During Thursday’s State Department press briefing, Spokesperson Tammy Bruce answered questions about Trump's deal with Ukraine.
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00:00MS NAUERT- Now – right after him now?
00:01We'll continue, sir.
00:02Go ahead.
00:03MS NAUERT- Go ahead.
00:05Thanks so much.
00:06In light of your tupper on Ukraine mineral steel, I have two questions.
00:08MS NAUERT- Yes.
00:09May I get – please get your response to Russia's reaction as Medvedev criticized
00:15the President for a deal and called Ukraine, quote-unquote, a nation that will soon disappear.
00:21MS NAUERT- I'm not going to comment on that particular remark.
00:29What we do know from this deal and what the President has said and what has been made
00:32clear now in this arrangement is that it cements a partnership, an economic partnership, between
00:38the United States and Ukraine.
00:40And it is something that also speaks to the nature of how Ukraine will rebuild after this
00:45catastrophe.
00:47It is a terrific deal.
00:49I think that it is – and again, it's the U.S.-Ukraine Reconstruction Investment Fund,
00:55and it involves much more than just the critical minerals.
00:59And I think some of the – certainly what I think Ukraine understands and what we intend
01:06is that this is not just a financial arrangement.
01:10This is a bonding between two countries that will make a difference for a nation, certainly
01:15in Ukraine's situation where they have a friend.
01:19And the rest of the world will notice that when you have a friend like the United States
01:22and when we are in business with you and in your nation, it creates a stronger national
01:27security for everyone involved.
01:30And certainly in this case, when it comes to the profits that are generated, that that
01:34is then reinvested into Ukraine for the rebuilding dynamic that is going to obviously
01:40have to happen.
01:42It's a time where, as the Secretary's noted just a few days ago, as I mentioned to you
01:47as a matter of fact on Tuesday, that it's time for both of the nations involved in this
01:52conflict to come up with concrete proposals about how this conflict ends.
01:58And this relationship now with Ukraine reinforces the commitment of the United States to that
02:03nation.
02:04And it's – for the world, it's – better off, it also reminds the American people and
02:10the world, that support of another country can take many forms, and that national security
02:15can be reinforced in many different ways.
02:18And that's what this arrangement accomplishes.
02:20And on that line, Tammy, the President last week was explicitly clear when he tweeted out
02:25– posted out, you know, a clear message to Putin saying Vladimir, stop.
02:30Is there any disappointment on your end that Vladimir has not stopped?
02:33Well, this is, again, why the President is the President.
02:37The American people wanted Donald Trump in office.
02:41He has shown, certainly in his first term, that he is willing and capable of taking the
02:45action that's necessary to achieve his goals.
02:48He has done more than one would expect on the issue of diplomacy, because he truly believes
02:55that people can come to a decision here to stop carnage and a meat grinder in that area,
03:01and for the world and for the American people to see what that outreach has been and how
03:07certain people have responded, which then clearly informs the President and those who
03:12work with him, including Secretary Rubio, about the decisions that they need to make.
03:17So I think that it's – certainly the Secretary has been clear that we are watching Putin's
03:24actions, right, not his words.
03:26And in the process, he's refined a very specific timeline.
03:31Weeks ago it was weeks, a few days ago it was days, that this would be a pivotal week.
03:36And look at that, it has been.
03:38All right.
03:39Yes.