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the_jubjub_birdFrom DOD web-site some excerpts:
" I also did a lot of bilateral meetings. Two that I did today were with Georgia and Ukraine. We stand with them on their territorial integrity. Both those countries have territory, as you know, occupied by illegal Russian forces, or Russian -- Russian-supported forces. So in both those cases, we stand with them in term of international law, in terms of strengthening their government-reform efforts, especially, obviously, in my case I work with their ministries of defense. Appreciate their full-fledged efforts.
As you know, they came out from underneath Soviet domination. They went through the gathering of freedom without many of the internal controls that we in the West enjoy, and they're now having to go through the reform effort to try to put in place the kind of things that you and I take for granted. So we talked at some length about the reform efforts, and what we can do to assist them. We are very responsive to their needs. That's the way we do it. And I've got, for example, with Ukraine, both from Department of State and from Department of Defense, we have key planners who help them with these efforts. ...
...
Oh, on this Deir al-Zour situation, the -- I understand that the Russian government now is saying some of their not military forces, but contractors, were involved in that still unexplained attack on the SDF forces to east of the river. In other words, to east of the deconfliction line, and again, apparently, to the apparent unawareness of the Russian officers that we coordinate with on the deconfliction communication line.
So it is what it is. I still cannot give you any more information on why they would do this. The -- but they took direction from someone. Was it local direction? Was it from external sources? Don't ask me. I don't know. But I doubt that 257 people all just decided on their individual own selves to suddenly cross the river into enemy territory and start shelling a location and maneuvering tanks against it.
So whatever happened, we'll try to figure it out. We'll work with, obviously, anyone who can answer that question, but I cannot, at this time. ...
Q: Mr. Secretary, you mentioned Russian security contractors that the Russian government is saying were killed in Deir al-Zour. Do you see those contractors, these groups -- does the Russian government have responsibility for their action in places like Ukraine and Syria?
SEC. MATTIS: I'd prefer not to answer that right now. I need more information to understand -- understand and answer that authoritatively.
" What made the competition explicit in Europe is the invasion across the European border by Russians, and the taking of Crimea and the separatists that the Russians support in eastern Ukraine. What'smade it explicit is the Russians monkeying around in our election, or the French election, or something like this.
https://www.defense.gov/News/Transcripts/Transcript-View/Article/1444921/press-gaggle-by-secretary-mattis-en-route-to-washington-dc/
" I also did a lot of bilateral meetings. Two that I did today were with Georgia and Ukraine. We stand with them on their territorial integrity. Both those countries have territory, as you know, occupied by illegal Russian forces, or Russian -- Russian-supported forces. So in both those cases, we stand with them in term of international law, in terms of strengthening their government-reform efforts, especially, obviously, in my case I work with their ministries of defense. Appreciate their full-fledged efforts.
As you know, they came out from underneath Soviet domination. They went through the gathering of freedom without many of the internal controls that we in the West enjoy, and they're now having to go through the reform effort to try to put in place the kind of things that you and I take for granted. So we talked at some length about the reform efforts, and what we can do to assist them. We are very responsive to their needs. That's the way we do it. And I've got, for example, with Ukraine, both from Department of State and from Department of Defense, we have key planners who help them with these efforts. ...
...
Oh, on this Deir al-Zour situation, the -- I understand that the Russian government now is saying some of their not military forces, but contractors, were involved in that still unexplained attack on the SDF forces to east of the river. In other words, to east of the deconfliction line, and again, apparently, to the apparent unawareness of the Russian officers that we coordinate with on the deconfliction communication line.
So it is what it is. I still cannot give you any more information on why they would do this. The -- but they took direction from someone. Was it local direction? Was it from external sources? Don't ask me. I don't know. But I doubt that 257 people all just decided on their individual own selves to suddenly cross the river into enemy territory and start shelling a location and maneuvering tanks against it.
So whatever happened, we'll try to figure it out. We'll work with, obviously, anyone who can answer that question, but I cannot, at this time. ...
Q: Mr. Secretary, you mentioned Russian security contractors that the Russian government is saying were killed in Deir al-Zour. Do you see those contractors, these groups -- does the Russian government have responsibility for their action in places like Ukraine and Syria?
SEC. MATTIS: I'd prefer not to answer that right now. I need more information to understand -- understand and answer that authoritatively.
" What made the competition explicit in Europe is the invasion across the European border by Russians, and the taking of Crimea and the separatists that the Russians support in eastern Ukraine. What'smade it explicit is the Russians monkeying around in our election, or the French election, or something like this.
https://www.defense.gov/News/Transcripts/Transcript-View/Article/1444921/press-gaggle-by-secretary-mattis-en-route-to-washington-dc/
(no subject)
19/2/18 23:16 (UTC)