SECRETARY BLINKEN: Well, good morning, everyone. It’s very good to be back in Germany, I think now for my fifth time in this job, and also to see again the Vice Chancellor after having visited with him in Washington, D.C. We are deeply grateful for the partnership with Germany, the incredibly strong solidarity, particularly in defense of Ukraine in the wake of this Russian aggression.
Together we’ve been standing for Ukraine, for its security, economic assistance, humanitarian assistance; we’ve been standing united and strongly in imposing severe costs on Russia for its aggression; and of course, we’re working together in NATO to strengthen our own defensive Alliance. At the same time, Germany and the United States are leading together in dealing with some of the secondary and third-order consequences of Russia’s aggression, particularly the tremendous impact on food insecurity that is being caused by Russia and the blockade in effect of Ukrainian grain, prohibiting it from getting out to the world market. I’m grateful for Germany’s leadership on this, including the session that we’ll have shortly with the G7 foreign ministers to continue to move forward on dealing with these questions.
So that and so many more things I know are on our agenda, but Robert, very good to see you.
VICE CHANCELLOR HABECK: Thanks, Tony. Thank you for taking the time to have this short discussion and (inaudible) here in Berlin, and thank you for the fruitful cooperation we’ve had in the past.
(Via translation) I would like to just say three sentences in German for the German media. These are extraordinary times and, so far, we have done pretty well because the transatlantic partnership has been revitalized anew. It is no secret that we have had more difficult times in the past. It is now decisive that the United States, Canada, and Europe jointly coordinate their measures, and this joint coordination of course becomes increasingly demanding as the war goes on, we have to continuously readjust our sanctions, our support of the Ukrainian armed forces, and our agreements on how to safeguard energy and food security globally, but also in Germany and Europe. And this will certainly be the focus of our talks. Thank you.
SECRETARY BLINKEN: Thank you.
VICE CHANCELLOR HABECK: (Via interpreter) (Inaudible) modernization of transatlantic relations, and this (inaudible) has in the past looked different, but we do see (inaudible) particularly in our cooperation with the United States, Canada, and Europe all together. We have to work together (inaudible) cooperation also in – and also our policy moving forward together so we (inaudible). Particularly as far as the war in Ukraine, but also other (inaudible) in particular, (inaudible) energy security in Europe, and we will also have to (inaudible) opportunity in this regard, and that’s why we’re meeting again today. Thank you very much.
SECRETARY BLINKEN: Thank you.
VICE CHANCELLOR HABECK: (Via interpreter) (Inaudible) modernization of transatlantic relations, and this (inaudible) has in the past looked different, but we do see (inaudible) particularly in our cooperation with the United States, Canada, and Europe all together. We have to work together (inaudible) cooperation also in – and also our policy moving forward together so we (inaudible). Particularly as far as the war in Ukraine, but also other (inaudible) in particular, (inaudible) energy security in Europe, and we will also have to (inaudible) opportunity in this regard, and that’s why we’re meeting again today. Thank you very much.
SECRETARY BLINKEN: Thank you.