Department Press Briefing – May 27, 2025

MS BRUCE: Thank you very much, thank you very much. Hi, everybody.

QUESTION: Hello.

MS BRUCE: It’s musical chairs. What was going on in here? I was thinking, “My gosh.” All right, though, this is good. Thank you all for being here. I appreciate it. I think it’s beautiful outside. Who was outside recently?

QUESTION: It’s raining.

MS BRUCE: It was raining.

QUESTION: It was raining like 20 minutes —

MS BRUCE: The flowers think it’s a beautiful day.

I cannot emphasize enough the gravity of this warning. More U.S. nationals are currently wrongfully detained in Venezuela than in any other country. President Trump has obtained freedom for several Americans wrongfully detained in Venezuela since taking office, most recently last week, and we continue to do everything we can to secure the freedom of the remaining Americans wrongfully detained in Venezuela. We need to ensure that no additional Americans are falling into this trap.

Our simple message for Americans: Do not travel to Venezuela. The Secretary’s highest priority is the safety and security of the American people. For – and thank you, everyone, for – especially everyone listening at home for heeding this warning.

We also have taken significant steps to lift sanctions against Syria. On Friday, Secretary Rubio waived Caesar Act sanctions for 180 days, and the U.S. Treasury Department announced General License 25 and other relief measures. We are engaging with regional and global partners to open investment in Syria. The cessation of sanctions against Syria will advance our primary objective: the enduring defeat of ISIS by giving the people of Syria a chance for a better future. The United States will remain focused on the mission to defeat ISIS and eliminating terrorists who threaten Americans.

And that is our announcements. Some very good news, obviously. Many of us – we’ve all been talking about this from the beginning of my being at this podium, so it’s a pleasure to give you some more specifics. And of course, with Special Envoy Barrack I think we’re in very, very good hands.

Let’s start, surprisingly, with Matt Lee.

QUESTION: Thank you, Tammy. Just – I want to ask about Gaza, but do you know off the top of your head or is it written down someplace how many Americans are wrongfully – currently designated as wrongfully detained in Venezuela?

MS BRUCE: Yes, those are numbers that we will not share. That’s a dynamic that we consider, of course, an important diplomatic dynamic as well as a national security dynamic, so no, I won’t be giving you those numbers.

QUESTION: All right. On Gaza.

MS BRUCE: Yes.

QUESTION: What is the situation there, as you understand it, with the GHF and their first shipment or shipments in?

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, under the humanitarian principles of independence and impartiality, has commenced providing lifesaving aid to the people of Gaza who desperately need it. Approximately 8,000 food boxes have been distributed so far. Each box feeds 5.5 people for three and a half days, totaling 462,000 meals. And so those are the kinds of numbers I think as we’re looking at what’s important in moving that kind of aid through the area.

QUESTION: Right. But there was apparently some incident or incidents today involving potentially shots being – or at least warning shots being fired and hundreds of civilians —

MS BRUCE: Well, yes, Hamas still has weapons. Hamas is in a situation here where all of this could have stopped, of course, if they had released the hostages and put down their weapons, but they refuse to do so. They’ve also rejected ceasefires. So that’s – without confirming what might be gossip or single reports, the fact of the matter is Hamas has been opposed to this dynamic. They have attempted to stop the aid movement through Gaza to these distribution centers. They have failed, but they certainly tried.

The bottom line is the real story here is that the aid is moving through. And in that kind of an environment it’s not surprising that there might be a few issues involved, but the good news is, is that those seeking to get aid to the people of Gaza, which is not Hamas, have succeeded.

QUESTION: And last one, really briefly.

MS BRUCE: Yes.

QUESTION: And I won’t take up any more time.

MS BRUCE: That’s why I’m here.

QUESTION: But my understanding is that the administration is not particularly happy with the position that the UN and its agencies have taken with regard to these shipments. Is that correct?

MS BRUCE: Well, it is – I’ve – from the very beginning, we had mentioned and we had heard about the resistance by certain NGOs and the UN. It is unfortunate because the issue here is getting aid to Gazans, and then suddenly it moves into complaints about style or the nature of who’s doing it or elements of administration. And being opposed to getting food and aid, as we have demonstrated here is happening and will continue to happen, because someone might feel left out is, I think, the height of hypocrisy.

So, the bottom line is, is that clearly people who care about the nature of solving this problem are taking action and moving it forward. And that’s what counts. That’s what matters.

QUESTION: Thank you.

MS BRUCE: Yes, Andrea.

QUESTION: May I follow up?

MS BRUCE: Yes, ma’am.

QUESTION: Cindy McCain of the World Food Program was on CBS yesterday with a very different narrative, and we are hearing from the ground today from our reporters and producers and camera crews that this incident was very serious, that it was not Hamas-related. Cindy McCain said that Hamas is not breaking up the food deliveries, that people are starving and there are food riots because people are desperate. And the criticism of the GHF has been that it is not independent or impartial, that it was started by the Netanyahu government with people who were supposedly independent and that it is only operating in the south, deliberately designed with four distribution points in the south in order to have people in the north move south for the aid and therefore accelerate the movement of people and the – putting people in the south rather than in the north where they wanted to be. So there are a lot of controversies about this from the ground from all of our reporting.

MS BRUCE: Well, I – yes, mm-hmm.

QUESTION: McCain said that no one had approached the World Food Program, which is still delivering food into Gaza, that people have been desperate. No one had – she had met with, as you know, the Secretary. She said she welcomed that and was grateful for it, that the Rubio and McCain families have been friends for decades but that they had a frank conversation about what’s happening between Israel and the food deliveries, and that no one had even told them about this foundation or given them —

MS BRUCE: Well, Andrea, this is – well, this is where, again, we —

QUESTION: — or had coordinated with them in any way.

MS BRUCE: There certainly – and this is something the world is watching, something we’ve all cared about getting resolved. It is not an uncomplicated situation. This is, however, the first delivery of major aid if not the only aid we’ve been hearing for months. I wish that Cindy McCain had spoken up that they had found a way to move food into Gaza, because that certainly hadn’t been conveyed to us. But now – which if that’s the case, that’s great.

What I do know is that the people on the ground now as were – as the number I told you I think is rather significant, 462,000 meals, that’s what we’re focused on. And this is – and I’m not – I’m not going to address either gossip or complaints or people who knew or weren’t included or would do it a different way or who’s shooting at whom, that – it’s not —

I – the real story here – the story is that aid and food is moving into Gaza at a massive scale at this point when you’re looking at 8,000 food boxes. Was this going to be like going to the mall or through a drive-thru? No, it wasn’t. This is a complicated environment, and the story is the fact that it’s working. I find it difficult that there are people who would go on television shows to complain about a process that is working and moving food into the area. Will it improve —

QUESTION: Tammy, one – one follow-up, please.

MS BRUCE: — over time? Would it – would anything that we do improve over time? Yes, in all likelihood. I think anyone would welcome someone like a Mrs. McCain or anyone else who has a method within which to contribute to this effort to be able to do so instead of going on television and complaining.

QUESTION: Tammy, one follow-up, please.

MS BRUCE: And that’s – the real story is that this is succeeding, and I think we should all at least have the courage to embrace that.

QUESTION: But until now there has been a blockade, a blockade by Israel of the food, so no one has been able to get through those crossings.

MS BRUCE: Well, I thought you just said Cindy McCain said that she was able to do that. But I would also say that this process managed to overcome that dynamic, and the dynamic has changed. Whatever it was that was having – hindering the nature of aid to the Gazan people —

QUESTION: Israel was blocking it.

MS BRUCE: — has been overcome. It clearly needs to expand. I don’t speak for this foundation, but clearly we’ve got to welcome any dynamic that allows getting aid and food into the region, which is happening right now. And that’s the story.

Nadia.

QUESTION: Thank you, Tammy. I have two questions. I understand this is a beginning of a process. For the time being, the delivery of food is at two places, which is Tal al-Sultan and the Morag crossing. Is this any guarantee that people who come from the north to receive this food, are they allowed to go back? Because that’s the fear, that basically this is a way to move the population from the north to the south. And do you have any plan that they will expand it to go to other places in the north?

MS BRUCE: Well, it’s not – this again. This is not a State Department effort. We don’t have a plan. It’s – I can’t answer that regarding the nature of how certain situations would be responded to. I’m not going to speculate or to say what they should or should not do. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation has an email. You can – they should be reached out to, and that’s what I’d recommend regarding plans to expand, plans to make assessments of what’s worked and what hasn’t at this point and what changes they might make. And what the goal is – clearly the goal is to reach as many people as possible.

Yes, sir.

QUESTION: Can I ask about Iran?

MS BRUCE: Yeah. Go ahead, please.

QUESTION: On Iran, please. The Israeli minister of strategic affairs is in town, according to Israeli media. Has there been any meeting between him and Secretary Rubio? And can you update us on the state of talks between Iran and the U.S.? Is there new planning – meeting planned ahead?

Both sides have agreed to meet again in the near future, and we are grateful to once again our Omani partners for their continued facilitation of the process.

All right. Yes, dear.

QUESTION: Just to follow up on the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation —

MS BRUCE: Sure.

QUESTION: — because I think you talked about independence and neutrality that was involved in this new foundation. But I mean, quite clearly that’s not the case. I mean, the IDF itself has said this has been done in coordination with it and the foundation. So it’s clearly being done and the security of it is carried out by – on the perimeter Israeli forces, and then American security contractors. The problem with that and what the experts in the United Nations say is that you therefore have a situation where the aid is provided by an organization that seem to be a party to the conflict. And that’s what the UN has always avoided, because you potentially make the recipients targets. We’re seeing that already potentially, in that this has become a very militarized form of aid. So I’m just interested in why you describe this as independent and neutral when it clearly doesn’t appear to be so.

QUESTION: It’s just that there was another mechanism that was able to accomplish this and more, which is the United Nations, which is —

MS BRUCE: You’re right, we did have a really good mechanism; it was called a ceasefire, which Hamas broke. And it is a ceasefire and a plan that had been operating and offered, which they continually refuse to accept, continued to hold hostages as they still continue to not just hold hostages but the bodies of the people that they’ve murdered. And they’ve refused to do the one thing that could stop this in a moment. They’ve refused. So we did. We had – it was a ceasefire, and Special Envoy Witkoff very successful, and Hamas decided, well, that was just too much of that.

So, I’m – the real story here is that there’s food aid going in. There will be people, of course, who will look at some of the details and not like it. But then I think it shows us the priorities of certain individuals when it comes to – at first it was let’s get these people fed, and now it seems to be something else in the meantime.

Yes, sir. Go ahead.

QUESTION: Thank you, Tammy.

QUESTION: Thank you, Tammy. Colombian President Gustavo Petro —

MS BRUCE: Wait, no, sir. I’m sorry, I don’t know who’s speaking, but go ahead.

QUESTION: Oh, sorry.

MS BRUCE: Yeah.

QUESTION: Thank you, Tammy. Last week I asked you a question about the deals signed between the Kurdistan Region Government and two U.S. firms. Yeah, last —

MS BRUCE: You know what? We need to turn his microphone up, and you’ve got to keep your head up.

QUESTION: Okay, I’ll repeat the question.

MS BRUCE: Keep your head up.

QUESTION: Last week I asked you a question about the recent deal signed between the Kurdistan Region Government and two U.S. firms, the energy deals. And you encouraged Baghdad to work with Erbil to resolve the issues. But this week the Iraqi oil ministry has filed lawsuits against the two deals with the American firms.

MS BRUCE: I know. (Laughter.)

QUESTION: So, any reaction to that? And how this impacts the U.S. firms’ incentive to invest in the region? And I have another question regarding Iraq.

It’s – we know, of course, last week Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Government Prime Minister Masrour Barzani in Washington. Also on Friday, May 23rd – a busy day here – Secretary Rubio and Prime Minister Barzani discussed opportunities to further increase trade and investment between the United States and the Iraqi Kurdistan Region. The Secretary commended the prime minister for finalizing deals with U.S. companies to expand natural gas production in the IKR, which will help Iraq move toward energy independence. The Secretary and prime minister discussed their mutual interest in protecting the rights of religious and ethnic minorities in Iraq and Syria. The Secretary also reaffirmed U.S. support for a strong and resilient IKR as a foundational pillar of the relationship between the – that the – that the United States enjoys with Iraq. We also believe that U.S. and Iraqi interests are best served by having a strong, resilient Iraqi Kurdistan Region within a sovereign and prosperous federal Iraq. And we continue to support U.S. companies doing business in all of Iraq, including trade and investment between the United States and the IKR.

As far as the nature of the lawsuits, it’s – again, obviously, we are looking forward to continuing these kinds of deals. We expect these kinds of deals to flourish and expect and would hope that they would be facilitated. But it’s – again, we’ve got to underscore the importance of an independent – an energy independent region, and this is one way that we’re going to be able to do it.

QUESTION: And another question on Iraq.

MS BRUCE: Sure.

MS BRUCE: I do have something I can tell you on this. There is some reports regarding an exchange discussed. Those reports are categorically false, although we remain committed to existing discussions regarding her. And we have and will continue to underscore with the Iraqi Government the urgency of securing her release – that is, Elizabeth Tsurkov’s release.

All right. Yes.

QUESTION: Two questions. Today in Türkiye, Foreign Minister Lavrov suggested there was some sort of prisoner exchange deal between Presidents Putin and Trump. Is there any light you can shed onto that?

MS BRUCE: No. No. There’s nothing – I have nothing to report to you about that.

QUESTION: Secondly —

MS BRUCE: Not at all.

QUESTION: — there is reporting that the administration may require all foreign students to undergo social media vetting, and that embassies and consulates are pausing interviews for new student visas, according to a cable from Secretary Rubio. Is that accurate, and do you have any other information?

QUESTION: (Off-mike.)

MS BRUCE: All right. All right. Yes, go ahead.

QUESTION: Can I switch to Russia, Tammy? After the Istanbul talks, Secretary Rubio said he didn’t believe they were a waste of time because the Russians were going to be putting forward this proposal for potential ceasefire and end to the war. The Russians still have not given the U.S. that proposal. So, do you still believe that this wasn’t a waste of time? And when is the U.S. going to actually levy these sanctions that have been warned about and perhaps walk away from negotiations?

QUESTION: Yes.

What I can say is that – also by the way, which has generated, I think, the President’s ire and all of our extreme concern are the attacks resulting in civilian casualties in Ukraine. The President has said many times this has to stop. We are monitoring reports that this weekend’s airstrikes by Russia constituted the largest aerial assault on Ukraine since the start of the war. Obviously, our thoughts, prayers, and awareness sits with the victims and their families. We are calling for restraint and urge all parties to avoid further escalation. We continue to support direct talks between Russia and Ukraine. The President supports any mechanism that leads to a just, durable, and lasting peace – any mechanism. There is no military solution to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and a diplomatic solution is necessary.

QUESTION: Sorry.

MS BRUCE: Yes.

QUESTION: One quick follow up, Tammy.

QUESTION: (Off-mike.)

QUESTION: The Germans say the U.S. has lifted all of its restrictions on the use of long-range weapons. Can you confirm that? And when was that decision —

MS BRUCE: I’m not going to discuss that. No, I’m not going to confirm that.

Yes.

QUESTION: Thanks, Tammy. On that memorandum for peace that Russia is supposed to be coming up with, was there a timeline ever set for when Russia needed to hand that over? Do you see this as a delay tactic stalling direct talks?

MS BRUCE: Well, I can’t – again, I can’t speak to what – if there was – what the agreement would have been; if there was a timeline. I’m – I can’t share that information. I think clearly you should look to the President’s sentiment that he’s made very public as to indicate whether or not he’s satisfied with what they’ve done.

QUESTION: (Off-mike.)

MS BRUCE: Yes, sir. In the back.

QUESTION: Let me follow up on that question – get your reaction to Russians’ response to President’s tweet, calling it quote/unquote “emotional.”

MS BRUCE: Yes, well, what – I’m not going to speak about the President’s emotions, but I think one reason why he was elected with a mandate last year is that we can all relate to him. He’s transparent. He’s doing something he cares passionately about. He knows what he wants to accomplish. He inherited a world that was on fire and is determined to stop those things. We’ve heard his remarks about all of this, clearly indicating a personal interest in the nature of what is occurring. It – and I think that that’s what we all appreciate about him. If the Russians cared about the nature of how this is proceeding, they would be thinking less about that and more about what they could do, which is in their hands, to stop the carnage and the slaughter that’s happening right now. And so it’s, I think, pretty clear where both sides are at this point.

QUESTION: And Tammy, given the President’s public frustration at Putin, it is fair to expect some immediate policy adjustments on the –

MS BRUCE: I wouldn’t call it frustration. I would – it is a statement of the man who has led the effort for peace in so many different regions, making it clear and being completely transparent about his opinion about what’s transpired. And I think that is something Russia should take seriously. Americans certainly do. And there are – as I mentioned last week, that there are many different things that the President has at his disposal to make sure that our position is felt and that that can be used to make an impact to stop this carnage.

Yeah. Yes, sir.

MS BRUCE: I’m a fan of Prince Charles – King Charles and of Prince William and Princess Kate. I think they’re a great family. That’s it.

QUESTION: And on their – on Canada’s sovereignty?

MS BRUCE: Yes, Shaun. Go ahead. (Laughter.)

QUESTION: If you don’t mind, let me go back to the student visa issue, leaving a lot – aside the issue of the cable. The Secretary himself has said that the vast majority of students in the country – foreign students have done nothing wrong; they shouldn’t be worried about their visas; they’re welcome to study at American universities. People going to universities this fall, foreign students – should they be concerned that their visas won’t be processed in time? Do you think that there’s – is the State Department confident that people can still go, can still attend autumn semesters?

QUESTION: And processing delays – do you expect students applying now to get in without problems?

MS BRUCE: Again, I can’t speak to their individual experiences. But of course, it seems like the nature of the reaction to this is that – but I can’t – we’ve always vetted people trying to come in. We’ve always looked at visas seriously. It’s why we have a visa, so that you can stop and look at someone. So I can’t speak about what the individual experience will be, but the fact is that everyone knows that we’re – it’s a reminder, certainly, that we’re taking it seriously.

QUESTION: Can I just follow up on that?

MS BRUCE: Yes, go ahead, certainly.

QUESTION: And you just said it – there is a vetting process for anybody who’s coming in the country. But what is different now? Is there a new criteria, a new mechanism? What’s different?

MS BRUCE: Well, yes. We – in addition to not discussing, for privacy reasons and a whole host of other reasons, discussing individual visa processes with an individual, but we also don’t talk about the methods. We’re not going to lay out here with the media the nature of the steps that are taken, the methods that we use. That would seem to be a little bit counterproductive, perhaps. But it is a goal, as stated by the President and Secretary Rubio, to make sure that people who are here are here and understand what the law is, that they don’t have any criminal intent, that they are going to be contributors to the experience here, whether – however short or long their stay is. And so the details of which I won’t reveal, but it’s one that will hopefully achieve our understanding of who deserves to visit this country and who does not.

QUESTION: And just on Gaza, if I may.

MS BRUCE: Of course.

QUESTION: There were – to say it mildly, there were some challenges today delivering the aid parcels to Gaza. Do you – if there are more challenges of this sort, or if these challenges intensify, what do you expect? Is there a plan B? Does it stop or does it —

Yes, Said.

QUESTION: Thank you. Thank you very much. Just how can one contact the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation? This seems to be the gripe, is the United Nations —

MS BRUCE: I don’t think anyone would appreciate if I gave out an email right here from the podium.

QUESTION: No, no. It’s —

MS BRUCE: I think there’s a thing called the internet —

QUESTION: Okay.

MS BRUCE: — and you can type them in, and you will get an email address.

QUESTION: Okay.

MS BRUCE: There’s a lot of you – I think most of you are reporters. I think a number of you understand research and the typing in of the interweb tubes, which will give you that information, sir.

QUESTION: Okay. Just a quick follow-up —

MS BRUCE: Yes.

QUESTION: — on two points. Now, the gripe of the United Nations is that not knowing who this organization is and who stands behind it, who’s going to finance it, and so on. They also say that there are very sparse or couple of entry points and so on; they need more entry points, they need more —

MS BRUCE: Yes, everyone has an opinion. I understand that.

QUESTION: But you understand —

MS BRUCE: What I do know, too, is for the first time ever, Said, with your very well-founded concern —

QUESTION: Right.

MS BRUCE: — I can tell you that over – almost half a million meals —

QUESTION: Right.

MS BRUCE: — have been delivered into that region. I am pleased to be able to say that to you, without dealing with someone or an entity or a group that isn’t entirely happy because it’s not absolutely perfect or because they would have done it differently. But we finally have that happening.

Yes, sir, in the back. Right there with – right, I don’t —

QUESTION: Me?

MS BRUCE: With the great hair. You’ve got great hair, but no. Yes, sir, you.

QUESTION: Okay.

MS BRUCE: You. You’re pointing – you’re doing this.

QUESTION: I’m – I don’t have gray hair. (Laughter.)

MS BRUCE: No, I’m – that’s why I’m pointing – I think you probably do. You, sir.

QUESTION: Thank you.

MS BRUCE: Yeah, all right.

QUESTION: I have no hair.

MS BRUCE: Well, there you go. (Laughter.)

QUESTION: Is it me or – just can you confirm if —

MS BRUCE: No, no, not – I’m saying not you. (Laughter.) The man with (inaudible) gray hair.

QUESTION: A little (inaudible) gray hair.

MS BRUCE: You, sir. Speak up.

QUESTION: Thank you, thank you.

QUESTION: I can make it gray.

QUESTION: Thank you very much. Thank you. Sorry, sorry.

MS BRUCE: That’s all right. If you wait, they run right by you.

QUESTION: Right, yes.

MS BRUCE: All right.

QUESTION: I appreciate it.

MS BRUCE: What’s your name, sir, and what outlet?

QUESTION: Prem Thakker with Zeteo News.

MS BRUCE: All right.

QUESTION: Thank you.

MS BRUCE: Welcome aboard.

QUESTION: Thank you very much. As you said just earlier today, the world has been shocked by what’s happened in Gaza over the past few days. The silhouette of the little girl –

MS BRUCE: Well, I said it’s been – obviously it’s been shocked over generations about what’s happened in Gaza.

QUESTION: Sure, absolutely, absolutely.

MS BRUCE: And that Hamas certainly has refused to stop that violence. But go ahead.

QUESTION: So, but just in the past few days we’ve seen the silhouette of a little girl trying to flee burning classrooms surrounding her, killing people around her. We’ve seen thousands of Palestinians starved by Israel’s blockade, herded between fences as they tried to get fed today. Excuse me. A doctor who saw nine of her children killed by Israeli bombs. All the while, this administration, of course, as we’ve seen, has sought to deport students who protest this, including one student who wrote an op-ed against this kind of behavior. The administration came in telling Americans it would be more pro-peace, more anti-war, than the previous —

MS BRUCE: This is beginning to sound like a soliloquy, sir. Do you have a question, please?

QUESTION: — than the previous – than the previous administration.

MS BRUCE: Do you have a question, please?

QUESTION: I’m curious —

MS BRUCE: Yes, this is a very serious issue, and everyone has your question.

QUESTION: Yes. Yes, yes. I wonder —

MS BRUCE: So please ask it.

QUESTION: I wonder how you see this administration being more pro-peace or more anti-war than the previous administration, given these kinds of horrors that Americans are witnessing.

MS BRUCE: Yes. Well, it is a dynamic where, as I also just mentioned a little bit ago, we did achieve a ceasefire – something which nobody thought would be possible after the heinousness of October 7th, the nature of what had occurred on that day. The fact that there has to be a new way – the President has stated we have to have new ideas to make a difference so this stops and doesn’t go from generation to generation, which all of us have experienced. It’s – right?– wash, rinse, and repeat, over and over and over again, every 20 years. It’s – and it would never stop.

I think that what we’ve got here is after – I don’t know, what has it been? – three months, a bit over a hundred days of President Trump managing to get, I think, every warring party, every hostile party against other people on this planet to a table to stop. Now, that’s the simple part. Making things happen and making it last is another thing. Hamas – we did have a ceasefire, and then Hamas decided, once again, that that was just not going to do, and they continue to do what they do.

That – first of all, again, in that – regarding the particular issues over the last few days, we call on all parties to this conflict to take every feasible measure to mitigate civilian harm. We refer you to Israel for more information on its airstrikes. And we also know, as we all do – and this is one of the things that we’ve discovered time and time again – that Hamas uses hospitals and other humanitarian areas as human shields. This is why we continue to try to get a ceasefire done, despite the obstacles that Hamas constantly presents. It is apparently their hope that we would just give up and go away or that the usual status quo would continue. But President Trump is not that person. He’s a person who gets it done. And after decades of conflict – I understand you’re frustrated after maybe three months of it not being perfect yet, but that is what we are going for. We will continue to work for this. It is President Trump’s commitment.

QUESTION: I just want to follow up. Just a follow up.

MS BRUCE: Yes, Eric, please. Eric. Yeah, Eric, go ahead, please.

QUESTION: Thank you, Tammy, for the question. I wanted to ask you: The end of last week, we reported – and you began —

MS BRUCE: And you’re Bloomberg, for those watching who don’t know. Go ahead.

QUESTION: (Laughter.) You began the conversation today, or excuse me, the briefing today, with a reference to Venezuela and to the challenges faced by —

MS BRUCE: Yes.

QUESTION: — Americans in Venezuela, the repression of the Venezuelan regime.

MS BRUCE: Correct.

QUESTION: The license for Chevron to produce oil in Venezuela expired yesterday. We’re reporting – our reporting is that there is a very narrow license for basic maintenance to make sure that equipment that’s in the country doesn’t become completely unusable so that one day, if there is a change of government, it might be possible to drill and produce again. This is a license that would have to come from the administration. Do you have anything on that, as far as whether it’s been granted?

MS BRUCE: Well, no. I can’t speak to that at all. But what I can say is, actually, your timeline on the Chevron license is wrong. It’s tonight at 11:59.

QUESTION: Okay. Got you.

MS BRUCE: So this is the last hurrah here. That will expire at 11:59 this evening.

QUESTION: Okay.

MS BRUCE: What we can say, of course, also is that – just to be very specific, we – beyond the warning, of course, to Americans – is that we will not allow any money to move to the Maduro regime that assists their regime. We are, of course, very conscious of the dynamic regarding – as we discussed earlier, as you noted – those who are held wrongfully in Venezuela. But we also are going to make sure that, as the Secretary made clear last week, that this license expires. That, of course, is going to be felt. And we also know that the instructions, the President’s instructions to Secretary Rubio, that he took steps, of course, to terminate all Biden-era oil and gas licenses that benefited Maduro’s regime and lined the pockets of his cronies.

We are going to continue to deny any funding of the Maduro regime that it uses to oppress the Venezuelan people. So, I hope that answers both of those questions.

QUESTION: Tammy?

MS BRUCE: Yes, sir.

QUESTION: If we could come back to Gaza as – specifically because tomorrow the – Germany’s foreign minister is going to be here and meeting with the Secretary. As Germany’s government has kind of shifted quite a lot in the last few days on their position of support for Israel, they’ve been, alongside the U.S., one of the main backers of Israel in this war. And now they’re saying – the chancellor is saying that the war in Gaza is no longer justified by the need to fight Hamas. So, it seems like that whatever coalition was left of countries, including U.S., backing Israel seems to be getting smaller. Are you concerned that there’s even less international support for Israel? Does that influence the way that the U.S. is thinking about this, that one of the main European countries backing Israel is – has been backing down?

Regarding the UK, Canada, France, and any number of others that took disappointing steps last week – unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state, in this case – is unproductive and obstructs ongoing U.S. efforts towards peace in the region. And I think that there is a clear line that has been drawn by President Trump, which, again, definitely disturbs the status quo, which is that there has to be peace – not just for six months, not because there’s been a deal made for a year, that this has to be enduring. The entire framework has to change.

He’s not kidding. He’s not kidding because otherwise, in five years or sooner, someone will be in your position, someone else will definitely be in my position, having the same conversation. We can’t allow that to continue. That is President Trump’s understanding and vision of the change that needs to occur. And the fact is, is that the status quo does seem to be perhaps the easier thing to maintain, but it’s not the one that’s going to save lives.

All right, yes. There. Right there. Go ahead. Speak up. Yeah.

QUESTION: Thank you, Tammy. President (inaudible) —

MS BRUCE: No, no, excuse me, sir.

QUESTION: I’m sorry.

MS BRUCE: Yes, that will get you not called on because you can tell I’m not looking at you.

Go ahead, sir, please.

QUESTION: Yeah, I have two questions. The first one is about Russia and Ukraine. We’re seeing the Secretary of State several times saying that the U.S. are closing to stepping back in different ways, and we know the U.S. did play several cards. So, what can we expect if this is happening? It means providing more weapons to Ukraine in order to leverage with the Russian, or just it means do nothing and let the Europeans do that?

QUESTION: — keep letting like – I’m sorry. Keep letting Prime Minister Netanyahu doing what he’s doing in Gaza, or President Trump at a certain point would say stop, let’s sit down?

MS BRUCE: Well, if you see President Trump, you could ask him directly that. I’m not going to presume —

QUESTION: No, let’s say to Rubio, to Secretary Rubio.

MS BRUCE: I know. I’m not going to presume President Trump’s frame of mind about what he’s willing to do or won’t do. This is a man who is serious about getting a situation finished, of getting a deal done, of ending the situation, which he is clearly confident it can end. My assessment of what he would do – he is him for a reason. I’m not him. And the last thing I think any of us want to do is second-guess the President, certainly in this case, President Trump. So he’s also a human being, even though sometimes he does – he does more than what the average human being can do.

But I feel that as we’ve seen today with Putin, that there is a point that he looks at things differently. And how that manifests, just like with everything else in this administration, it will happen quickly.

And that’s what I’ve got for you today. Thank you, everyone. Thank you, and I will see you on – I’ll see you on Thursday. Happy ending-of-the-Chevron-license day. Happy Ending. All right, thank you.

(The briefing was concluded at 3:00 p.m.)

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