{"id":122633,"date":"2021-06-13T23:01:18","date_gmt":"2021-06-14T06:01:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/69.46.6.243\/?p=122633"},"modified":"2021-06-13T23:01:18","modified_gmt":"2021-06-14T06:01:18","slug":"president-bidens-post-g7-press-conference","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/?p=122633","title":{"rendered":"President Biden&#8217;s Post G7 Press Conference"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Cornwall, UK&#8230;Well, good afternoon. And let me start by thanking Prime Minister Johnson for the incredible hospitality and welcome that he provided for all of us at the G7. I\u2019d like to take \u2014 thank Yael Lempert, who is our charg\u00e9 at the embassy, filling in for the ambassador \u2014 an ambassador; we\u2019ll have one soon. But she did a great job supporting the entire team, and Yael is vital to keeping this UK-U.S. partnership going and moving smoothly as it is now.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/EexxniXsRm0\" title=\"YouTube video player\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>We\u2019ve just wrapped up what has been an extraordinary, collaborative, and productive meeting at the G7. Everyone at the table understood and understands both the seriousness and the challenges that we\u2019re up against, and the responsibility of our proud democracies to step up and deliver for the rest of the world. That\u2019s what the G7 is all about. And rallying the world\u2019s democracies to meet the challenges that the world faces, and deliver for our people and for people, quite frankly, everywhere.<\/p>\n<p>Ending the pandemic and maintaining robust support for an equitable, inclusive global economic recovery were the top priorities of our nations as we got together. We know we can\u2019t achieve one without the other; that is, we have to deal with the pandemic and \u2014 in order to be able to deal with economic recovery, which \u2014 as we\u2019re doing in the States, but we committed that we\u2019re going to do more for the rest of the world as well.<\/p>\n<p>The fact is that we \u2014 the U.S. contribution is the foundation \u2014 the foundation to work out how we\u2019re going to deal with the 100 nations that are poor and having trouble finding vaccines and having trouble dealing with reviving their economies if they were, in the first place, in good shape.<\/p>\n<p>And we \u2014 I committed that we would provide a half a billion \u2014 a half a billion beyond the 80 million we\u2019ve already done \u2014 half a billion doses of Pfizer vaccine, which we contracted to pay for, in addition to money we put into the COVID [COVAX] project, which is that COVID [COVAX] is \u2014 and I know you all know, but a lot of people may not know what COVID [COVAX] is \u2014 that is a system whereby they\u2019re going to provide funding for states to be able to get access to vaccines on their own, as well. <\/p>\n<p>But the bottom line is: What that generated was a commitment by the rest of our colleagues at the G7 that they would provide another half billion. So we\u2019re going to have a billion doses of vaccine.<\/p>\n<p>And, in our case, this includes sharing more than \u2014 not just the one billion doses overall, but we\u2019re going to provide for 200 million of those doses by the end of the year, another 300 million by the first half of next year. And so, it\u2019s \u2014 it was greeted with some enthusiasm.<\/p>\n<p>And we\u2019ve agreed to work together so that the world is better prepared to detect and deal with future pandemics, because there will be future pandemics.<\/p>\n<p>We have a \u2014 I\u2019m sure you\u2019ve seen it; if you haven\u2019t, you\u2019ll get it \u2014 a joint statement we put out of the G7. You\u2019ve seen it, I\u2019m sure. And we are committed to follow on to do some significant work, including not only how we deal with the distribution and help in getting shots in arms to the rest of the world, but how we\u2019re going to deal with putting together a mechanism to anticipate and deal with and be aware of the next \u2014 the next pandemic when it comes along. And there will be others.<\/p>\n<p>And we also agreed to take important steps that are going to support global economic recovery by laying the foundation for an equitable global economy. Critically, the G7 leaders endorsed a global minimum tax of 15 percent. So many corporations have been engaged in what are essentially tax havens, deciding that they would pay considerably less than other \u2014 in other environs around the world. And \u2014 but this is going to make sure there\u2019s a minimum tax, and I\u2019m going to have \u2014 I\u2019m going to move on this at home as well \u2014 a minimum tax for corporations to pay for the profits they make anywhere in the world.<\/p>\n<p>And this agreement is going to help arrest the race to the bottom that\u2019s been going on among nations attracting corporate investment at the expense of priorities like protecting our workers and investing in infrastructure.<\/p>\n<p>We also made a momentous commitment at the G7 to help meet more than a $40 trillion need that exists for infrastructure in the developing world. I put forward an idea that was called \u2014 we named the \u201cBuild Back Better World Partnership,\u201d which is \u2014 we\u2019re calling it the \u201cB3W.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The point is that what\u2019s happening is that China has this Belt and Road Initiative, and we think that there\u2019s a much more equitable way to provide for the needs of countries around the world.<\/p>\n<p>And so it\u2019s been \u2014 it\u2019s a values-driven, high-standard, transparent financing mechanism we\u2019re going to provide and support projects in four key are- \u2014 key areas: climate, health, digital technology, and gender equity. And we believe that will not only be good for the countries, but it\u2019ll be good for the entire world and represent values that our democracies represent, and not autocratic lack of values. By harassing the full potential of those who are harassing, we\u2019re going to have to try and change things. That\u2019s the whole idea.<\/p>\n<p>But here\u2019s the deal: We\u2019re going to make sure that we are able to pull together the ability to use the development financing institutions and other development tools to expect the bold, new infrastructure investment in low- and middle-income countries over the coming years, much of it coming from the private sector, which will generate the capital put in; will generate significantly more capital from the private sector.<\/p>\n<p>We also made a historic commitment to permanently eliminate the use of our public finance to support unabated coal projects around the world, and to end \u2014 and to end them by this year. The G7 agreed to that. And those who are not members, but visiting members who are participating in the G7, who have coal-fired facilities have also agreed that they would work in that direction as well.<\/p>\n<p>So, transitioning the world to cleaner energy sources is urgent, it\u2019s essential if we\u2019re going to beat the climate. And there is \u2014 one of the things I \u2014 some of my colleagues said to me when I was there was, \u201cWell, the United States is \u2014 their leadership recognizes there is global warming.\u201d And I know that sounds silly, but, you know, we had a President who last \u2014 who basically said it\u2019s not a problem \u2014 global warming. It is the existential problem facing humanity, and it\u2019s being treated that way. So we\u2019re going to provide up to $2 billion to support developing company [sic] \u2014 countries as they transition away from unabated coal-fired power.<\/p>\n<p>In addition, we also agreed to tackle corruption, which is a threat to societies everywhere. I pointed out in a conversation I had with \u2014 with one of the leaders of \u2014 well, actually with China. And that was \u2014 it was a request for me not to try to \u2014 when I was asked what I was going to be doing after being elected, I said we\u2019re going to reestablish the strength of American relationships so we can be counted on again \u2014 alliances \u2014 and suggested that, \u201cWell, maybe you shouldn\u2019t get the Quad\u2026\u201d \u2014 meaning India, Japan, Australia, and the United States \u2014 \u201c\u2026working together, and maybe you shouldn\u2019t be pushing on strengthening the European Union to deal with the West not just to have\u2026\u201d \u2014 and so on.<\/p>\n<p>And I said, for an American president to \u2014 every president to be sustained, or prime minister, has to represent the values of their country. And I pointed out \u2014 and I mean this sincerely: We\u2019re unique as a country. We\u2019re built on \u2014 we\u2019re unique in a sense that we\u2019re not based on ethnicity or geography or religion; we\u2019re one nation that said we organized on an idea: \u201cWe hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men and women are created equal.\u201d It sounds corny, but it\u2019s real.<\/p>\n<p>And any President who doesn\u2019t act consistent with what the \u2014 the raison d\u2019\u00e9tat for the nation is cannot be sustained that \u2014 the support of that country.<\/p>\n<p>And so what we were able to do is: We know that corruption undermines the trust in governments, siphons off public resources, makes economies much less competitive, and constitutes a threat to our security. So we\u2019re going to work together to address issues like the abuse of shell companies and money laundering through real estate transactions. And we\u2019ve agreed that we\u2019re going to work together to address cyber threats from state and non-state actors like criminal ransomware networks, and hold count- \u2014 countries accountable that harbor criminal ransomware actors who don\u2019t hold them accountable.<\/p>\n<p>And over the past few weeks, the nations of the G7 have affirmed that democratic values that underpin everything we hope to achieve in our shared future, that we\u2019re committed to put them to work: One, delivering vaccines and ending the pandemic. Two, driving substantial, inclusive economic recovery around the world. Three, in fueling infrastructure development in places that most badly need it. And, four, in fighting climate change.<\/p>\n<p>The only way we\u2019re going to meet the global threats that we\u2019re \u2014 is by working together, and with our partners and our allies. And I conveyed to each of my G7 counterparts that the United States is going to do our part. America is back at the table. It\u2019s \u2014 America is back at the table.<\/p>\n<p>The lack of participation in the past and full engagement was noticed significantly, not only by the leaders of those countries, but by the people in the G7 countries. And America is back in the business of leading the world alongside nations who share our most deeply held values.<\/p>\n<p>And so the bottom line is: I was very pleased with the \u2014 with the outcome of the \u2014 of the entire conference. And, you know, I noticed there was a lot of coverage of my individual comments made by my colleagues about how we were all getting along together. But the truth of the matter is: We did. It wasn\u2019t \u2014 I felt it wasn\u2019t about me, but it was about America. I felt a genuine sense of enthusiasm that America was back at the table and fully, fully engaged.<\/p>\n<p>And now I\u2019m going to be heading off to \u2014 to Brussels, to NATO. And the same \u2014 many of the same people are going to be at that table, and \u2014 in NATO \u2014 and to make the case we are back, as well. We do not view NATO as a sort of a protection racket. We believe that NATO is vital to our ability to maintain American security for the next \u2014 next \u2014 the remainder of the century. And there\u2019s a real enthusiasm.<\/p>\n<p>I made it clear \u2014 and I pointed out, and I thanked them \u2014 you know, Article 5 is, \u201cAn attack on one is an attack on all.\u201d Well, what Americans sometimes \u2014 don\u2019t forget \u2014 remember what happened on 9\/11. We were attacked. Immediately, NATO supported us. NATO supported us. NATO went until we got bin Laden. NATO was part of the process. And I want them to know, unlike \u2014 whether they doubt it \u2014 that we believe NATO and Section [Article] 5 is a sacred obligation. <\/p>\n<p>Bottom line is: I think \u2014 I think we\u2019ve made some progress in reestablishing American credibility among our closest friends and our \u2014 our values.<\/p>\n<p>Now, why don\u2019t I take some of your questions? And I\u2019m told, Jonathan, I\u2019m supposed to talk \u2014 recognize you first.<\/p>\n<p>Q  Well, I appreciate \u2014 I appreciate that, sir. Thank you very much. Mr. President, Vladimir Putin \u2014 (a microphone is brought to Mr. Lemire) \u2014 thank you.<\/p>\n<p>Vladimir Putin, who you\u2019ll be seeing in a few days in Geneva, said just a couple of days ago that he believed that U.S.-Russia relations were at a low point. In what concrete ways could your summit change that?<\/p>\n<p>And then, secondly, on the same topic: You have said previously, and in the run-up to the summit, that you would be unafraid to call out Russia\u2019s disruptive actions \u2014 like cyber hacks, Ukraine, election interference \u2014 but you\u2019re not having a joint press conference with Putin. Why not take the chance to stand side by side with him and say those things to him with the world watching?<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT: (Laughs.) Well, let me make it clear: I think he\u2019s right that it\u2019s a low point, and it depends on how he responds to acting consistent with international norms, which, in many cases, he has not.<\/p>\n<p>As I told him when I was running and when I got elected, before it was \u2014 I was sworn in, that I was going to find out whether or not he, in fact, did engage in trying to interfere in our election; that I was going to take a look at whether he was involved in the \u2014 a cybersecurity breach that occurred, et cetera; and if I did, I was going to respond.<\/p>\n<p>I did; I checked it out. So, I had access to all the intelligence. He was engaged in those activities. I did respond and made it clear that I\u2019d respond again.<\/p>\n<p>With regard to \u2014 I always found \u2014 and I don\u2019t mean to suggest that the press should not know \u2014 but this is not a contest about who can do better in front of a press conference to try to embarrass each other. It\u2019s about making myself very clear what the conditions are to get a better relationship are \u2014 with Russia.<\/p>\n<p>We\u2019re not looking for conflict. We are looking to resolve those actions which we think are inconsistent with international norms, number one. Number two, where we can work together, we may be able to do that in terms of some strategic doctrine that \u2014 that may be able to be worked together. We\u2019re ready to do it. And there may be other areas. There\u2019s even talk there may be the ability to work together on climate.<\/p>\n<p>So the bottom line is that I think the best way to deal with this is for he and I to meet, he and I to have our discussion. I know you don\u2019t doubt that I\u2019ll be very straightforward \u2014 (laughs) \u2014 with him about our concerns. And I will make clear my view of how that meeting turned out, and he\u2019ll make clear how \u2014 from his perspective, how it turned out.<\/p>\n<p>But I don\u2019t want to get into being diverted by, \u201cDid they shake hands? How far did they ta- \u2014 who talked the most,\u201d and the rest. Now, he can say what he said the meeting was about, and I will say what I think the meeting was about.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s \u2014 that\u2019s how I\u2019m going to handle it.<\/p>\n<p>Q  Okay, thanks.<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT: I\u2019m sorry, I\u2019m going to get in trouble with staff if I don\u2019t do this the right way.<\/p>\n<p>Jennifer Jacobs, Bloomberg.<\/p>\n<p>Q  Thank you, sir. On China, you \u2014 sorry \u2014 China seems to be to doing exactly what it wants to do with regard to Hong Kong, with regard to Xinjiang, with the South China Sea, and many other issues, despite pressure from you and from allies.<\/p>\n<p>The final language in the G7 communiqu\u00e9 does have some mentions of China, which is different from past years, but I know it\u2019s not as tough as you and your team wanted it to be. We\u2019ve saw \u2014 we saw a draft of the communiqu\u00e9, and it\u2019s not quite as tough.<\/p>\n<p>So why isn\u2019t it as tough? There isn\u2019t very much action in it. There\u2019s some calls for China to be respectful. But why isn\u2019t that communiqu\u00e9 a little bit tougher? Are you disappointed in that? And what can you do to change some of these actions by China?<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT: Well, first of all, I think it \u2014 as you know, last time the G7 met, there was no mention of China. But this time, there is mention of China. The G7 explicitly agreed to call out human rights abuses in Xinjiang and in Hong Kong explicitly.<\/p>\n<p>Two, to coordinate a common strategy to deal with China non-market policies that undermine competition. They\u2019ve agreed \u2014 and that\u2019s underway now \u2014 how to do that.<\/p>\n<p>Three, to take serious actions against forced labor in solar, agriculture, and the garment industries because that\u2019s where it\u2019s happening. And they\u2019ve agreed we will do that.<\/p>\n<p>To launch \u2014 what I said earlier; I really feel very strongly \u2014 I proposed that we have a democratic alternative to the Belt and Road Initiative: the Build Back Better. And they\u2019ve agreed to that, and that\u2019s underway as the details of that \u2014 we agreed that we\u2019d put together a committee to do that and come up with that.<\/p>\n<p>And thirdly, that we are going to insist on a high-standards to be \u2014 for a climate-friendly, transparent alternative to the Belt and Road Initiative. And \u2014 but, in the meantime, we\u2019re going to move forward.<\/p>\n<p>Look, I think it\u2019s always \u2014 let me put it this way: I know this is going sound somewhat prosaic, but I think we\u2019re in a contest \u2014 not with China per se, but a contest with autocrats, autocratic governments around the world, as to whether or not democracies can compete with them in the rapidly changing 21st century.<\/p>\n<p>And I think how we act and whether we pull together as democracies is going to determine whether our grandkids look back 15 years from now and say, \u201cDid they step up? Are democracies as relevant and as powerful as they have been?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>And I walked away from the meeting with all my colleagues believing that they are convinced that that is correct now too. Not \u2014 I shouldn\u2019t say \u201cnow\u201d. Not just because of me, but they believe that to be the case.<\/p>\n<p>And so, I think you\u2019re going to see just straightforward dealing with China. And again, we\u2019re not looking \u2014 as I\u2019ve told Xi Jinping myself, I\u2019m not looking for conflict. Where we can cooperate, we\u2019ll cooperate. Where we disagree, I\u2019m going to state it frankly, and we are going to respond to actions that are inconsistent.<\/p>\n<p>For example, we talked about trade. It\u2019s one thing to talk about whether or not our agricultural policy makes sense. It\u2019s another thing to say, \u201cBy the way, you\u2019re demanding that if I do business with your country, I\u2019ve got to give you all my trade secrets and have the \u2014 the Chinese partner have 51 percent of that?\u201d No. Not us.<\/p>\n<p>Q  So, are you saying, Mr. President \u2014 are you satisfied with what came out in the communiqu\u00e9?<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT: Yes.<\/p>\n<p>Q  Or do you wish it were tougher? Do you wish there was more \u2014<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT: Yes.<\/p>\n<p>Q  \u2014 action on China?<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT: I think there\u2019s plenty of action on China, and there\u2019s always something that you can \u2014 I\u2019m sure my colleagues think there\u2019s things they think they can improve that they wanted. But I\u2019m satisfied.<\/p>\n<p>Steve Holland, Reuters.<\/p>\n<p>Q  Thank you, sir. Just to follow up on Jennifer\u2019s question: The communiqu\u00e9 cited a variety of fronts on China, everything from human rights, the origin of the COVID virus, Taiwan. What do you think China needs to do to ease tensions?<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT: I think China has to start to act more responsibly in terms of international norms on human rights and transparency.<\/p>\n<p>Transparency matters across the board. And I think the idea that \u2014 for example, one of the things I raised and others raised \u2014 I wasn\u2019t the only one who raised this at the G7 \u2014 is that we don\u2019t know \u2014 we haven\u2019t had access to the laboratories to determine whether or not \u2014 and I have not reached a conclusion because our intelligence community is not certain yet whether or not this was a consequence of a \u2014 from the marketplace of a bat, you know, interfacing with \u2014 with animals in the environment that caused this \u2014 this COVID-19, or whether it was an experiment gone awry in a laboratory.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s important to know the answer to that because we have to have access \u2014 we have to build a system whereby we can know what \u2014 when we see another transparent \u2014 lack of transparency that might produce another vac- \u2014 another pandemic. We have to have access. The world has to have access.<\/p>\n<p>So we\u2019re trying to figure out, at the G7, whether we could put together an international basis upon which we could have a bottom line with what the transparency accounted for.<\/p>\n<p>Q  And you mentioned \u2014 you mentioned that the argument behind the scenes, that you had not mentioned China in three years in one of these communiqu\u00e9s. What did you argue behind the scenes to try to bring people to the point where they got?<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT: To answer that question \u2014 there\u2019s no way to answer without sounding self-serving. Let me just say this: I just laid out what I thought was the need for us to be consistent to protect our economies and to see to it that other struggling economies, who needed help, got the help and were not held captive by other nations.<\/p>\n<p>But you might ask that to others. I\u2019m not trying to be a wise guy, but I \u2014<\/p>\n<p>And Wall Street Journal. Andrew.<\/p>\n<p>Q  As you said, the G7 countries committed to send 1 billion coronavirus doses overseas, but the World Health Organization says 11 billion doses are needed.<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT: Yes.<\/p>\n<p>Q  How are you going to bridge that gap? Will the U.S. commit to send additional doses overseas? And given the gap, is it actually realistic to end the pandemic by 2022?<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT: It is \u2014 it may take slightly longer than \u2014 worldwide. But the United States is going to continue \u2014 I think there\u2019s a possibility, over 2022 going into 2023, that we would be able to be in a position to provide another billion \u2014 us. But that\u2019s not done yet.<\/p>\n<p>I only \u2014 I\u2019ve been very careful, as I\u2019ve dealt with this pandemic, to tell you what I know and say what I thought could be done, and when I\u2019ve announced that I\u2019ve gone and done it. What I don\u2019t want to do is be getting too far ahead in suggesting that we can do things and I can do things \u2014 the United States can do things that I don\u2019t have done yet.<\/p>\n<p>So, I \u2014 there was a clear consensus among all our colleagues at the G7 that this wasn\u2019t the end; we were going to stay at it until we\u2019re able to provide for \u2014 able to provide for the needs of the whole world, in terms \u2014<\/p>\n<p>Because, look, it\u2019s not just the right thing to do. And from a \u2014 from a \u2014 how can I say it? From a \u2014 from a moral standpoint. But it is also the correct thing to do, in terms of our own health, our own security. You can\u2019t build a wall high enough to keep out new strains. You can\u2019t do that.<\/p>\n<p>And so, I think this is going to be a constant project for a long time. And there may be other pandemics. We \u2014 again, setting up a system whereby we can detect \u2014 before it gets out of control \u2014 one, a pandemic, that may be on the horizon \u2014 a virus \u2014 is important.<\/p>\n<p>So, we are not going to \u2014 as long as there\u2019s nations in need that \u2014 being able to be vaccinated, we in fact \u2014 not \u2014 not only that: We\u2019ve been engaged in helping \u2014 which I\u2019ve made clear, and most of our \u2014 my colleagues understood it. I mean, they understood it \u2014 knew it from trying it themselves. This is a gigantic logistical effort. It\u2019s one thing to send nation X, X number \u2014 Y number of vaccines. It\u2019s another thing to have the people that can actually get it in somebody\u2019s arm. And so, we are also providing the ability for other countries to manufacture their vaccines. We\u2019ve all agreed on that.<\/p>\n<p>India has the capacity to do that. They don\u2019t have the material capacity thus far to do the manufacturing. But there\u2019s a lot going on to provide \u2014 not only to, quote, \u201cgive\u201d vaccines, but to provide the ability of the countries in question to produce their own vaccines.<\/p>\n<p>AIDE: Last question. Last question.<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT: I\u2019m not going to answer anything. No, I\u2019m joking. Last question. Peter Alexander, NBC News.<\/p>\n<p>Q  Mr. President, thank you very much. About Vladimir Putin and your meeting this week: As you\u2019re well aware, the U.S. has been slapping sanctions on Russia for years for its malign activities, and Russia has not stopped. So what specifically will you do differently to change Vladimir Putin\u2019s behavior?<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT: Well, first of all, there\u2019s no guarantee you can change a person\u2019s behavior or the behavior of his country. Autocrats have enormous power and they don\u2019t have to answer to a public.  And the fact is that it may very well be, if I respond in kind \u2014 which I will \u2014 that it doesn\u2019t dissuade him and he wants to keep going.<\/p>\n<p>But I think that we\u2019re going to be moving in a direction where Russia has \u2014 has its own dilemmas, let us say, dealing with its economy, dealing with its \u2014 dealing with COVID, and dealing with not only the United States, but Europe writ large and in the Middle East. <\/p>\n<p>And so, there\u2019s a lot going on where we can work together with Russia. For example, in Libya, we should be opening up the passes to be able to go through and provide \u2014 provide food assistance and economic \u2014 I mean, vital assistance to a population that\u2019s in real trouble.<\/p>\n<p>I think I\u2019m going to try very much \u2014 hard to \u2014 it is \u2014 and, by the way, there\u2019s places where \u2014 I shouldn\u2019t be starting off on negotiating in public here. But let me say it this way: Russia has engaged in activities which are \u2014 we believe are contrary to international norms, but they have also bitten off some real problems they\u2019re going to have trouble chewing on.<\/p>\n<p>And, for example, the rebuilding of \u2014 of Syria, of Libya, of \u2014 you know, this is \u2014 they\u2019re there. And as long as they\u2019re there without the ability to bring about some order in the \u2014 in the region, and you can\u2019t do that very well without providing for the basic economic needs of people.<\/p>\n<p>So I\u2019m hopeful that we can find an accommodation that \u2013where we can save the lives of people in \u2014 for example, in \u2014 in Libya, that \u2014 consistent with the interest of \u2014 maybe for different reasons \u2014 but reached it for the same reason \u2014 the same result.<\/p>\n<p>Q  I want to ask you about a comment that Vladimir Putin said today. But why do you think he hasn\u2019t changed his behavior in spite of everything the U.S. has done to this point?<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT: (Laughs.) He\u2019s Vladimir Putin.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m not going to get into much more than that, because I\u2019ve got to sit down with him. And I\u2019ll be happy to talk to you after that. But \u2014<\/p>\n<p>Q  But he said \u2014 then, just to conclude \u2014 today, he said that Russia would be ready to hand over cyber criminals to the United States if the U.S. would do the same to Russia and an agreement came out of this meeting coming up. So, are you open to that kind of a trade with Vladimir Putin?<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT: Yes, I\u2019m open to \u2014 if there\u2019s crimes committed against Russia that, in fact, are \u2014 and the people committing those crimes are being harbored in the United States \u2014 I\u2019m committed to holding them accountable. And I\u2019m \u2014 I heard that; I was told, as I was flying here, that he said that. I think that\u2019s \u2014 that\u2019s potentially a good sign and progress.<\/p>\n<p>Thank you all very, very much. Thank you.<\/p>\n<p>Q  May I ask, sir, (inaudible) \u2014 (off mic.) The European allies \u2014 can I ask a question about the European allies?<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT: (Laughs.) I\u2019m going to get in trouble with my pre- \u2014 my staff. Yeah, go ahead. But pretend that I didn\u2019t answer you.<\/p>\n<p>Q  Thank you very much, sir. You have often said repeatedly that \u201cAmerica is back.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT: Yes.<\/p>\n<p>Q  At the same time, you\u2019ve kept in play some Trump-era steel and aluminum sanctions. And I wanted to ask you: When you\u2019re having these conversations with European allies who are very concerned about these sanctions, how do you justify that? And what are your plans for \u2014<\/p>\n<p>THE PRESIDENT: A hundred and twenty days. Give me a break. Need time.<\/p>\n<p>3:22 P.M. BST<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Cornwall, UK&#8230;Well, good afternoon. And let me start by thanking Prime Minister Johnson for the incredible hospitality and welcome that he provided for all of us at the G7. I\u2019d like to take \u2014 thank Yael Lempert, who is our charg\u00e9 at the embassy, filling in for the ambassador \u2014 an ambassador; we\u2019ll have one [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":122634,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_cbd_carousel_blocks":"[]","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[20,5,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-122633","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-government","category-news","last_archivepost"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Fullscreen-capture-6132021-105752-PM.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/122633","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=122633"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/122633\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/122634"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=122633"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=122633"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=122633"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}