open saturday, i will be explored visor on either myself as we plan to visit ukraine to get there soon. and tony, we also talked to b route about your round in the chase appear a to day. and here again, we are pulling in the same direction together. unfortunately here too, we have come to state that in the ongoing negotiations in vienne de core issues regarding the nuclear topic. but also with and i to lifting sanctions are still waiting for a solution. and employ know that we run continues to expand its nuclear program. that's the window for solution, increasingly ag louis towards being shut, my negotiations have entered a decisive phase and we need to urgently make concrete progress. because otherwise, we will not succeed in reaching an agreement, which would be sufficient in providing additional value added on the central issue of non proliferation. we also talked about a few other topics today that time was really of the essence in very short. so beg

your understanding the whole, the fact i'm popular questions you might ask that the time plan, the shadow of my american count about is very, very tight in china. also figured it out. alex today. yes, mooney, i myself for the very 1st time had the opportunity to talk to my chinese counterpart in a vtc and on my virtual 1st visit to go to school. i had, since i took off as and again, there are many important topics i, where we could engage in an excellent corporation. be that with respect to climate protection or in fighting the coven pandemic, catalina. but in fact, i place with china to it has probably, and this can hospitality today, but even more than that, thank you for the partnership that we've already built in the relatively short time that you've been on the job in the world. so short time i've been on the job, i, this is are the 3rd time that the 2 of us has had a chance to actually meet in the weeks. and so you become foreign minister. and i

think our ability to dive right into working together on some of the most complex challenges that, that our nation's face is a testament to my colleague and friend. and also to the strength of the german u. s. bilateral relationship. that relationship runs much deeper than any single issue or, or set of interests and commitments. above all, we are bound together by what we care about and how we engage in the world. you see that in our enduring efforts to improve democracy and human rights, including an on countries in our willingness to defend a set of rules and institutions that have underwritten peace and security. far beyond our borders in the way that we're stepping up to global challenges like climate like cove it ah, and we're off to a running start in our collaboration with the new german government. and we could

not be more pleased by that fact. as you know, yesterday and as i don't need to mentioned, i was in kiva to meet with present lensky, foreign ministry of labor. and from here of berlin we had on to geneva. we're all see our russian counterpart, foreign minister. so you lab roth and this trip comes on the heels as a says of a week of very intense diplomacy when it comes to russia across all the engagements with moscow last week. our collective 8. the goal that we share was to see a diplomatic path to deescalate tensions caused by russia's massing of troops along ukraine's borders. to deter and prevent further russian invasion or destabilization of ukraine. and to address legitimate security concerns put forward by russia by the united states, by europe, through dialogue,

not through aggression. this is, of course, part of a larger and enduring goal of the united states in germany, and our allies, upholding the international rules that are provided the foundation for decades for peace, for security, for prosperity in europe and beyond. in last week's meetings, we were firm in our principles and clear about the areas where we can make progress with russia. if it chooses to engage. our discussions with russia were frank and direct. and they gave us our allies and partners. thanks. consider they gave russia things to consider to so we're here now to consult and coordinate with allies and partners about how to proceed. that's what we did yesterday and here with our ukrainian partners and is what atlanta and i did today with our counterparts from the united kingdom and france. and it will be central to my meetings and i'm honored to have with test results of this evening. all of these engagements are

part of wide ranging ongoing consultations with our european allies and partners more than a 100. in recent weeks along including with ukraine, nato, the european union, the o s. e, the bucharest 9. as well as many bilateral conversations with individual countries to ensure that we are speaking and acting together with one voice. when it comes to russia, that unity gives us strength of a strength. i might add that russia does not, and cannot match. it's why we build voluntary alliances in partnerships in the 1st place. it's also why russia recklessly seeks to divide us. and it's why in my meeting tomorrow, with far mr. lever off, i'll be able to represent a shared view, a shared preference on the part of the united states, and our european allies and partners for finding a diplomatic path forward to de escalate this conflict. even as were relentless in

pursuing this diplomatic path, will continue to make very clear that if moscow chooses the path of further aggression, we will impose swift and massive cost on this to will united transfer shops made that clear a few days ago when he said that russia would bear high costs for such an escalation . so did our british and french counterparts earlier today. and it's the same message that we've heard from the g 7 from nato, from the european union. among others, united states will continue to take the interests of all of our partners, germany, other european allies, into account as we proceed. and not only take them into account, but working actively together to make sure that our common interests are represented and accounted for ela. and i also read from the commitment that germany united states made in july to work together to support ukraine's energy security and prevent russia from using energy as

a weapon. and we talked about the status of the nurturing to pipeline which the united states as long opposed. it's also worth noting that gas is not flowing through north stream to yet, which means that the pipeline is leverage for germany, the united states and our allies, not russia. that's undoubtedly something that moscow was weighing as it considers its next move, particularly given the strong statements countries has made about the serious consequences. russia will face if it commits further aggression against ukraine. so we're at a decisive juncture. we cannot choose the path for moscow, but we can make crystal clear, the star consequences of that choice. positive on the one hand, if we pursue dialogue and diplomacy, but very negative. on the other hand, if russia chooses the path of aggression, no matter which pass rusher chooses, it will find the united states, germany and our allies united. we know that germany has significant connections to

russia and the germany, like the united states, seeks a stable, predictable relationship with russia. that's in all of our interests. finally, in our meeting earlier today with the, the quad with germany, the u. k. france and the united states and as well you, i represented joseph or l. we focused, as elena said, on the, on going talks with iran, about a mutual return to full indentation of the j. c. p. away the running for your deal . and we are indeed, at a decisive moment. we can bring these talks to a successful conclusion and address the core concerns of all sides. but time is running out. if a deal is not reached in the coming weeks or ons, ongoing nuclear basses which resumed after we withdrew from the agreement, will make it impossible for us to return to the j. c. feel way. so we discussed in detail how we can reach an understanding in vienna and what we'll do if around

rejects a mutual return to compliance and full implementation. it was a very productive discussion. and so we faced a number of series and pressing charges, and i said we discussed other things i should mention as well, that we focus together on what our countries can do. to help bring coven to an end this year in 2022. up. but it's precisely these times that remind us why we need steadfast allies and partners, and how much stronger we are when we confront the challenges we face together. thank you. for a couple of more questions. now, 2 questions from the side, motivating between midnight dr. young from dph, i'm in the 7 feminist thumb and the hump here on vehicle that's all under spoken. going good, like hold on to critique. spain does nothing the following that with on level

4 color for the to annoy parn kearney. i thought it would be nice for road in gauge the allowed amount to put in picture florida from this program. effective resident shabamo short term is going to show employers. mm. hm lien for fun. certainly it criminal us that does all of the reasons because of this party is to sit bad and all you as a for something i didn't know. gaga looks i'm see, but didn't get hot and becoming delicate unit and was looking for stacking the time . you buy them like to say riding of my the deadly matter with mr. sand blanchette . when finance or because i'm coming with kent miss day we i'm a good evening you day. i got not thought can they need a ride to her? i need you to say please sign warning. i said to good, softly put all right and you were just watching there again, that joint statement and press conference or from the u. s. secretary of state or antony blanket and the german foreign minister anna lena, bear back. sorry, we were again having a little bit of trouble there with our translation. we heard the main message for mentally bit blank and saying our collective aim is to seek

a diplomatic pass and neutralize tensions deter the threat of a russian invasion of ukraine and to see dialogue with russia. that is something that the german foreign minister of course underline saying a millinery any millimeter progress is worth it, and she urge russia to take steps to deescalate the crisis. immediately. let's bring in our chief international editor, richard walker, who was listening into the press conference with us. hi richard. you know, as you said, this was very much an affirmation of unity as expected, but there were some interesting points to pick out there. so what's that out to you? well yeah, i think are absolutely the message of unity were, was very clear between the 2, both of them really at pains to stress, not just the unity of their positions, but just how closely coordinated they all are. that the blinking will be going to those talks tomorrow with sergei level of with the kind of support of these allies in his back. and that they've been methodical about this sort of sequencing. and the timing of all of these talks going on. i think i would maybe pick out

a couple of things or from each side on do from an a lena bear book, she made a point of mentioning the increasing escalation that she saw from the russian side just in recent days, with the russians moving troops into bella ros. this is raising concerns that any potential russian invasion of ukraine might be on multiple fronts. not just from the east where it has its own troops, but also from the north, from the beller or side or so. calling out that from an a lena bear books point of view, then tony blinking, i think 2 things i would point out. one was to see if, how, if use, if he was in his praise of anna, lena bear, bog, talking about how quickly the to size of got off to running start, even though she's just been in office for a few weeks. but then also talking about this gas pipeline that we were just talking about earlier, nord stream to raising that in his comments and, and just pointing out that gas is not flowing through. nod stream to that while

it's been completed, it hasn't yet got all of the paperwork sorted to actually start ot opening up. and he said that that means that this pipeline is leverage for germany. so being very explicit there and increasing the pressure, the public pressure coming from the united states there on germany, or to use that leverage should or russia go ahead with some military action. yeah, that was interesting. richard. he also highlight the fact that, you know, the u. s. knows that germany does have stable relations with the russian. that isn't the interest of everybody. indeed. and this did seem to be an entity blinking gathering as much of allied support as he can before he heads to meet to geneva rather tomorrow to meet with his russian counterpart survey. love are, are so tell us what does that stay care less he what's his stake is, is it is just trying to find out, is there a way forward now in this diplomatic process or have the 2 sides of arrived? it's a dead end. it really both sides and that sort of set out their stakes and to nato's we just heard. and the lena bear,

bog there has invited the 2 sides now to another round of talks of the so called nato russia council, where they can take 4 talks further. what we don't know yet is really whether that has any prospect or whether the russians are really going to follow that, whether they think there's anything on the table that it is worth negotiating about . so that i think by the end of tomorrow, we're going to have a stronger sense of whether there is or to make diplomatic way forward on this crisis, or whether some kind of military action from russia is going to be likely. we heard antony blank and say there are that are in the talks that included russia last week that the west was firm about its principles, an open about where it could engage. can you remind us where the 2 sides stand, what russia is, demanding, and what is a non starter? what is possible to negotiate? sorry, yeah. what is there are lots of issues that the russians put on the table just around the end of last year, where they put it in, actually drafted takes 2 security treaties between itself and,

and the u. s. and also with nato setting out very clearly the kind of demand that it's making, that kind of bottom line demands with respect to ukraine are a promise from denito side that ukraine will never join later. essentially, russia believes that ukraine is moving closer and closer into the western. russia believes that it's essentially on the kind of slippery slope to nato membership. and this is partly seen through increasing cooperation between the ukrainians and western military's. the russians want that door to potential nato membership to be close. the thing is, the nato side say it's not in rushes, it's no place for russia to decide what any other country should do in terms of its military alliances. that every individual sovereign state has to have the freedom to join whatever alliance he chooses. so it's pretty difficult to find any kind of agreement on that. but where there is potentially scope for agree.