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Secretary of State Marco Rubio with Gillian Turner of Fox News
09/15/2025

Secretary of State Marco Rubio with Gillian Turner of Fox News
09/15/2025 01:46 PM EDT


Marco Rubio, Secretary of State

Jerusalem
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Secretary of State Marco Rubio with Gillian Turner of Fox News


Interview


September 15, 2025



QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, thank you so much for taking time with us.

SECRETARY RUBIO: Thank you.

QUESTION: You’re here in Israel as this major offensive in Gaza City is getting underway. To the outside world, it appears that this war is escalating rather than progressing towards a ceasefire and a hostage deal, as President Trump and yourself want.

SECRETARY RUBIO: Yeah. Well, how the war ends is the following: Every single hostage is released – all 48, including those that are deceased. Hamas no longer exists as an armed group threatening the strip. That’s how the war ends. So the question is how do you achieve it? And ideally, in a perfect world, you would achieve it through a diplomatic agreement. Hamas would agree to disarm and disband, and they would agree to immediately release every single hostage, including the bodies of those who have died. That’s the ideal outcome. That hasn’t come to fruition.

So if it’s not going to end that way, then it’s going to have to end through a military operation. And I think the Israelis themselves would prefer it not be through a military operation. It’s – when we talk about defeating Hamas and going after Hamas, it’s Israelis that are going to have to go do that, not Americans. So we’re continuing to push, both – because I think that’s the goal President Trump has for this. He wants it to be over quickly, but he wants it to be over quickly with the hostages released, all of them, and with Hamas no longer being a threat. And so as much as anything else, this is about an opportunity to visit with our allies here in Israel to see what the plan is and what their ideas are for bringing that to fruition.

QUESTION: When the President says that he is tired of these piecemeal hostage negotiations – he wants all of them to get released, the remainder of the hostages to get released all together – does that mean that you’re not longer going to negotiate along the lines of individual people?

SECRETARY RUBIO: Well, look, I think the President’s frustration about five hostages, eight hostages, ten hostages are widely shared, including by the hostage families. It’s just delaying and delaying and delaying. He’d prefer them – he thinks they all need to be – look, there shouldn’t be a single hostage. There shouldn’t be a single one. There never should have been a single one. So he wants them all released. That’s what he wants. Now, obviously, if they – it’s possible that some deal is arranged to where there’s the partial release for a 60-day period and then another group comes out – but that’s not what the President prefers.

I think what he prefers is what we would all prefer, and that is every single hostage is released, every single one, including the bodies of those who are deceased because he’s – he, like a lot of people, have grown tired of seeing these drip, drip – slow releases, but still people being held. But there shouldn’t be a single hostage in a single tunnel anywhere in Gaza, but there still are.

QUESTION: President Trump says he’s unhappy with the Israeli surprise strike on Doha. You yourself, sir, said that it could derail future negotiations, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said twice now that it was the right decision and he would actually make it again.

SECRETARY RUBIO: Well, that’s a decision they’ve made, right, and he said that again today, that that’s a decision that came – it was an Israeli decision. And the consequences are owned by Israel as he, the prime minister himself, has said. What we’re focused on is what happens now because irrespective of what happened in Qatar last week, these facts remain: Hamas is still ensconced in parts of Gaza; 48 hostages are still being held, including 20 who are alive that need to be released immediately, all of them; and until – until those two things happen, it’s not going to be possible to have a Gaza that provides a higher quality of life for the people who live there and who are also being held in some ways as human shields by Hamas. So that – all those things remain. Irrespective of what happened in Qatar last week, in Doha, all of these things are still in place. We still have to deal with those. But – and we’re hopeful that Qatar will continue to play a positive and constructive role in helping bring this to an end.

QUESTION: So Qatar is convening today, as you know, sir, this emergency session with its Gulf allies to come up with a response to those strikes.

SECRETARY RUBIO: Yeah, look, I think there are —

QUESTION: What would be the —

SECRETARY RUBIO: Well, I don’t think it’s a mystery that they’re not happy about what happened. They’ve shared that with us. We met with their prime minister – the Vice President and I did last Friday. We then had dinner that evening. the prime minister did, with the President. And we’re visiting again with them very shortly here in the next day as well. So we understand they’re not happy about what happened. I think our message is irrespective of that, and that’s one thing, we need to separate that from the fact that no matter what, we still have Hamas, we still have hostages, and we still have a war. And all those things still have to be dealt with, and we are hopeful that Qatar and all of our Gulf partners will continue to add something constructive to bringing this alternate –it’s in their interest that this war end as well.

QUESTION: Are you concerned, Mr. Secretary, that by traveling to Doha while they are holding these meetings, the prime minister here is going to feel – not snubbed because you just met with him, but feel sort of put upon?

SECRETARY RUBIO: No, look, our relationship with Israel is not going to be affected by any of this. We’re going to continue to be strong allies and partners. But the President has – the President said he wasn’t happy the way things went down. That doesn’t mean we’re going to stop being their partner and their ally.

As far as meeting – well, we met with the Qataris already. What – we have – we have military bases there. We’ve cooperated on a host of issues with Qatar, and we’ll continue to do so as well. So – but our message both here in Jerusalem and also in Doha will be what it’s been consistently, and that is despite – we’re not diminishing it. We’re not asking them to ignore it. We understand they’re upset about it. We understand the Israeli position on it. Irrespective of that, we still have hostages that we want released. We still have a Hamas that needs to be defeated or eradicated or removed so that we can get to the peace that everybody says they want. And so we’re trying to get everybody to stay focused on what happens moving forward, not just only focused on what’s already happened with – what happened last week in Doha. We want everybody focused on what comes next because we still have these problems we have to solve.

QUESTION: One thing that comes next, at least for the Israelis, sir, is they are talking about their new plans to move ahead with annexation of the West Bank. Is that something the Trump Administration is supportive of?

SECRETARY RUBIO: Well, we’re not commenting on that now other than to say that we warned all these European capitals and other countries that if they went ahead with this Palestinian state recognition, which really is symbolic more than anything else – they’re responding to their own domestic politics – we warned that there would be a response to that, that, number one, it would make it harder to reach a peace deal in this Gaza war because it would embolden Hamas, and it has. And the other thing we warned is it would force Israel to now do things in reaction to that.

And I think part of this conversation about annexation is in response to what’s been coming out of Europe, Canada, and other countries with a Palestinian statehood move which is largely symbolic, but yet has these real-world implications in terms of making it harder to achieve peace. We thought it was counterproductive. We shared that with them at the time. They did it anyways. And we’re seeing – I think this talk of annexation is part of that.

QUESTION: Switching gears to Russia, there have been two Russian drone incursions into Poland and then Romania this week. It appears President Putin is emboldened after his meeting with President Trump in Alaska.

SECRETARY RUBIO: Look, I wouldn’t say he’s emboldened after the meeting. I would say that this is an example of why this war the President thinks needs to end. Wars generally will escalate. They’ll actually get worse, not better if they continue on the track their on, especially a protracted war like this one which – given that both sides are deeply dug in. I understand that these drone operations are far from the front lines. They have no impact on the front lines. They’re designed largely to weaken one another. And the Ukrainians are conducting strikes in Russia as well.

And it’s one of the reasons why the President has said he wants this war to end. This war should end. It’s why he’s expended a tremendous amount of political capital, energy, and time in trying to bring it about to an end. No one in the world has done more to end – to try to end the Ukraine-Russia war than President Trump has. But ultimately, it takes the two sides who are fighting to agree to it. And as you’ve said and as you’ve pointed out, we haven’t been able to get those kinds of results from the Russian side. But again, that’s not Trump’s war. Trump inherited this war. And now President Trump is doing everything he can to try to bring it to an end.

QUESTION: So how much longer will the President give Putin before he moves forward with the sanctions that have been threatened?

SECRETARY RUBIO: Well, we fully understand the sanctions that we have available to us, and at some point the President may decide to do that. That’ll be his decision to make. He’s not going to go around and artificially announce a time frame. But he’s also pointed out that it’s important for Europe to do so as well. There are still countries in Europe that are buying Russian products, including Russian oil. And what the President has challenged our European partners is to impose the sanctions themselves that they’re asking us to impose. So if they feel deeply committed to this, they should take – we want to encourage them to actually do the things they’re asking us to do.

QUESTION: Closer to home, sir, Brazil. Former President Bolsonaro has been sentenced now, this obviously over the objections of the President. You yourself, sir, called the trial a witch hunt. What’s the U.S. response?

SECRETARY RUBIO: Well, the response there is that the rule of law is breaking down. You have these activist judges – one in particular – that not only has gone after Bolsonaro, by the way, he has tried to – he’s tried to carry out extraterritorial claims against even American citizens or against someone posting online from within the United States, and has actually threatened to go even further in that regard. So there’s going to be a U.S. response to that, and that’s what – we’ll have some announcements in the next week or so about what additional steps we intend to take. But it – it’s not – the trial is but a – one more chapter of a growing sort of judicial oppression campaign that has tried to reach American companies, and even people operating out of the United States.

QUESTION: On Venezuela, sir, you’ve – the State Department put up this bounty on Nicolás Maduro. The administration took out that boat of narcotraffickers, I believe last week. Are you any closer to capturing him?

SECRETARY RUBIO: Well, first of all, there’s no bounty on Nicolás Maduro. What it is, is a reward for an indicted person – here’s what people forget, okay? Nicolás Maduro was indicted by the Southern District of New York. A grand jury returned an indictment. They read the evidence – they saw the evidence. They returned an indictment, not just against him personally but against a network of people in that country who used the apparatus of what they claim to be a government to conduct drug trafficking operations against the United States. So there’s a reward for his capture, and it’s out there and it’s available, and it was increased. That’s what that’s a consequence of. In addition to that —

QUESTION: Are you not concerned, sir, that it gives the impression of advocating for some kind of regime change or (inaudible) that —

SECRETARY RUBIO: Well, he’s not a – but the thing is they’re not – he’s – we don’t – not only do we not recognize him, 50-something countries around the world do not recognize Nicolás Maduro as the rightful president. He’s not the president of Venezuela. That’s a title he’s given himself. And that’s not just us saying it. That was – by the way, that was the policy of the Biden administration, and that was the policy of the first Trump Administration, and that’s the policy of 50-something countries, including multiple countries in the region, do not recognize him as the president of that country.

What he is, is someone who’s empowered himself of some of the instruments of government and are using that to operate a drug cartel from Venezuelan territory, much of that drugs aimed at reaching the United States. So we’re not going to have a cartel, operating or masquerading as a government, operating in our own hemisphere. He’s indicted. He’s a fugitive of American justice. There’s a reward out for his capture. And by the way, related to that, the President of the United States made clear that he’s not going to allow cartels, that cartel or any other cartel, to operate with impunity in our hemisphere and send drugs towards the United States. And he’s going to use the U.S. military and all the elements of American power to target cartels who are targeting America.

QUESTION: Are you concerned at all about the optic that the Trump Administration is meddling in the internal affairs of a sovereign country, especially in the Western Hemisphere, where there’s a history of it?

SECRETARY RUBIO: But when you traffic drugs into the United States, you’re meddling into the internal affairs of America. When you are pushing drugs towards the United States of America, you are a direct threat to the national security and the national interest of the United States, and that’s what we’re addressing here.

QUESTION: What about reporting, sir, that that boat with the drug traffickers had turned around at the point which it was struck?

SECRETARY RUBIO: Well, I don’t know where those reports are coming from, and I don’t even know if that’s accurate. But I can tell you that irrespective – there’s a network. And the way this network runs is speedboats with multiple 350-horsepower engines, four of them. They carry drugs to somewhere in the Caribbean. From there, they jump to Puerto Rico. And from Puerto Rico, obviously now they’re in the United States; they’ve crossed the border.

So this is the network, the route that they run. We have 100 percent fidelity and certainty that that boat was involved in that trafficking of those drugs that ultimately were destined to reach the United States of America. And the President’s made clear: Interdiction alone is not going to stop these drug traffickers. They don’t mind losing 2 percent or 3 percent of their shipments. They’ve already sort of baked that into their economic plan.

What needs to start happening is some of these boats need to get blown up. Some of these boats need to be not just intercepted but stopped, no matter what direction they plan to head. We can’t live in a world where all of a sudden they do a U-turn and so we can’t touch them anymore. And I’ll tell you something: Since we did that, the number of boats heading towards the United States suddenly dropped dramatically. Now, maybe they won’t be sustained or continued, but we’re not – and the President’s made clear – we are not going to continue to allow these cartels to flood the United States with drugs, be it through the water or through land.

QUESTION: A question on Charlie Kirk, sir. The – his assassination is highlighting the threat of political violence in this country, which people seem to be in agreement is on the rise. Do you share that assessment, and do you believe that it’s only a problem emanating from the left?

SECRETARY RUBIO: Well, I think here’s the bottom line, and that is if you look at President Trump, those efforts to assassinate him not once but twice, yes; there was an attack against elected officials in Minnesota as well earlier this year, and we saw that. We saw the assassination of Charlie Kirk in front of the whole world. And I would say what’s most stunning about Charlie and what happened to him – look, for a lot of people in the White House, myself included, this wasn’t just a political assassination. It was the assassination of someone we knew personally, someone we’ve gotten to know, someone many of us have worked with in the past who we knew as a person, not just as a figure. It doesn’t make it any less tragic, obviously, but it makes it even sadder.

But the irony with Charlie is that what he was doing was engaging those who disagreed with him in debate, in the kind of conversation that we need to be having in American politics. Some of these are very contentious issues. But the alternative to violence is the ability to debate through them. And that’s what he did, not just on college campuses but in podcasts, in interviews. He would go on shows. He would go on the shows of people who he disagreed with. And for him to be assassinated for doing that I think was not just an attack against Charlie Kirk but was an attack against this willingness to engage in political debate in this country.

So I do think it has the potential to have a chilling effect, and we can’t let it have that impact because it’s a – that is a direct threat to our – not just our democracy but our freedom of speech and our ability to communicate in this country.

QUESTION: Your deputy has been calling out on social media foreigners who he says are celebrating, glorifying, Charlie’s murder. Do you have any plans to restrict visa access —

SECRETARY RUBIO: Sure.

QUESTION: — or even revoke visas?

SECRETARY RUBIO: Yeah, and here’s why. A visa, okay, it’s different from being a U.S. citizen. A visa means you’re a visitor. You’re a visitor to the United States. We are not in the business of inviting people to visit our country who are going to be involved in negative and destructive behavior, okay? So why should – if I invite someone – if we invite someone to visit the United States of America as a student, as a tourist, as whatever, then they have a different – the standard they should be held to is very high.

We shouldn’t be bringing people into this country – we should not be giving visas to people – who are going to come to the United States and do things like celebrate the murder, the execution, the assassination, of a political figure. We should not – and if they’re already here, we should be revoking their visa. Why would we want to bring people into our country that are going to engage in negative and destructive behavior? It makes no sense.

QUESTION: I wanted to be mindful of your time. Is there anything else that we didn’t touch on that you would like to talk about? Or —

SECRETARY RUBIO: No, we touched a lot.


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Secretary of State Marco Rubio Remarks to the Press
09/16/2025


Secretary of State Marco Rubio Remarks to the Press
09/16/2025 04:12 AM EDT



Marco Rubio, Secretary of State

Ben Gurion International Airport
HomeOffice of the SpokespersonBriefings…Secretary of State Marco Rubio Remarks to the Press
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Secretary of State Marco Rubio Remarks to the Press


Remarks to the Press

September 15, 2025



SECRETARY RUBIO: What’s going on?

QUESTION: Secretary, what will be your message in Doha today?

SECRETARY RUBIO: Well, we want them to stay engaged. Look, I think ultimately we would all prefer to see a negotiated end that leads to all the hostages being released, that leads to Hamas being disarmed and eliminated as a threat, and we think Qatar can play a very key role in that. So we’re going there. We have a close partnership with the Qataris. In fact, we have an enhanced defense cooperation agreement which we’ve been working on and we’re on the verge of finalizing. We want them to know how much we appreciate and respect all the time and work and effort they put in in the past to these negotiations, and we hope they’ll re-engage despite everything that’s happened. We know they’re upset about it.

QUESTION: Secretary, yesterday Prime Minister Netanyahu declined to refuse to carry out further strikes on Hamas operatives. As you know, there’s Hamas operating in Türkiye, in Egypt, in addition to Qatar. What was your message on further strikes? Was it, “Don’t do it again?” Was it another message?

SECRETARY RUBIO: Well, I’m not going to discuss the details of everything that we said. That’s not the way you can conduct diplomacy or international relations, via press conference in that way. But what I will say is this, is what I just said a moment ago: We all prefer that this end with a negotiated settlement that leads to the release of every single hostage, both alive and deceased; that leads to the demilitarization and disarming of Hamas so they can no longer pose a threat, not just to Israel but everyone – these are barbarians, these are animals, in Hamas – and that leads us to a process of reconstructing Gaza, so the people of Gaza can have a life free of Hamas and the life that they – that’s much better than what they’ve experienced under Hamas. That’s what we all prefer.

We think Qatar can play a very key role in that. We don’t want to see anything that undermines that. So that’s why we added it to the trip. They’re very – we – they’re close partners. We work with them on a lot of things, and we want them to stay engaged despite being upset as they are with what happened last week. And the President said he wasn’t happy to see that happen. Nonetheless, all these problems are still here, and they’ve got to be fixed, and Qatar can play a key role in solving it.

QUESTION: Mr. Secretary —

QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, the major complaint of countries in Doha yesterday was that the United States holds a double standard when it comes to Israel, and it’s not holding Israel to account for its actions that they see as an escalation, the killing of civilians in Gaza. What would be your message in Doha today to reassure –

SECRETARY RUBIO: Well, look, I mean, the civilians are being used as human shields by Hamas. They’ve always done it. That’s why they hide in tunnels and the civilians are on top. That’s why they take hostages the way they have. That’s why they’ll take more hostages if they can get their hands on them.

So the President wants to see it end. He wants to see it end quickly. And we’d prefer that it end quickly via negotiated settlement so all the fighting can stop and we can begin the very hard work as an international community – not just the United States – rebuilding Gaza and providing the people of Gaza a much better life, a much better life than what they’ve had under Hamas. And we think our partners in the region could play a key role in that, and we hope they’ll stay engaged, and we think Qatar could play a very important role in that, as they’ve tried to do in the past.

QUESTION: Is this a last chance for Hamas to avoid a broader Israeli move into Gaza City?

SECRETARY RUBIO: Well, as you saw, the Israelis have begun to take operations there. So we think we have a very short window of time in which a deal can happen. We don’t have months anymore, and we probably have days and maybe a few weeks. So it’s a key moment, an important moment. And again, our preference, our number-one choice, is that this ends through a negotiated settlement where Hamas says, “We’re going to demilitarize, we’re no longer going to pose a threat, we’re going to disband, we’re going to release every single hostage.” By the way, none – there shouldn’t be a single hostage. If you want to fight a war, you fight wars between combatants. You don’t fight wars by taking civilians as human shields, and in this particular case with the hostages, they’re almost over two years now. You – that – it’s – that’s a barbaric practice. It’s an unacceptable practice. The President called it out yesterday.

So that’s what we prefer. We want it to end that way. We hope – we’ve done a lot of work. Ambassador Witkoff has spent countless hours working on this. We think the Qataris could play a very key role in making that happen. That’s his preference, and that’s what we – how we want to see it. Sometimes when you’re dealing with a group of savages like Hamas that’s not possible. But we hope it could happen. We’re going to do everything we can to see if it is.

QUESTION: What’s your —

QUESTION: Secretary, what’s your message to Israeli ministers who are calling for a partial or complete annexation of the West Bank? And are you worried that the Abraham Accords could be in jeopardy?

SECRETARY RUBIO: Yeah, look, I mean, I think much of that is a reaction to several nations around the world deciding to unilaterally declare a Palestinian state. We warned them that we thought that was counterproductive. We actually think it’s undermined negotiations, because it emboldened Hamas, and we think it undermines future prospects of peace in the region. We thought it was unwise to do that, and I think you’re seeing that as a counterreaction. It’s what we thought would happen. We warned them that this kind of action would happen among some in Israeli government if they did what they did.

But right now we’re focused on how can we end what’s happening in Gaza. How can we end Hamas, how can we get the hostages freed, and how can we create a framework so that the people of Gaza can have a much better life than they ever had under Hamas. That’s what the President wants and that’s what we’re going to continue to work on.

QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, you said yesterday in an interview that you were looking at the social media of foreigners who may be speaking about Charlie Kirk in a – in a negative manner.

SECRETARY RUBIO: Well, it isn’t just about Charlie Kirk. If you’re a foreigner and you’re out there celebrating the assassination of someone who was speaking somewhere, I mean, we don’t want you in the country. Why would we want to give a visa to someone who think it’s good that someone was murdered in the public square? That’s just common sense to me.

QUESTION: And have you actually revoked any visas yet? Have you taken that action? And has any of that —

SECRETARY RUBIO: Well, we’ve revoked visas of people. I don’t know if we’ve revoked visas of people that are inside the country. We’ve most certainly been denying visas. I mean, think about it. I want everybody to think about this for a moment, okay. You’re out there celebrating the assassination – in cold blood – of someone, and then you want to come in to – why would we want anybody like that in our country, as a tourist, as anything? We don’t want them here.

QUESTION: But have you gone – specifically there’s been recommendations that have been given to secretary – to Deputy Secretary Landau on social media pointing to specific individuals. Are you looking at those?

SECRETARY RUBIO: We’ve got to go at process in all these. And – but I’m sure there’ll be some that are revoked. There’s no shortage of idiots around the world that have decided it’s a great idea to murder someone. It’s – we don’t want people like that in our country. By the way, it’s bad that we have people that are U.S. citizens that feel that way. We can’t revoke – they don’t need a visa, they don’t have a visa. But you’re a foreigner? Why would we want to allow into the United States someone who is in favor of murder? We don’t want pro-murder people in America.

QUESTION: Secretary —

QUESTION: Secretary, on Colombia, just briefly, with Colombia decertification.

SECRETARY RUBIO: Yeah.

QUESTION: Do you see any path back for Colombia to revoke that decertification, to get back in good standing?

SECRETARY RUBIO: Yeah, Colombia’s been a great partner historically. Unfortunately they have a president now that in addition to being erratic has not been a very good partner when it comes to taking on drug – the drug cartels. So they just don’t meet the standard under his leadership. I think we have willing partners. If it was up to the military, the police – we’ve been working with them for decades. It’s a great – good news story. But they have bad leadership right now when it – especially on this issue of drugs. But they can change. They can be more cooperative. And they can meet the criteria to get off the – get back on the list of certification.

QUESTION: Secretary Rubio, next week is the United Nations General Assembly with the (inaudible) meetings. Is there going to be any – some extra scrutiny of the foreign diplomats who come on visas to attend that?

SECRETARY RUBIO: Yeah.

QUESTION: There’s already the Palestinian authorities. I wonder if there are specific countries that may face extra scrutiny.

SECRETARY RUBIO: I mean, I – we’re not going to let people into our country that are pro-terror. We’re not going to let people into the country that want to create harm to the United States. So there’s always scrutiny, and there’ll be more. For the most part I think there’ll be plenty of people there, so – but I – if you’re, like, in favor of terrorism or murdering people in this country, we’re probably not going to let you in.

QUESTION: Secretary —

QUESTION: With this Gaza City offensive —

SECRETARY RUBIO: What?

QUESTION: With this Gaza City offensive, do you still – is it your still assessment that Hamas can be militarily defeated? We’re at over 700 days of war.

SECRETARY RUBIO: Well, we – they may not have a choice but to militarily defeat them. I think the – if it wasn’t for hostages and civilians, they would’ve been defeated a long time ago. But these guys hide behind civilians and they hide behind the hostages. That’s why they took the hostages. If not, this would have been – if there were no hostages and no civilians in the way, this war would’ve ended a year and a half ago. So – but now it’s kind of at a break point. I mean, you’re seeing what the Israelis are saying. I mean, at some point this has to end and it has to end with Hamas’s defeat.

Our hope is that we could still negotiate something where the fighting stopped, Hamas, is disarmed, and the hostages are all released, and we can rebuild – help rebuild Gaza – not just us, but the world – to give these people a better life than what they’ve ever had under these savages in Hamas. That’s still our hope. We’re going to do everything we can to try to achieve that. It may not be possible, because dealing with Hamas is not easy. These are very bad people.

QUESTION: Ahead of the —

QUESTION: Are you worried about the risks – the risks of a Gaza City offensive? Some of the IDF – some Israeli officials —

SECRETARY RUBIO: Yeah, and war is – I mean, war is risk. I mean, there’s risk involved in wars. There’s no good war, right? We don’t like war. The President doesn’t like war. The only thing worse than a war is a protracted one that goes on forever and ever. At some point this has to end. At some point Hamas has to be defanged. And we hope it can happen through negotiation. But I think time, unfortunately, is running out in that regard. It’s two and a half years, they still don’t release the hostages. At some point Israel – it’s their war; they’re going to get to decide how they want to proceed, because they’re the ones that were attacked on October 7th. But again, I want to reiterate, if there is a way to negotiate an end to this that leads to the release of the hostages and the elimination of Hamas as a threat, we’re for that. That’s what we want to see happen.

QUESTION: Do —

SECRETARY RUBIO: We’re going to continue to do everything we can until there’s nothing left to do. But we hope we can achieve something. But it’s going to be hard. It’s not going to be easy.

QUESTION: Who exactly are you having the negotiations with? Some of the Hamas officials were in Qatar to discuss the proposal that the President had given –

SECRETARY RUBIO: Yeah.

QUESTION: They were attacked by Israel. So who is it that, in Hamas, who you’re actually trying to talk with —

SECRETARY RUBIO: Well, I mean, whoever has the authority to release the hostages.

QUESTION: Right. Are we talking about the Qatar-mediated talks, or Egypt-mediated talks?

SECRETARY RUBIO: Qatar will play – yeah, I mean, the Qataris and the Egyptians have worked together on this, and they’re important mediators. If any country in the world can help mediate it, Qatar is the one. They’re the ones that can do it. I don’t know if they can after what happened, but I think they could. If anyone can, they can. There’s no other country in the world that can play that role. And we hope they can. We’re – if they can, we want to be supportive of it.

QUESTION: There’s a sense —

QUESTION: Are you going to ask Qatar to have Hamas no longer be within their country? Are you still asking them to —

SECRETARY RUBIO: Well, we’re going to ask Qatar to continue to do what they’ve done, and that we appreciate very much, and that is play a constructive role in trying to bring this to an end. Obviously, they have to decide if they want to do that after last week or not. But we want them to know that if there’s any country in the world that could help end this through a negotiation, it’s Qatar, and we appreciate that. And if there’s a chance to do it, we want to encourage them to do it.

QUESTION: Mr. Secretary –

SECRETARY RUBIO: They’ll have to make that decision.

QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, ahead of the state visit to the UK, the British prime minister has fired Ambassador Mandelson over his links to Jeffrey Epstein. Obviously, questions remaining over the President’s acquaintance with Epstein. Does that make the visit awkward?

SECRETARY RUBIO: No, I don’t – I don’t – well, I think, the – the UK can decide – it’s their ambassador. They want to recall him, that’s their choice to do that. That won’t change the nature of the visit. It’s an important visit; it’s one of our strongest allies in the world, a very special relationship, and I think it makes a lot of sense for the President to visit the UK. They invited him to come. It’s a very unique honor. I think it’s the only president that’s had two state dinners, and so it’s a big honor, and they’re an important ally and partner.

All right, let’s go. We’re going to be late.

QUESTION: On Ukraine briefly. I mean, is there a redline that Putin could cross that would actually convince Trump to trigger sanctions?

SECRETARY RUBIO: That’s the President’s decision to make, and he’s talked about – look, no leader in the world has done more to try to end that war than President Trump has. Multiple calls with Putin, multiple meetings with Zelenskyy, including probably next week again in New York. And so the President remains committed – there’s – it’s – he inherited this three-and-a-half-year-old war from the Biden administration. He’s trying to do everything possible to bring it to an end. We’ve been working closely with our partners in Europe on security guarantees, because that’s going to be necessary in any negotiated settlement, and he’s going to keep trying.

If he can – if peace is possible, he wants to achieve it. At some point the President may conclude it’s not possible. He’s not there yet, but he could get to that point. But he’s got to really go the extra mile, if there’s a way to end this war – he just wants it to stop. Thousands and thousands of people dying. The casualty rate, for the Russians – I think in July they lost 20,000 soldiers. And then of course you talk about the suffering of civilians all throughout Ukraine. Every single night, the drone attacks, the air attacks, the destruction. It’s going to take a generation to rebuild the country. He wants the war to end, and if we can play a role – he’s the only leader in the world, the only leader in the world that can talk to both the Ukrainians, the Europeans, and also to the Russians, is President Trump. He’s the only one that can. And he’s not going to easily forfeit that role because he’s the only one that can play it. If somehow he were to disengage from this or sanction Russia and say, “I’m done,” then there’s no one left in the world that could possibly mediate the end. Now, maybe we get to that point. We hope not, because it’s a really bad war and he wants it to end.

All right, let’s go. Thank you.

QUESTION: Thank you.


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Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs Conflicts and Peacekeeping Conflicts, Wars, and Civil Unrest Foreign Policy Israel Office of the Spokesperson Qatar Russia-Ukraine War The Secretary of State Situation in the Middle East


Readout of Secretary Rubio’s Call with French Foreign Minister Barrot
09/16/2025


Readout of Secretary Rubio’s Call with French Foreign Minister Barrot
09/16/2025 02:23 PM EDT



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Readout of Secretary Rubio’s Call with French Foreign Minister Barrot


Readout

September 16, 2025



The below is attributable to Principal Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Pigott:


Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke today with French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot. The Secretary and Foreign Minister reaffirmed their commitment to ensuring Iran never develops or acquires a nuclear weapon.



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The Week at State: September 12 - September 18
09/19/2025


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September 12 – September 18

We are gearing up for United Nations High-Level Week, when world leaders gather in New York City to address pressing global challenges.

Here’s what happened at State this week:⚛️ President Trump traveled to the UK for a state visit and to sign energy and technology deals.
🌍 Secretary Rubio traveled to Israel and Qatar.
🚨 U.S. continues its fight against drug cartels and illicit narcotics trafficking.


President Trump Strengthens U.S.-UK Relationship

President Trump attends a state banquet at Westminster in the United Kingdom. (White House photo)

President Trump traveled to the United Kingdom for his second State Visit; he is the only President to ever receive this honor. While there, he attended a State Banquet and reaffirmed the special bond between the United States and the United Kingdom.

“We are like two notes in one chord, or two verses of the same poem — each beautiful on our own, but meant to go together,” President Trump said during the State Banquet at Windsor Castle.

In the UK, the president signed a $42 billion technology trade deal that will drive the future of technological innovation. The United States and UK also signed a nuclear energy agreement.

“Today’s commercial deals set up a framework to unleash commercial access in both the U.S. and UK, enhancing global energy security, strengthening U.S. energy dominance, and securing nuclear supply chains across the Atlantic,” said Energy Secretary Wright.


Secretary Rubio Meets with Middle East Partners

Secretary Rubio participates in an event at the City of David in Jerusalem, September 15, 2025. (Official State Department photo by Freddie Everett)

Secretary Marco Rubio met with Israeli President Isaac Herzog and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The Secretary reaffirmed America’s support for Israel and commitment to Israeli security.

“The U.S.-Israeli relationship is very strong,” Secretary Rubio said before departing for his trip. “It continues to be strong. The President wants this conflict to end.”

Secretary Rubio then traveled to Qatar to meet with Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani. The Secretary reaffirmed America’s full support for Qatar’s security and sovereignty following Israel’s strike in Doha. He lauded Qatar’s invaluable role in mediating between Israel and Hamas.


U.S. Continues to Take On Cartels

On September 15, U.S. military forces destroyed a boat carrying drugs and members of Tren de Aragua, a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization under the control of Nicolás Maduro.

“The illicit activities by these cartels have wrought devastating consequences on American communities for decades … NO LONGER,” the White House said in a post on X, calling for stronger enforcement and disruption of financial networks enabling the drug trade.

The U.S. also issued a new Presidential Determination for Fiscal Year 2026 targeting major drug transit and illicit drug-producing countries.


U.S. Cracks Down on Iran-Aligned Militias and Smugglers

The United States designated four Iran-aligned militias as Foreign Terrorist Organizations and sanctioned a shadow-banking network for moving funds to Iran’s military.

Terrorist designations expose and isolate entities and individuals, denying them access to the U.S. financial system and resources they need to carry out attacks.

The U.S. also targeted Iran’s financing by taking action against illicit financial networks that facilitate the sale of Iranian oil. Proceeds from these networks support Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Qods Force and its Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics.

“These funds are used to support regional terrorist proxies and advance weapons systems that pose a direct threat to U.S. forces and our allies,” said Tommy Pigott, the State Department’s Principal Deputy Spokesperson.


Celebrating Papua New Guinea’s Independence

Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau at the Papua New Guinea Independence Day celebration alongside two children. (State Department photo)

Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau traveled to Papua New Guinea to celebrate the country’s 50th anniversary of independence.

It is “very moving to see the pride and patriotism of the diverse people of this young nation,” he said. “I look forward to deepening the bonds between our two great nations over the next fifty years and beyond.”

Deputy Secretary Landau met with leaders from Papua New Guinea, the Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Tonga, and Pacific Islands Forum leaders. He discussed U.S. private sector investment, countering illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing, and recent U.S. infrastructure projects.




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Joint statement on peace and security in Sudan from Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States.


Looking AheadSeptember 22-26: United Nations General Assembly High-Level Week.


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Department of State Releases 2025 Fiscal Transparency Report
09/19/2025


Department of State Releases 2025 Fiscal Transparency Report
09/19/2025 03:12 PM EDT



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Department of State Releases 2025 Fiscal Transparency Report


Media Note


September 19, 2025



On September 19, 2025, the United States Department of State released the Congressionally-mandated 2025 Fiscal Transparency Report. Fiscal transparency is a critical element of effective public financial management, helps build market confidence, underpins global economic stability, and levels the playing field for U.S. firms. It fosters greater government accountability by providing a window into government budgets and spending. Annual reviews of the fiscal transparency also help ensure appropriate use of U.S. taxpayer funds.

In this year’s report, Department officials found that 71 of 140 governments and entities assessed met the minimum fiscal transparency requirements. Sixty-nine did not meet the minimum fiscal transparency requirements. Of these, however, 26 made significant progress toward meeting the minimum fiscal transparency requirements. Consistent with the requirement in the FY 2024 Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, as continued by the FY25 Continuing Resolution, the 2025 report describes the minimum fiscal transparency requirements, reviews governments, most of which were identified as recipients of U.S. assistance in the 2014 Fiscal Transparency Report, and further assesses those that did not meet the minimum fiscal transparency requirements during the review period of January 1 to December 31, 2024. The report also indicates whether governments that did not meet those requirements made significant progress to publicly disclose national budget documentation, contracts, and licenses during the review period. The Department of State evaluated the public availability, substantial completeness, and reliability of budget documents, as well as the transparency of processes for awarding government contracts and licenses and public procurement contracts.

The report can be found on the Department’s website at https://www.state.gov/fiscal-transparency-report and information on the Fiscal Transparency Innovation Fund can be found on the Department’s website at https://www.state.gov/fiscal-transparency-innovation-fund/. For further information, please contact the Bureau of Economic, Energy and Business Affairs’ Fiscal Transparency team at fiscaltransparency@state.gov.



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Malta National Day
09/21/2025


Malta National Day
09/21/2025 12:01 AM EDT



Marco Rubio, Secretary of State
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Malta National Day


Press Statement


September 21, 2025



On behalf of the United States of America, I extend warm congratulations to the people of Malta as you celebrate your Independence Day.

The United States values our friendship with Malta, a trusted partner and a bridge between Europe, North Africa, and the broader Mediterranean. Our countries are bound by mutual commitment to strengthen regional security, expand economic and commercial ties, and deepen our people-to-people connections. We also value Malta’s close mutually beneficial cooperation with U.S. law enforcement agencies to counter transnational criminal activities.

As Malta looks to the future, the United States remains committed to our partnership, and we convey our best wishes and congratulations on this important day.


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Bilateral Relations and Engagement Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs Malta Office of the Spokesperson The Secretary of State


Armenia National Day
09/21/2025


Armenia National Day
09/21/2025 12:01 AM EDT



Marco Rubio, Secretary of State
HomeOffice of the SpokespersonPress Releases…Armenia National Day
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Armenia National Day


Press Statement





September 21, 2025



On behalf of the United States of America, I congratulate the people of Armenia on your 34th Independence Day.

The United States stands with Armenia, our valued partner, as we advance our shared goals for peace, prosperity, and stability in the South Caucasus. Our steadfast relationship is built upon strong cultural ties, shared principles, and a mutual desire for regional security and economic opportunity.

President Trump’s landmark summit between Armenia and Azerbaijan and the U.S. announcement of $145 million in assistance for Armenia to implement the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP), underscore our nation’s enduring commitment to Armenia, while highlighting our joint efforts to foster regional connectivity, economic investment, and security cooperation. We are pleased to support Armenia’s path toward increasing energy security, expanding trade, and strengthening border security, while affirming our commitment to Armenia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. The Strategic Partnership and the bilateral memoranda of understanding signed by President Trump and Prime Minister Pashinyan form the cornerstones of our efforts to advance these shared goals.

As Armenia continues to forge its future as a crossroads of peace and growth, the United States reaffirms its commitment to a more connected, stable, and prosperous region.


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Armenia Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs Office of the Spokesperson The Secretary of State


U.S.-Kenya High-Level Meeting on the Need to Adopt the Gang Suppression Force in Haiti
09/22/2025
U.S.-Kenya High-Level Meeting on the Need to Adopt the Gang Suppression Force in Haiti
09/22/2025 12:11 PM EDT



Thomas "Tommy" Pigott, Principal Deputy Spokesperson
HomeOffice of the SpokespersonPress Releases…U.S.-Kenya High-Level Meeting on the Need to Adopt the Gang Suppression Force in Haiti
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U.S.-Kenya High-Level Meeting on the Need to Adopt the Gang Suppression Force in Haiti


Press Release





September 22, 2025



The United States welcomes the outcomes of today’s high-level event on Haiti during the United Nations General Assembly High-Level Week, where Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau and Kenyan President Ruto joined international partners to address the urgent security crisis in Haiti.

This meeting underscored the international commitment to establishing a UN Support Office for Haiti (UNSOH) and transitioning the Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission to a scaled-up Gang Suppression Force (GSF). Through a strengthened new mandate, called for by all 32 Member States of the Organization of American States, the UNSOH would better support the 5,500 forces needed to restore security necessary for the return to elected governance. Deputy Secretary Landau emphasized the importance of this mission, commending the brave leadership of Kenya and other contributors to the MSS mission, whose efforts have laid the groundwork for this next phase. The time for decisive, coordinated action is now.

Solutions must be Haitian-led and internationally supported. We call on all UN member states to contribute to this effort. The GSF and UNSOH would provide tools needed to address Haiti’s immediate security challenges, but enduring recovery depends on Haitian leadership. Haiti must write its own future and work toward building a stable nation.

The United States stands united with the Haitian people and our international partners in this critical endeavor. Again, the time for action is now.


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Bureau of African Affairs Bureau of Economic, Energy, and Business Affairs Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs Conflicts and Peacekeeping Conflicts, Wars, and Civil Unrest Deputy Secretary of State Foreign Policy Haiti Humanitarian Response and Aid Kenya Office of the Spokesperson Organization of American States (OAS) Security and Defense UNGA80 United Nations (UN) United Nations General Assembly (UNGA)


Joint Statement from the Trilateral Meeting of the United States of America, Japan, and the Republic of Korea in New York City
09/22/2025

Joint Statement from the Trilateral Meeting of the United States of America, Japan, and the Republic of Korea in New York City
09/22/2025 10:28 PM EDT



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HomeOffice of the SpokespersonPress Releases…Joint Statement from the Trilateral Meeting of the United States of America, Japan, and the Republic of Korea in New York City
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Joint Statement from the Trilateral Meeting of the United States of America, Japan, and the Republic of Korea in New York City


Media Note





September 22, 2025



The text of the following statement was released by the Governments of the United States of America, Japan, and the Republic of Korea.

Begin Text:

Secretary of State of the United States of America Marco Rubio, Foreign Minister of Japan Iwaya Takeshi, and Foreign Minister of the Republic of Korea Cho Hyun met on September 22 in New York City to continue their joint efforts to advance the safety, security, and prosperity of our three countries and the broader Indo-Pacific region, while upholding shared principles including the rule of law.

Strengthening Regional and Global Engagement

The United States reiterated its ironclad commitments to the defense of Japan and the ROK, backed by America’s unmatched military strength, including its nuclear capabilities. The United States reaffirmed its extended deterrence commitments to Japan and the ROK, which are critically important to the security and stability of the Korean Peninsula and the broader Indo-Pacific region. The Secretary and Foreign Ministers reaffirmed their resolve to bolster defense and deterrence by advancing robust security cooperation, including through the regular conduct of the trilateral multi-domain exercise “Freedom Edge,” and to strengthen their respective defense capabilities.

They welcomed trilateral coast guard cooperation, including the exchange of subject matter knowledge and experience to enhance maritime incident response between the three countries and the provision of capacity building support to ASEAN member states in May 2025. They committed to work under the Trilateral Maritime Security and Law Enforcement Cooperation Framework to address the multifaceted challenges in the maritime domain and provide joint capacity building assistance to partners in the region. The Secretary and Foreign Ministers strongly opposed unlawful maritime claims in the South China Sea, as well as attempts to enforce such claims. They opposed any attempts to change the status quo including dangerous and destabilizing actions in the waters of the Indo-Pacific, including the South China Sea. They emphasized their commitment to maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific and upholding international law as reflected in the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, including freedoms of navigation and overflight and other lawful uses of the sea.

They emphasized the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and expressed concern about increasingly frequent destabilizing actions around Taiwan. The Secretary and Foreign Ministers encouraged the peaceful resolution of cross-Strait issues and opposed any attempts to unilaterally change the status quo. They also expressed support for Taiwan’s meaningful participation in appropriate international organizations.

They reaffirmed their unwavering support for ASEAN centrality and unity and for the ASEAN-led regional architecture.

The Secretary and Foreign Ministers recognized the strategic importance of the Arctic region and committed to further their trilateral cooperation through close intergovernmental communication in this regard.

The Secretary and Foreign Ministers encouraged Russia and Ukraine’s progress towards a durable negotiated settlement.

Addressing the North Korean Threat

The Secretary and Foreign Ministers reaffirmed their resolute commitment to the complete denuclearization of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) in accordance with the relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions (UNSCRs), while continuing to make efforts to maintain peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula through dialogue and diplomacy. They emphasized the need to address together the DPRK’s nuclear and missile programs and to maintain and strengthen the sanctions regime against the DPRK by responding firmly and in cooperation with other countries to violations and evasions of the relevant UNSCRs. They urged all UN Member States to abide by their international obligations under the relevant UNSCRs.

They expressed serious concerns over the DPRK’s increasing military cooperation with Russia, including the implications of Russian support to the DPRK’s military capabilities, particularly its long-range missiles. They urged Russia and North Korea to immediately cease all such activities and abide by the UN Charter and all relevant UNSCRs.

They expressed their serious concern with malicious cyber activities by North Korean cyber actors and IT workers. They welcomed the coordinated actions of the three countries and emphasized the need to deepen collaboration between the public and private sector as highlighted in the recent Joint Statement on North Korean IT Workers. They reaffirmed the importance of the continued efforts of the Trilateral Diplomatic Working Group on North Korean Cyber Threats.

The Secretary and Foreign Ministers reaffirmed the importance of close policy coordination on North Korea between the three countries and committed to strengthen trilateral consultations on North Korea at all levels.

The Secretary and Foreign Ministers also reiterated their commitment to the immediate resolution of the issues of abductees, detainees, and unrepatriated prisoners of war as well as the issue of separated families.

Enhancing Economic Security and Resilience

The Secretary and Foreign Ministers committed to advance trilateral cooperation on supply chain resilience, digital infrastructure, artificial intelligence, quantum, biotechnology, and other emerging technologies.

They asserted the importance of strengthening energy security, underpinned by America’s liquid natural gas and other energy sources and technologies. For the sake of further diversifying critical mineral and other vital supply chains, they committed to enhance trilateral dialogue on critical minerals and work together in various regions such as Southeast Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa through further promoting active collaboration under the trilateral Early Warning System. In addition, they concurred in continuing their dialogue on economic security. To meet growing energy needs under the highest standards of nuclear safety, security, and nonproliferation, the Secretary and Foreign Ministers committed to accelerate joint efforts to develop and deploy advanced civil nuclear reactors.

They welcomed the advancement of tangible cooperation on developing and protecting critical and emerging technologies, including the Trilateral Workshops on Quantum Industrial Security in September and the second Trilateral Technology Leaders Training Program in June. They also expressed their support to maintain research collaboration among the national laboratories of the three countries.

They welcomed the Young Trilateral Leaders program as a contributor to strengthened people-to-people ties and enhanced trilateral cooperation. Standing firmly against economic coercion and non-market policies and practices, including export restrictions that could lead to significant supply chain disruptions, they reaffirmed their commitment to a free and fair global economic order. They also expressed their support for the ROK’s successful APEC 2025 host year and for meaningful outcomes at the APEC Economic Leader’s Week later this fall.

Advancing Trilateral Cooperation

The Secretary and Foreign Ministers welcomed the active role of the Trilateral Coordinating Secretariat responsible for aligning the action-oriented objectives and coordinating and implementing tangible efforts. They committed to continue trilateral meetings at all levels.

End Text.


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Secretary of State Marco Rubio with Craig Melvin of NBC Today
09/23/2025


Secretary of State Marco Rubio with Craig Melvin of NBC Today
09/23/2025 09:20 AM EDT



Marco Rubio, Secretary of State

New York City, New York

Lotte Palace Hotel
HomeOffice of the SpokespersonPress Releases…Secretary of State Marco Rubio with Craig Melvin of NBC Today
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Secretary of State Marco Rubio with Craig Melvin of NBC Today


Interview


September 23, 2025



QUESTION: Joining us now to talk about the administration’s agenda at the United Nations this morning, Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Mr. Secretary, welcome back. Thank you so much for your time this morning.


SECRETARY RUBIO: Thank you. Thank you.


QUESTION: As President Trump has said, he aims to finish this war soon. Mr. Secretary, what does victory look like? Is it the total eradication of Hamas, or do you still see a pathway to a political compromise there?


SECRETARY RUBIO: Well, first of all, the goal is not to end the war. The goal is to have peace. And obviously, you can’t have peace as long as Hamas exists. This is a group dedicated to the destruction of the Jewish state. They’ve said it and repeatedly said that. And so – and that’s what they’ve demonstrated throughout their existence. So it’s not about eradicating Hamas as much as it is about peace. You can’t have peace as long as Hamas exists.


By the way, I think as an elemental step of that is the hostages need to be released. There are 20 living hostages; they should all be released. The bodies of the deceased should also be released. There should never have been any hostages. So I think that has to happen.


And then what you hope to have, if there is no more Hamas, then I think the people of Gaza have a chance, with the help of many countries around the world – including the United States would participate in that – to rebuild it into a place where people can live again, never have to live again under the governance of an evil group like Hamas, and have a better future. I think that’s what we’d all hope to see accomplished. And we have a very narrow window of time now to hope to achieve that before this escalates further.


QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, as you know, France, Canada, the UK – about 145 other nations – now recognize the Palestinian state. Are you at all concerned that the United States of America is becoming more isolated on that particular issue?


SECRETARY RUBIO: No, I’m not concerned at all. None of the countries you just mentioned really will play much of a role in bringing about the end of this conflict in Gaza.


QUESTION: Is that about —


SECRETARY RUBIO: That’s why we continued to be engaged. Everybody continues to come to us to make a difference. I do think it serves as a – I mean, the only relevance of the decision they have made, because it really is them responding to their own domestic politics, protesters in their streets and things like that. But it also is a reward for Hamas. It really is. It makes Hamas feel like they carried out this massacre on October 7th and now they get this in return. But it really won’t be relevant at the end of the day. The truth of the matter is that any future resolution of this matter with Israel is going to have to be negotiated. It isn’t going to be up to France or the UK or any other country.


QUESTION: Let’s talk about Ukraine now, another big topic at the UN this week, of course. We are roughly a month out from that summit in Alaska between the President and President Putin. Since then, a roughly 50 percent increase in drone attacks, 50 percent increase in missile attacks as well. Is it possible that we misread President Putin’s intentions in Alaska?


SECRETARY RUBIO: No, I think we’ve always known that his intentions are to take Donetsk, for example, and he’s defined that openly. I think the hope we have, since we’re the only country in the world that can really talk to both countries involved in this – we’re the only ones that can talk to Ukraine and Russia, and everyone’s encouraged us to play that role. At some point that role might end. As you can see, the President’s already repeatedly expressed his deep disappointment at the direction that Putin is taking this, even after Alaska. And at some point he may have to decide to impose new sanctions.


But I think it’s important for Europe to impose sanctions, too. Right now there are countries in Europe that are still buying massive amounts of oil and natural gas from Russia, which is absurd. I mean, they’re asking for the U.S. to impose more sanctions, but there are countries in Europe that are not doing enough. So I think they need to do more. We’ve already seen the measures we’ve taken with regards to India, although that’s something we hope we can fix. But – and the President has the ability to do more, and he’s considering doing more because of the direction this has taken.


But let’s remember, he didn’t start this war. He inherited it, and all he’s wanted to do is end it. And he’s going to do everything he can, give it every chance in the world to succeed. The minute we go heavy on the sanctions and everything else, our ability to act as a broker to bring about peace is diminished, and this war then goes on for another two years and hundreds of thousands of more people will die. So we’re trying to avoid that. We hope to avoid that.


QUESTION: Sure.


SECRETARY RUBIO: But ultimately, that’s not up to us. That’s up to Putin. If he decides not to take that offer, then unfortunately we’ll have to do what we have to do.


QUESTION: To be fair, you are right. We’re about the third – I think three years into the war. The President repeatedly, though, did say that he would end the war in Ukraine on day one, and we are some 250 days into the administration.


Let’s talk U.S. and China here, Mr. Secretary. As you know, we are apparently —


SECRETARY RUBIO: Yeah, but that’s not up – we didn’t – that’s not up to us to end the war. The Russians have to stop the war.


QUESTION: Well, yes. But —


SECRETARY RUBIO: And the Ukrainians have to agree to a peace deal. What the President expressed is that it would be a priority of his. And it has been. I don’t think anyone could argue that it hasn’t been a priority.


QUESTION: Yes. But again, repeatedly on the campaign trail he said he would end it on day one. We’re 246 days into the administration.


SECRETARY RUBIO: Well, I think – which is an indication that he repeatedly said that he would make it a priority. He certainly has done more than Biden ever did to end the war. Biden didn’t even have a plan for the war.


QUESTION: Let’s talk about the U.S. and China and the TikTok deal. That’s important to a lot of folks, as you know, especially young people. It looks like there is the framework of a deal. We’ve been repeatedly told that the reason this is happening is because there is concern that the Chinese are using the algorithm to manipulate folks in this country and also steal data from folks in this country. What can you tell us about how this deal is going to address those concerns?


SECRETARY RUBIO: Well, I’m not going to get into the details of the deal because they still need to be finalized. I think all the things you pointed to in your question are certainly considerations, which is why the ownership of the group that’s actually going to control this app here in the U.S. and how it’s used in the U.S. is critical. That’s why those who handle the data is critical. That’s why having insight into the algorithm is critical. And all those things are sort of dealt with in the constructs of this outline.


But it still needs to be – I think we’re – the framework is in place. It’s been negotiated. The Treasury Secretary went over there and negotiated the outlines of it, as well as the Vice President has been very involved in this. But it still needs to be finalized. Suffice it to say all the things you’ve just raised are part of the considerations that went into putting this deal together.


QUESTION: Yeah. Really quickly, Mr. Secretary, as you probably know, Jimmy Kimmel returning to late night tonight. The Vice President at one point suggested that you should be hosting late night. Amid all of the political violence we’ve seen in this country over the last few months, are you at all concerned that it may be impacting America’s reputation abroad? There was a Republican senator who said we’re starting to look like a third world country.


SECRETARY RUBIO: Well, we certainly aren’t treated like one. Every country in the world, every meeting I have, all they want us to do is to get more involved in solving some problem important in their region. So I think the United States today strongs not – today stands not just stronger, but more influential than it has ever been on the world stage despite media reports, despite idiotic commentary – commentators that know nothing about what’s happening here. Every meeting I go to it’s about someone asking us to get involved – in Lebanon, with Syria, in Israel and Gaza, in Ukraine, in the Indo-Pacific.


QUESTION: Sure.


SECRETARY RUBIO: And look what the President’s done and the wars he’s brought about to an end – Thailand and Cambodia, India and Pakistan. Time and again, the President has been the only leader in the world that can get involved. That doesn’t sound like a third world country to me. That sounds like a very powerful, influential country who is stronger and more respected on the world stage.


QUESTION: Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Mr. Secretary, thank you for your time, sir.


SECRETARY RUBIO: Thank you.



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Secretary of State Marco Rubio with Ainsley Erhardt, Brian Kilmeade, and Lawrence Jones of Fox and Friends
09/23/2025


Secretary of State Marco Rubio with Ainsley Erhardt, Brian Kilmeade, and Lawrence Jones of Fox and Friends
09/23/2025 11:17 AM EDT



Marco Rubio, Secretary of State

New York City, New York

Lotte Palace Hotel
HomeOffice of the SpokespersonPress Releases…Secretary of State Marco Rubio with Ainsley Erhardt, Brian Kilmeade, and Lawrence Jones of Fox and Friends
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Secretary of State Marco Rubio with Ainsley Erhardt, Brian Kilmeade, and Lawrence Jones of Fox and Friends


Interview


September 23, 2025



QUESTION: Let’s bring in the Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Mr. Secretary, thanks so much for joining Fox and Friends this morning.

QUESTION: Thank you.

SECRETARY RUBIO: Thank you. Good morning.

QUESTION: So Mr. Secretary, we were hoping that you can give us a preview. Apparently, the President wants his famous message of peace through strength today at the UN. What do you anticipate him saying?

SECRETARY RUBIO: Well, I think one of the things the President is going to have to address, and is going to address, is the UN itself, and that is: Why do we still have a UN? It has tremendous potential. The UN is an organization that has the potential to do some great things around the world, but it’s not doing it. If you look at Russia and Ukraine, you have a war going on there. It’s the President that’s been carrying the burden of trying to bring it to an end. The UN is playing no role. If you look at what’s happening in Gaza with Hamas and everything that’s happened there with Israel taking them on, what role is the UN playing? None.

We’re going to try here in the – even close to home in the Western Hemisphere, in a place like Haiti that’s been overrun by gangs that control that country and has destabilized the region, the U.S. is asking for the UN to step up and play a very important role. We have a lot of support, but it looks like China might stand in the way of this effort to bring that about. The UN will play no role if they do that.

So I think what the President is going to do is challenge the UN to find its meaning and its purpose and its utility as an organization, because it doesn’t seem to be doing the job and it’s pretty good at spending a lot of money. I think the – you can anticipate the President will point to his own history with the UN going back to his time here as a developer, where he actually offered to fix the UN building, and instead they chose to go in another direction, wasted a bunch of money, and really didn’t achieve on the building’s perspective what needed to happen. And I think it’s emblematic of how feckless the UN has become as an organization; it’s just a place where once a year a bunch of people meet and give speeches and write out a bunch of letters and statements, but not a lot of good, important action is happening.

So again, the UN has a lot of potential but it’s not living up to it right now.

QUESTION: So the Turkish leader Erdogan sat down with Bret Baier yesterday. We got two topics to talk to you about that, one of which was asked about the war in Russia. He’s basically – he’s indifferent, he likes both guys. And in Gaza. But he seems to take a shot at President Trump. Listen:

PRESIDENT ERDOGAN: (Via interpreter) I can only say this: Mr. Trump, you might remember, he used a term when he said I will finish the Russia-Ukraine war. Did it end? It still goes on. Similarly, he said I will finish the war in Gaza. Did it end? No. That means once we start analyzing the issue, there are prices to pay. And when we look at the hostage exchange, that was done. It goes on.

QUESTION: So he says the President doesn’t get it done. This is a NATO Ally. Your thoughts.

SECRETARY RUBIO: Well, look, I didn’t hear the entirety of the interview. I can only tell you that on both of those issues – on the case of Russia-Ukraine, the only leader in the world that has any chance of bringing it to an end is President Trump, and which is why he has put more time and energy into it than anybody else. All of these other countries, including Türkiye by the way, are begging us to be involved. They want us to be involved. Look, these people go out and say what they want to say, but at the end of the day when they want something done, they come – they want to come to the White House. President Erdogan is coming to the White House this week to meet with the President. They all come to the White House, they all want to speak to President Trump, they all want President Trump to fix it.

So they can say whatever they want to say. The truth of the matter is that we have leaders – we have meetings going on today that we have leaders begging to be a part of it. They are calling and saying: Can we be included? Can you bring us in? Can you get me five minutes to shake the President’s hand? He is the indispensable leader in the world right now. He is the only one who has any chance of not just brokering a deal to end the war with Russia and Ukraine, but also bringing about the war that’s going – and getting all the hostages released in Gaza.

And I think he has put more time and energy into peace proposals and peace initiatives than anybody else in the world, and he’s had the most success of anybody else in the world. He doesn’t get a lot of credit, but let’s not forget the DRC and Rwanda had a war going on; it’s the President that’s brokered that. Azerbaijan and Armenia – it’s the President that brought that about. Thailand and Cambodia – it’s the President that brought the end to that about. India and Pakistan.

That’s just four right off the top of my head in the last few months. And the President is the one that did that, not any other leader in the world and not the UN.

QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, Fox is exclusively reporting that Hamas wrote a letter directly to President Trump asking for a pause in fighting for 60 days in exchange for half of the hostages. Do you know if this letter has been delivered yet, and will the President entertain this idea?

SECRETARY RUBIO: I don’t know who they gave that letter to. It wouldn’t have mattered, though, because the President has been clear, and that is that we haven’t seen the letter, we don’t have that letter, and even if we did, it wouldn’t matter. The President has already made clear he’s not interested in 60 days, 10 people. He wants all the hostages out, all 48, including the 20 who are alive, the 28 who are deceased. He wants them all out.

There should have never been any – why are we even talking about hostages? Why do we still have to talk about hostages at this point? There shouldn’t be any. They should all be released immediately, period. That’s the President’s position, and so he would have rejected that offer had it come, but we haven’t seen that letter. I think they gave it to the media or somebody, but they haven’t given it to us.

QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, the President sent a final warning to Hamas. What does that mean?

SECRETARY RUBIO: Well, I mean, you’ve got Israel is right at the doorstep of Gaza City. I mean, they’ve begun an operation to go in. And all of the leaders of Hamas, all of the main leaders inside of Gaza and Hamas, are all concentrated in Gaza City. It may take a while, but they’re not going to survive the Israeli push.

Now, what we would hope to see is that it doesn’t have to happen because Hamas surrenders, they lay down their arms, they release all the hostages, and then the important work of sort of rebuilding Gaza and providing a place where Palestinians can live prosperously and peacefully – that work can begin. But that work can’t begin until the hostages are released and Hamas no longer exists. And so the sooner that happens, the sooner peace will begin.

QUESTION: I want to make sure to get this in because I know your time is tight. You were brilliant, as in so many speakers, saluting the life of Charlie Kirk. Here’s a little of the moments a lot of people are talking about. Watch:

SECRETARY RUBIO: Because he took on that death, because he carried that cross, we were freed from the sin that separated us from him. And when he returns, there will be a new heaven and a new Earth, and we will all be together, and we are going to have a great reunion there again with Charlie and all the people we love.

QUESTION: It looks like that was coming from the heart, not the prompter. Can you bring us back to that moment?

SECRETARY RUBIO: Well, look, Charlie – I think what makes this situation so unique is that Charlie Kirk wasn’t just a figure involved in American politics and political discourse. Charlie was a friend to a lot of people in the White House and a lot of people in this administration, like on a personal level. He is someone that I had just been interacting with just a few days before he died, because he had just – he was in South Korea and was eager to come back home and tell me what he had seen while he was there. And a lot of other people – the Vice President was very close to him personally. A lot of members of the staff. It’s just – so I think it adds a new element to this.

Obviously, this is a major story, a horrific tragedy before everyone in the age of social media. Everyone saw it instantly. And so I think it impacted people across the country. But I think it had a particularly special impact, in addition to all of that, because of the personal connection here. And I thought that on Sunday was a very unique opportunity for many of us not just to pay tribute to the life that Charlie Kirk lived, but the way he lived it and the core of his message. And his faith was at the core of his message.

I think Charlie, if he was here with us, would here – to say that politics is important, what we do in government is important, these debates on issues are important, but the most important thing of all is our faith and our family. And that – and Charlie lived that, and he believed it, and it was at the core of his message. He had an extraordinary amount of wisdom for a 31-year-old young man. He really did. I mean, it usually takes a lifetime to acquire the kind of wisdom that he had.

QUESTION: Mm-hmm. And the President did a beautiful job speaking there, and so did his wife. The President – what is his reaction? What’s the administration’s reaction about our allies? We have France, we have the UK, we have Australia and Canada recognizing the Palestinian state. What does that say about our influence?

SECRETARY RUBIO: Well, these countries are doing it, frankly, because of domestic political pressure in their own countries, because of migration policies or countries have been flooded with foreigners who have become politically active and are insisting that their governments do these sorts of things. And so that’s what they’re responding to.

But look, it’s irrelevant. It’s going to get a little bit of attention, but there is no Palestinian state. You can put all the – it’s kind of emblematic of what the President says about the UN. You can put out all the paper in the world you want. The only way there’s ever going to be a permanent solution to this challenge between Palestinians and Israelis is a negotiated settlement, one in which the Palestinians are going to have a territory and they’re going to govern it, but it cannot be one that’s going to be used as a launchpad for attacks against Israel. And that’s something that has to be negotiated with Israel. It isn’t going to exist without Israel’s participation. That’s what these leaders should have spent their time working on: ending this war, eliminating Hamas, so you can get to that stage of talks about that topic.

But for them, and for some of them in particular more than others, it’s sort of a vanity project that’s trying to make themselves relevant. But here’s the bottom line and here’s the truth, okay? When it comes to actually getting peace done, when it comes to actually stopping this, they’re not going to any of these other countries.

QUESTION: Of course.

SECRETARY RUBIO: They’re coming to us. They’re going to President Trump and they’re asking him to get involved and bring it to an end. You just asked me about a letter to – from Hamas. Hamas didn’t send a letter to France. Hamas didn’t send a letter to any of these countries on your list. Hamas apparently, supposedly, sent the letter to President Trump. Because everyone knows – even an evil group like Hamas – that he is the only one with the power and the influence to make something happen.

QUESTION: It’s such a good point. And I don’t want to put you in a bad position, but do any of these countries ever tell you why they’re not willing to accept any of the refugees that’s coming from Gaza, from the Palestinian Authority? Because we hear publish (inaudible) sometime —

SECRETARY RUBIO: Sure they tell me.

QUESTION: What do they say?

SECRETARY RUBIO: They say: Well, we can’t take any more people, we already have too many. They say, frankly, what any country should say, which is – in fact, I think if they – they won’t say it publicly.

QUESTION: Right.

SECRETARY RUBIO: But they’ll say it privately. And not just these countries in Europe. I mean, the countries in the Middle East.

QUESTION: Egypt.

SECRETARY RUBIO: Look, it’s not like every country in the Middle East is raising their hand and saying: Okay, we’ll take 100,000 refugees. It goes back to the migratory debates we’ve had in this own country. I mean, every country in the world thinks open borders is crazy. Egypt does not have open borders; Jordan does not have open borders; Europe does, or has had for a long time. But none of these countries in the – most countries in the world do not have open borders because it’s crazy. It’s lunacy. And only we had that under President Biden, and now that’s been fixed. And I think the President will point to that in his speech today. America had a migratory crisis unlike any in the world, and we fixed it very quickly under President Trump.

QUESTION: All right. Real quick, Mr. Secretary. What are you going to do about the Russian breaches into NATO territories? They need a muscular response. I haven’t seen any.

SECRETARY RUBIO: Well, NATO is responding the way it should. If a drone comes in over your airspace, you shoot it down. That happened. We’ve seen flights – and this is not new, by the way. This has happened – maybe not at the frequency we’ve seen, but a Russian jet or a Russian bomber goes into your defense zone. You send your planes up there to intercept it. That’s been happening. We’ve had to do that off the coast of Alaska repeatedly in many cases.

So NATO is going to respond. Yesterday at the United Nations, his first day on the job, Mike Waltz, our new ambassador here, spoke at the Security Council. He made clear our position, which is that when it comes to NATO, we’re going to defend every inch of it. It’s an important Alliance. We had the best NATO summit maybe in history just a few months ago in which, with President Trump there, all these countries made their 5 percent pledge except for one, Spain, who doesn’t want to do it. But – and you know what? At the end of the day, that – so that issue is what it is.

On the Russia-Ukraine war, look, no one has worked harder or done more to bring this to an end, and it appears Putin may not be serious about peace. The President has expressed his deep disappointment about it, and he knows what his options are at some point here to have to impose additional costs, but he’s also said that before we do that, Europe needs to do it. They’re demanding all these things of us, and yet you have countries in Europe still buying massive amounts of oil and natural gas from Russia and funding and fueling the Russian aggression campaign. So I think it’s important for them to step up.

QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, thank you so much.

QUESTION: Thank you, sir.

QUESTION: All right, get stuff done. Thanks, Mr. Secretary.

SECRETARY RUBIO: Thank you.



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Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs Haiti Israel Media Engagement Office of the Spokesperson Official Domestic Travel Palestinian Territories Russia Russia-Ukraine War The Secretary of State Situation in the Middle East Ukraine UNGA80 United Nations (UN)


Secretary of State Marco Rubio at a United Nations Security Council Ministerial Meeting on Ukraine
09/23/2025
Secretary of State Marco Rubio at a United Nations Security Council Ministerial Meeting on Ukraine
09/23/2025 07:34 PM EDT



Marco Rubio, Secretary of State

New York City, New York

United Nations Headquarters
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Secretary of State Marco Rubio at a United Nations Security Council Ministerial Meeting on Ukraine


Remarks


September 23, 2025


SECRETARY RUBIO: Thank you, Mr. President, and all of you for convening here today on this important matter. When President Trump took office, he made it among his highest priorities the restoration of peace anywhere and everywhere in the world where the opportunity presented itself. And it’s met with great success in a number of places.

We had a conflict between India and Pakistan, which was a very dangerous conflict, and one that he chose to engage in and was able to bring it to – be very involved in bringing it to a cessation of hostilities.

When Thailand and Cambodia were engaged in hostilities, the President got involved over a weekend – a weekend over in the United States – and were able to play a critical role in that regard as well.

We are very grateful to some of the countries in this room that were helpful in that regard with the DRC and Rwanda, and work remains to be done. But again, a conflict that presents grave dangers and extraordinary humanitarian challenges.

With Azerbaijan and Armenia as well, he has become involved and we were able to sign an agreement at the White House very recently that hopefully prevents a future conflict which would prove costly and deadly.

But the one that’s proved to be an extraordinarily challenge has been the war in Ukraine, between Russia and Ukraine. The President has worked on it tirelessly, has invested a tremendous amount of his own time, energy, and the highest levels of our government. We have had meetings in Türkiye, meetings in Saudi Arabia, meetings in Alaska, countless phone calls, doing everything possible to bring this conflict to a resolution and to an end – a war that cannot end militarily. It will end at a negotiating table. That’s where this war will end. But the longer it lasts, the more people will die, the more will be destroyed.

Some of the numbers we are seeing in the loss of life among military personnel, for example on the Russian Federation’s side, are staggering. Staggering. In one month alone, more losses – more loss of life than in the entirety of the U.S. engagement in Afghanistan or Iraq. This war has to end, and we have done everything we possibly can, and will continue to do everything we possibly can, to bring it to an end.

Very generous offers have been made. For example, a ceasefire at the current lines of contact while all the other details on this – on the future of the conflict could be worked out in terms of future territorial lines. The President has shown extraordinary patience in terms of not assessing additional sanctions in the hopes of having a breakthrough in this regard. And all has come to what appears to be not just a stagnant one, but an era and – we’ve entered a period of what appears to be potential even escalation, with some – the historically highest number of strikes we’ve seen over the last few nights and before, and now we are also watching incursions into neighboring airspace by both drones and airplanes.

The President is a very patient man, he’s very committed to peace, but his patience is not infinite. And as he has said repeatedly, he has before him the opportunity and the options of imposing additional economic costs on the Russian Federation, if necessary, in order to bring this to an end. He also has before him the option, as he has already chosen to do in some circumstances, to sell defensive weaponry, and potentially offensive weaponry, so that Ukraine can defend itself from this assault by purchasing that weaponry.

So I’m here to say to the Security Council the United States remains as committed as it has ever been to a peaceful resolution to this dangerous conflict. But there will come a moment in which we will have to conclude that perhaps there is no interest in a peaceful resolution, and then the President has before him real options, which he intends to pursue, as he has made clear today in some of the messages he has put out.

So I strongly urge the Security Council, the member-states here, and those who are not part of this as well, to do everything in their power – and including the Russian Federation to do everything within their power, and the Ukrainian side for that matter as well – but all sides, to bring this war to an end before it becomes something that will last another three or four years, lead to more destruction, both economic, and at the same time, loss of life and loss of property and loss of futures. This war needs to end. But if it does not – if there is no path to peace in the short term – then the United States and President Donald J. Trump will take the steps necessary to impose costs for continued aggression.

Thank you.

extraordinary



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Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs Bureau of International Organizations Office of the Spokesperson Official Domestic Travel The Secretary of State Ukraine UNGA80 United Nations Security Council (UNSC)


Secretary Rubio’s Meeting with Serbian President Vucic
09/23/2025


Secretary Rubio’s Meeting with Serbian President Vucic
09/23/2025 07:42 PM EDT



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Secretary Rubio’s Meeting with Serbian President Vucic


Readout


September 23, 2025



The below is attributable to Principal Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Pigott:

Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and discussed the deepening partnership between the United States and Serbia, including through a bilateral strategic dialogue and U.S. participation in EXPO 2027.



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Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs Office of the Spokesperson Official Domestic Travel The Secretary of State Serbia UNGA80


Deputy Secretary Landau’s Meeting with Holy See Secretary for Relations with States Archbishop Gallagher
09/23/2025


Deputy Secretary Landau’s Meeting with Holy See Secretary for Relations with States Archbishop Gallagher
09/23/2025 09:53 PM EDT



Office of the Spokesperson
HomeOffice of the SpokespersonPress Releases…Deputy Secretary Landau’s Meeting with Holy See Secretary for Relations with States Archbishop Gallagher
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Deputy Secretary Landau’s Meeting with Holy See Secretary for Relations with States Archbishop Gallagher


Readout


September 23, 2025



The below is attributable to Principal Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Pigott:

Deputy Secretary Landau met in New York today with Holy See Secretary for Relations with States Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher to reaffirm the strong partnership between the United States and the Holy See. The Deputy Secretary expressed appreciation for the Holy See’s work to promote stability in conflict regions and highlighted areas for future collaboration.



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Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs Deputy Secretary of State Holy See Office of the Spokesperson UNGA80


Secretary Rubio’s Meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov
09/24/2025


Secretary Rubio’s Meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov
09/24/2025 01:26 PM EDT



Office of the Spokesperson
HomeOffice of the SpokespersonPress Releases…Secretary Rubio’s Meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov
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Secretary Rubio’s Meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov


Readout


September 24, 2025



The below is attributable to Principal Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Pigott:


Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. The Secretary reiterated President Trump’s call for the killing to stop and the need for Moscow to take meaningful steps toward a durable resolution of the Russia-Ukraine war.



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Bilateral Relations and Engagement Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs Office of the Spokesperson Russia The Secretary of State


Secretary Rubio’s Transatlantic Dinner with the Foreign Ministers of the NATO and EU Member States, Secretary General of NATO Rutte, High Representative of the European Union Kallas, and Special Invitees
09/24/2025.


Secretary Rubio’s Transatlantic Dinner with the Foreign Ministers of the NATO and EU Member States, Secretary General of NATO Rutte, High Representative of the European Union Kallas, and Special Invitees
09/24/2025 09:08 PM EDT



Office of the Spokesperson
HomeOffice of the SpokespersonPress Releases…Secretary Rubio’s Transatlantic Dinner with the Foreign Ministers of the NATO and EU Member States, Secretary General of NATO Rutte, High Representative of the European Union Kallas, and Special Invitees
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Secretary Rubio’s Transatlantic Dinner with the Foreign Ministers of the NATO and EU Member States, Secretary General of NATO Rutte, High Representative of the European Union Kallas, and Special Invitees


Readout


September 24, 2025



The below is attributable to Principal Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Pigott:

Secretary of State Marco Rubio hosted the 2025 Transatlantic Dinner with the foreign ministers of the member states of the EU and NATO, Secretary General of NATO Mark Rutte, the High Representative of the European Union Kaja Kallas, and the Foreign Ministers of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Switzerland, and Ukraine. The Secretary underscored the importance of the transatlantic partnership to preserving peace and achieving prosperity, the historic commitment by NATO member states to increase defense spending to enhance deterrence, and the importance of continued diplomatic engagement to end the Russia-Ukraine war. The Secretary also emphasized the importance of confronting Chinese malign influence; joint cooperation to achieve stability in the Middle East, including through ensuring that Iran never develops or obtains a nuclear weapon; and the President’s achievement in setting Armenia and Azerbaijan on a path towards a lasting peace.



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Armenia Azerbaijan Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs European Union (EU) North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Office of the Spokesperson Official Domestic Travel The Secretary of State Switzerland Ukraine UNGA80


The Reopening of the Iraq-Türkiye Pipeline
09/25/2025


The Reopening of the Iraq-Türkiye Pipeline
09/25/2025 02:39 PM EDT



Marco Rubio, Secretary of State
HomeOffice of the SpokespersonPress Releases…The Reopening of the Iraq-Türkiye Pipeline
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The Reopening of the Iraq-Türkiye Pipeline


Press Statement


September 25, 2025



We welcome the announcement that the Government of Iraq has reached agreement with the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and international companies to reopen the Iraq-Türkiye pipeline, a deal facilitated by the United States that will bring tangible benefits for both Americans and Iraqis.


We commend the decisive efforts of Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shiaa al-Sudani and senior officials of the Government of Iraq, as well as KRG Prime Minister Masrour Barzani and senior KRG officials, to make this progress possible. This agreement will strengthen the mutually beneficial economic partnership between the United States and Iraq, encourage a more stable investment environment throughout Iraq for U.S. companies, enhance regional energy security, and reinforce Iraq’s sovereignty.



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Bureau of Economic, Energy, and Business Affairs Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs Economy and Trade Policy Iraq Office of the Spokesperson The Secretary of State Turkey


The Reopening of the Iraq-Türkiye Pipeline
09/25/2025


The Reopening of the Iraq-Türkiye Pipeline
09/25/2025 02:39 PM EDT



Marco Rubio, Secretary of State
HomeOffice of the SpokespersonPress Releases…The Reopening of the Iraq-Türkiye Pipeline
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The Reopening of the Iraq-Türkiye Pipeline


Press Statement


September 25, 2025



We welcome the announcement that the Government of Iraq has reached agreement with the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and international companies to reopen the Iraq-Türkiye pipeline, a deal facilitated by the United States that will bring tangible benefits for both Americans and Iraqis.


We commend the decisive efforts of Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shiaa al-Sudani and senior officials of the Government of Iraq, as well as KRG Prime Minister Masrour Barzani and senior KRG officials, to make this progress possible. This agreement will strengthen the mutually beneficial economic partnership between the United States and Iraq, encourage a more stable investment environment throughout Iraq for U.S. companies, enhance regional energy security, and reinforce Iraq’s sovereignty.



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Bureau of Economic, Energy, and Business Affairs Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs Economy and Trade Policy Iraq Office of the Spokesperson The Secretary of State Turkey


2025 Investment Climate Statements Published
09/26/2025


2025 Investment Climate Statements Published
09/26/2025 05:15 PM EDT



Office of the Spokesperson
HomeOffice of the SpokespersonPress Releases…2025 Investment Climate Statements Published
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2025 Investment Climate Statements Published


Media Note


September 26, 2025



Today, the Department of State published the annual Investment Climate Statements. These reports describe the investment climates of more than 170 countries and economies, helping U.S. companies make informed decisions about doing business overseas. The Investment Climate Statements form chapters of the Department of Commerce’s Country Commercial Guides and address topics established by the Championing American Business Through Diplomacy Act of 2019 (CABDA). They are also a resource for foreign governments to create business environments that treat the United States and our companies and investors fairly.



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Bureau of Economic, Energy, and Business Affairs Business and Entrepreneurship Economic and Commercial Diplomacy Economy and Trade Policy Office of the Spokesperson Reports


The Week at State: September 19 - September 25
09/26/2025


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September 19 – September 25

It’s United Nations High-Level Week, where the United States is prioritizing three themes through our engagement: Peace, Sovereignty, and Liberty.

Here’s what happened this week:President Trump addressed the 80th U.N. General Assembly, underscoring U.S. leadership on energy, security, and peace.
Secretary Rubio engaged with world leaders, advancing U.S. priorities and sharing our vision for America First foreign policy.
President Trump met with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy, and the U.S. reaffirmed its support for a peaceful end to the Russia-Ukraine war at the U.N. Security Council.


President Trump Addresses the United Nations

President Trump delivers remarks to world leaders at the UN General Assembly on September 23. (© Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images)

President Trump delivered a powerful rebuke to the destructive globalism that has fueled endless conflict and chaos around the world. His remarks emphasized American strength while calling on nations to confront shared challenges like terrorism, unchecked migration, and biological warfare.

“America is blessed with the strongest economy, the strongest borders, the strongest military, the strongest friendships, and the strongest spirit of any nation on the face of the earth. This is indeed the Golden Age of America,” President Trump said. He also underscored his role in seven peace deals in just seven months, saying, “No President or Prime Minister — and for that matter, no other country — has ever done anything close to that.”

Secretary Rubio echoed the President’s message, stating, “Strong borders and energy dominance are what make America great. Every nation must stand against unmitigated immigration disasters and fake energy catastrophes.”

President Trump’s speech sets a clear path forward: a world where sovereign nations work together to confront the greatest threats of our time, while preserving their unique cultural identities and freedoms.


Secretary Rubio Advances U.S. Priorities

Secretary Rubio meets with Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and counterparts from Japan and the Republic of Korea in a trilateral meeting on September 22. (State Dept.)

While at the United Nations, Secretary Rubio met with Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar to reiterate the critical importance of the U.S.-India relationship and with Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić to discuss the upcoming U.S.-Serbia Strategic Dialogue.

The Secretary also participated in a trilateral meeting with his counterparts from Japan and the Republic of Korea. The three governments issued a joint statement underscoring their shared priorities on defense cooperation, deterrence, nonproliferation, and responding together to regional challenges.

While in New York, Secretary Rubio also sat down with ABC, Fox, CBS, and NBC to discuss the United States’ efforts to secure peace in Ukraine and Gaza, restructure U.S. assistance to be more effective, and challenge international institutions to deliver results.

“The UN has a lot of potential but it’s not living up to it right now,” Secretary Rubio told Fox and Friends.


The United States Supports Peace in Ukraine

President Trump met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the United Nations in New York City on September 23. (White House)

At the United Nations, the United States made its support for peace in Eastern Europe unambiguously clear.

President Trump met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the United Nations. After the meeting, President Trump expressed his optimism that Ukraine could prevail and reclaim its lost territory.

“I think Ukraine, with the support of the European Union, is in a position to fight and WIN all of Ukraine back in its original form,” the President said in a social media post.

Secretary Rubio also addressed the UN Security Council Ministerial Meeting on Ukraine.

Speaking to the permanent and rotation members of the security council, Secretary Rubio made it clear that President Trump is a President of Peace, highlighting his successful efforts to end conflicts in Southeast Asia, the Caucuses, and East Africa.








News You May Have MissedSecretary Rubio met with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa to discuss ongoing counterterrorism efforts, efforts to locate missing Americans, and the importance of Israel-Syria relations in achieving greater regional security.
Deputy Secretary Landau attended a high-level event on support for Haiti to address the ongoing security threats and the steps the U.S. is taking to support Haiti.
First Lady Melania Trump launched Fostering the Future Together, a bold step to creating brighter futures for all children through the promotion of education, innovation, and technology.
Deputy Secretary Landau delivered keynote remarks at the U.S.-Pacific Islands Business Forum, promoting trade and investment opportunities in the Pacific Islands region.
Deputy Secretary Landau led an event on migration reform to kick-start an international discussion on much-needed reforms to the international refugee and asylum system.
Deputy Secretary Landau explained how it's time for the UN to get back to basics, sharing the importance of taking a hard look at the role of multilateral institutions.
Deputy Secretary Landau shared how the Trump Administration will degrade, dismantle, and eliminate foreign terrorist organizations in the Western Hemisphere.


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