AP Reporter Throws Down in Heated Battle With State Dept Spox Over Russia-Ukraine Crisis

Associated Press reporter Matt Lee clashed with State Department spokesperson Ned Price on Monday over the UN Security Council meeting that day about the Russia-Ukraine crisis.

“You, yourself get up here every single day and talk about or whenever you get up here…When you’re briefing, you get up here and you talk about the G7, you talk about the EU, you talk about NATO…any number of international fora where this stuff actually comes out and been agreed on,” said Lee during the State Department press briefing, where he was interrupted by Price, who said that the United States is “not going to apologize for engaging in robust diplomacy, for bringing this to every conceivable fora and appropriate fora and continuing to be transparent with our concerns.”

Price continued, “If the criticism is that we are engaging too robustly in diplomacy, that we’re being too transparent, that we’re being too consistent in what we’re saying, that is criticism that we will accept if that’s a criticism you want to lodge.”

Lee said that he wasn’t criticizing, rather was “curious” behind Price saying, as Lee put it, “the world is united in opposing Russian aggression” in that the Security Council wasn’t united since two members, Russia and China, opposed having “this meeting in the first place.” Lee asked how he advanced the U.S., EU, and NATO cause against “Russian aggression” with the Security Council meeting.

Amid interruptions by Lee, Price said that it was obvious that Russia voted against having the meeting and that China “frequently does side and vote with Russia on the Security Council. That did not come as a surprise.”

Price said the tensions between Russia and Ukraine is “a matter of concern” for the Chinese. Price cited what he called China’s “forceful support for territorial integrity.” Lee countered that when China talks about that subject “they’re talking about Tibet. They’re talking about Hong Kong. They’re talking about Taiwan. All things you actually disagree with.”

Price replied that “sovereignty” and “territorial integrity” are “principles that are universal.” Price said that China’s actions surrounding Tibet, Hong Kong and Taiwan “undermine that core tenet. That core tenet of the rules-based international order.”

Watch above, via CSPAN.