At a State Department press briefing on Thursday, Spokesperson Tammy Bruce was asked about the effects of the Ukraine minerals deal.
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00:00Yes, sir.
00:00Thank you, Tamiq. May I move to Ukraine, please?
00:02Certainly.
00:03Now that the minerals deal is in full effect, can this help us understand better its implications on the ground?
00:10In other words, if Russia keeps attacking and targeting those various sites that you are looking to, you know, forward to work along with Ukraine,
00:17will that deem to be Russia's violating your minerals deal with Ukraine?
00:22Well, remember, this is not at all related to the negotiations regarding the ceasefire and the conflict.
00:30This is a separate dynamic that is an arrangement of an economic partnership between the United States and Ukraine.
00:37This is something that is meant certainly to endure and to provide, as we know, the brilliance of this is to provide the money coming up in the future to rebuild once this is finished.
00:50And that's what we're looking at.
00:52But it's also clear to the world and to all the players involved that Ukraine has a partnership with the United States.
00:59It is an economic partnership.
01:00It is one that will last for generations and will make a difference for every Ukrainian and will strengthen the national security of that country.
01:11And that's what good business partnerships do across the board.
01:14But again, it is not a mechanism linked to the negotiations, to a ceasefire, to the war.
01:21But it certainly is something that, again, when it comes to national security and the nature of who your friends are, as we've said, being a friend of the United States is something that can help your country make it more secure and opens up the future for people.
01:35So that is, in the midst of all of the difficulties, for our Ukrainian friends, whom we continue to support and have exerted much energy on, not just for one thing, certainly the ceasefire and an end to the conflict is key, but thinking creatively about what do we do to stop this from continuing?
01:56And that's now what, of course, a question that we have in multiple parts of the world.
02:00On that line of time, you said ceasefire is key.
02:03Is it still your position that complete, unconditional, 30-day-long ceasefire should be the first thing?
02:08Well, it should be forever.
02:10I mean, you can't discuss, as the president has noted and the secretary, you can't discuss what the results are for, you know, peace when people are still getting slaughtered.
02:21How – that can't work.
02:24It's a very low bar for a first step, and that remains the first step.
02:30It has to happen.
02:31We've been very clear, the secretary in particular, that this can only begin any discussion regarding how the peace endures is when you have a ceasefire, which is, frankly, the first key part of good faith regarding what you intend for the future.
02:48All right, yes.