美国国务院
发言人办公室
2022年4月25日
波兰东南部
布林肯国务卿：各位早上好。奥斯汀部长和我刚从基辅回来，我们是应拜登总统的要求和泽连斯基总统的邀请前去。我们有机会直接显示我们对乌克兰政府和乌克兰人民的强有力支持，一直在持续的强有力支持。我们认为，这是去那里的一个重要时刻，对乌克兰、对这场战争是一个重要时刻——是面对面详细讨论我们给予的非凡支持的重要时刻：安全、经济、人道方面的支持，以及我们一直对俄罗斯施加的大规模压力，然后详细讨论如何在上述各方面继续推进。
并非是替泽连斯基总统说话，但我可以说，泽连斯基总统对拜登总统的领导作用和美国人民的极大慷慨与支持深表感谢。我们也对他的领导作用，对乌克兰人民奋起抵抗和击退俄罗斯侵略的非凡勇气深表钦佩。
对涉及我们接下来的承诺中的一些事项，我昨天与泽连斯基总统进行了交流，其中包括美国外交人员将从本周开始返回基辅，包括拜登总统准备提名一位新任驻乌克兰大使，布里奇特·布林克（Bridget Brink）大使——她是一位现任大使，我多年的同事，对这个地区有丰富经验，她将是美国在乌克兰的一位非常有力的代表。
我们也有机会讨论了随着乌克兰已经取得的胜利，下一步将如何做。确实，俄罗斯继续力图在乌克兰部分地区肆虐，我们继续看到可怕的死亡和毁灭。但是，乌克兰人民奋起抵抗，他们在进行强有力的抵抗，他们得到我们名副其实地从世界四面八方协调提供的支持。
我们采取的战略——为乌克兰提供大规模支持，对俄罗斯施加大规模压力，与30多个国家同心协力进行这些努力——正在带来实际成果。我们现在看到，俄罗斯的战争目标在失败，乌克兰在赢得胜利。俄罗斯的首要目标曾是完全征服乌克兰——剥夺它的主权，剥夺它的独立。俄罗斯未能得逞。俄罗斯力图施展其军事和经济力量。当然，我们现在看到的情况恰恰相反——军队的表现惊人低能；而经济，由于制裁，由于大批撤离俄罗斯，现在一败涂地。俄罗斯力图分裂西方和北约；当然我们看到的情况截然相反——联盟比我所见的任何时候都更团结，实际上一些新的国家在考虑加入。
最终归结到这样一点。我们不知道这场战争以后会如何发展，但是我们确知，一个享有主权、独立的乌克兰将远比弗拉基米尔·普京长存。我们将继续支持乌克兰，并且直至我们看到最后的胜利。
奥斯汀部长：早上好。首先，让我重复布林肯国务卿对我们会晤的概括。我认为这是一次非常有成效的会晤，是密切交流的会晤，我们对有这个机会感到非常高兴。
在会晤中，我们对如此多平民丧生向总统表达了我们的深切哀悼，当然，还有那些英勇牺牲的军人，他们为击退俄军建立了卓著的功勋。我们也对他们的专业素质和他们捍卫民主的决心表示敬佩。目睹的那一切是非凡惊人的，我想所有人都同意这点。
我同意布林肯国务卿所说，总统确实深表感谢，国防部长和最高军事长官一道，他们对美国人民不断作出努力使我们能够向他们提供尽可能多和尽可能迅速的援助表示深深的感谢。
所以，我们在会谈中着重讨论的事项是如何赢得眼前的战斗并且建设未来。再说一遍，这是一次很有成效的讨论。我们讨论了安全部队援助，我们讨论了训练，我们也讨论了我明天将在拉姆施泰因（Ramstein）与数位国防部长和最高军事长官举行的会议上讨论的主要事宜。会议的焦点将是致力于增强乌克兰军队的能力。所以，这是一个极好的机会，从最高军事长官和国防部长以及总统那里了解到他们最新的关注，他们的需要。这将使我们能够明天与数位最高军事长官和国防部长的讨论更富有成效。
普莱斯先生：米西，您请。
问：奥斯汀部长、布林肯国务卿，我想知道，你们能否告诉我们一下你们在访问基辅期间、在去基辅的途中以及你们在这座城市的所见所闻。你们是否与政府以外的任何乌克兰人士交谈？如果有交谈，他们向你们说了些什么？
然后，你们两人谁可以谈一下是否会出现这种结局：国际社会的支持使乌克兰能够避免在这场战争中输给俄罗斯，但却无法完全将俄罗斯军队驱逐出去或宣布胜利。您如何看待这种结局？谢谢。
布林肯国务卿：我来回答这个问题。就我们所见而言，我们是从波兰动南部乘火车进入基辅的。所以，除了在前往途中看到火车窗外的景色之外，我们没有看到太多的东西。在基辅市，我们直接去了总统府。我们与泽连斯基总统及其高级团队谈了大约三个小时。这是我们这次访问全程的重点。我们希望根据我们已有的行动计划，专注于那些需要完成的工作，以及我们应如何在所有这些不同方面的努力中向前推进。这是[此次访问]的焦点，[我们]并没有多少机会与普通的乌克兰人交谈。当然，我们看到了基辅大街上的行人，这证明基辅之战已经取得胜利，而且至少从表面上来看，基辅的生活已经回归正常。但这与乌克兰其它地区，与南部和东部的情况形成鲜明对比，在那些地区，俄罗斯的暴行每天都在造成残酷的后果。
就战争的输赢而言，我再次回到这样一个观点：就俄罗斯的战争目标而言，俄罗斯已经失败，而乌克兰已大获成功。因为用普京总统自己的话来说，这场战争的主要目标是将乌克兰完全纳入俄罗斯，剥夺其主权和独立。这一目标并未实现，也显然不会实现。就今后战争局势的走向而言，还会带来多少死亡和破坏，这些方面显然令人深为关切。我们希望尽我们所能来帮助乌克兰人尽快在可能的条件下结束这一切。我们目前所做的大部分工作都是为了加强他们眼下在战场上的实力，而且最终增加他们在谈判桌上的筹码，如果谈判可能的话。
奥斯汀部长：我同意布林肯国务卿所言。我们的重点是举行会谈以及与高层领导之间互动，因此我们没有机会外出或在街上与平民或市民接触。根据沿途所得到的印象，看起来的确是在恢复正常。那天是复活节，所以在——在基辅，所以肯定很多人都呆在家里没有外出。
就我们的——他们获胜的能力而言，获胜的第一步是坚信你能够获胜。所以，他们相信我们能赢；我们相信他们——我们可以获胜——如果他们有适当的设备、适当的支持，他们就能够获胜。我们将尽我们所能——继续尽我们所能，确保实现这一目标。因此，我们与他们的最高军事长官和国防部长会谈。并且，随着这场战争的进展，他们的需求将发生变化。因此，随着这些需求的变化，我们希望能够领先一步。但是，我们将根据他们的最高军事长官和国防部长认为所需要的东西做出回应。
普莱斯先生：珍妮，您请。
问：奥斯汀部长，我的问题是有关援助的交付。您是如何追踪毒刺 (Stingers) 和标枪 (Javelins) 导弹以及——那些敏感性武器的使用？我们看到越来越多的图片报道，这些武器落入了顿巴斯地区的亲俄武装力量手中。您有追踪这些武器的计划吗？
布林肯国务卿，在人道主义援助方面，《波士顿环球报》(Boston Globe) 今天有一篇文章援引了美国国际开发署 (USAID) 官员的话说，国会通过的 10 亿美元援助甚至尚未转入美国国际开发署的账户中，而本应向乌克兰提供的大部分援助也并未交付，并将其称为是一个严重的战略失误。您打算如何解决这个问题？
奥斯汀部长：第一个问题，珍妮——谢谢您的提问——就我们追踪运送的武器的能力而言，如您所知，我们在乌克兰境内没有任何部队，所以这是——这对我们来说很难做到。但我们的确与最高军事长官以及总统和国防部长展开了很好的讨论，讨论了确保追踪这些武器的必要性，并尽可能确保它们不会落入敌人手中。
那么如您所知，在战场上，如果一场特定的战斗失败了，那么您的控制力就会减少——不能控制所有装备。但他们在关注这个问题，他们知道我们对此感到担忧，并且我们会继续参与其中。
布林肯国务卿：詹妮弗，在人道主义援助方面，数亿美元的援助不仅已经交付给乌克兰，而且也交付给了那些周边国家，这些国家在照顾那些流离失所成为难民的乌克兰人。可以说，就在此时此刻，每天都在提供援助。这是援助。如果您在这里只呆几个小时，你就不会在这里看到这些援助物资。这些援助物资将会通过空运或其它方式运往乌克兰，然后向全国各地分发。我们已经与我们的乌克兰合作伙伴进行了详细对话，以确保一旦援助进入乌克兰，就会像国防部长所说的那样，以有效的方式分发。如果遇到障碍或挑战，我们会努力解决。
但至少我看到的是，援助物资正在运到此地和其它分发点，援助物资以极快的速度运出。再说一遍，五、六个小时以后，这个地方看起来会与现在完全不同。
普莱斯先生：威尔，您请。
问：非常感谢。奥斯汀部长，您提到要及时了解乌克兰方面的需求。我们已经在这里看到了一些 155 毫米自行榴弹炮和其它物资。泽连斯基总统说过他接下来需要什么吗？
布林肯国务卿，我知道您可能已经与联合国秘书长谈过他即将来此访问。参与策略是什么——就他的参与，或是[听不清]与莫斯科和基辅的接触，看是否 [听不清]？
奥斯汀部长：正如您过去——最近——听到我们所谈到或提到的那样，战斗的性质已经发生了变化，因为他们现在所关注的是不同类型的地形。所以他们需要远程火力。您已经听到他们表达了对坦克的需求。我们正在尽一切努力为他们提供在这一阶段战斗中有效的支援类型、火炮和弹药类型。并且我们将有机会——如您所知，我们已经做了很多。您已经看到了我们最近提供的八亿 ——总统最近提供的八亿美元的授权，使我们能够提供五个营的 155 毫米自行榴弹炮以及数十万发炮弹。并且，我们也在与我们的其它伙伴国家协调，他们将提供类似的装备，已有迹象表明他们将——他们将——许多国家都将自告奋勇地提供额外的弹药和自行榴弹炮。
因此，我们将尽力、尽快地为他们提供所需的物资。这将是明天去拉姆施泰因空军基地举行会议时需要讨论的一个很好的话题。
布林肯国务卿：关于联合国秘书长，我周五与联合国秘书长进行了交谈，他将于本周初前往莫斯科，我们的期望是他将向弗拉基米尔·普京传达一个非常强烈和明确的信息，即马上结束这场战争的迫切性——停火的迫切性；人道主义走廊、允许援助进入以及让人们能够撤离的迫切性；俄罗斯停止对乌克兰实施残暴行径的迫切性。这是他应该代表几乎整个国际社会传达的一个明确和直接的信息。
普莱斯先生：约翰，请讲。
问：您好。就美国在乌克兰取得成功的目标而言，您目前的定义与战争开始时有无任何不同？如果有，今天的目标是什么？
奥斯汀部长：您想回答吗？让我先来说几句，然后我会让国务卿谈谈他的看法。但是，我认为——而且他已经提到了第一个目标。我们希望看到乌克兰仍然是一个主权国家，一个能够保护其主权领土的民主国家。我们希望削弱俄罗斯，使其无法再次入侵乌克兰。
因此，坦率地说，它已经丧失了很多军事能力以及很多部队。我们希望看到的是，他们将没有能力快速恢复这种军事能力。我们希望看到国际社会更加团结，尤其是北约，我们已经看到了这一点。首先，这是基于拜登总统的努力，还有我们的盟友和合作伙伴的努力，他们竭诚倾力相助，与我们一起实施制裁，并迅速采取行动来证明我们将捍卫北约的每一寸土地。
布林肯国务卿：对。我真的没什么可以补充的。我觉得部长说得很好。谢谢。
普莱斯先生：下面是最后一个问题。麦特，您请。
问：谢谢。国务卿先生，您是否向泽连斯基总统提到有关重新开放驻基辅大使馆的时间，而不仅仅是让外交官返回利沃夫的时间？
下面是对你们两位提出的问题：在披露你们周六要去那里的消息时，泽连斯基总统说，“请不要空手而来”。显然你们并没有空手而来。但是，你们有没有感觉到他对你们所带来的东西表示满意？
布林肯国务卿：麦特，关于大使馆的问题，我们将从这一周开始让美国外交官回到乌克兰。然后他们将开始研究我们如何在基辅重新开放大使馆的问题。我认为这将在几周内进行，这是我的期望。我们在这个问题上持慎重和小心的态度，在处理这个问题时，我们首先考虑的是我们人员的安全。但我们正在着手去做。
关于泽连斯基总统，再说一遍，我不想过多描述他的看法，我只想重复一下我之前说过的话。对拜登总统的领导能力以及美国人民的慷慨大方，他一再向我们两人表示深深的感谢。我想他是这样说的，劳埃德，美国一直是乌克兰最坚定的支持者，他们不会忘记这一点。并且，我们从未——我们从未空手而来，因为这是——正如国防部长所说，这是一个持续的过程，从[战争开始的]第一天之前我们就一直在进行——因为应该记住，拜登总统最初下令动用资金可以追溯到去年的劳动节，那是在这场侵略战争发生之前几个月的事情。
我们当时想要确保，如果俄罗斯发动侵略战争的话，乌克兰人手中拥有他们所需要的工具来阻止俄罗斯，击退俄罗斯。他们能够做到这一点是归功于他们的勇气和献身精神，同时也是因为他们在战争开始之前就已经拥有的装备，他们才能够做到这一点。但正如部长所说，这是一个逐步发展的过程。因此，我们援助的性质以及我们从其他国家获得的援助也是一个逐步发展的过程。
奥斯汀部长：正如人们所期待的那样，他确实对美国人民及其盟友和合作伙伴的支援——他们从一开始就这样做并将继续这样做下去——表示感谢。但是，他是在战斗。所以，虽然他对我们正在做的所有事情心存感激，但他专注于赢得战争所需要的东西。再说一次，他们决意赢得这场战争；我们决意帮助他们打赢这场战争，我们将会帮助他们。
就我们所讨论和列出的具体类型的物资而言，我们提醒他们，拜登总统于周四签署了一项动用资金计划，该动用资金计划中包括的自行榴弹炮已于周六运达。这是难以想象的速度，这归功于那些每天辛勤工作的所有人员——日复一日地献身于他们的工作。但是，我们将继续专注于为他提供未来成功所需的东西，这是人们所预期的。他会说，“谢谢，但是”——他真的很感激——“但让我们专注于需要做的事情”。在明天与各位最高军事长官举行的会议上，我们将有机会进一步讨论这个问题，我对这次会议充满期待。
普莱斯先生：谢谢你们，先生们。
布林肯国务卿：谢谢大家。
 
欲查看原稿内容: https://www.state.gov/secretary-antony-j-blinken-and-secretary-lloyd-austin-remarks-to-traveling-press/
本译文仅供参考，只有英文原稿才可以被视为权威资料来源。

REMARKS
ANTONY J. BLINKEN, SECRETARY OF STATE
SOUTHEASTERN POLAND
APRIL 25, 2022
SECRETARY BLINKEN:  Morning, everybody.  Secretary Austin and I just returned from Kyiv, where we went at the request of President Biden and the invitation of President Zelenskyy.  We had an opportunity to demonstrate directly our strong support, our strong ongoing support for the Ukrainian Government and for the Ukrainian people.  This was, in our judgment, an important moment to be there, an important moment for Ukraine, for the war – an important moment to have face-to-face conversations in detail about the extraordinary support that we’ve provided: security, economic, humanitarian, as well as the massive pressure that we’ve been exerting on Russia, and then to talk in detail about how we carry that forward across all of those fronts.
I would say that, without putting words in his mouth, President Zelenskyy expressed deep appreciation for President Biden’s leadership and for the incredible generosity and support of the American people.  In turn, we expressed deep admiration for his leadership, for the extraordinary courage of Ukrainians in standing up to and pushing back this Russian aggression.
Part of our commitment going forward involves a number of things that I was able to share with President Zelenskyy yesterday, including the return of American diplomats to Ukraine starting next[i] week, including President Biden’s intent to nominate a new ambassador to Ukraine, Ambassador Bridget Brink – currently an ambassador, someone I’ve served with for a long time, deeply experienced in the region, who’ll be a very strong representative for the United States in Ukraine.
We had an opportunity as well to talk about where this goes from here, with the success that Ukraine has had.  It’s also true that Russia continues to try to brutalize parts of the country, and the death and destruction that we continue to see is horrific.  But Ukrainians are standing up, they’re standing strong, and they’re doing that with the support that we have coordinated from literally around the world.
The strategy that we’ve put in place – massive support for Ukraine, massive pressure against Russia, solidarity with more than 30 countries engaged in these efforts – is having real results.  And we’re seeing that when it comes to Russia’s war aims, Russia is failing, Ukraine is succeeding.  Russia has sought as its principal aim to totally subjugate Ukraine – to take away its sovereignty, to take away its independence.  That has failed.  It’s sought to assert the power of its military and its economy.  We of course are seeing just the opposite – a military that is dramatically underperforming; an economy, as a result of sanctions, as a result of a mass exodus from Russia, that is in shambles.  And it’s sought to divide the West and NATO; of course, we’re seeing exactly the opposite – an Alliance more divided[ii] than I’ve ever seen it and, indeed, new countries considering applying for membership.
The bottom line is this.  We don’t know how the rest of this war will unfold, but we do know that a sovereign, independent Ukraine will be around a lot longer than Vladimir Putin is on the scene.  And our support for Ukraine going forward will continue.  It will continue until we see final success.
Secretary?
SECRETARY AUSTIN:  Yeah.  Good morning.  And first of all, let me echo what Secretary Blinken has said in terms of the characterization of our meeting.  I think it was a very productive meeting, very engaging session, and we were very happy to have that opportunity.
So during the meeting, we expressed our deepest condolences to the president for the loss of so many civilians and, of course, the loss of those courageous troops that have done just a magnificent job of pushing back Russian forces.  We also expressed our admiration for their professionalism and for their commitment to defend their democracy.  Just it’s been extraordinary to watch, and I think everyone would agree with me there.
I agree with Secretary Blinken that the president did express his deep appreciation, along with the minister of defense and the chief of defense, their deep appreciation for what the American people have continued to do to ensure that we get them as much assistance as possible, as quickly as possible.
So our focus in the meeting was to talk about those things that would enable us to win the current fight and also build for tomorrow.  And again, a very productive discussion.  We talked about security force assistance and we talked about training, and we also talked about the key things that we’re going to discuss in the session that I’ll conduct tomorrow at Ramstein with a number of ministers of defense and chiefs of defense.  This session is focused on doing things to generate additional capability and capacity for the Ukrainian forces.  And so it’s a great opportunity to get a good update from the CHOD and from the minister of defense and from the president on the things that they are focused on, the things that they need.  That’ll enable us to have a more productive discussion with the CHODs and ministers of defense tomorrow.
MR PRICE:  Missy.
QUESTION:  Secretary Austin, Secretary Blinken, I’m just wondering if you can tell us what you saw during your visit to Kyiv, on your journey on the way to Kyiv and what you saw in the city.  Were you able to speak to any Ukrainians outside the government and what did they tell you, if so?
And then for either of you, do you see a scenario where international support enables Ukraine to avoid losing this war to Russia, but isn’t able to fully expel Russian forces or reclaim its victory, and how would you think about such a scenario?  Thanks.
SECRETARY BLINKEN:  Happy to start.  In terms of what we saw, we took a train into Kyiv from southwestern[iii] Poland, so didn’t see a lot except looking out the train windows on our way in.  And in Kyiv itself, we went right to the presidential palace.  We spent about three hours with President Zelenskyy, with his senior team.  That was the entire focus of our visit.  We wanted to focus on the work that needed to be done in looking at the game plan that we have, how we’re moving forward across all of these different lines of effort.  So that was the entire focus.  There wasn’t much of an opportunity to talk to average Ukrainians.  We certainly saw people on the streets in Kyiv, evidence of the fact that the battle for Kyiv was won and there is what looks from the surface, at least, to be normal life in Kyiv.  But that’s in stark contrast to what’s going on in other parts of Ukraine, in the south and the east, where the Russian brutality is doing horrific things to people every single day.
In terms of wars won and lost, again, I come back to the proposition that in terms of Russia’s war aims, Russia has already failed and Ukraine has already succeeded because the principal aim that President Putin brought to this, in his own words, was to fully subsume Ukraine back into Russia, to take away its sovereignty and independence, and that has not happened and clearly will not happen.  Where the contours of the war goes from here, how much death and destruction continues, obviously that’s of deep concern.  We want to do everything we can to help the Ukrainians bring this to an end on the possible terms as quickly as possible.  Much of the work that we’re doing is enabling them to strengthen their hand both on the battlefield right now, but also, eventually, at a negotiation if there is one.
SECRETARY AUSTIN:  I agree with Secretary Blinken.  We were focused on the conduct of the meeting and engaging the senior leadership, so we didn’t get a chance to do any walkabouts or engage civilians or citizens on the street.  On the way in, it did look like things were beginning to come back to normal.  It was Easter day, so in the – in Kyiv, so certainly a number of people would have been at home and not out on the street.
In terms of our – their ability to win, the first step in winning is believing that you can win.  And so they believe that we can win; we believe that they – we can win – they can win if they have the right equipment, the right support.  And we’re going to do everything we can – continue to do everything we can to ensure that that gets there.  So we’re engaged with the CHOD, engaged with the minister of defense, and as this fight evolves, their needs will change.  And so as those needs change, we’d like to be one step ahead, but we’re going to be responsive to what the CHOD and the MOD believe that they need.
MR PRICE:  Jenny.
QUESTION:  Secretary Austin, I have a question about aid deliveries.  How are you tracking the Stingers and the Javelins and the – those sensitive weapons?  We’re seeing more and more imagery of those weapons falling into the hands of Russian-backed forces in Donbas.  Do you have a plan to track those weapons?
And in terms of humanitarian aid, Secretary Blinken, there’s an article in the Boston Globe today quoting a USAID official saying that the billion dollars in aid passed by Congress has not even been transferred to USAID accounts and that much of the aid that’s supposed to be going into Ukraine has not been delivered, calling it a critical strategic failure.  How do you plan to fix this problem?
SECRETARY AUSTIN:  The first part of the question, Jen – thanks for that question – in terms of our ability to track the weapons that are going in.  As you know, we don’t have any forces on the ground, so that’s – it’s difficult for us to do.  We did have a very good discussion with both the CHOD and the president and minister of defense on the necessity to make sure that those weapons are tracked and, as best possible, to make sure that they’re protected from falling into the hands of adversaries.
Now, when you’re in a fight, as you know, if a specific battle is lost, then you have less control over that – over your ability to control items.  But they are focused on this issue and they know we are concerned about it, and we’ll continue to engage.
SECRETARY BLINKEN:  And Jennifer, in terms of the humanitarian assistance, hundreds of millions of dollars of assistance has already gotten in not only to Ukraine, but to surrounding countries that are caring for Ukrainians who have been displaced, who are refugees.  Literally every day, as we speak, aid is going in.  This is aid.  If you were here in a few hours, this won’t be here.  It’s going to be on a plane on its way, or some other means, on its way to Ukraine, and then it is dispersed throughout the country.  We’ve had detailed conversations with our Ukrainian partners about making sure that once the assistance gets into Ukraine, it then is dispersed, as the Secretary of Defense was saying about the weaponry, in an effective way.  And if there are bottlenecks there or challenges there, we’re working through them.
But what I’m seeing, at least, is that aid is getting here and other distribution points, it’s getting out the door incredibly quickly.  Again, this place is going to look different five or six hours from now than it does right now.
MR PRICE:  Will.
QUESTION:  Thanks so much.  Secretary Austin, you mentioned keeping abreast of what the Ukrainians need.  We’ve seen sort of some 155 millimeter Howitzers and other things be processed through here.  What did President Zelenskyy say he needs next?
And for Secretary Blinken, I understand you may have spoken with the UN secretary-general about his upcoming visit.  What is the strategy for engaging – for his engagement or for (inaudible) engagement with Moscow and Kyiv to see if (inaudible)?
SECRETARY AUSTIN:  As you’ve heard us talk or say in the past, recent past, the nature of the fight has evolved because the terrain that they’re now focused on is a different type of terrain.  So they need long-range fires.  You’ve heard them express a need for tanks.  And we are doing everything that we can to get them the types of support, the types of artillery and munitions that will be effective in this stage of the fight.  And so we’ll get a chance to – we’ve done a lot, as you know.  You’ve seen what we’ve done here in the recent past with the 800 – the recent $800 million authorization provided by the President allows us to provide five battalions of 1-5-5 Howitzers, hundreds of thousands of rounds of artillery.  And so we’re also engaging our colleagues in other countries for the same type of capability, and we see indications early on that they’re going to – they’re going to be – many countries are going to come forward and provide additional munitions and Howitzers.
So we’re going to push as hard as we can as quickly as we can to get them what they need.  This will be a great topic of conversation for our meeting tomorrow as we go down to Ramstein.
SECRETARY BLINKEN:  And in terms of the secretary-general, I spoke to the UN secretary-general on Friday and he is heading to Moscow early this week, and our expectation is that he’s going to carry a very strong and clear message to Vladimir Putin, which is the need to end this war now – the need for a ceasefire; the need for humanitarian corridors, for aid to get in, for people to be able to get out; the need for Russia to stop its brutalization of Ukraine.  It’s a clear, direct message that he should be carrying on behalf of virtually the entire international community.
MR PRICE:  John.
QUESTION:  Hi.  Are you defining America’s goals for success any differently in Ukraine now than you were at the beginning of this war?  And if so, what are those goals today?
SECRETARY AUSTIN:  You want?  I’ll just start and I’ll let the Secretary of State to give his thoughts.  But I think – and he’s already kind of indicated the first piece of this.  We want to see Ukraine remain a sovereign country, a democratic country able to protect its sovereign territory.  We want to see Russia weakened to the degree that it can’t do the kinds of things that it has done in invading Ukraine.
So it has already lost a lot of military capability, and a lot of its troops, quite frankly.  And we want to see them not have the capability to very quickly reproduce that capability.  We want to see the international community more united, especially NATO, and we’re seeing that, and that’s based upon the hard work of, number one, President Biden, but also our Allies and partners who have willingly leaned into this with us as we’ve imposed sanctions and as we’ve moved very rapidly to demonstrate that we’re going to defend every inch of NATO.
SECRETARY BLINKEN:  Yeah, and really nothing to add.  I think the Secretary said it very well.  Thanks.
MR PRICE:  We’ll take a final question.  Matt.
QUESTION:  Thanks.  Mr. Secretary, were you able to offer President Zelenskyy any idea about timing for reopening the embassy in Kyiv, not simply the return of diplomats to Lviv?
And then for both of you:  President Zelenskyy, when he kind of leaked the – that you guys were going there on Saturday, said, “Please don’t come with empty hands.”  You obviously didn’t go with empty hands, but did you get the sense that he is satisfied with what it was that you did bring?
SECRETARY BLINKEN:  Matt, in terms of the embassy, we will have American diplomats back in Ukraine starting next[iv] week.  They’ll then start the process of looking at how we actually reopen the embassy itself in Kyiv.  I think that will take place over a couple of weeks would be my expectation.  We’re doing it deliberately, we’re doing it carefully, we’re doing it with the security of our personnel foremost in mind, but we’re doing it.
And with regard to President Zelenskyy, again, without wanting to characterize him too much, I can just repeat what I said earlier.  He expressed to both of us deep and repeated appreciation both for President Biden’s leadership but also for the generosity of the American people.  I think he said, Lloyd, that the United States has been Ukraine’s strongest supporter, something that they won’t forget.  And look, we never – we never come empty handed because this is – as the Secretary of Defense said, this has been an ongoing process where we have been, from before day one – because remember, the initial drawdowns that President Biden ordered go back to last Labor Day, months before the aggression.
We wanted to make sure that if Russia pursued the aggression, that Ukrainians had in hand the tools they needed to stop it, to push it back, and that’s exactly what happened thanks to their courage, to their commitment, but also thanks to the equipment that they had in hand from before the war started they were able to do that.  But as the Secretary said, this has been evolving, and so the nature of our assistance and the assistance we’re getting from others has been evolving.
SECRETARY AUSTIN:  And as you would expect, he did express gratitude to the American people and our allies and partners for what they’re – they’ve done from the very beginning and continue to do.  But he’s in a fight, and so while he’s grateful for all the things that we’re doing, he’s also focused on what he thinks he’ll need next in order to be successful.  And again, they have the mindset that they want to win; we have the mindset that we want to help them win, and we are going to do that.
Now, in terms of specific types of things that we were able to discuss and kind of lay out, we reminded them that Thursday President Biden signed a drawdown and on Saturday Howitzers were showing up from that drawdown package.  That is unimaginable speed, and it’s due to the hard work of all the men and women who are working day out – day in and day out to do the kinds of things that they’re doing.  But we’re going to remain focused on giving him what he needs to be successful in the future, and that’s what you’d expect.  You’d expect for him to say, “Thanks, but” – and he’s really grateful – “but let’s focus on what needs to be done.”  We’ll get a chance to talk some more about that in our meeting with the CHODs tomorrow, and I look forward to that meeting.
MR PRICE:  Thank you, gentlemen.
SECRETARY BLINKEN:  Thanks, everyone.
[i] …this week…
[ii] …more united…
[iii] …southeastern Poland…
[iv] …this week…