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“The Russians do not seem to be willing to negotiate seriously,” State Department senior adviser Derek Chollet told VOA in an interview Thursday.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres arrived in Ukraine on Thursday after a stop in Moscow on Tuesday, where he met for nearly two hours with President Vladimir Putin.
Mr Chollet said US Secretary of State Antony Blinken had spoken with Mr Guterres ahead of his trip to Moscow and Kiev and that the United States was looking forward to hearing from the UN chief if there seemed to be a way forward.
In Congress, the House of Representatives on Wednesday approved a bill examining China’s support for Russian aggression against Ukraine. If passed, the law would require the State Department to submit regular reports on Beijing’s stay.
The United States has no information that China has provided weapons and supplies to Russia but Washington is closely following China’s actions, US officials said.
“China will pay a price if it helps Russia – whether it is direct aid, especially military aid, or helping Russia evade sanctions,” Chollet told VOA.
He warns that the “cooperation space” between the US and China is “shrinking”, while Secretary Blinken is expected to outline the US approach to China “in the coming days”.
VOA Summary Interview with Senior Advisor Chollet
Voice of America: President Biden has submitted a proposal to Congress to hold Russian oligarchs accountable. He is also asking Congress for additional funding to help Ukraine. What distinguishes this notice from the previous ones?
Derek Chollet: This is a historic expression of US support (for Ukraine). President Biden has asked Congress for more than $ 30 billion in support of Ukraine. 20 billion of them will be aid for security and defense. There will also be humanitarian aid and economic support. So this is another example of the United States’ commitment to a strong, secure, and independent Ukraine.
Voice of America: Members of Congress are voting on the 2022 Law on Lending for the Defense of Ukraine’s Democracy.
Derek Chollet: The United States is now focusing on additional aid through Congress that the president has just proposed, and the $ 30 billion figure we think reflects our interest in a secure Ukraine.
What has been critical throughout this crisis is the bipartisan support we have had from Congress. And Congress has worked very closely with the administration to provide Ukraine with the significant support we have provided so far. But I repeat, that aid will quadruple in the coming weeks if that $ 30 billion is approved, which we believe Congress will do.
Voice of America: Does the United States have an assessment of Putin’s health?
Derek Chollet: We do not have. Of course today we do not communicate with him personally. And so we do not have an assessment of his health.
But we have an assessment of the consequences of the decisions he is making. It is our clear belief that he made the wrong decision when he undertook this brutal war against Ukraine. We gave him every opportunity to choose another path for months, but we also made it very clear that Russia and he would pay a high price if he started a war against Ukraine.
Voice of America: Did Washington talk to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres after his meeting with Putin on Tuesday?
Derek Chollet: We have been in very close contact with the Secretary General throughout this crisis. Secretary Blinken spoke to him on the phone before his trip to Moscow and Ukraine. I’m not sure if colleagues have spoken to him, as Secretary Blinken has not spoken yet. But of course, we will continue to be in touch with the Secretary-General to hear about his trip and whether there is a possibility of a path to peace. We suspect. We have not seen many signs of hope that the negotiations will be fruitful. The Russians do not seem willing to negotiate in a meaningful way.
Voice of America: Let’s move on to China’s role in Russia’s war against Ukraine. Can China face secondary sanctions if it offers material or financial support to Russia?
Derek Chollet: The United States has made it very clear – President Biden in his talks with President Xi (Jinping), Secretary Blinken in his talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang (Yi) – that China will pay a price if it helps Russia, or offering direct assistance – especially military assistance – or helping Russia circumvent sanctions.
China is well aware of the economic consequences it could face if it helps Russia. China itself is suffering from the sanctions we have imposed on Russia. We hope the Chinese make a decision not to support Russia.
Voice of America: Will Mr. Blinken deliver a speech on China before or after the US-ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Summit?
Derek Chollet: I do not want to speak before the secretary’s speech. He, of course, gives a very high priority to our strategy towards China.
We look forward to talking about this in the coming weeks.
Voice of America: What is the United States approach to the People’s Republic of China? Can the two countries cooperate after the Russian war in Ukraine?
Derek Chollet: US-China relations are very complicated. There are elements that are conflicting, clearly, issues where the US and China will never agree in essence. There are areas of this relationship where competition prevails and the United States welcomes competition with China as long as it is played by the same rules. Also, there are areas of relationships that we think, as needed, should be cooperative. For example, for an issue like climate change, where we would not be able to address the consequences of global warming if the United States and China could not find a way to work together. Unfortunately, it is a space that is shrinking, in terms of cooperation.
Voice of America: As Washington hosts a special summit with ASEAN countries in May, what is the US proposal for those countries regarding Ukraine?
Derek Chollet: This special ASEAN it summit will be a historic summit. It will be the first time that the leaders of ASEAN countries meet here in Washington and it will be the largest meeting of leaders in Washington since the beginning of the pandemic. Our word for our allies and friends of the ASEAN countries is the same as what we have said to all our allies and friends around the world: The side we must take against what Russia is doing in Ukraine. We want ASEAN’s friends to stand by us when it comes to isolating and punishing Russia.
Voice of America: What about the military exercise between Vietnam and Russia, reported by the Russian state media?
Derek Chollet: I can not comment specifically on that workout. I was in Hanoi a few weeks ago, I had long conversations with officials of the Vietnamese Foreign Ministry and the Ministry of Defense about US-Vietnam relations, which we believe have tremendous potential, as well as our real concerns about Russia and the way Russia is following forward.
The argument we presented to our friends in Vietnam, which I believe they see as reasonable, is that Russia is a much less attractive partner today than it was four months ago. Russia will be the most isolated in the world. There will be a ruined economy. And honestly, her army has shown its weaknesses.
A country like Vietnam, for many decades, has had a relationship with Russia, and before that with the Soviet Union. So we understand that perhaps some of the policy changes we are seeking will not happen immediately. But nevertheless, we believe that such countries should value relations with Russia and we are willing to partner with them as they think about their future security.
Voice of America: Myanmar’s military government is showing support for Russia. And since we are here, do you have any comments on the sentencing of Aung San Suu Kyi?
Derek Chollet: It was a fake trial and is just another example of the Myanmar junta that illegally took power in February 2021 to use the judiciary in an attempt to punish its political enemies. What we need to see in Myanmar is a cessation of violence.
We must see a return to democratic governance. And until we see this happen, the United States will not engage with the junta. Representatives of the junta will not be part of the ASEAN special summit here in Washington.
Myanmar will be represented on a non-political level, as it has been at ASEAN meetings, and the junta in Myanmar knows what to do. It must adhere to the ASEAN 5-point consensus and return Myanmar to the path of democracy, not use the judiciary to take some kind of false sentence against democratically elected leaders like Aung San Suu Kyi./VOA
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