WEBVTT 00:23.040 --> 00:25.096 Okay , good morning . If we could go 00:25.096 --> 00:26.484 ahead and take our seats 01:00.040 --> 01:02.620 Well , good morning , it is indeed an 01:02.620 --> 01:06.170 honor to be here with all of you at the 01:06.170 --> 01:08.630 outset , let me thank Minister 01:08.630 --> 01:12.490 Lambrecht for allowing us to host this 01:12.490 --> 01:15.260 meeting here , we're awful , awful 01:15.260 --> 01:17.700 grateful minister . And thank you for 01:17.700 --> 01:21.110 your tremendous hospitality . Also , 01:21.470 --> 01:23.637 we'd like to thank general Walters and 01:23.637 --> 01:25.692 General Harrigan and your staffs for 01:25.692 --> 01:27.637 the great work that you've done on 01:27.637 --> 01:30.250 short notice to uh , to set us up for 01:30.640 --> 01:33.040 what I believe will be a very , very 01:33.050 --> 01:36.550 good session today . So thank you all 01:36.550 --> 01:38.580 for rallying so quickly for this 01:38.590 --> 01:42.360 historic meeting of the Ukraine Defense 01:42.700 --> 01:45.770 consultative group . It is an 01:45.770 --> 01:47.937 extraordinary gathering with more than 01:47.937 --> 01:51.170 40 countries represented here today and 01:51.170 --> 01:53.114 we're here to help Ukraine win the 01:53.114 --> 01:55.281 fight against Russia's unjust invasion 01:56.540 --> 01:58.940 and to build up Ukraine's defenses for 01:58.940 --> 02:02.880 tomorrow's challenges . As you know , 02:02.880 --> 02:05.360 I came here after traveling to Kiev 02:05.840 --> 02:07.930 with my friends , Secretary of State 02:07.940 --> 02:11.250 Blinken , and we had a warm and candid 02:11.740 --> 02:13.520 and productive discussion with 02:13.520 --> 02:16.330 President Zelensky and his team about 02:16.330 --> 02:18.890 the support that we're providing and 02:18.890 --> 02:22.130 the capabilities that Ukraine needs and 02:22.130 --> 02:24.350 Ukraine's changing requirements as the 02:24.350 --> 02:27.260 battle shifts to the Donbass into the 02:27.260 --> 02:30.460 south . Now that visit only 02:30.460 --> 02:33.620 underscored my sense of urgency , an 02:33.620 --> 02:36.260 urgency that I know that we all share . 02:37.440 --> 02:39.440 So I like this whole group today to 02:39.440 --> 02:42.520 leave with a common and transparent 02:42.530 --> 02:45.330 understanding of Ukraine's near term 02:45.330 --> 02:48.100 security requirements because we're 02:48.100 --> 02:50.260 going to keep moving heaven and Earth 02:50.740 --> 02:53.590 so that we can meet them . And as you 02:53.590 --> 02:56.030 will hear from general Walters , the 02:56.030 --> 02:58.197 coordination mechanism that we have in 02:58.197 --> 03:02.100 place can become even stronger with all 03:02.100 --> 03:04.920 of your help and we can do more through 03:04.920 --> 03:07.210 our defense industrial basis to 03:07.440 --> 03:10.060 continue to help Ukraine defend itself 03:10.440 --> 03:14.300 even more capably . Now , 03:14.310 --> 03:17.560 we're joined today by my dear friend , 03:18.140 --> 03:20.990 Ukrainian Minister of Defense Reznikoff . 03:22.640 --> 03:25.700 So it's an honor to have you here . And 03:25.700 --> 03:28.650 uh we welcome your team as well . 03:29.740 --> 03:31.740 We're all here because of Ukraine's 03:31.740 --> 03:34.460 courage , because of the innocent 03:34.460 --> 03:36.404 civilians who have been killed and 03:36.404 --> 03:38.790 because of the suffering that your 03:38.790 --> 03:42.660 people still endure . Your country has 03:42.660 --> 03:45.630 been ravaged , your hospitals have been 03:45.630 --> 03:48.660 bombed , your citizens have been 03:48.670 --> 03:52.070 executed , Your Children have been 03:52.070 --> 03:55.500 traumatized , but Ukraine has done a 03:55.500 --> 03:57.167 magnificent job defending its 03:57.167 --> 03:59.510 sovereignty against Russia's unprovoked 03:59.510 --> 04:03.280 invasion and Ukraine's valor and skill 04:03.280 --> 04:07.190 will go down in military history . You 04:07.190 --> 04:09.930 know , the battle of Iwo Jima took 36 04:09.930 --> 04:13.200 days . The Battle of the Bulge lasted 04:13.200 --> 04:16.930 40 days And Ukraine has now beaten back 04:16.930 --> 04:20.060 the Russian military for 62 days . 04:21.740 --> 04:24.380 And so your resistance has brought 04:24.390 --> 04:26.550 brought inspiration to the free world 04:27.840 --> 04:31.250 and even greater resolve to NATO and 04:31.250 --> 04:34.960 glory to Ukraine . And we provided our 04:34.960 --> 04:37.880 assistance at record speed and the 04:37.880 --> 04:39.824 whole world can see the difference 04:39.824 --> 04:42.210 that's making on the battlefield . You 04:42.210 --> 04:44.266 know , Putin never imagined that the 04:44.266 --> 04:46.340 world would rally behind Ukraine so 04:46.340 --> 04:50.000 swiftly and surely and after 04:50.000 --> 04:52.750 Ukraine's defeat at the battle of Kiev , 04:55.040 --> 04:57.780 pardon me . After Russia's defeat at 04:57.780 --> 05:00.040 the battle of Kiev , big distinction 05:00.040 --> 05:03.510 there , Mr Minister , the war is now 05:03.510 --> 05:06.950 entering a new face , but nobody is 05:06.950 --> 05:09.170 fooled by Putin's pretext or by his 05:09.170 --> 05:12.420 phony claims on the Donbas . So let's 05:12.420 --> 05:15.900 be clear Russia's invasion is 05:15.910 --> 05:19.190 indefensible . And so our Russian 05:19.200 --> 05:23.090 atrocities , we all start 05:23.090 --> 05:25.760 today from a position of moral clarity . 05:26.840 --> 05:30.710 Russia is waging a war of choice To 05:30.710 --> 05:33.150 indulge the ambitions of one man . 05:35.240 --> 05:38.450 Ukraine is fighting a war of necessity 05:39.140 --> 05:41.890 to defend its democracy , its 05:41.890 --> 05:45.390 sovereignty and its citizens . But the 05:45.390 --> 05:47.910 stakes reach beyond Ukraine and even 05:47.910 --> 05:51.790 beyond europe , Russia's invasion is 05:51.790 --> 05:55.330 baseless , reckless and lawless . 05:56.640 --> 05:58.640 It is an affront to the rules based 05:58.640 --> 06:01.380 international order . It is a challenge 06:01.380 --> 06:04.640 to free people everywhere . And as we 06:04.640 --> 06:07.850 see this morning , nations of goodwill 06:07.850 --> 06:10.050 from around the world stand united in 06:10.050 --> 06:12.840 our resolve to support Ukraine in its 06:12.840 --> 06:14.960 fight against Russia's imperial 06:14.970 --> 06:17.890 aggression and that's the way it should 06:17.890 --> 06:21.630 be . This gathering reflects the 06:21.630 --> 06:25.300 galvanize world since Russia's invasion 06:25.300 --> 06:28.730 on February 24 , More than 30 of our 06:28.730 --> 06:30.730 allies and partners from across the 06:30.730 --> 06:33.090 globe have joined the United States to 06:33.090 --> 06:36.300 rush security assistance to Ukraine And 06:36.300 --> 06:38.522 together we have committed more than $5 06:38.522 --> 06:40.744 billion dollars of equipment to support 06:40.744 --> 06:42.650 Ukraine's self defense And that 06:42.650 --> 06:46.170 includes some $3.7 billion Biden has 06:46.170 --> 06:48.300 committed to help Ukraine . Since 06:48.300 --> 06:50.560 Russia is Russia's invasion began 06:52.540 --> 06:56.500 my trip to Kiev reinforce my admiration 06:56.500 --> 06:58.850 for the way that the Ukrainian armed 06:58.850 --> 07:01.183 forces are deploying these capabilities , 07:02.940 --> 07:04.996 Ukraine clearly believes that it can 07:04.996 --> 07:08.160 win and so does everyone here 07:09.740 --> 07:11.907 now to inform our common understanding 07:11.907 --> 07:14.420 of the situation . You'll be hearing 07:14.420 --> 07:16.364 later from several , several of my 07:16.364 --> 07:18.476 teammates , including our Chairman of 07:18.476 --> 07:20.476 the Joint Chiefs of Staff , General 07:20.476 --> 07:22.642 Milley . And I look forward to hearing 07:22.642 --> 07:25.540 from all of you as well . I know that 07:25.540 --> 07:27.651 we're all determined to do everything 07:27.651 --> 07:29.810 we can to meet Ukraine's needs as the 07:29.810 --> 07:32.860 fight of balls and that includes 07:33.340 --> 07:35.600 talking today about a framework for for 07:35.600 --> 07:37.656 continuing to work together and look 07:37.656 --> 07:41.160 ahead . We have much more to do . 07:42.240 --> 07:45.830 Ukraine needs our help to win today and 07:45.830 --> 07:47.997 they will still need our help when the 07:47.997 --> 07:51.360 war is over . As President biden says , 07:51.840 --> 07:53.673 our security assistance has gone 07:53.673 --> 07:55.840 directly to the front lines of freedom 07:56.740 --> 07:58.600 and to the fearless and skilled 07:58.600 --> 08:01.150 Ukrainian fighters . We were standing 08:01.150 --> 08:05.130 in the breach . My Ukrainian 08:05.130 --> 08:08.480 friends , we know the burden that you 08:08.480 --> 08:11.660 all carry and we know 08:13.340 --> 08:17.100 and you should know that all of us have 08:17.100 --> 08:19.610 your back and that's why we're here 08:19.610 --> 08:23.210 today to strengthen the arsenal of 08:23.210 --> 08:26.390 Ukrainian democracy . I'm proud to be 08:26.390 --> 08:29.350 here with all of you And I look forward 08:29.840 --> 08:33.060 to our vital discussions and so we'll 08:33.060 --> 08:35.380 pause for a minute and allow our 08:35.390 --> 08:37.810 colleagues in the media to depart and 08:37.810 --> 08:39.866 then we'll continue . Thank you very 08:39.866 --> 08:39.860 much