical minerals.
04:56So I think there is a global, not just the U.S.,
04:59I think there is a global prioritization being emphasized on diversifying supply chains of everything,
05:05and that includes critical minerals.
05:07If you are a country that has critical minerals, and perhaps even the ability to process them,
05:12it is in your national interest, your economic national interest,
05:15to fully develop those resources in a way that's responsible and sustainable.
05:20And so when we find countries that want to partner with us on diversifying critical minerals and supply chains,
05:26and in particular, being able to utilize their critical minerals in a way that benefits their country,
05:32we're obviously going to explore that, and I think we have a chance to do that here.
05:35Thank you, guys. We've got to get going.
05:38A couple more. Go ahead.
05:39What?
05:39The U.S. sanctions India for purchasing Russian oil and gas,
05:42and the message for this part of the world was to refrain from buying Russian gas.
05:48Is it now okay to purchase Russian oil and gas because the U.S. is now purchasing Russian?
05:54No, no, no.
05:55We've had to waive sanctions over the past few months, as you know,
05:58because of looking at the global supplies, looking at global prices,
06:03and the impact that was having on other countries.
06:05I mean, I know diesel prices are high in the United States,
06:07but they're really, really high in a bunch of other countries around the world.
06:10And then we have to manage all of these things.
06:12We're trying to finalize a trade deal with India right now.
06:14We're very close to doing that.
06:16So that's one of the things we take into consideration
06:19when the president makes a decision about national security waivers and things of that nature.
06:23Every country has a complex set of factors that they have to take into account.
06:26Geography is real.
06:27For some countries, it's very difficult to acquire energy from alternative sources.
06:31That's not an excuse, but all of that has to be balanced when you make foreign policy.
06:35The foreign policy of the United States, of course,
06:37takes into account what's happening with the war between Russia and Ukraine,
06:40but it is not solely dominated by that.
06:42It has to take into account a variety of other factors,
06:45including our bilateral relationships with other countries
06:47and what they realistically are capable of being able to do
06:50in terms of their own energy supplies.
06:52You also can't unravel the economy of other countries because of one central issue.
06:58So that's the complex part of having to balance all of this.
07:01On Ukraine, President Zelensky said in an interview with NBC News yesterday
07:08that the U.S. had paused, then resumed some intelligence sharing earlier this week.
07:13Is that true?
07:15That we did what now?
07:16Paused some intelligence sharing with Ukraine.
07:19I don't know where he's getting these things from or why he's saying these things to the press.
07:22You should go back and ask him.
07:24There's been no pause.
07:26The United States, but again, what he should be focused on
07:29and what we want to be focused on is bringing an end to this war.
07:32That's what he should be focused on.
07:33That's what we want everybody to be focused on.
07:35That's what we want the Russians to be focused on.
07:37That's what we should be focused on.
07:39That's what the president has made a priority,
07:40is trying to bring an end to this war.
07:43But I'm not going to continue to comment or respond to every single thing he says in a press interview.
07:48And I won't do that for every single thing the Russians say either.
07:51Is he the unreliable partner?
07:52All right, guys.
08:00Democracy.
08:13You're welcome.
