2:02 p.m. EST
MR PIGOTT: Hello, hi.
QUESTION: Hi there.
MR PIGOTT: Everybody. All right. So for those that don’t know me, my name is Tommy Pigott, principal deputy spokesperson, stepping in for the day for Spokesperson Bruce, who is traveling with the Secretary and the President. So to start, a few remarks up top, and then I’ll be happy to take some questions.
So the American people can be proud that their leaders are putting their safety and security and prosperity first. This week’s developments show an administration delivering boldly on its promises, and the results speak for themselves. When President Trump says he will never leave an American behind, he means it. Edan Alexander has been released from Hamas captivity and reunited with his family in Israel. This is the result of unwavering American leadership.
President Trump and Secretary Rubio are also strengthening strategic ties in the Middle East, delivering security and economic wins in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates. Earlier today President Trump announced Saudi Arabia’s $600 billion commitment to invest in the United States, building economic ties that will translate into jobs and opportunities for the American people and the region.
Secretary Rubio will next travel to Türkiye to attend the NATO informal foreign ministers meeting. Since the November election, 20 NATO Allies have announced increases in defense spending, a direct result of President Trump’s leadership with – and a renewed commitment to peace through strength.
We also welcome the ceasefire between India and Pakistan and commend Prime Ministers Modi and Sharif for choosing the path of peace. As President Trump said, their decision reflects strength, wisdom, and fortitude. We urge both sides to maintain direct communication to preserve regional stability.
Regarding Iran, negotiations continue to show progress. This administration remains clear: Iran will never be allowed to acquire a nuclear weapon. As President Trump has said, Iran could have a much brighter future. The time is right now for them to choose.
And finally, the President has secured another win for American workers: an initial agreement with China to reduce China’s tariffs and set a path for future discussions to open market access for American exports. As President Trump has said, the U.S. will continue to prioritize fairness, reciprocity, and results. The American people are already seeing the benefits: Inflation is down, grocery and gas prices are falling, and optimism is returning across the country. President Trump is once again delivering on his promise to make America great again.
And before I take questions, I would like to thank Spokesperson Tammy Bruce and the entire team for its unwavering support. It is an honor to be here and I look forward to answering your questions for the American people. And with that, I’ll take some questions.
QUESTION: Tommy.
MR PIGOTT: Yeah.
QUESTION: Thank you. Welcome to the briefing room. Trump said today that he’s ordering the cessation of sanctions on Syria. How quickly will the U.S. lift these sanctions? Is this something we could expect as soon as coming days?
MR PIGOTT: I have nothing additional to preview. The President obviously spoke to this, and the President has been clear he wants to see prosperity for the entire region. That’s part of the purpose of this trip. So nothing to further preview in terms of a timeline.
QUESTION: And is the U.S. pressing the UN Security Council to lift sanctions on HTS?
MR PIGOTT: Again, nothing to preview on that front, but as the President said, this is about making sure we can have a region with peace and prosperity, long-term prosperity. And as Karoline Leavitt said before the trip, this is about a golden age both for the American people and for the Middle East, and we’re seeing that dedication with the many different announcements the President made today.
QUESTION: Can you give us an update on the talks between Russia and Ukraine later this week? Will Secretary Rubio be participating in those talks? What are the expectations from the U.S. side? And there’s been talk about a face-to-face meeting between Zelenskyy and Putin. Can you tell us anything about that or talks to prepare for those talks?
MR PIGOTT: Well, the President has spoken to this as well. He has been clear that the meeting in Istanbul is a critical opportunity for direct talks between Russia and Ukraine. That has been clear. The President has also been clear that he wants to see those talks happen and he’s been dedicated to trying to first get that ceasefire and then an enduring peace. In terms of specifics, nothing further to preview. The President also spoke to this during his speech just a short while ago. I’d refer you to his comments there. But this is a critical opportunity to, again, have those direct talks to try to achieve that ceasefire and then that long and enduring peace.
Yes.
QUESTION: Thank you, Tommy. Good to see you behind the podium. Very quick question: On Sunday, the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said that the ethnic cleansing of Gaza is inevitable and that they were targeting every house in Gaza for that purpose. So is the United States – are they okay with that kind of language, or would be there a rebuke in the future of such a thing that is – clearly speaks of a war crime? What is the position of the U.S.?
MR PIGOTT: Well, first, I don’t accept the characterization of your question. And second, I’d say that Hamas bears sole responsibility for the war and for the resumption of hostilities. We want peace and the immediate release of all hostages, and we’ve also been clear from this podium and elsewhere that any departure from Gaza must be voluntary.
QUESTION: Yeah, but you – I mean, as far as what he said – I mean, that’s what came out of the cabinet meeting, I mean, independent of what we hear about Hamas and so on and they are responsible for this. But do you have a position on the forcible removal of Palestinians from Gaza?
MR PIGOTT: Look, I just answered that question. I stand by what I just said, and ultimately, Hamas bears sole responsibility for this war.
Yes.
QUESTION: Follow-up on Gaza. The spokeswoman, spokesperson last week – Tammy mentioned that a foundation would be set up – at that time was very shortly of last week – last week – to distribute aid into Gaza. Where does that stand now? Is this still a project that’s still in the works? Is it going to happen? And the Israeli prime minister also said that in the coming days he would go in full force into Gaza. Does – would that disrupt those plans, or is it calculated and being prepared together? How does that work?
MR PIGOTT: Well, look, we won’t speak on behalf of the foundation and we’ll defer to the foundation in terms of any announcement that they may or may not make. But bottom line is we welcome moves to get aid quickly into Gaza, and we also welcome creative solutions that make sure that that aid actually gets to the people that need it and is not falling into the hands of terrorists such as Hamas. So we support creative solutions to get that aid in there. We want to make sure it’s done in a way where it’s not falling into the hands of Hamas, that it’s actually reaching the people that need it. And what is as clear as day is that the people of Gaza have suffered tremendously under Hamas. So we support those creative solutions to get aid in there, and the President has been very clear, as has Secretary Rubio.
Yes.
QUESTION: I wanted to ask your response of reports that there were back channel talks that led to the release of Edan Alexander with a Hamas official reaching out to the former leader of Arab Americans for Trump. Can you speak to that report and any details about how the release came to be?
MR PIGOTT: So I’m not going to comment on private diplomatic conversations. But what I will say and reiterate is that this shows that when President Trump says he will never leave an American behind, he means it. This is the direct result of American leadership, as I said earlier, and again, shows the fact that President Trump is forever working for the safety and security of the American people, as is Secretary Rubio. But I’m not going to discuss or give details of private diplomatic conversations.
QUESTION: You’re not denying it?
MR PIGOTT: Again, whether or not that – or did not happen, I’m not going to talk about private diplomatic conversations, whether or not they did or did not happen.
QUESTION: Thank you.
MR PIGOTT: Yeah.
QUESTION: Hi. Thank you. Thank you, Tommy. Two, actually; one on Afghanistan, and then a follow-up on Gaza. Yesterday DHS Secretary Kristi Noem announced that the temporary protected status for Afghanistan would expire on May the 20th. She said the conditions in Afghanistan have improved enough for Afghans to return there. Does the State Department think that Afghanistan is now a safe destination for women and girls?
MR PIGOTT: Well, look, ultimately when it comes to the temporary protected status, I refer you to DHS. It was always meant as a temporary measure or temporary benefit. This is the – when that temporary benefit would expire. So for further questions on that, I refer you to DHS.
QUESTION: And then just to follow up on Gaza, you said you support efforts to get food – to get aid quickly into Gaza. Here we are more than two months later. Like, how – how soon is quickly? When can we start to see food actually getting in?
MR PIGOTT: Well, look, I think it’s important to understand, again, that we’re looking for those creative solutions to get that aid in there. We’re fully supportive of those measures. And it’s also important to reiterate that Hamas bears sole responsibility for this conflict, as well as sole responsibility for the condition under which the people of Gaza are living. So I’m not going to put a timeline on it from here; I’m not going to speak on behalf of the foundation. But what I will reiterate is that we are supportive of creative solutions to get aid in there, but also in a way that the aid is not falling into the hands of Hamas, that it actually reaches the people that need it.
Yes.
QUESTION: Tommy, thank you. I wanted to ask you about the President’s trip to the Middle East. He had some comments today in terms of talking about the way that the U.S. approaches countries in the Middle East and a criticism of past policy, saying that for too long “many American presidents have been afflicted with the notion that it’s our job to look into the souls of foreign leaders and use U.S. policy to dispense justice for their sins.” There has been a critique of the State Department, I think externally by some analysts, about the changes to areas of the department that deal with issues of human rights and kind of what have been traditionally seen as U.S. values issues. Do you – is this the President endorsing that shift in terms of the State Department’s focus? Do you think that that criticism that we’ve seen from civil society is accurate?
MR PIGOTT: Look, I think the results speak for themselves in terms of what President Trump and Secretary Rubio have been able to deliver for the American people, the results they’ve been able to deliver. President Trump is a peacemaker. He is a dealmaker, and he is constantly putting Americans first. And when we approach foreign policy and a standard where we’re approaching that American First perspective, that allows opportunities to pursue common interest, that allows deals to be made, that allows us to have stronger bilateral relationships where we’re finding those common areas to work together on and advance those common interests.
As Spokesperson Bruce has said many times from this podium, just because a framework changes does not mean that the priority necessarily changes as well. Oftentimes what we’re seeing in terms of how we’re approaching the State Department and other aspects are a way to deliver on our priorities better, more effectively, in a way that actually delivers results for the American people. We are making sure every single dollar that we spend from the State Department under Secretary Rubio is advancing the American interest – does it make us safer, stronger, more prosperous. And I think that’s a standard that the American people expect us to have here at the State Department. They’re happy to see that, and the results, again, speak for themselves, with perhaps the most successful – I would argue the most successful hundred-plus days in history. In this past week, the results we have seen from President Trump speak for themselves.
QUESTION: Thank you, Tommy. A question about the new arrivals from South Africa that landed in Dulles yesterday. The UN’s International Organization for Migration has told ABC that they were not involved in administering any loans, and typically they would be the ones to run loans funded by the State Department to pay for refugees to come to the United States to cover those travel costs. I’m wondering, can you speak to how that travel was funded or say anything more about whether the State Department is giving out any loans in this case?
MR PIGOTT: Well, look, I’m not going to talk about specific relationship we have with organizations. I’m also not going to talk about operational details in terms of how we’re implementing the priorities laid out by the President and Secretary Rubio. The main bottom line though is that we are implementing those priorities. We are seeing the President’s executive orders being delivered upon here at the State Department, and this is an example of that, of course, collaborating across different agencies. So we’re going to continue seeing those priorities fulfilled, but I’m not going to comment here on internal operational details or specifics of that nature.
QUESTION: Can I follow up?
QUESTION: Yeah, thank you, Tommy. A question on Türkiye and I have another question on Iran, too. Yesterday the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, PKK, declared its dissolution and end to its armed struggle against Türkiye. There were reports talking about that the U.S. played a positive role in this process as well, and even yesterday Secretary Rubio spoke with his Turkish counterpart and he spoke about this, too. Have you played any role? Have you been involved in this? And what’s your comment on that? Are you considering removing this group from the FTO?
MR PIGOTT: I’m not going to speak about private diplomatic conversations nor preview decisions of that nature that may or may not be made. What I can say is that we welcome the recent announcement from the Kurdistan Workers’ Party on its intent to disband. The United States designed the PKK a foreign terrorist organization in 1997. Tens of thousands of people lost their lives, a result of armed conflict in the decades since the organization was founded, and the terrorist group laying down its arms is a victory for civilization. It is the United States’s hope that this announcement will lead to increased stability for the region.
QUESTION: And a question on Iran. You said that regarding Iran negotiations continue to show progress. What progress have you made so far with Iran? And the next round of talks have been scheduled with Iran. Can you tell us what time or —
MR PIGOTT: Nothing to preview on that front. What I can say is the President spoke to this just in his speech a few hours ago talking about the time for choosing for them is right now, there is a path to prosperity for Iran. He wants to see the entire region be prosperous. He has also been clear that there are two options for Iran. Iran can never have a nuclear weapon, but there are two options in regard to that – a good option and a bad option. So the President has spoken to this. He’s made our priorities clear. He’s made the goal clear. And I don’t have anything additional to add beyond his comments there.
QUESTION: Thank you.
QUESTION: Following —
QUESTION: Thank you.
MR PIGOTT: Yeah.
QUESTION: Thank you. How does the U.S. State Department view the Bangladesh interim government’s ordinance banning all activities of the largest political party, Awami League, one – as I told you, that one of the largest political parties, effectively erasing – erasing its political identity and barring its from future election. I just wanted to mention here in previous briefing Tammy stressed the importance of election and democracy in Bangladesh, especially inclusive election. Now they have banned this political party for – from the activities. How – what is your concern on that?
MR PIGOTT: So what I can say on this is that we are aware that the interim government has banned the Awami League from all political activities until a special tribunal for the party and its leaders concludes. We do not support any one political party in Bangladesh over another. We support a free and democratic process as well as fair and transparent legal processes for all individuals. We urge all countries, including Bangladesh, to respect the freedoms of expression, peaceful assembly, and association for all.
QUESTION: And how does you as the State Department view the interim Bangladeshi government role in the fostering radical ideologies and enabling terrorism following reports of the law advisor Dr. Asif Nazrul meeting with Lashkar-e-Tayyiba operative Harun Izhar and growing support of violence in Kashmir by political and religious leader? They met in the ministry in Bangladesh.
MR PIGOTT: So again, taking a step back I’ll reiterate what has been reiterated from this podium before. We value our partnership with the people of Bangladesh spanning more than 50 years. We remain committed to deepening our partnership by working with the interim government. And I already commented on your other question there, but nothing further to add.
QUESTION: Thank you.
MR PIGOTT: Yes.
QUESTION: Thank you very much, Tommy. Two questions. One on the North Korea and then the second question about the Russia follows.
As you know that the North Korea launched multiple ballistic missiles into the east coast last week for the second time since the second term of the Trump Administration, how do you view the fact that North Korea is receiving missile technology support from Russia which is further escalating the threat to the Korean Peninsula (inaudible)?
MR PIGOTT: So we have spoken on this in the past. I’ll refer to those comments and take back your question for further details that we can get there.
QUESTION: Thank you. Second question on Russia. Russia’s Kremlin said that it will pay for the North Korean soldiers who died in Kursk during the war in Ukraine and that Putin is preparing a new mission with the North Korean military. How will the United States react to the fact that North Korean troops will continue to be stationed in Russia and help Russia even if Russia and Ukraine reach a ceasefire and end the war?
MR PIGOTT: Well, as Spokesperson Bruce has said from this podium, third countries like the DPRK that have perpetrated the Russia-Ukraine war bear responsibility. The DPRK’s military deployment to Russia and any support provided by the Russian Federation to the DPRK in return must end.
QUESTION: Thank you.
QUESTION: Tommy?
MR PIGOTT: Yes.
QUESTION: Thank you. A couple of questions on South Asia. During his calls with Pakistani prime minister, the foreign minister, the army chief, and Secretary in the call, did he receive any commitment or assurance from the Pakistani leadership that they will dismantle all the terrorist infrastructure and they will no longer support terrorist groups within the country?
MR PIGOTT: I’m not going to talk about private diplomatic conversations. What I can say is reiterate what we’ve been saying for a couple days now is that we welcome the ceasefire reached between India and Pakistan this weekend and we commend both prime ministers for choosing the path of peace. The President Truthed about this. He was very clear in terms of that. We also want to encourage direct communication between the parties. That is something we’ve also been clear about as well.
QUESTION: India has refused any U.S. effort to mediate between India and Pakistan. How hopeful you are that you will be able to bring them together in the same room for talks?
MR PIGOTT: Well, I’m not going to speculate on that. What I can say is that we encourage direct communication. We have been clear on that. We continue to encourage that direct communication. The President has been clear on that. And the President, as I said, has also been clear in praising both prime ministers for choosing the path towards peace and the wisdom and fortitude that that shows.
QUESTION: Has U.S. sent a team to Islamabad or Pakistan following the reports that there have been leaks of nuclear radiation in some of the secure Pakistani sites?
MR PIGOTT: I have nothing to preview on that at this time.
QUESTION: A follow-up.
QUESTION: I have one more question.
MR PIGOTT: Sorry.
QUESTION: A follow-up. Thank you.
MR PIGOTT: I think that’s —
QUESTION: Thank you, Tommy. Thank you, Tommy, and a beautiful style you have, by the way. I hope you continue to do that more often – these briefings. My question is about – Pakistan welcomed President Trump efforts for bringing the ceasefire between Pakistan and India, and they believe that President Trump could win a Nobel Peace Prize if he were to bring peace between Pakistan and India on Kashmir issue. But Prime Minister Modi did not welcome this effort, and he’s the same gentleman that was not allowed to come to the U.S. till 10 years ago. Does that disappoint this building at all, the attitude of Narendra Modi of not welcoming this peace deal?
MR PIGOTT: Well, what we are happy to see is a ceasefire.
QUESTION: Okay.
MR PIGOTT: That is what we are happy to see. That’s where our focus remains. And we want to see a ceasefire be maintained, and we want to encourage direct communication. That is our focus here. Our focus is the ceasefire. Our focus is on encouraging direct communication. That’s where our focus is going to remain. The President has spoken on this.
And just to take the first part of your question kind of focusing on a more global foreign policy front, talking about issues around the world, the President – President Trump – is a peacemaker. He’s a peacemaker. He values peace. He’s also a dealmaker, and he has shown that again and again and again in terms of both pursuing an America First agenda but also pursuing peace and wanting to see peace and conflicts come to an end.
QUESTION: Thank you very much. One more question about —
QUESTION: A follow-up.
QUESTION: Excuse me. One more question.
MR PIGOTT: Yeah.
QUESTION: The drones which India used against Pakistan were Israeli-made drones. President Trump’s one initiative that has been globally recognized and talked about is his Abraham Accord idea. Do you think this landing of Israeli drones in Pakistan would create hurdles in the President vision – his whole thought about this Abraham Accord where he wants to bring these three religions close to each other – or these Israeli drones will further complicate the relations between Pakistan and Israel, or no?
MR PIGOTT: Well, I’ll reiterate what we are focused on here and happy to see is a ceasefire. We want to see direct communication between the parties. And when it comes to, again, solving conflicts that have existed in regions around the world, the President wants to solve those conflicts when he can. He’s often said that he stands ready to aid in the pursuit of peace; he stands ready to help. And the President is a dealmaker. He is a peacemaker. He has shown that again and again. And we’re seeing the results of that from the past hundred days and even just this last week. So the President is a dealmaker, he’s a peacemaker, but nothing to comment further beyond that.
QUESTION: Thank you so much.
QUESTION: A follow-up.
MR PIGOTT: Yeah. Yeah.
QUESTION: And thank you. I want to follow up on Syria. President Trump, in addition to lifting the sanctions, also said that he wants to create a fresh start with Syria. I wonder what does this mean for the U.S.-Syria relations going forward. Does this move indicate a broader policy shift towards full normalization? I also wonder – President Trump also said today that Secretary Rubio will meet Syrian Foreign Minister al-Shaibani in Türkiye later this week. What are your expectations from this meeting?
MR PIGOTT: Look, the President spoke to this. He spoke to his reasoning. He spoke to the fact that he wants to see the entire region thrive. We want to see peace and prosperity.
When it comes to the Syrian interim authorities, from this podium and elsewhere we’ve communicated with them some of the actions that they should take for peace and prosperity, and we hope that they do take those actions. But the President has spoken to this in that speech a few hours ago, saying that this is about making sure we have a region that can thrive, a region for long-term peace and prosperity.
Yes.
QUESTION: Yeah, I wanted to follow up about the – Secretary Rubio’s trip as well to the Middle East. So the importance, if you can elaborate a little more – although you did some – about the relationship between the U.S. and the Middle East and how important this relationship will be also to succeed through those countries like Saudi Arabia, the Emirates, to the peace talk in – between Gaza and Israel but also to stop Iran from nuclear weapons? Thank you.
MR PIGOTT: Look, the President has spoken to this issue as well just a few hours ago, and he was talking about the fact that we can have great partnership with the Middle East, and we have in many ways already, pursuing those common interests. And we want to see those common interests continue.
I mentioned at the top here the $600 billion investment commitment from Saudi Arabia that was announced today. So that’s just one example of the many ways that we have partnership with the Middle East, pursuing common interests. And the President has been clear both from the time of the last administration, his first visit to the region, talking about the things that we want to see. So there’s a lot of opportunities in the Middle East. And again, like I said earlier, this is about a golden age for America, but we also have an opportunity to see a golden age for the Middle East and the benefits that would bring both the American people and the people in the Middle East.
QUESTION: Thank you.
MR PIGOTT: Yes.
QUESTION: So —
MR PIGOTT: Sorry, in front of you. Yeah.
QUESTION: Thank you. Thank you so much. Two quick questions, if I may, the first on Secretary Rubio’s trip to the Middle East and the second one in Latin America. In the recent past, Secretary Rubio said that the U.S. will not engage anymore with Russians and Ukrainians if both countries do not show real commitment with a permanent ceasefire. How the U.S. diplomacy describe this momentum when both sides are ready to meet in Türkiye with – alongside Secretary Rubio?
MR PIGOTT: Well, as the President has said, this is a critical opportunity to try to achieve that ceasefire and try to achieve that long peace. The President has been clear he wants to see those direct talks happen. And I think it’s also important to remember that the President has brought us closer to peace when it comes to this conflict than in the years preceding him taking office, and that’s a great credit to his leadership.
So he wants to see those direct talks happen. This is a critical opportunity to achieve that ceasefire and then potentially achieve that long peace, ultimately with the goal of ending this conflict. As has been said so many times by President Trump, so many times by Spokesperson Bruce, we want to see this conflict come to an end. That’s what we want to see.
QUESTION: On Latin America very quickly, officials from the U.S. and Brazil, they convened here in Washington, D.C., yesterday to discuss disarmament. And according the State Department, they discussed, for example, arms control with Russia and China – if you could address this matter.
MR PIGOTT: Nothing further preview than what we’ve already said on this. So I refer you to those comments.
And with that, thank you very much, I appreciate it, and see you on Thursday.
QUESTION: Thank you.
QUESTION: Thank you. Good job.
(The briefing was concluded at 2:28 p.m.)
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