Also in the short term, we have worked over the course of months now with countries around the world, in some cases as far afield as the Indo-Pacific, where our Japanese allies have been in a position to surge LNG supplies from the Indo-Pacific to the European theater. We are continuing to work with our European allies for short-term options that will help them get through this near-term period.
Thank you all very much. Thanks.
MR PRICE: So Secretary Yellen was recently – she did recently have a meeting with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Economy and Finance Choo Kyung-ho. They – she did speak extensively to our efforts – well, first, she, of course, spoke about the close alliance between the United States and our ROK allies. She at some length discussed the friendship and the alliance and the partnership between the American people and the Korean people that has been guided by shared values and shared interests over the course of decades now. She talked about the pivotal role that the ROK economy plays in the world. I believe she made the point that the ROK economy is the world’s tenth-largest economy, a producer of high-tech goods that are subject to import not only by the United States but by countries around the world.
Just one element at the top and then we’ll turn to your questions. As I think you all know, the European Council extended Georgia a European prospective status, along with a roadmap of reforms that must be implemented for Georgia to achieve full candidate status. We know the people of Georgia are overwhelmingly in favor of joining the EU, and we, of course, support those aspirations.
QUESTION: I’ve got a question about Syria. So today, this morning, the Turkish president said that American forces on the east of the Euphrates River should immediately withdraw from the area and that – and cross-border military operation is imminent and always on the agenda. Now, back in 2019, Americans and Turks kind of reached an agreement that the YPG forces in northern Syria would move 30 kilometers south of the border, and obviously that hasn’t happened in the past three years. So if the Turkish military was to launch another offensive, would you be supporting your NATO Ally, or what’s your position going to be on that?
Yes.
MR PRICE: Well, we’ll let these countries speak for themselves. A couple broader points, though. The fact that President Putin has had to travel to Iran, I think, speaks to the isolation that Russia – in which Russia finds itself as a result of its illegal, unjustified, unprovoked war against Ukraine. The fact that President Putin would need to run into the arms of one of the most heavily sanctioned, one of the most isolated countries in the world, I think, speaks to the dire straits Moscow currently finds itself in.
Now, of course, the fact that there is – as long as there is one American who is held hostage or unjustly detained means our work is unfinished. There are unfortunately far more than one American in this position today. But each and every one of these cases is an absolute priority for Secretary Blinken. It’s an absolute priority for Special Presidential Envoy Carstens. It’s an absolute priority for President Biden as well. It’s part and parcel of the reason why Secretary Blinken is often on the phone, often taking part in video conferences with these families, whether as a collective or, more frequently, on a one-on-one basis. And what you heard from us yesterday is that we took another step that will see to it that we are able to have the types of conversations with the families, in this case of wrongful detainees, that we’ve been able to have with the families of American hostages since 2015 with implementation of what’s known as Presidential Policy Directive 30.
MR PRICE: I don’t know that we’ve formally announced this yet, so I will be reserved in my comments. I’m sure we’ll have an opportunity to speak to it as next week approaches, but what I can say is that we have had a number of opportunities, including at the highest levels, to engage our Japanese allies. President Biden, of course, was in Tokyo in May. We had an opportunity to see Foreign Minister Hayashi in Bali earlier this month. Of course, we then had an unexpected and somber occasion to visit Tokyo just after our travel to Bali, where we again saw the foreign minister engaged with the prime minister.
QUESTION: What about the currency swap with South Korea? What is the U.S. position on this currency swap?
MR PRICE: Not now, no. I’m sure.
You heard from my White House colleague yesterday that President Putin’s interest in purchasing these UAVs from Iran, again, as I alluded to earlier, that to us is a clear sign that the measures we have undertaken against Russia are working – in this case, the export controls that are depriving Russia of the raw materials it would need for its defense industrial base, for its technological base, are working. It’s a sign that Moscow cannot indigenously produce the types of equipment that it feels it needs in Ukraine, because we are systematically starving them of the input it would otherwise need.
MR PRICE: Well, I wouldn’t want to wade into this. I’m not immediately familiar with that particular case, but if we have anything specific to offer, we’ll be sure to do that. I think more broadly, the point is – and this is what I said at the top – that we support Georgia’s aspirations for Euro-Atlantic integration. We stand by Georgia and the efforts to build Georgia’s democracy over the course of many years since its independence. The construction of a democracy is never complete. That’s as true in this country as it is anywhere else, but we have attempted to do our part in terms of helping to build and to reinforce those democratic institutions, institutions that uphold the rule of law, among other basic democratic principles.
QUESTION: He seem to have – Lavrov seem to have been trying to put the blame on the West for the Kremlin’s changing its own rhetoric. How do you read that portion of his statement? And also, what does that mean in terms of boosting Ukraine’s defense, given now that we know that they’re expanding their rhetoric?
MR PRICE: We can talk about the reception that Foreign Minister Lavrov received – Lavrov received from 19 other of his global counterparts. But the point is that over time, the United States and our partners have exacted a price for Russia’s aggression against its neighbors, whether that’s been in Crimea starting in 2014, whether that was in Georgia in 2008, whether that has been in Ukraine more recently. Of course, what Russia is doing in Ukraine is in some ways qualitatively different from what we’ve seen Russia do before, but the fact is that this administration has a commitment to strengthen, to ensure that the rules-based international order that has fueled decades – more than seven decades of unprecedented levels of prosperity, stability, security around the world, to do what we can to strengthen that order, to challenge those who would challenge it.
QUESTION: If you can share your – if you have discussed any sanctions against the judge, and it’s – I wanted to mention that it made a little bit complicated situation in Georgia.
QUESTION: Do you have any comment on the Tehran summit that included Russia, Turkey, and Iran on Syria?
MR PRICE: We understand Turkey’s security concerns. We know that Turkey, more so than any other NATO Ally, has been subjected to terrorist attacks. Turkey is a close security and defense partner of the United States. That is why we want to continue to work closely with the Turks to see to it that we don’t jeopardize the progress that has been made in Syria by the coalition. We want to see to it that ISIS isn’t given a reprieve. We want to see to it that the progress that has been achieved isn’t put at risk.
QUESTION: Sure. I was going to save this for another day when I don’t have anything to start with. On Georgia, is there anything that you can do – that the United States can do – to assist Georgia in its – in reaching its Euro – or at least its aspirations in terms of the EU? There wasn’t a whole lot you could do for Turkey.
QUESTION: Just a follow-up on your previous comment to Will’s question. You’re saying in the short term, resumed gas flows will help allow Germany and other European countries to replenish their gas reserves. Are you talking about Nord Stream 1?
QUESTION: Let me follow up. Are you concerned that this will affect the West’s unity in confronting Russia? Today I believe Mario Draghi is going to resign because of some divisions in Italian politics. Italy is probably one of the most exposed economies to Russia gas problems, after Hungary. Are you concerned that these same bits of leverage that the Kremlin has used will fracture that alliance once again?
MR PRICE: Sure.
With that, happy to take your questions.
QUESTION: Thanks. Just changing to another part of the world, past Monday, a group of ambassadors and other diplomats, including a U.S. diplomat, they were invited to attend a meeting with the Brazilian president who, at that occasion, raised questions about the electronic voting system in Brazil. Which feedback did State Department receive from the U.S. embassy in Brazil regarding this matter? Could you address this matter?
Yes.
One final point here, because I think these comments were also resonant with something we heard from President Putin. We heard from President Putin just this week once again the lie that the – that Russia and Ukraine were on the precipice of peace as recently as March, and it was Ukraine that walked away. We know that is untrue. We know that is a lie. And Foreign Minister Lavrov in his comments overnight, I think, has provided further evidence of the fact that these claims are entirely hollow. It has always been Ukraine that has sought to achieve a diplomatic resolution to this conflict. President Zelenskyy has been very clear that this conflict can only end through dialogue and diplomacy. We have been very clear that we are willing, as are our partners, to support any effort towards diplomacy. It has been Russia that time and again has closed the door or, perhaps more aptly, never opened the door to the real – to real diplomacy that the parties seek.
QUESTION: I just wanted to ask about natural gas. Putin said that maybe they would get Nord Stream 1 back up after its scheduled maintenance, but that sanctions might have an effect where they wouldn’t be able to continue supplying gas. Meanwhile, the European Union warned today that they might have to ask countries to cut gas consumption by 15 percent, even reducing heat and air conditioning in public buildings. So I’m wondering, is the U.S. doing anything to support Europe’s energy needs? Does it have any advice for them? And what do you think Putin will end up doing with the gas? I know Nord Stream 1 isn’t Nord Stream 2, so I’m not sure that the U.S. opposes that one.
QUESTION: No problem. The Wall Street Journal yesterday reported that – well, they were citing State Department officials – reported that the Secretary was expected to talk about energy and reducing energy dependence from unreliable countries due to this ministerial. I’ve seen the opening statement, but can you confirm that that’s, in fact, the Secretary’s position that we should not rely on unreliable countries?
MR PRICE: That was a bit of sarcasm. There is no G8 summit —
MR PRICE: I am not going to handicap it. I am going to say that we’ve seen the public statements, and Nord Stream 1 is a viable option as of this date, at least.
MR PRICE: We are not, of course, going to forecast our specific punches, but I will reiterate that we will not let this go unchallenged. We will work with the international community to respond very clearly and decisively to any Russian effort to go ahead with this territorial annexation. It would be a gross affront to the UN Charter; it would be a gross affront to the international law. And the principle that has always been at play is that every time one of the key tenets of the rules-based international order is undermined anywhere, the rules-based international order is undermined everywhere. And so we will continue to do everything we can, including pulling on the authorities we have, to respond to any such effort.
We believe the road to EU candidate status is clear, it is real, it is achievable, and we strongly urge the Government of Georgia to seize the opportunity that has been provided to it to continue down this path, to work with stakeholders, to work with all elements of Georgian society to implement the steps laid out by the European Commission.
Yes.
But we’re also looking at this over the longer term, and that’s precisely why, when he met with President von der Leyen, last year, President Biden together with our European allies, we launched the U.S.-EU energy task force. They are looking at options and concrete ways that in the coming months, but really over the coming years, we can attack this structural challenge, and the structural challenge being that Europe for many years has had dependence on Russian energy supplies. Russia has, over the course of too long, proven itself not to be a reliable supplier of energy. So this is about reducing our collective dependence on Russian energy supplies, reducing our collective dependence on fossil fuels more broadly, too. That’s a challenge that will take quite some time, but it’s one that we’re committed to working jointly with our European allies.
QUESTION: I have two more on Lebanon, Ned. First, is there any plan for Special Envoy Hochstein to go to Lebanon or Israel to push forward the talks between the two countries on the maritime borders?
So again, we will continue these efforts. These efforts are, by necessity, quiet until they’re not. And just to cite one example, of course, we were able – we were in a position to bring Trevor Reed home just a few months ago, before his release was announced. It’s not something that we spoke of. It – steps we were taking, in this case with Russia, was not something that we detailed publicly, and for good reason. We have found that these cases often are best worked behind the scenes. Even though we don’t speak of it, it doesn’t mean that we aren’t working around the clock to see the successful resolution and outcome.
QUESTION: If you’re sitting in Azerbaijan or Saudi Arabia, you see Western leaders are coming and striking deals on energy without mentioning human rights. Well, this doesn’t sound like ingredients for long-term energy independence.
Will.
MR PRICE: Again, we have shared objectives in Syria, shared with our Turkish partners. One of those key objectives – shared objectives – is the elimination, is the neutralization of ISIS, of radical elements that have established themselves inside Syria. We don’t want to see that put at risk. Of course, it’s no secret that our coalition is broad and diverse. Our Kurdish partners are an important part of that coalition. They have led to effective gains on the ground against ISIS. We want to continue, and we do expect to continue, to work closely with Turkey as a valued NATO Ally, as a close security partner, someone with whom we share goals when it comes to the region, including inside Syria.
QUESTION: Just a second ago you said the U.S. would not allow annexation to go unchallenged, to go unpunished. Do you guys have a set of new sanctions or, like, a specific action that you are preparing for when this would happen?
QUESTION: Well, hold on a second. There is no G8 anymore.
These comments to us only further demonstrate that Russia is moving toward the annexation that we’ve warned about, and they serve as a reminder of the ultimate purpose and objective of Russia’s illegal, unjustified war against Ukraine. Despite what we heard in the run-up to this war, this war is nothing more than a war of territorial conquest. That’s what we warned about before February 24th; that is what we have consistently said ever since.
MR PRICE: How are they able to – excuse me?
QUESTION: Iran is under more sanctions than Russia is now. Right?
MR PRICE: This alliance, this coalition of countries that defies any one geographic region has proven its resilience, and it has proven its strength time and again. There have been many premature obituaries written for this incredible collection of countries in Europe and well beyond, dozens of countries that have come together to hold Russia to account, to support our Ukrainian partners, and to redouble our efforts to reinforce the rules-based international order. It was before February 24th where there were doubts about the viability of the international community to stand up. Since then we’ve heard the same. But consistently since then at every opportunity – whether that’s been at the NATO summit, whether that’s been at the G7, whether that’s been at the G20 in its various iterations in recent weeks – we have seen the international community remain strong, strong in support of Ukraine, strong in our efforts to hold President Putin to account.
This morning, as you alluded to, Humeyra, Foreign Minister Lavrov essentially confirmed the warning that we put forward yesterday, the warning that Ambassador Carpenter put forward in May, and that you have consistently heard from us. Foreign Minister Lavrov said, quote, Russia’s, quote, “geographical goals” in Ukraine include not just the Donbas but also Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, and other territory inside Ukraine. It was a remarkable echo of what you’ve heard from us in recent months, including from the White House yesterday.
When it comes to what we heard between President Putin and the supreme leader, President Raisi – it was, in many ways, I think, striking to hear the supreme leader, in really no uncertain terms, essentially endorsing President Putin’s brutal invasion of Ukraine. And it was especially striking because Iran all this time had attempted to maintain a veil of neutrality, had said that – essentially that it was opposed to the war. It’s now clear that was entirely hollow. Iran has now cast its lot with a small number of countries who wore that veil of neutrality only to end up supporting President Putin in his war against Ukraine and the Ukrainian people.
QUESTION: But no credible plan on the American side regarding the YPG elements there? That’s what I’m trying to understand.
MR PRICE: We read that element of his rhetoric as entirely consistent, unfortunately, with what we’ve seen from the Russian Federation since well before February 24th. You’ll recall, Alex, that as Russia’s military forces built up along Ukraine’s borders, as Russia’s military forces amassed in what should have been sovereign Belarusian territory, we heard various explanations emanate from Moscow, some of which had to – were lies about purported Ukrainian aggression, some of which were lies about the threat that NATO, which is of course a defensive alliance, would pose to Russia. We heard lies about U.S. activities in Ukraine, U.S. activities and positions in the region, all of which were an attempt to put the blame, to put the onus for at what the time was Russia’s impending invasion on the West.
MR PRICE: Obviously, Matt, there are – these are unique circumstances (inaudible) in each case. But I would reject the premise that over the course of successive administrations in these cases, the United States has failed to respond. You should ask the – you should ask —
MR PRICE: I’m sorry. I was – I didn’t catch the last part of your question.
MR PRICE: I’m sorry. I was – I didn’t catch the last part of your question.
QUESTION: Did it apply to the United States in 2003?
MR PRICE: Sure.
QUESTION: I’m sure you saw the mural unveiled in Georgetown today recognizing Americans detained abroad. Organizers say in part that’s to put pressure on the authorities to do more. I just want to get your response to that. And given what appears to be a boiling up of frustrations, does that merit a reorganization of your communication strategy?
MR PRICE: They are under – certainly under heavy sanctions pressure. But I think one of the distinguishing features of our campaign against Russia, our effort to hold Russia to account, has been our unprecedented use of export controls, our ability and the success we have had in limiting those raw inputs that can go into Russia’s defense industrial base. I think export controls have proven themselves in this context to be one of the most effective tools that we have, and these are tools that, lucky for us, we can wield in other contexts as well as appropriate.
MR PRICE: We are. We’ve been in regular contact with our Lebanese partners. We’ve urged Lebanese stakeholders to form a government capable of and committed to implementing reforms and restoring the trust of the Lebanese people. We call on Lebanese leaders to act seriously and urgently to implement reforms and take the necessary actions to rescue Lebanon’s economy, including actions that can be taken during this current period of government formation.
These are going to have compounding effects over time. There’s every indication Russia cares about that.
QUESTION: Ned, I’m sure you’ve seen Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s comments. He basically said today Moscow’s military tasks in Ukraine now went beyond the eastern Donbas region. What is your take on that? It signals that – I mean, what the entire world knew, that their ambitions were for the whole of Ukraine.
