- 2 days ago
State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce held a press briefing.
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00:00hi everyone last night that storm that was pretty outrageous but glad we made it thank
00:21you all very much for being here popular today in the back hi everyone hi everyone at home
00:28so yes we have a few announcements as you might imagine and then I'll be ready to take your
00:34questions so good afternoon everyone secretary Rubio is in Kuala Lumpur for the ASEAN related
00:42foreign ministers meetings and bilateral engagements reaffirming the United States
00:46commitment our enduring commitment if I may add to a free open and secure Indo-Pacific earlier
00:54today he participated in the ASEAN US post ministerial conference and held meetings
00:59with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar and counterparts from Malaysia Russia Japan and the Philippines as
01:07the secretary has stated the Indo-Pacific accounts for two-thirds of global growth and remains a
01:13central focus of US foreign policy the secretary also signed a nuclear cooperation memorandum of
01:20understanding with Malaysia advancing civil nuclear energy collaboration under the highest standards
01:26of safety security and non-proliferation negotiations toward a one two three agreement are underway and
01:34once finalized it would permit the transfer of nuclear material and equipment for peaceful
01:39purposes further deepening bilateral energy security and economic ties tomorrow also marks the fourth
01:48anniversary of the Cuban regime's July 11th crackdown deputy secretary Landau met with Cuban democracy and
01:56human rights advocates reaffirming the United States steadfast support for freedom and democracy in Cuba
02:03secretary Rubio's video message to the group made clear the Trump administration promotes accountability for
02:11the Cuban regime's human rights violations and continues to stand with the Cuban people in their pursuit of
02:17freedom and prosperity additionally the United States is imposing sanctions on UN Human Rights Council
02:25special reporter Francesca Albanese for her abuse of her role and in recent weeks she also targeted US
02:33companies in an unacceptable campaign of political and economic warfare the United States will take whatever
02:40actions we deem necessary and appropriate to protect our sovereignty Israel and any other US ally from
02:48illegitimate actions by the ICC in parallel the department is announcing a new awareness campaign warning Americans
02:57especially Iranian Americans about the continuing severe risks of travel to Iran the Iranian regime does not recognize dual
03:07nationality and routinely denies consular services to detained US citizens and while
03:15the bombing has stopped that does not mean that it is safe to travel to Iran it is not we are also
03:23launching a new website dedicated to warning Americans against travel to Iran and there you have it you can get that
03:33website starting at state.gov backslash do not travel to Iran that's do hyphen not hyphen travel hyphen to hyphen Iran but I think if you go to state.gov you do a search you will find that quite easily the message is clear as you can tell in multiple languages our travel advisories are there as well they remain in place and we cannot stress enough as we continue to do as I have multiple times from this
04:03this podium do not travel to Iran especially those of you who are the dual citizens who have Iranian heritage it is not safe for anyone to travel to Iran and again this supplements also the existing travel advisories that does not supplant supplant them at travel dot state dot gov
04:33and as many of you would know the department is also undertaking a historic reorganization as announced by secretary rubio on april 22nd to better align workforce activities and programs with the america first foreign policy priorities the supreme court's recent near unanimous decision allows the reorganization to commence and will ensure that the department moves at the speed of relevancy
05:03the plan which has been approved by the secretary and developed with extensive feedback from congress and the workforce itself is moving into implementation I do also want to make a note here as my experience at the state department now moves into its six month the remarkable experience the life changing experience I've had getting to know the people who work in this building there are tens of thousands of them
05:33whether they be political appointees foreign service officers or career individuals people who have made their career their service for this country something that has been a part of their lives for a long time it has been a remarkable experience to see how this building works how the people work together moving forward to promote and to implement american foreign policy through the commitment
06:03in the economic and to report these different programs we can see how this building is on our own system institute and i've been proud of that coming from the leadership of this building as we discussed this many times and now this is the point where it begins and all of us understand and it's sometimes difficult as any enterprise in america has learned that when change is necessary but in this case we inherited a dynamic that needed reform and we are taking and implementing reform and of course in the midst of this know that the people
06:33who've committed to the State Department and to diplomacy that they know also
06:39this is not about them this is about making sure that the State Department is
06:43able to operate in a manner that makes it relevant and effective that is what
06:48the American people want it's what all of us want and in this dynamic that's
06:52exactly what we're achieving so it is it's been a long road every day is one
06:57that I'm very proud of working here and of course every briefing I'm proud of
07:02it's always very different the briefings but we will start now with
07:06today's briefing as I take your questions all right Andrea Mitchell yes
07:10ma'am well before I ask you about Ukraine and the possibility of sanctions and
07:17strong support from this department for sanctions given what the president said
07:21that his impatience with Vladimir Putin after the secretary's conversations
07:27with Sergey Lavrov yes let me just say that
07:31for the workforce for those who are going to be leaving foreign service as
07:36well as civil service many of whom I and my colleagues have worked with for many
07:41many years of past decades to be told that as you just said you're going to
07:47make it relevant and effective you're basically saying that they are not
07:50relevant or effective many of them I'm glad you there's thousands of people that
07:55are going to be losing their job that is Andrea it's the antithesis of what I've
07:59said that this is not a matter of the end the individual being targeted or an
08:05individual not being right this is about being able to be effective due to the
08:10size of the organization and to the structure of the organization this involves as
08:16you all receive material and a new org chart and all these other kinds of wonky
08:20things that this is about an entity that has grown unsustainable over the years
08:27with elements related to the Cold War and other elements that that we have moved
08:32beyond but but still stayed an aspect that you have a size and people working on
08:39things that are not within the framework of the modern age or what we want to
08:44accomplish and certainly the decision that the American people made last year
08:48that Donald Trump's vision about what the world should be in the context of how
08:53America can be great again and what we can contribute as Americans that when
08:58something is choose in a conversation with Lavrov as an example conversations the
09:03president would have with Zelensky the president of Ukraine is an example these
09:07are things that are important to realize they're not static events that stand on
09:13their own they are part of a fluid dynamic of conversations and
09:17negotiations we are as the president has said and the secretary has said and
09:21engaged in we'll speak with everyone because every step makes a difference in
09:26the decision that you have to make in the end and that's where we're at the
09:30final thing is an Israeli airstrike hit Palestinians near a medical center in
09:34Gaza today it killed ten children and six adults I'm wondering if there's been
09:38any outreach from the US government to the Israeli authorities to take any steps to
09:43ensure civilians aren't killed in this well I can't speak to that particular
09:47event I would direct you to the the country of Israel for for answers in that
09:52regard but we have said repeatedly that we decry the death of innocence it's why
09:57we do what we do in so many countries around the world it's part of what
10:01informs our action and at the same time we we know that it's a war and we stand by
10:10Israel to say the least and we also know that Israel when it is due investigates
10:16and we will wait to see what their action will be and we'll keep you up to
10:21date obviously yes there used to be mechanisms in this building to look into
10:26incidents of civilian harm using US weapons do those mechanisms still exist
10:30and have you come to any conclusions with the project Gaza well I can tell you
10:34again that the choices that we're going to make diplomatically in reaction to
10:37another country's actions or the nature of what's happening around the world I
10:41won't discuss at this podium or what our process is but I can tell you that what
10:46I've experienced and I think what all of you have seen over the years is that we
10:50have mechanisms like that because we care about those issues we have a
10:53constant communication with our allies around the world and that is also
10:57something that we see benefiting the agenda of the president and the work of
11:01the secretary of state so clearly we we care about these issues we're acting on
11:07them actively every day and that will be one obviously I can update you on that
11:11I'm sure as we move forward and then quickly on GHF my colleagues and I reported
11:16that there were a number of internal concerns about funding GHF that were raised
11:20prior to the approval can you say whether the secretary was aware of those
11:24concerns and why that approval was granted despite these yeah I know we've we've had
11:30that conversation before first of all I can give you an update there's now 69
11:35million meals that have been distributed to date at four distribution centers all
11:40while preventing Hamas looting which is of course an incredible feat it should be
11:47commended and supported I think most of us do we also call on other aid agencies
11:52and the UN to participate in this system it has been implemented and it works and of
11:59course this is part of the creative solutions that the president has asked
12:02for regarding that region when it comes to the the activity that is happening or
12:08allegations that are made or the framework of of what we're trying to
12:14achieve I think that we're looking at a dynamic where it is a war zone it's the
12:19same issues that we've been discussing about the task of getting humanitarian aid
12:26to people who need it the world has clamored for this and it's happening and I
12:30think at this point when we look at the nature of of the the number of meals that
12:35have been delivered and the efforts that have to be taken to save those lives it's
12:40it is to be commended it's not certainly nothing will be perfect I've said this
12:44before that it can't be perfect because it is an unnatural obscene environment and for
12:50people looking for perfection in a war zone like that being terrorized by terrorists to demand
12:57perfection or a new normal of this environment is unacceptable nothing will be enough and so
13:03that's why we've got to have a solution and an end a durable ceasefire and a durable peace
13:08because otherwise if the suffering and the carnage continues and that's what we're working to
13:14end all right yes Alex I'm sorry what are we ukrainians and they are in a talk oh well obviously
13:33I'm not going to speak about every conversation or connection we have with partners that we're
13:38working with um every day all the time it just the communications don't just happen when you hear
13:44about it in the news or if there's one phone call that's talked about uh these are uh in every region
13:50that is required special envoys and uh discussions and and help regarding uh uh ceasefires or at least
13:58finding where you can find some common ground is a 24-7 operation uh with and with innumerable people
14:04working on it so when it comes to the ukrainians our friends uh the president zielinski is had a
14:10fabulous phone call with president trump uh that that was discussed uh somewhat publicly uh certainly
14:16when it comes to the issue of uh armaments and defensive weapons essentially uh that was discussed
14:22publicly and of course we have news in that regard so you might not hear it in the news it doesn't
14:29mean that we're not talking quite often if not all the time with our ukrainian friends thank you and
14:34going back to andrea's point earlier we all heard just two days ago from the president that he
14:39expressed his frustration of putin yes uh saying that he was lying to him and then we also have
14:44seen past few days russians have been engaging in record-breaking attacks kiev or other cities
14:50um why do you think lavrov deserves a secretary level meeting giving all this background well again
14:58a lot of people didn't think putin should be talked with at all during the last administration he
15:03wasn't talked to for three years that's not a way that you can come to some kind of understanding or
15:08agreement or an effort to stop uh any carnage and the suffering you've got to talk to everyone
15:12at any point when it comes to those who are involved in the situation to say nothing of the leverage that
15:18we have with the ideas and the power of president trump uh and clearly the effectiveness of secretary
15:24rubio in the midst of this uh at the same time uh the escalating russian attacks the president's been
15:30clear he's they're abhorrent um i can uh say to you here that we strongly condemn russia's escalating
15:38attacks on ukraine and extend our deepest condolences to the victims and families of those killed every
15:43week we see reports of russia setting new records for the scale of its aerial attacks every nation wants
15:52to have records but not that kind as secretary rubio said today we've seen an acceleration of attacks
15:59president trump's number one interest is to stop people from dying and the destruction that's gone
16:04going every single day he is going to do everything he can within his power to end this war and any other
16:14war he has a chance to end we're going to continue to work at it we understand that these things take
16:19time and patience but obviously we are also frustrated that more progress has not been made and i
16:27again would remind you that that's an opinion regarding the state of uh situation now in the midst of
16:34ongoing conversations uh that uh are conveyed publicly and while i won't speak uh or characterize
16:42the secretary's conversations with lavrov or any other person um it's clear that this is part of that
16:48movement toward making decisions about what is necessary uh just to stop this madness all right yes tom
16:55um is there any update on steve whitkoff's travel he'd said in the cabinet meeting earlier this week
17:00um i think by the end of the week uh he expects to go to doha uh so can you confirm whether or not
17:07that's happening and just on the uh on what the president was saying last week which was with quite a
17:13lot of certainty expecting a deal this week um what we should sort of read into the raising of expectations
17:21do you think that it's that close that now there will be a breakthrough by next week for example
17:28well on your question about special envoy whitkoff the answer is no i know it's a very short word
17:34with two letters i think it's the same in seven languages yeah well i have no update for you no
17:39update but he might be traveling but you have you don't have enough i know he's my my comment or lack
17:45thereof is not a negative to your question that he's not traveling the answer is is that i don't
17:52have an update for you okay i'm sorry about that um regarding uh of course the potential of a ceasefire
18:00the president made clear that he was uh optimistic uh there uh and he's considering his lifelong
18:09experience but certainly the experience over the last five months and even certainly through his first
18:13term with the abraham accords etc and the nature of what's been going on in the middle east all of
18:17us understand uh that uh this is a difficult process so when you are getting close when you know the
18:25nature of uh the monsters in this case that you're dealing with you have a general sense and especially
18:30with how the middle east has changed dramatically because of the action of the united states um a few
18:35weekends ago uh that the playing field is different uh and uh so his his optimism is based on the multitude
18:44of things that he knows that i don't um and uh i think that uh it we should maintain the awareness of his
18:53opinion uh and the optimism that he has he doesn't say it very often so when he does we need to take it
19:00seriously but we do know uh that of course once again this is an active zone uh and we've got the
19:07best people working on it and that's what we pledge to the united states can i just come back with one
19:11other uh issue which is about the town of taipei in the west bank which in which there are around 300
19:18u.s citizens uh a christian town the the priests there have said that it's come under sustained
19:23settler attack there was an arson attack on one of the holy sites at the beginning of this week and they
19:27feared the uh what the the church then could have uh caught fire uh it was extinguished um is there
19:37and i have contacted the jerusalem embassy but has there been any outreach from the u.s embassy
19:42to the town is there any support for the uh u.s citizens there well i i can't comment on the actions
19:50we've taken even if they're phone calls um what i do want to note of course is
19:57the decrying we have made of civilians innocent people being hurt in this process uh we also uh so
20:08obviously we're concerned when we hear about uh anyone being targeted let alone um uh christians in in
20:17this case um uh that the president uh has made it clear uh his feelings uh on that issue writ large
20:24um and it's uh uh it's difficult all of this it's war it's it's war manifesting in very different
20:31contexts uh within uh that region but also other places around the world uh president trump has long
20:37established and i know secretary rubio uh concurs uh that protecting christians is a priority as seen
20:44through his executive order against anti-christian bias uh we do condemn so there's no uh confusion
20:51criminal violence by any party in the west bank and support actions to ensure all civilians
20:57including christian civilians remain safe uh in the meantime though also we would refer you to the
21:03government of israel regarding security incidents and the idf posture in the west bank in this regard
21:10all right yes i mean i'm just circling back to ghf we do know that in this latest round of ceasefire
21:15negotiations hamas has been insisting that ghf end its operations of course they are do you see any
21:22scenario of course given that you're talking about how hamas has has been uh enriched uh by uh previous
21:31aid efforts by looting they steal this material they steal the trucks uh they not only enrich themselves
21:38you notice it's it's it's it's the highlight of the last um um generations uh that aid gets in there
21:46and is taken by the people causing the destruction and the end and the pain uh they make money they uh use
21:54that those resources to build more weapons they buy more weapons uh they're certainly not stealing it to
22:00get it to the ghazan people faster that's not why they're taking it they're taking it for themselves so
22:06they have obviously a few square meals every day but there's money uh and it makes it makes there's
22:13many p it is it is an industrial complex an aid industrial complex but in that dynamic through a war
22:19zone we've known that the enemy is the only one benefiting from that and that's why this change and of
22:27course well hamas doesn't like it good good that's perhaps an indication that it does had has
22:35ruined that pipeline of money uh and support uh not you know all you know you have people with the
22:42best of intentions of getting aid in but when you see it's going to the people you're trying to stop
22:49we have a duty to change the strategy and that is what has occurred so there is of course this
22:56obviously is working it is important as i noted before for other aid organizations and other efforts
23:03we we now have a a plat platform if you will at least a template of how to do this without enriching
23:10and facilitating the carnage itself so given your answer there it's safe to say that the us and israel
23:16see it as imperative that ghf be allowed to continue operating in gaza under the terms of any ceasefire
23:22agreement well i think that it's uh when you have the success and i would say any entity that was able to
23:30break through that wall that is able to get 69 million meals to the people in need uh without
23:39the enemy looting it and taking it and benefiting is a a framework that must be supported it doesn't mean
23:46that someone else also can't join in on the nature of this supplying it is that's i think what the
23:53difference is we've finally seen a new idea that works so separate from the entity that's doing it
24:00right now there's one because everyone else said don't or we don't support you or you can't do it or
24:05yes we want aid to go in but not by those guys it is now undeniable this is the format that works
24:12and others now it's it's an open dynamic of what it is that's making it work others should implement
24:20it others should come in there is no excuse to stand on the sidelines either because of envy or because
24:27of a political consideration because all of this transcends those things it's about feeding people
24:33feeding those children uh and this is a dynamic uh obviously that that works and we hope will continue
24:39to work saeed uh thank you tammy two quick uh thing yes sir on albanese yeah on the timing of imposing
24:46these sanctions does it have anything to do with her treat the day before uh that basically um you know
24:53uh slamming greece france and italy for allowing netanyahu's plan over their airspace when when
25:02they are signatories to the rome uh protocol i mean she's talking about technical things did that have
25:07anything to do with no this has been uh and it's a question because it highlights that this is not
25:13um uh an action based on one action or one thing this is this has been a long-term issue and what i will
25:23say to you is today and just more details the united states is imposing sanctions on un human rights
25:30council special reporter francesca albanese for her abuse of that role to directly engage in icc actions
25:39against israeli officials in recent weeks she has also targeted u.s companies in an unacceptable campaign
25:46of political and economic warfare as the president's executive order eo 14203 makes clear the icc's
25:55actions set a dangerous precedent for lawfare that endangers our national security and foreign policy
26:01and infringes on the sovereignty of the united states the president declared a national emergency
26:07under the eo that emphasizes quote the united states will impose tangible and significant consequences
26:15on those responsible for the icc's transgressions which would include blocking of property and visa
26:21restrictions the united states will take whatever actions we deem necessary and appropriate to
26:28protect our sovereignty to protect israel and any other u.s ally any other u.s ally from illegitimate actions
26:37by the icc that's why that occurred okay and one quick follow-up on tom's west bank thing now we have
26:45seen really uh you know a spike in settler violence uh in the west bank and uh you know whether it's in
26:53places like misafir yatta uh where they basically you know there was a big film about it and so on that
26:58won the oscar and so on uh but also in other places in the jordan valley and so on and my question uh
27:06what in who is in in the state department following up uh on these uh incidents i mean how how do people
27:13you know including palestinian americans that live in my village for instance you know some of my
27:18relatives and so on who do they go to when they say we have been subject of attack by settlers and so on
27:24well obviously uh first of all they israel of course it's the government of israel uh who they
27:29go to uh that israel is an ally but when you say who in this building works on this it's i'm going
27:37to answer that yeah okay this is and i've said this before a lot of people don't know how the how the
27:41state department works it's not a bunch of people in suites you know typing things down some people
27:47are um i do that sometimes but i don't have a suite um but it's thousands of people you guys right
27:53it is thousands of people in bureaus that are assigned to regions who work literally and they
28:00have you know people assigned different times of the day and the night who are working all the time
28:05looking at the nature of what's occurring all around the world based on where their region might
28:09be uh and of course that this region involving of course the middle east is very busy i see them
28:16almost every day and during the briefing days we sit down and i get briefed by these people these
28:21experts who watch everything that's happening who are talking to everyone who know what's occurring
28:27who know where the policy is moving who know what the secretary is thinking or at least what his
28:32trajectory might might be i then blend into that with what i know from leadership as i work in this
28:37building so when we say who cares the american people care the state department cares as a collection
28:44of the american people who have committed to this work specifically which is not easy
28:50and does not make anyone rich because they care about the country and they care about what happens
28:55around the world in the relationship of making sure america stays safer more secure and more
29:01prosperous that's who cares and that's who's working on it yes sir right there behind yes yes sir
29:08just a follow-up on saeed question as well is the office of the u.s security coordinator in jerusalem
29:16still working uh under michael general michael uh flinns i believe and because recently there were a few
29:25reports indicating that there was a visit to north champs refugee camps let's stop right there let's
29:31stop right there this is moving into gossip and a report or reports of something we can save everyone's
29:37time because we're getting moving out of my time but i will not comment on things that you've seen in a
29:43paper somewhere or reports of wanting gossip or my speculation that won't happen i will have it taken
29:48back your question in the event there's something we can get to you but we're going to move on from
29:52that yes sir go ahead just a quick follow-up no no no we are going on that was your chance sir
29:57no sir right there thank you thank you uh on the optimism expressed by the administration
30:02on the potential ceasefire in gaza and particularly the distribution of humanitarian aid yes are there
30:08plans in place to to stop the firing on palestinians trying to get that aid well you know um if uh we've
30:16been demanding for a long time there's one group there it's just horrible that will not stop shooting
30:21people or lay down their weapons hamas they could lay down their weapons there are fewer of them we will
30:27have to admit since the beginning of this war uh and they also won't release the hostages so part of the
30:33ceasefire plan of course uh it you have a ceasefire when people stop shooting so if we're looking at the
30:39nature of if there's a plan in that framework and also of course what secretary rubio has noted that
30:44there is no place in the future for hamas hamas should not exist it cannot exist so in that context
30:51yes the firing on on anyone who is attempting who's an innocent civilian who's attempting to get
30:57something or just living their lives the gaza and people have been the first victims of this horror
31:03as they have been controlled for generations uh by hamas by terrorists by those who don't care about
31:09them so the piece that president trump wants and secretary rubio is working for
31:14aims to say the least of ending that across the board no matter who might be doing it but certainly
31:21uh those who are controlling uh that framework now and the ones uh with the weapons and that would be
31:26hamas yes at the end of the row here anthony mershock from mtv lebanon all right welcome
31:31we're asking about beirut could you please clarify the special envoy tom barack recent comment stating
31:36that hezbollah has a political wing had the u.s position changed regarding the distinction between
31:42hezbollah's political and military branches uh well um i have a few things i can say to you
31:49first of all um our position has not changed hezbollah is a designated terrorist organization
31:55and we do not distinguish between its political or armed wings as ambassador barrack said while in
32:02beirut lebanon must utilize this moment to make progress and that includes progress on disarming
32:08hezbollah uh and at the same time ambassador barack he's ambassador to turkey as well as of course our
32:15special envoy for syria i'm not going to characterize his diplomatic conversations uh in in that regard at
32:22all but he has said publicly uh that he has uh been very satisfied with the individual the initial
32:27response by the lebanese government um but now is noted that they're working on details in this regard
32:33and um on the security front the lebanese armed forces have made progress on disarming hezbollah in
32:39the south but there is still more to be done so as he said um ambassador barrack while in beirut
32:46uh lebanon must utilize this moment uh to make progress and we do not want to see hezbollah or
32:53any other terrorist group in lebanon recover their ability to commit violence and threaten the security
32:59in lebanon or in israel and i will take i will take one more you sir in the white shirt thank you
33:06other journalists from azurbanian and uh recently secretary rubio said he hopes to see a peace agreement
33:11between armenia and azurbanian soon and today azurbanian president ilham aliev and armenian
33:16prime minister nicole pashinyan met in abu dhabi is there any connection between secretary rubio's
33:22remarks and this meeting and does washington currently have a concrete plan or proposal
33:27to support a peace agreement between armenia and azurbanian and my second question is let me answer
33:31that because you know get me while it's right here on the front and i will take your second question
33:35and then that's likely going to be it because we have a thing um first regarding the peace process
33:41the united states supports those efforts to promote peace and stability in the south caucuses
33:47we also are traffic tracking the referenced press reports um in general and don't have any additional
33:54information uh to share but as you know also i think the trump administration and secretary rubio's
34:01approach speaks for itself and his remarks at the cabinet meeting is that this is an administration
34:07working for peace they will do what and go wherever they need to go uh it is it is not waned it is
34:14because it is uh the core of the commitment to making america great again is improving of course the
34:19condition of the world around us and your second question and my second question is for several
34:23months now there has been no u.s ambassador appointed to azurbanian could you please clarify if this
34:28delay is due to procedural and technical reasons or if there are any political consideration behind it
34:35and how does the u.s government view the importance of having a full ambassadorial presence in baku at
34:40this time very very good question i don't have the answer to that right now but we will take it
34:44back and get it back to you and the full content you answered it all right you guys that's it right
34:49now thank you very much i will um i will see you again uh next week but there will be uh of course
34:56updates on everything we're working on throughout today and tomorrow thank you have a great rest of your
35:01day everybody thank you