WE’LL RESPOND TO SPECIFIC KINDS
OF ACTIONS THAT HARM AMERICAN
INTERESTS.
NOW, I TOLD PRESIDENT PUTIN MY
AGENDA IS NOT AGAINST RUSSIA OR
ANYONE ELSE.
IT’S FOR THE AMERICAN PEOPLE.
FIGHTING COVID-19, REBUILDING
OUR ECONOMY, RE-ESTABLISHING
RELATIONSHIPS AROUND THE WORLD
WITH OUR ALLIES AND FRIENDS AND
PROTECTING THE AMERICAN PEOPLE.
THAT’S MY RESPONSIBILITY AS
PRESIDENT.
I ALSO TOLD HIM THAT NO
PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES
COULD KEEP FAITH WITH THE
AMERICAN PEOPLE IF THEY DID NOT
SPEAK OUT TO DEFEND OUR
DEMOCRATIC VALUES, TO STAND UP
FOR THE UNIVERSAL AND FUNDAMENT
FUNDAMENTAL FREEDOMS THAT ALL
MEN AND WOMEN HAVE IN OUR VIEW.
THAT’S JUST PART OF THE DNA OF
OUR COUNTRY.
SO, HUMAN RIGHTS IS GOING TO
ALWAYS BE ON THE TABLE, I TOLD
HIM.
IT’S NOT ABOUT JUST GOING AFTER
RUSSIA WHEN THEY VIOLATE HUMAN
RIGHTS.
IT’S ABOUT WHO WE ARE.
HOW COULD I BE THE PRESIDENT OF
THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND
NOT SPEAK OUT AGAINST THE
VIOLATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS?
I TOLD HIM THAT, UNLIKE OTHER
COUNTRIES, INCLUDING RUSSIA,
WE’RE UNIQUELY A PRODUCT OF AN
IDEA.
YOU HEARD ME SAY THIS BEFORE,
AGAIN AND AGAIN.
I’M GOING TO KEEP SAYING IT.
WHAT’S THAT IDEA?
WE DON’T DERIVE OUR RIGHTS FROM
THE GOVERNMENT.
WE POSSESS THEM BECAUSE WE’RE
BORN, PERIOD.
AND WE YIELD THEM TO A
GOVERNMENT.
SO I POINTED OUT TO HIM THAT
THAT’S WHY WE’RE GOING TO RAISE
OUR CONCERNS ABOUT THE CASES
LIKE AELECTIONEY NAVALNY.
I MADE IT CLEAR TO PRESIDENT
PUTIN, THAT WE’LL CONTINUE TO
RAISE ISSUES OF FUNDAMENTAL
HUMAN RIGHTS BECAUSE THAT’S WHAT
WE ARE.
THAT’S WHO WE ARE.
THE IDEA IS WE HOLD THESE TRUTHS
SELF EVIDENT, THAT ALL MEN AND
WOMEN -- WE HAVEN’T LIVED UP TO
IT COMPLETELY BUT WE’VE ALWAYS
WIDENED THE ARC OF COMMITMENT
AND INCLUDED MORE AND MORE
PEOPLE.
AND I RAISED THE CASE OF TWO
WRONGFULLY IMPRISONED AMERICAN
CITIZENS, PAUL WHELAN AND TREVOR
REED.
I ALSO RAISED THE ABILITY OF
RADIO FREE EUROPE AND RADIO FREE
LIBERTY TO OPERATE AND THE
IMPORTANCE OF A FREE PRESS AND
FREEDOM OF SPEECH.
I MADE IT CLEAR THAT WE WILL NOT
TOLERATE ATTEMPT SS TO VIOLATE O
DEMOCRATIC SOVEREIGNTY OR
STABILIZE OUR DEMOCRATIC
ELECTIONS AND WE WOULD RESPOND.
BOTTOM LINE IS I TOLD PRESIDENT
PUTIN WE NEED TO HAVE SOME BASIC
RULES OF THE ROAD THAT WE CAN
ALL ABIDE BY.
I ALSO SAID THERE ARE AREA SS
WHERE THERE’S A MUTUAL INTEREST
FOR US TO COOPERATE.
FOR OUR PEOPLE, RUSSIAN AND
AMERICAN PEOPLE, BUT ALSO FOR
THE BENEFIT OF THE WORLD AND THE
SECURITY OF THE WORLD.
ONE OF THOSE AREAS IS EXTRA
TEENLIC STABILITY.
YOU ASKED ME MANY TIMES WHAT WAS
I GOING TO DISCUSS WITH PUTIN
BEFORE I CAME.
I ONLY NEGOTIATE WITH THE
INDIVIDUAL.
NOW I CAN TELL YOU WHAT I WAS
INTENDING TO DO ALL ALONG, AND
THAT IS TO DISCUSS AND RAISE THE
ISSUE OF STRATEGIC STABILITY AND
SET UP A MECHANISM WHERE WE
DEALT WITH IT.
WE DISCUSSED IN DETAIL THE NEXT
STEPS OUR COUNTRYIES SHOULD TAKE
ON ARMS CONTROL MEASURES, THE
STEPS WE NEED TO TAKE TO REDUCE
THE RISK OF UNINTENDED CONFLICT.
AND I’M PLEASED TO LAUNCH A
BILATERAL, STRATEGIC, STABILITY
DIALOGUE, DIPLOMATIC SPEAK FOR
SAYING THAT OUR MILITARY EXPERTS
AND OUR DIPLOMATS TOGETHER TO
WORK ON A MECHANISM TO LEAD TO
NEW
NEW, DANGEROUS, SOPHISTICATED
WEAPONS THAT ARE COMING ON THE
SCENE NOW, THAT REDUCE THE TIMES
AND RESPONSE, THAT RAISE THE
PROSPECTS OF ACCIDENTAL WAR.
AND WE WENT INTO SOME DETAIL OF
WHAT THOSE WEPAPONS SYSTEMS WERE
ANOTHER DEAL WE SPENT A GREAT
DEAL OF TIME ON WAS CYBER AND
CYBER SECURITY.
I TALKED ABOUT THE PROPOSITION
THAT CERTAIN CRITICAL
INFRASTRUCTURE SHOULD BE OFF
LIMITS TO ATTACK, PERIOD.
BY CYBER OR ANY OTHER MEANS I
GAVE THEM A LIST.
I DON’T HAVE IT IN FRONT OF ME.
I BELIEVE 16 ENTITIES DEFINED AS
CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE UNDER
U.S. POLICY, FROM THE ENERGY
SECTOR TO OUR WATER SYSTEMS.
OF COURSE, THE PRINCIPLE IS ONE
THING.
IT HAS TO BE BACKED UP BY
PRACTICE.
RESPONSIBLE COUNTRIES NEED TO
TAKE ACTION AGAINST CRIMINALS
WHO CONDUCT RANSOMWARE
ACTIVITIES ON THEIR TERRITORY.
SO, WE AGREED TO TASK EXPERTS IN
BOTH OUR COUNTRIES TO WORK ON
SPECIFIC UNDERSTANDINGS ABOUT
WHAT’S OFF LIMIT SS AND TO FOLLO
UP ON SPECIFIC CASES THAT
ORIGINATE IN EITHER COUNTRY,
EITHER OF OUR COUNTRIES.
THERE’S A LONG LIST OF OTHER
THINGS WE SPENT TIME ON, FROM
THE URGE ENTER NEED TO REOPEN
SYRIA TO GET BASIC FOOD AND
NECESSITIES TO THE PEOPLE WHO
ARE STARVING TO DEATH.
HOW TO BUILD IT AND HOW IT IS IN
THE INTEREST OF BOTH RUSSIA AND
THE UNITED STATES TO ENSURE THAT
IRAN, IRAN DOES NOT ACQUIRE
NUCLEAR WEAPONS.
WE AGREED TO WORK TOGETHER
THERE.
IT’S AS MUCH RUSSIA’S INTEREST
AS OURS.
AND HOW WE CAN ASSURE THE ARCTIC
REMAINS A REGION OF COOPERATION
RATHER THAN CONFLICT.
I CAUGHT PART OF PRESIDENT
PUTIN’S PRESS CONFERENCE, AND HE
TALKED ABOUT THE NEED FOR US TO
BE ABLE TO HAVE SOME KIND OF
MODU OPERANDI TO MAKE SURE THAT
THE ARCTIC WAS, IN FACT, A FREE
ZONE.
AND TO HOW WE CAN EACH
CONTRIBUTE TO THE SHARED EFFORT
OF PRESENTING RESURGENCE OF
TERRORISM IN AFGHANISTAN.
IT’S VERY MUCH IN THE INTEREST
IN RUSSIA NOT TO HAVE A
RESURGENCE OF TERRORISM IN
AFGHANISTAN.
THERE ARE ALSO OTHER AREA SS THA
ARE MORE CHALLENGING.
THE UNITED STATES’ UNWAVERING
COMMITMENT OF THE SOVEREIGNTY
AND TERRITORY OF UKRAINE.
WE AGREED TO PURSUE DIPLOMACY
RELATED TO THE MINSK AGREEMENT.
I SHARED OUR CONCERN ABOUT
BELARUS.
HE DIDN’T DISAGREE WITH WHAT
HAPPENED.
HE JUST SAID IT’S A PERSPECTIVE
OF WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT.
I KNOW YOU HAVE A LOT OF
QUESTIONS.
SO, LET ME CLOSE WITH THIS.
IT WAS IMPORTANT TO MEET IN
PERSON SO THERE COULD BE NO
MISTAKE ABOUT OR
MISREPRESENTATIONS ABOUT WHAT I
WANTED TO COMMUNICATE.
I DID WHAT I CAME TO DO.
NUMBER ONE, IDENTIFY AREAS OF
PRACTICAL WORK OUR TWO COUNTRIES
CAN DO TO ADVANCE OUR MUTUAL
INTERESTS AND ALSO BENEFIT THE
WORLD.
TWO, COMMUNICATE DIRECTLY,
DIRECTLY THAT THE UNITED STATES
WILL RESPOND TO ACTIONS THAT
WILL IMPAIR OUR INTEREST OR
THOSE OF OUR ALLIES AND THREE,
TO CLEARLY LAY OUT OUR COUNTRY’S
PRIORITIES AND VALUES.
SO HE HEARD IT STRAIGHT FROM ME.
AND I MUST TELL YOU, THE TONE OF THE ENTIRE MEETING -- I GUESS IT
WAS A TOTAL OF FOUR HOURS -- WAS
GOOD, POSITIVE THERE WASN’T ANY
STRIDE ENTER
STRIDENT ACTION TAKEN.
WHERE I DISAGREED, I DISAGREED.
WHERE HE DISAGREED, HE DISAGREED
BUT IT HASN’T BEEN TAKEN PLACE
IN A HYPERBOLIC ATMOSPHERE.
I BELIEVE, I HOPE THE UNITED
STATES HAS SHOWN THE WORLD THAT
WE ARE BACK, STANDING WITH OUR
ALLIES.
WE RALLIED OUR FELLOW DEM
DEMOCRACIES TO MAKE CONCERT
COMMITMENTS -- CONCERTED
COMMITMENTS TO TAKE ON THE
BIGGEST CHALLENGE OUR WORLD