Department Press Briefing – April 24, 2025

3:05 p.m. EDT

MS BRUCE: Oh wow. Hi there. Last time – I’m not really technically late, but last time I came out late I got applause, but no longer, I see. Alrighty.

Do we have – I prefer not to have movement up this close. Is there a way we can maybe move back a little bit? That would be terrific. Thank you, gentlemen.

I did want to – I grabbed this coming along here, if you want to know what our reading material is here, “To Walk the Earth in Safety: Conventional Weapons Destruction.” So that’s a good thing to – wanting to be doing, especially with the conversations today.

Welcome aboard. Thank you, everyone, for joining us. I appreciate it. Okay, let me get this. Of course I have an announcement here at the top. Let’s start, shall we? Again, thank you all very much.

As people around the world head to the Vatican to pay their respects to the Pope, of course I – on behalf of the State Department – want to take another moment to convey our deepest condolences following the passage of His Holiness Pope Francis.

Secretary Rubio is united in prayer with Catholics worldwide during this period of transition for the Catholic Church. We join Catholics around the globe in mourning his passing and giving thanks for his life and service.

Now on to the terrorist attacks in Pahalgam. As President Trump and Secretary Rubio have made clear, the United States stands with India, strongly condemns all acts of terrorism. We pray for the lives of those lost and for the recovery of the injured and call for the perpetrators of this heinous act to be brought to justice.

Next, an important issue that is not receiving enough coverage:

The Trump Administration’s America First border security strategy is delivering real results. As Secretary Rubio has noted, we are now seeing “the most secure border we’ve had.”

In March 2025, illegal crossings at the southwest border dropped by 94 percent compared to March of last year. Likewise, in the Darién – a key transit point for those intending to illegally immigrate to the United States – crossings fell by an extraordinary 99.5 percent over the same period.

Those results reflect sound policy and strong leadership – the leadership of President Trump.

He has implemented a policy that has combined strong U.S. enforcement, strategic communication with the regional partners, and clear deterrence. In fact, Panama reported that just last month encounters of illegal aliens returning south were 10 times higher than those heading north.

We continue to urge governments across the region to strengthen border security, accept their deported nationals, and invest in the stability and prosperity of their own communities.

Together, we can end illegal immigration and build a regional framework that prioritizes sovereignty, security, and opportunity.

Finally, President Trump and Secretary Rubio answered questions on the Russia-Ukraine war a few minutes ago, of course, in the Oval Office. As Secretary Rubio said: “This war is endable. Both sides just have to agree to it. We’ve shown them a pathway forward.”

And now I will take your questions.

QUESTION: One follow-up?

MS BRUCE: All right. Yes, sir.

QUESTION: Just to come back to the attack in Kashmir that you mentioned —

MS BRUCE: All right. So we’ll stick with – one thing we’re going to try to do today is stick with topics.

QUESTION: Themes.

MS BRUCE: I’m not very good at that, but we’re —

QUESTION: Sure.

MS BRUCE: We’re going to try it again today. So we’ll start with Kashmir. Yes, sir.

QUESTION: Yeah, yeah, since you started with that as well.

MS BRUCE: Certainly.

QUESTION: So since that attack, India has blamed Pakistan for being – for having some connection to the attackers. I wondered, does the U.S. have sort of more reaction to that? Do you see Pakistan as potentially being behind this, and are you playing any role in diplomacy to try and cool tensions between the two?

MS BRUCE: Well, I put it in the topper obviously because it was a horrible situation, but at the same time that’s basically going to be the extent of the comments at this point. What I can tell you is, of course, as we all know, it’s a rapidly changing situation and we are monitoring it closely, as you might imagine. And we, of course, are not now taking a position on the status of Kashmir or of Jammu either, so that’s really going to be the extent of what I can say today.

So if we’d like to again – we’ll start again here now also with Andrea Mitchell, perhaps about Ukraine-Russia? Is that where you’re going? Yes, let’s do that.

QUESTION: A follow-up?

MS BRUCE: We’re going to move to Ukraine-Russia because there’s nothing else I can say about the situation. Yes.

QUESTION: I want to raise the question of Crimea because the U.S. position, as was outlined by Vice President Vance – excuse me – indicates that the U.S. proposal does indicate that Russia would retain sovereignty over Crimea and other territories. It was just a few years ago that former Senator Rubio co-sponsored legislation that would prevent Russia from ever having sovereignty over Crimea because of its origins. Can you explain what has changed that has made the Secretary think that this is a balanced offer and a proposal that Mr. Zelenskyy and Ukraine should accept?

MS BRUCE: I’ve said before, I’ll say again – even to you – that we can’t negotiate this, it’s certainly not going to be negotiated in this room.

QUESTION: But now it’s on the record from the Vice President, when in India he —

MS BRUCE: Well, that’s – he’s the Vice President and making a statement. It’s not my job, nor will I parse his words or assign a meaning to them. What I do know, as I think as we all know, negotiations continue. There’s a conversation that continues. That was the impression I was left with the conversation out of the Oval Office, is that both President Trump and Secretary Rubio were there; they engaged and answered questions about what’s coming forward, what’s possible; the President indicated he still thinks peace is possible. The Secretary has added, though, that if this is going to end, it’s really going to take the two parties to make that decision. They’re going to have to make that decision.

QUESTION: Can I —

MS BRUCE: But may I – well, can I – what I would say about Crimea is what President Trump has said. I’m sure you saw that Truth – that Truth Social post. And I’ll read a little bit of that; we can have that in the record.

President Trump, on Truth Social, noted: “Ukrainian President Zelenskyy is boasting on the front page of The Wall Street Journal that, ‘Ukraine will not legally recognize the occupation of Crimea. There’s nothing to talk about here.’” End quote. “This statement is very harmful to the peace negotiations with Russia in that Crimea was lost years ago under the auspices of President… Obama, and is not even a point of discussion.”

Now, his message continues, but that was the general point about Crimea from the President himself.

And were you going to follow up on something else after that?

QUESTION: Just generally, the issue of Crimea and of territory that is now controlled by Russia – does the Secretary believe that a balanced proposal would have Russia also making some concessions?

MS BRUCE: The Secretary has made statements actually recently in an interview, and I’ll read some of those comments. I think he has also said, though, that there is going to have to be concessions on both sides. He’s made that clear. We also know that the details of those concessions were not going to be discussed or agreed upon until there was a ceasefire, and that dynamic still exists. But the Secretary has been clear from the start that there would be concessions from both sides in this regard.

He has also said, “I remain hopeful that we can get something done because this is a terrible war and it needs to end.” He also says that, “There is no military solution to this war… Russia is not just going to roll over Ukraine and take the whole country, and Ukraine’s not going to push them all the way back to where they were before 2014.”

He says, “We have a better understanding of now because we’ve actually spoken to them after three years of not speaking to them,” and at some point we determined that we’re just too far apart and not – and I should say, “If at some point we determine that we’re just too far apart and not enough movement is happening, we may need to move on to other priorities because a lot of important things happening in the world.”

Lastly: “Ultimately, it’s not up to us.  It’s up to Russia and it’s up to Ukraine.  They have to make the decision that they’re willing to move closer to one another.  And we need to… see progress.”

QUESTION: Indulge me just a moment. If it’s up to Russia and it’s up to Ukraine, how does the Secretary feel about the fact that it’s been – according to the calendar and Zelenskyy – 44 days since Ukraine accepted the U.S. proposal for a third ceasefire –

MS BRUCE: Sure. Of course.

QUESTION: — and Russia last night bombed Kyiv with – so far, the death count was 12 people and —

MS BRUCE: Yes, the President messaged, again, on Truth Social he was not happy with that. There has been a number of comments from both men, and of course, that action the President was not happy with.

So we’re at a point here – and when – I think it’s important to also note that when Secretary Rubio’s noted we can’t keep doing this, what he’s specifically referring to is flying in a moment of notice to another part of the globe to talk with people over – to have meetings perhaps about meetings. It’s not that we are walking away from the desiring peace or wanting to assist with peace as it’s developed, but the process with which we’ve engaged in this for a hundred days will – would have to be adjusted. Because our front is global, that front is that front, there is Europe, and it’s just a matter of not certainly abandoning anything, but not doing things the way that we have been doing them.

All right, thank you, Andrea.

Yes, Nadia.

QUESTION: Can I follow up?

MS BRUCE: Also still on Ukraine and Russia.

QUESTION: I’m just going to ask a quick question on Iran.

MS BRUCE: We’ll do that after we finish with Ukraine-Russia. Yes, sir.

QUESTION: Thanks so much. I have two questions, two follow-up on Andrea’s question.

MS BRUCE: Yes.

QUESTION: Is the Crimea Declaration, announced by the Trump Administration in 2018, is it still valid?

MS BRUCE: You would have to ask the White House that. Talk to the White House, talk to President Trump. All right?

QUESTION: This was actual (inaudible) it was announced by –

MS BRUCE: It’s the Trump Administration, the last Trump Administration. You’ll need to talk to the Trump White House.

Yes, sir. Next?

QUESTION: Okay, second question. Secretary, as you mentioned, said that the war is endable. Just to clarify, the criticism of this approach is that you seem to have been asking a lot of Ukraine and little of Russia. What will be your response to the criticism?

MS BRUCE: Well, that’s, I think, likely very unfair. These are the world’s best diplomats. President Trump has said, and he said today in the Oval Office, that he is – his alliance is with ending carnage, right? It’s with the people who are dying. The Secretary also noted that people that were alive yesterday are not alive today.

So these – it is about getting the carnage to stop. They are – I’m not privy to the details of papers that are handed out, discussions on the phones. What I do know is that they’re all leading to one thing. So I would challenge, of course, your assertion immediately that there’s little or not too much. These are going to be decisions by leaders with what’s best for their nations, what’s best, of course, for us. What we’re thinking about is what’s best for humanity, and it’s – the thing that’s going to matter is the end result and what that looks like, which will be enough for everyone.

All right. Next. Yes, Shannon.

QUESTION: On the Pope?

QUESTION: Thank you, Tammy. On the – after the latest round of talks in London, Ukrainian officials say they submitted their own counterproposal to the U.S. plan. Can you say if the Trump Administration is giving that counterproposal any weight or is the U.S.-backed framework on the table the only path towards peace that the administration’s considered?

MS BRUCE: What I’ve noticed here about Secretary Rubio and President Trump is flexibility, is that no matter what’s going on – and even reflecting back on when everyone thought everything was over after President Zelenskyy’s visit to the Oval Office – oh, it’s over; all of this is done – and it wasn’t, and it isn’t. Because this is about human beings having conversations, negotiating literally existential issues where their decisions make a difference of who’s alive the next day. It is a – I’m just in – on the periphery of watching these men and women work on this.

So I – without knowing the details or speaking to the specifics of what you’re asking, I can tell you that it is the commitment is – the endpoint is what they’re committed to and willing to do what it takes to get to that endpoint.

Regarding London, as an example, we know that Special Presidential Envoy for Ukraine Keith Kellogg participated in what were positive talks in London, and with the head of the president’s office, Andriy Yermak – the president, of course, of Russia. It’s time to move forward also on President Trump’s Ukraine-Russia war directive, which is very simple: to stop the killing, achieve peace, and which all of that puts, of course, America first and as a result it puts the world first.

All right. So Russia-Ukraine? More?

QUESTION: Just one more on that.

MS BRUCE: Yes. Yes, ma’am.

QUESTION: Can you just help us understand what the intention is for Steve Witkoff meeting with Russia tomorrow? Is he going to be presenting the same framework that Keith Kellogg presented to the Europeans and to the Ukrainians in London? Is he taking that same framework and giving it to the Russians to see their response?

MS BRUCE: Well, it’s a good question, and I have no idea. I don’t know what his plan is. We do know that he goes with – wherever he goes – with intention and with a goal, and we see him effectuating those goals. So I know that there’s something that matters to him that he’s going to be conveying. I can’t, of course, give you those details nor would I. But it’s difficult when your business, of course, is information. But in this kind of a case, these are obviously very serious negotiations; and that if anyone can make it work, it is President Trump and his envoys, because no one else has been able to address the issues that we’re dealing with that are generationally long, with Russia-Ukraine not as long. But yeah, so I don’t – I can’t comment on what’s transpiring there, but I know it’s as serious as all of the other efforts he’s made.

Yeah, Shaun.

QUESTION: On Ukraine?

QUESTION: Thanks. Secretary Rubio, he’s chairman of the board of the Millenium Challenge Corporation. I’m wondering if you have a – if he has an opinion on the elimination of the agency as memos are sent to staff in recent days.

MS BRUCE: So we are aware of reports of that. There are some cuts there. I will note that while the administration and the department has acted quickly in this regard, the review of foreign service remains ongoing across other – the other 22 U.S. departments and agencies that manage U.S. foreign assistance. But for specific questions regarding MCC, I would have to refer you to them.

QUESTION: Just on the MCC in terms of the substance of that, I mean, there’s a —

MS BRUCE: So now we’ve moved away from Russia-Ukraine. So as long as – are we —

QUESTION: Sure.

MS BRUCE: So hold —

QUESTION: Russia-Ukraine.

MS BRUCE: All right. So hang on.

QUESTION: Sure.

MS BRUCE: For the – your second question, you want to hold onto to that?

QUESTION: So let me just do one follow-up on this. Just the MCC was seen as a way to counter Chinese influence in Africa. In particular, China is involved in infrastructure. The MCC was building infrastructure but for countries in – that demonstrate good governance, for example. Why is that not seen as a useful goal for the United States at this point?

MS BRUCE: Oh, Shaun, you’ve been in here so often. First of all, I’m not going to speculate on any of the press reports about decisions that have happened or have not yet happened or —

QUESTION: Can you confirm that?

MS BRUCE: — even the impact or even – I mean, you can reach out to the MCC about the status of their programs. And – but if this is about really ceding ground to anyone, the administration is intent on delivering a foreign assistance policy that is efficiently and effectively serving America’s interests. And the ongoing review does that for every – whatever the policy is, whatever the region is, and in fact, of course, it’s effective for this aspect as well. But just a reminder: Just because something has changed, it might look different, it doesn’t mean that our priorities have changed and that we will be applying our priorities and our mission in other ways as well.

QUESTION: On the same topic, please.

QUESTION: On the Pope.

MS BRUCE: Russia-Ukraine same?

QUESTION: No. MCC same.

MS BRUCE: MCC same. (Laughter.) All right. Well, you know what I’d like to do?

QUESTION: No, please, go ahead. Go ahead.

MS BRUCE: Stay there. We’ll keep going with Russia-Ukraine. All right. Nadia, are you on that?

QUESTION: No, I’m —

MS BRUCE: So you’re still on Iran, I think. All right.

QUESTION: On Iran because I have —

MS BRUCE: All right. Yes. All right. Well, actually let’s move on from Russia-Ukraine then. We’ll go – we’ll stick with MCC. Go ahead.

QUESTION: Hi. I’m Ellen Knickmeyer sitting in for Matt today.

MS BRUCE: Terrific. Hi there.

QUESTION: Good to meet you. On MCC, as chairman of the board of the MCC — was Secretary Rubo aware of and does he approve of what DOGE has done at MCC this week? The staff members and supporters say that all the contracts have been ordered terminated. And as chairman of the board, is he going to approve the termination of all the contracts?

MS BRUCE: I know that Secretary Rubio has been involved in the steps regarding all of the foreign aid review. He is not just an active Secretary of State but he’s an involved Secretary of State. The – our policies here of course are a reflection of his commitment to maintaining lifesaving aid that is a reflection of America’s interests.

So while I can’t speak directly to each individual decision, and I would not, the fact of the matter is, again, this is a decision that was made based on those values and the application of them that President Trump has advised and his vision has directed, and of course that Secretary Rubio also approves of and has also applied. I would argue that this is a DOGE dynamic. I think, as we mentioned on Tuesday as we talked about the restructuring of the State Department, that the American people voted in President Trump to make changes. We of course know that the budget of the United States, the debt, the way it operates, is unsustainable. And so the State Department and other departments are also changing.

But that dynamic is now – it sits with the secretaries. It sits with the heads of the departments of the country. So when we think about the changes that will continue to be made here at State, whether it’s a large reorganization or if it’s a bureau that’s affected, those are decisions that are made by people in the State Department that is overseen, of course, by Secretary Rubio, and it reflects the values and the intention that’s been described for the last hundred days from this podium and by the Secretary himself.

QUESTION: A follow-up?

MS BRUCE: All right. Yes, sir.

QUESTION: Thank you. And I wanted to move on to Gaza, if I can.

QUESTION: Oh, can I just go on Iran because —

MS BRUCE: All right. We’ll —

QUESTION: — I’ve been asking for Iran. Seriously, because I have like —

MS BRUCE: We’ll – Nadia has been waiting. We’ll start with Iran, and of course we will definitely come to Gaza as well.

QUESTION: Thank you so much. I just want to talk about the —

MS BRUCE: All right, Nadia, now to Iran.

QUESTION: Question – two questions. The Iranians indicating that they want an interim agreement and not a comprehensive agreement. Is this something that you would entertain or do you think that it’s feasible in the next round of negotiation?

And second, also they said that the U.S. seems to be in agreement of keeping some kind of nuclear facilities for peaceful use, and is this also something that you endorse or do you think that Iran should not have at all any kind of nuclear material that could have been developed, whether it’s for peaceful or military use?

MS BRUCE: Well, there has been a very bright line about what’s acceptable and what’s not acceptable. Not acceptable is having a nuclear weapon. That is the one bright line that has been feeding all of the activity.

I can give you an update on, well, the ongoing talks; might give you a gauge here. The next round of talks are taking place on – we have a team – I guess it’s the IAEA’s plan is to send a team to Iran this week. The next round of talks will take place in Oman on Saturday and will be the first meeting of technical teams. And we can also tell you that the Director of Policy Planning Michael Anton will in fact be heading the technical delegation, and yes, Special Envoy Witkoff also will be present.

Obviously, I will not, and you know that I will not discuss the details of any proposals, real or nonexistent – discussions, negotiations, what one party says versus another. What I have found, and I know it just sounds like rhetoric but it’s true, is that these are very detailed, person-to-person conversations about issues that affect millions of lives, and the things that get talked about on TV by people or pundits – which I love pundits; I was one – it does not help or really shed any great light on the nature of what’s going on. But what it can do sometimes is frighten people and put people in an even more heartbreaking, suffering situation.

So it’s – I understand that, and that’s why I’m reticent, because also there is other countries and people involved, and there’s something – you don’t – it’s important to not say things that can be misinterpreted, and we are determined to not do that considering what’s happening around the world. But what we do know is clear, and we’ve been, I think, as transparent as possible: Talks are ongoing. As a matter of fact, they continue to be positive and constructive, I can tell you. So we’ve made good progress, and we have a long way to go, and so these things go on. As we’ve seen, sometimes they can change, but that’s as much as I can give you.

QUESTION: Iran?

QUESTION: Just a follow up.

MS BRUCE: Yeah, so Iran? Yes, sir.

QUESTION: Iran?

QUESTION: I just have –

MS BRUCE: No.

QUESTION: Can we just ask, how was Anton chosen for this role leading the technical side of the talks? My understanding is that he doesn’t have a technical background in nuclear science and stuff. Is there going to be someone else advising him, and could you name that person?

MS BRUCE: I will not go into the details of the rest of the delegation, but he’s there because he should be there.

QUESTION: Iran follow-up?

MS BRUCE: All right, Iran. Iran. Yes, sir.

QUESTION: Iran. Thank you.

MS BRUCE: Of course, Said.

QUESTION: To the point that actually Nadia raised, yesterday Secretary Rubio told Bari Weiss that the U.S. is open and actually accepting of an Iran peaceful program considering that it is a member of the Non-Proliferation Treaty. But the position of the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is of the total destruction of all nuclear-related facilities, peaceful and otherwise, a la what happened in Libya in the old days. So do you see that this is evolving into some sort of a gap between the position of the United States and Israel?

MS BRUCE: Yeah. First of all, I reject your general premise. Again, what we can discuss are things that are projected upon regarding the notion of some remarks that the Secretary may or may not make. At the same time, there’s a whole host of people working on these issues, and there is nothing to gain – nor will I discuss the details or my opinion or project on the nature of what we expect from something. These are – this is the job of people who are assigned to this and wear the – bear the weight of the world on their shoulders as we sit here very comfortably in an air-conditioned briefing room as I try to at least get you information so that you know the general trajectory of how things are.

It is remarkable to be standing here 100 days into the Trump Administration. Ukraine and Russia are at a table. We may not always like what’s said at the table, but they’re at the table. We’ve had a ceasefire in Gaza, which after what had happened on October 7th was a remarkable establishment. We continue, despite the resistance to the continuation of that ceasefire, to work on that so that that kind of carnage that has been generational can come to an end. There – the world remains in this place, and I think the American people knew who we needed in the White House, and it’s Trump. Things are changing rapidly, and they will continue to.

All right. Yes, ma’am, in the back.

QUESTION: (Inaudible.)

MS BRUCE: I’m sorry. Can we turn up her mike a bit so – I experimented and sat in the back of the room the other day when there was an event here, and you can’t hear anything from any of the other people in the seats when you’re further back. So at any rate, go ahead.

QUESTION: I wanted to ask about Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir being in America, attending a dinner at President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort, where senior Republican officials were there as well. He said that the U.S. approves bombing food and aid depots in Gaza. Is this true? Is this endorsed by the Trump Administration? And where does the United States stand on this?

MS BRUCE: That was, I believe, one report. It was something that he said on his own. That has not been confirmed or discussed or anything that is relevant for me to be able to comment on that. It is, of course, in complete contradiction to the nature of our commitment to getting food aid and assistance, and – my goodness – the work over these 100 days for that first ceasefire and to get that aid into that area. It has – it’s difficult. But that dynamic I think is not something that I certainly am going to expand upon with one report, comments from one individual, by – but what I will do is reiterate certainly our commitment to Israel, our commitment to creating a better framework in Gaza, stopping the slaughter, getting aid and food in. That has been a north star for this administration, for Trump and for Rubio, from the beginning and for, I think, people everywhere for generations.

All right. Yes, go ahead, (inaudible).

QUESTION: Aid hasn’t gotten in since March.

MS BRUCE: Go ahead, (inaudible). Please, please. Thank you.

QUESTION: Thank you, Tammy. If I can return for one moment to Russia and Ukraine, because – and then I’ll —

MS BRUCE: Well, no. No, that has gone by. We will stick with Iran.

And yes, go ahead. Or we’ll move on to a different topic.

QUESTION: It’s just a follow-up to —

MS BRUCE: Yes, of course. Of course.

QUESTION: On aid into Gaza. Because there was a significant statement from the French, German, and UK foreign ministers yesterday about this, saying a million children facing acute risk of starvation, epidemic disease, and death; said the Israeli decision to block aid is intolerable and Defense Minister Katz’s recent comments politicizing aid are unacceptable; called on Hamas to stop diverting aid and to release the hostages. I mean, you’ve said many times about your position on pressurizing Hamas, but I just want to get – and you’ve talked about it being a north star to get aid in just now. So what is the – are you using your considerable position to ask Israel to lift that blockade?

MS BRUCE: Well, your last – my considerable position to do what?

QUESTION: Is the U.S. using its position – because we haven’t really heard about this part of it – to ask the Israelis or to pressure the Israelis to lift the blockade on aid?

MS BRUCE: Well, directly what I can say is the United States supports the flow of humanitarian aid with safeguards to ensure assistance is not diverted, looted, or misused by terrorist groups such as Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. And also when it comes to something like that private meeting mentioned from the earlier question, there is – it’s difficult when we’ve got – have such a horrible framework on the ground that all of us want to – well, all of us, of course, except apparently Hamas – want to have changed. And our commitment remains to get that humanitarian aid flowing. It is the point of a ceasefire, right? It is the point of what has – what Special Envoy Witkoff has worked for and achieved. And we, of course, continue to work to try to re-achieve that. What – we support Israel as of course the ally that they are. And that’s – we – I think our actions speak to the nature of what it is we’re committed to.

QUESTION: But can I just clarify? Because you mention this often about a ceasefire and that appearing to be linked to aid going in.

MS BRUCE: Well —

QUESTION: Is one thing – are you saying that there —

MS BRUCE: — there’s – would be a reason, right?

QUESTION: Absolutely. But there is a way to get aid in, and it was done previously while the conflict was still continuing. And I’m just trying to understand if an agreement is conditional on aid going in for you. So are you saying that aid will – which is what the Israeli position is, basically, the Israeli Government, is that aid will only go in when there’s an agreement. So is that —

MS BRUCE: Well, yes. I won’t – look, and as you know, and perhaps it’s important for me to state it for what your stories are, but I’m not going to comment on Israeli decisions, Israeli negotiations —

QUESTION: (Inaudible) the Israeli position.  I’m asking your own position.

MS BRUCE: — nor am I going to speak on where things stand currently between conversations. It is – what I’ve – will say about every negotiation in every situation in the world: It never – our negotiations and actions never stop. So it’s not like it starts at 8:00 in the morning and ends at 5:00 p.m. and then waits for a week before something else may happen.

Now, the Secretary can’t be involved in every single aspect around the world. But our efforts never stop, and that is the case now. Clearly, I will not go into details of how they’re working, or what the dynamic is, or how that’s being undertaken. But there is something very clear in our efforts that just our efforts alone indicate is a willingness to hinge all of that – the Trump Administration’s legacy, the results in what is a four-year term; we are already three months into it – that this is the thing that he decided mattered the most.

And that is something that is going to continue to be the case, in one fashion or another. Clearly, we’re doing many things around the world. But this is something discussed today, the Norwegian foreign minister there discussing the Ukraine-Russia situation, discussing the nature of – President Trump’s remarks I think really highlight his nature. When he was asked about who he was an ally of and what his commitments were, he’s – let me see, I think – yes, he said this specifically. When asked about who his allegiances were with, he said, “I have allegiance to saving lives.” And for those of you who’ve met him, that’s not a line. It’s a line I have to read, but that came from him, and that’s what drives this effort. And that includes humanitarian aid, whatever region of the world it’s in, and how we can get that moved through.

All right. All right. Well, now, let’s see. Yes. So we’ve been speaking about Gaza. Shall we continue that? Are we on Gaza here? Go ahead. Yes, sir. Gaza, yes?

QUESTION: Middle East.

QUESTION: Gaza.

MS BRUCE: All right, expand to the Middle East. All right.

QUESTION: Gaza.

QUESTION: Iran?

MS BRUCE: We’ll – all right, on Iran. We’ll go to Gaza again and then we’ll come back to Iran. So Gaza specifically.

QUESTION: Yeah.

MS BRUCE: Oh, wait, wait, sir. No, sir. The man right here in glasses. Yes, go ahead, sir.

QUESTION: It’s not on Gaza.

QUESTION: Okay, so —

MS BRUCE: Go ahead.

QUESTION: It’s not on Gaza.

QUESTION: In his first term, President Trump —

MS BRUCE: Well – all right, sir. I will direct this; you will not. Go ahead, please.

QUESTION: In his first term, President Trump —

QUESTION: (Inaudible.) It’s not on Gaza.

MS BRUCE: Yes, go ahead – sorry. Do we have —

QUESTION: In his first term, President Trump offered to mediate between India and Pakistan on the issue of Indian-occupied Kashmir. I know you just said that this administration has no position on Kashmir, I know, but there too much tension on the border —

MS BRUCE: I’m not going to be remarking, sir, as I mentioned. I appreciate this, and perhaps we’ll come back to you with another subject. I will say nothing more on that situation. The President and the Secretary have said things, as have the deputy secretary. They’ve made their positions clear. I will not continue with something in that manner.

Yes, sir. Go ahead. Yeah, go ahead.

QUESTION: Thank you so much, Tammy. Today the Iraqi foreign minister is going to arrive in Washington, D.C., and in a post on X he says that he’s going to meet with the U.S. counterparts on speaking and talking about mutual security. And have you scheduled any meeting with him? This is the first part of my question.

The second part: Are there any impacts or implications of your talks with Iran on Iraq? I’m asking this because when it comes to Iraqi security, Iran is floating into the discussions. There is a lot of Iranian-backed groups in Iraq, and you stopped the sanctions waiver to Iraq because they were buying electricity from Iran.

MS BRUCE: Well, I can tell you that the Iraqi deputy prime minister and foreign minister, Dr. Fuad Hussein, will be here at the State Department tomorrow for various meetings. I will be in one of those meetings. As far as to the specifics of what will happen, I have nothing to preview for you at this time, but we will have readouts, so we will have some details of those meetings tomorrow.

Yes, sir. Go ahead.

QUESTION: Question on Bangladesh. Yesterday a group of Bangladeshi Americans held a press conference at National Press Club in which they requested the State Department, the U.S. Government, to look into the ways in which the U.S. aid money was used in Bangladesh. Is the State Department looking into those —

MS BRUCE: I will – again, for something to address what might be going on, we’re going to take that question. We’ll go from that.

And yes, ma’am, in the blue shirt. In the blue shirt, sir.

QUESTION: Thank you. If I may ask on Georgia, under the new administration, the first meetings were held with the vice prime minister of the ruling party of Georgia. Would you provide some details about this meeting, including the main issues discussed and the position shared by —

MS BRUCE: For people watching, when I say we’re going to take a question, that means that you, in fact, are going to get an answer to that question, but not from me. So we’re going to take that question as well. But when people do that, they have a question that needs some details, or I need to get more information. When we say we’re going to take that, then you’ll receive a direct answer from this department, and that’s going to be one of those cases.

We’ll try – with the beard. Yes, sir, with the beard. Go ahead, please.

QUESTION: You mentioned – sorry, John Seward with NOTUS.

MS BRUCE: Hi there.

QUESTION: You mentioned a lack of coverage about the southern border.

MS BRUCE: Yes, sir.

QUESTION: And I wanted to ask, can you shed a little bit of light on the State Department’s coordination with the Department of Defense for the delivery of these deportation flights to countries in South America?

MS BRUCE: Well, I can tell you a little bit – I know that also came up on – well, maybe even last week, certainly, perhaps even on Tuesday. So this is the Diplomatic Services, right? We know that they are actively partnering with DHS in implementation guidance and mandatory training related to DSS enforcement of statutes and regulations. And in February – February 18th to be specific – the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security delegated Title 8 authorities to the DSS. They also – there have been some questions about their relationship regarding the state of Virginia. We know that the – we’d refer you as a result directly to DHS and the Virginia Homeland Security Task Force for any questions regarding that interagency support in their ongoing mission there to prevent illegal immigration.

And they are a key partner, we will say, about the DS. They are a key partner in the United States work to reduce illegal immigration and root out those who endeavor to exploit the U.S. travel system. Their primary mission – for those of you wondering about the Diplomatic Security Services – their primary mission is to protect diplomatic assets, personnel, and information, and combat transnational crimes connected to visa and passport fraud, as well as to investigate transnational human trafficking crimes. DSS law enforcement authorities complement and strongly support the administration’s priority to deter and reduce illegal immigration into the United States.

All right, yes.

QUESTION: Just to follow up, if I can have a follow-up —

MS BRUCE: All right. How are we doing? Right? All right. I think that’s going to be it for today and we will see you – we’ll see you next Tuesday. All right, thank you.

(The briefing was concluded at 3:42 p.m.)

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1. Head of the President’s Office Andriy Yermak ↑

2. assistance ↑

3. Special Envoy Witkoff’s travel after Russia is not yet confirmed. ↑