Democracy. John kirby was asked about the situation between russia and ukraine, and the potential for u. S. Troop involvement. Mr. Kirby also answered questions about u. S. Defense partnerships with qatar and other middle east countries, and recent missile tests by north korea. Mr. Kirby good afternoon, everybody. A couple of things at the top. I think you know secretary alston met earlier today with the m year of qatar to affirm the strength of the u. S. Partnership. The secretary reiterated his heartfelt gratitude to their indispensable and ongoing support to our efforts to continue to get americans and our afghan allies out of afghanistan. The leaders discussed shared security interest, deescalating tensions, terrorism, and the full scope of threats represented by iran. Secretary alston emphasize the importance of multilateral efforts and integrated operations with partners like qatar to address threats confronting the region. Speaking of threats in the region, earlier this morning,