U.S. Department of State Weekly Digest Bulletin

 

Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Rustem Umerov Before Their Meeting 11/30/2025   Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Rustem Umerov Before Their Meeting 11/30/2025 11:56 AM EST Marco Rubio, Secretary of State Rustem Umerov, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Hallandale, Florida HomeOffice of the SpokespersonPress Releases…Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Rustem Umerov Before Their Meeting hide Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Rustem Umerov Before Their Meeting Remarks November 30, 2025 SECRETARY RUBIO:  Well, first of all, (inaudible) all of you that are here.  It’s great to be back with you again.  I think we’re going – we are – we continue this very important work building off what’s been achieved not just in Geneva, the progress we’ve made there, but the progress throughout the week as we’ve been communicating.  The end goal is obviously not just the end of the war, obviously.  That’s central and fundamental.  We want to see the end of the killing and the death and the suffering, and I’m sure the Ukrainians – and I know they do as well – that they want peace.  But it’s also about securing an end to the war that leaves Ukraine sovereign and independent and with an opportunity at real prosperity.  So this is not just about ending a war.  This is about ending a war in a way that creates a mechanism and a way forward that will allow them to be independent and sovereign, never have another war again, and create tremendous prosperity for its people, not just rebuild the country but to enter an era of extraordinary economic progress.  It’s a country with – Ukraine has tremendous economic potential.  Ukraine has tremendous opportunity for true prosperity.  Obviously you can’t do that in the middle of a war like this, but ending a war alone won’t achieve that.  So this is not just about peace deals.  It’s about creating a pathway forward that leaves Ukraine sovereign, independent, and prosperous.  And so we expect to make even more progress today, and we’re grateful that you would travel all the way here to Florida.  We apologize for the rain.  (Laughter.)  It’s not supposed to be raining, but there’s only certain things we can control.  Thank you and welcome.  SECRETARY UMEROV:  Thank you.  First of all, I would like to start with (inaudible) American people, American leadership, President Trump’s initiative for the peace.  We have been working with U.S. for the last ten months, and we’ve been meeting and had a great progress.  I am thankful to President Trump’s super team that is supporting us.  We are discussing about the future of Ukraine, about the security of Ukraine, about no repetition of aggression of Ukraine, about prosperity of Ukraine, about how to rebuild Ukraine.  And we are thankful for the efforts of United States and its team to helping us.  U.S. is hearing us.  U.S. is supporting us.  U.S. is walking besides us.  And we are thankful for all what has been done until today, and we are looking forward to have a successful, productive meeting today.  Thank you. SECRETARY RUBIO:  Thank you very much, guys. Tags Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs Office of the Spokesperson Russia-Ukraine War The Secretary of State Ukraine Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Rustem Umerov 11/30/2025   Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Rustem Umerov 11/30/2025 05:54 PM EST Marco Rubio, Secretary of State Rustem Umerov, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Hallandale, Florida HomeOffice of the SpokespersonBriefings…Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Rustem Umerov hide Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Rustem Umerov Remarks to the Press November 30, 2025 SECRETARY RUBIO: (In progress) the time.  I think we both are.  But I just wanted to update you.  We had another very productive session building off Geneva, building off the events of this week.  As I told you earlier this morning, our goal here is to end the war, but it’s more than just to end the war.  We don’t just want to end the war; we also want to help Ukraine be safe forever so never again will they face another invasion, and equally important, we want them to enter an age of true prosperity.  We want the Ukrainian people to emerge from this war not just to rebuild their country, but to build it back in a way that’ll be stronger and more prosperous than it’s ever been.  And so this is comprehensive what we’re working on here today.  It’s not just about the terms that ends fighting; it’s about also the terms that set up Ukraine for long-term prosperity.  I thought we started laying the groundwork for that most certainly in Geneva.  I think we continued that work in our communications throughout the week.  I think we’ve built on that again today, but there’s more work to be done.  This is delicate, it’s complicated, there are a lot of moving parts, and obviously there’s another party involved here that’ll have to be a part of the equation – and that’ll continue later this week when Mr. Witkoff travels to Moscow, although we’ve also been in touch in varying degrees with the Russian side.  We have a pretty good understanding of their views as well.  So much work remains, but today was again a very productive and useful session where I think additional progress was made, and we continue to be realistic about how difficult this is, but optimistic particularly given the fact that, as we’ve made progress, I think there is a shared vision here that this is not just about ending the war, which is very important; it is about securing Ukraine’s future, a future that we hope will be more prosperous than it’s ever been. SECRETARY UMEROV:  Yeah.  Once again, we are grateful to American people, American leadership, and the great team with the State Secretary, Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner for their tremendous work with us.  Our objective is a prosperous, strong Ukraine.  We were discussing about the future of Ukraine.  We discussed all the important matters that are important for Ukraine, for Ukrainian people, and U.S. was super supportive.  We worked – we already had a successful meeting in Geneva, and today we continued this success. So at the moment this meeting was productive and successful.  On the later stages, hopefully, we’ll keep you updated.  Thank you. SECRETARY RUBIO:  Okay.  Thank you very much. Tags Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs Office of the Spokesperson Russia-Ukraine War The Secretary of State Ukraine Romania National Day 12/01/2025 Romania National Day 12/01/2025 12:01 AM EST Marco Rubio, Secretary of State HomeOffice of the SpokespersonPress Releases…Romania National Day hide Romania National Day Press Statement December 1, 2025 On behalf of the United States of America, I congratulate the people of Romania on your National Day. The United States and Romania share a strong and growing partnership built on shared strategic interests in security, energy cooperation, and trade. As you celebrate the anniversary of your unification, we commend Romania’s regional leadership and encourage your continued role in promoting stability across the Black Sea region. Romania’s pledge to commit 5 percent of its GDP to defense by 2035 will strengthen the NATO Alliance and establish a foundation for growing prosperity for years to come. The United States looks forward to continued defense cooperation and growing trade and investments that benefit both our nations. Tags Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs Office of the Spokesperson Romania The Secretary of State Under Secretary Rogers’s Travel to the United Kingdom, France, and Italy 12/01/2025   Under Secretary Rogers’s Travel to the United Kingdom, France, and Italy 12/01/2025 09:11 AM EST Office of the Spokesperson HomeOffice of the SpokespersonPress Releases…Under Secretary Rogers’s Travel to the United Kingdom, France, and Italy hide Under Secretary Rogers’s Travel to the United Kingdom, France, and Italy Media Note December 1, 2025 Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy Sarah Rogers will travel to London, Paris, Rome, and Milan December 2-8.  Under Secretary Rogers will meet with government counterparts to advance key bilateral issues, reaffirm the Trump Administration’s commitment to defending freedom of speech and digital freedom, and highlight American excellence through America250 celebrations.  Under Secretary Rogers will also sign an extension of the U.S.-Italy Cultural Property Agreement, which curbs the illicit trafficking of cultural property and protects American collectors and museums. Tags America 250 Bilateral Relations and Engagement Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs France Italy Office of the Spokesperson Official International Travel Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy United Kingdom Deputy Secretary Landau’s Travel to Brussels 12/01/2025   Deputy Secretary Landau’s Travel to Brussels 12/01/2025 10:10 AM EST Office of the Spokesperson HomeOffice of the SpokespersonPress Releases…Deputy Secretary Landau’s Travel to Brussels hide Deputy Secretary Landau’s Travel to Brussels Media Note December 1, 2025 The below is attributable to Principal Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Pigott: Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau will travel to Brussels, Belgium from December 2-3 to attend the NATO Foreign Ministers’ Meeting.  He looks forward to discussing security priorities for the Alliance, including increased Allied defense investment and full implementation of The Hague Summit commitment.  While in Brussels, Deputy Secretary Landau will also meet with U.S. businesses to promote President Trump’s priorities of rebalancing trade and ensuring a positive business environment in Europe for American investment and exports. Tags Belgium Bilateral Relations and Engagement Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs Deputy Secretary of State Economic Growth and Prosperity NATO North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Office of the Spokesperson Official International Travel Secretary Rubio’s Call with German Foreign Minister Wadephul 12/01/2025   Secretary Rubio’s Call with German Foreign Minister Wadephul 12/01/2025 08:30 PM EST Office of the Spokesperson HomeOffice of the SpokespersonPress Releases…Secretary Rubio’s Call with German Foreign Minister Wadephul hide Secretary Rubio’s Call with German Foreign Minister Wadephul Readout December 1, 2025 The below is attributable to Principal Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Pigott: Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke today with German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul. The Secretary and the Foreign Minister discussed ongoing efforts to facilitate an end to the war in Ukraine. The Secretary reaffirmed the United States’ goals are to end the conflict as soon as possible and achieve a lasting peace. Tags Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs Germany Office of the Spokesperson The Secretary of State United States Welcomes Hungary, Malaysia and the Philippines Signing the Artemis Accords 12/02/2025   United States Welcomes Hungary, Malaysia and the Philippines Signing the Artemis Accords 12/02/2025 10:36 AM EST Office of the Spokesperson HomeOffice of the SpokespersonPress Releases…United States Welcomes Hungary, Malaysia and the Philippines Signing the Artemis Accords hide United States Welcomes Hungary, Malaysia and the Philippines Signing the Artemis Accords Media Note December 2, 2025 The Department of State congratulates Hungary, Malaysia and the Philippines on joining the Artemis Accords.  The three countries became signatories at separate ceremonies in October, pledging their commitment to peaceful space exploration and use.  With these latest signatories, 59 countries have signed the Accords to date.   Foreign Minster Péter Szijjártó signed the Artemis Accords on behalf of the Government of Hungary on the sidelines of a bilateral meeting with Secretary of State Marco Rubio on October 22. Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohamad bin Hasan signed the Artemis Accords on behalf of the Government of Malaysia on the sidelines of the ASEAN Leaders’ Meetings in Kuala Lumpur on October 26.  Officer-in-Charge of the Philippines Space Agency Gay Perez signed the Artemis Accords on behalf of the Government of the Philippines in the presence of Under Secretary for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment Jacob Helberg and Under Secretary for Political Affairs Allison Hooker in Kuala Lumpur on October 27. The United States and seven other countries established the Artemis Accords in 2020 to serve as a set of practical principles to guide responsible space exploration.  Hungary, Malaysia and the Philippines join the United States and 55 other nations in affirming the Accords’ principles for sustainable civil space activity.  The Department of State and NASA lead the United States’ outreach and implementation of the Accords. For more information, including a full list of signatories to the Accords, please visit our Artemis Accords page.  For media inquiries, please submit a request here. Tags Artemis Accords Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs Hungary Malaysia National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Office of the Spokesperson Philippines Space Digital Press Briefing on Zipline Drone Delivery and the America First Global Health Strategy 12/02/2025   Digital Press Briefing on Zipline Drone Delivery and the America First Global Health Strategy 12/02/2025 01:46 PM EST Jeffrey Graham, Senior Bureau Official and Acting Global AIDS CoordinatorBureau of Global Health Security and Diplomacy Caitlin Burton, Chief Executive Officer of Zipline Africa Africa Regional Media Hub MODERATOR:  Good afternoon, and welcome, everyone, from across Africa and beyond, to the U.S. State Department’s Africa Regional Media Hub.  My name is Phillip Assis and I am the director of the hub. Today I’m pleased to note that this is our second press conference in a row on the America First Global Health Strategy and the effectiveness of U.S. Government partnership with the American private sector.  Today we are discussing how the U.S. Government partnership with the Zipline drone delivery network is improving access to blood and medications across rural Africa and creating jobs in the process. I’m pleased to note that we are joined by two experts today.  In the original announcement you may have seen that one of our experts was going to be Senior Official Jeremy Lewin; he was unable to join us, but in his stead I’m very pleased to welcome the U.S. State Department’s Senior Bureau Official for the Bureau of Global Health Security and Diplomacy Jeff Graham.  He is joined by the Chief Executive Officer of Zipline Africa, Caitlin Burton. Today’s briefing is on the record, and you may quote our two expert panelists by their names and titles.  We will begin today’s briefing with brief openings from our two panelists, and then we will turn to your questions.  And we’ll try to get to as many of your questions as possible in the time we have allotted.  Some – we have received some questions in advance, but if you would like to ask any live questions on the call, please type those questions into the question-and-answer tab, and include your name, location, and media outlet, please.  And please do use the Q&A tab as opposed to the chat box, and note that, from our end, we only see your Zoom login information. With that, I will turn the floor over to Senior Bureau Official Jeff Graham.  Thank you. MR GRAHAM:  Thanks, Phillip.  Happy to be here, and good morning everybody, and good afternoon – wherever you are.  Really also excited to be here with my colleague Caitlin from Zipline to talk about this very exciting investment. Let me just start by saying a couple of things.  In September the Department of State announced our new America First Global Health Strategy, which seeks to enhance return on U.S. taxpayer dollars while reducing waste, eliminating a culture of dependency in the aid system, and ensuring assistance is strategically aligned with our foreign policy goals.  And as part of that health strategy, we need to be able to deliver life-saving medical products to people in need across Africa, especially in hard-to-reach areas.  And so that’s why we’re working with Zipline, an American company, using their American-made robotics and drone tech to deliver these life-saving products at greater speeds and greater efficiency. And as part of this deal, as you’ve heard, we’re providing up to $150 million to expand access to life-saving medical supplies, including blood and medicines, to as many as 15,000 health facilities across Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, and Rwanda. This is only the start.  By expanding U.S. private sector reach and leveraging America’s unmatched innovation in tech and science and medicine, we’re going to deliver on a much-needed 21st century upgrade to how the U.S. conducts foreign assistance.  This is in line with our overall approach of making America safer, stronger, more prosperous.  And so through this partnership with Zipline, we’re going to strengthen resilient local health systems abroad, prevent the spread of infectious diseases and enhance emergency outbreak response, boost private – sorry, public-private sector collaboration and open new markets for American companies globally.  We’ll ensure that the U.S. remains the partner of the choice and the leader in global health, especially in the areas of tech, science, and medicine.  We’ll create manufacturing jobs in the United States and local jobs on the ground. So with just a modest – what we think of as a modest U.S. capital investment, these countries will actually become more responsible for maintaining and continuing to invest in their own country-led health systems, which is the main thrust of our strategy.  This is all about helping countries get ready to do most of this work on their own through some investments through the United States. We’ve already started working with the governments of Rwanda and Zipline to announce the new distribution centers, and which are going to double their daily deliveries in Rwanda, but I’ll let Caitlin talk about that.  And I think it’ll reach as many as 130 million people across the continent.  So it’s a very exciting partnership and we’re happy to – happy to be part of it. So let me stop there and turn it over to Caitlin and Zipline.  Thanks. MODERATOR:  Thank you. MS BURTON:  Thanks, Jeff.  Hi, everyone.  I’m Caitlin Burton; I’m the chief executive of Zipline Africa.  I actually wanted to start the briefing today with a quick story.  On October 30th, a Rwandan woman from Nyagatare district, who was pregnant with twins, went into premature labor and suffered a placental abruption.  The hospital didn’t have enough blood of her type on hand, and so getting that by road would have taken about six hours – far too slow to save her life.  And so luckily, this hospital was part of Zipline’s network, and we got nearly seven pounds of blood there in 40 minutes, and that mother’s life was saved, and she can now raise her twins happily herself. While that story is very special and meaningful to this family, it’s not unique.  It happens hundreds of times a day across the countries Zipline serves.  It’s made a huge difference for the populations we reach.  And actually, maternal deaths are down by more than half at Zipline-serviced facilities in Rwanda where this woman’s story take place, and other countries where we’ve been able to measure it. So for those who aren’t familiar, Zipline – we build and operate drones that fly 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in all weather.  And this enables a centralized, on-demand supply chain model that ensures every patient gets the treatment they need when they need it.  And it eliminates waste, it reduces administrative complexity, it saves money. Just like how African countries skipped landlines and went straight to mobile phones, these health systems are really skipping the 19th century infrastructure that doesn’t serve anyone particularly well and is increasingly complex to manage, and it’s replacing it with this modern infrastructure whose performance isn’t measured in on-time in-full deliveries – that’s a given – but rather in raising treatment rates and improving health outcomes. So thanks to the partnership we’ve had with these five African governments over the years, we now have evidence that we’re the least expensive and most effective way to do this.  And thanks to an equally bold and visionary partner today – the U.S. State Department, who is stepping in to help these pioneering countries – Rwanda, Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, Cote d’Ivoire – we’re going to be able to scale this service nationwide. I also – I just want to call out a few visionary partners that we’ve had over the years.  There’s a small number of deeply invested partners who are committed to moving the needle on intractable health challenges, and they were willing to kind of radically depart from the status quo.  The Elton John AIDS Foundation, the Gates Foundation, Gavi, Pfizer Foundation, and the UPS Foundation all supported the reach – the operations in our partner countries to improve health outcomes for tens of millions of people, and understand exactly why this approach matters.  Together with these partnerships with African governments, we have been able to cut maternal deaths by 56 percent.  We’ve reduced zero-dose prevalence by 42 percent in a single year.  We have reduced missed opportunities to treat severe malaria by 66 percent.  And the list – the list goes on.  And now we have the chance to bring this impact to countries nationwide thanks to this partnership with the State Department. At full scale, the award will expand coverage to up to 15,000 health facilities that serve about 130 million people.  It will create about a thousand jobs and drive an estimated $1 billion in annual economic growth in our partner countries in Africa. And I think the bigger vision is, what we’ve discovered over the years, is that with a well-trained workforce, with innovative drugs, and with the most efficient and cost-effective logistics infrastructure on the planet we can finally imagine ending HIV transmission in a country, ending maternal mortality, ending severe malnutrition, just having health systems that reach everyone equally wherever they are not with a complex web of one-off programs but with a single piece of highly cost-effective infrastructure. So we – I just want to thank Secretary Rubio, Under Secretary Jeremy Lewin, SBO Jeff Graham on the call today, everyone in the U.S. State Department for their bold vision, their smart strategy, and their swift execution.  I think that this award is changing foreign aid but it will also forever change the trajectory of human health and development. So thank you all for the partnership.  We’re really excited to answer questions today. MODERATOR:  Great.  Thank you both, Jeff and Caitlin.  Thanks to our speakers.  We’ll now turn to your questions, and we’ll take questions related to the topic of today, which of course is Zipline drone deliveries in Africa and the America First Global Health Strategy.  Once again, questions should be entered in the Q&A box, not the chat, with your name, outlet, and location. The first one comes from Ms. Irene Okechukwu – and apologies for mispronunciations – and she is from the Real Broadcasting Network of Nigeria.  Her question is:  “How will rural communities be engaged to build trust in drone delivery, especially in areas where residents may have safety concerns or lack awareness of the technology?  And are there plans to ensure that underserved populations, including people in hard-to-reach or marginalized regions, benefit equally from this program?” MS BURTON:  I can take that.  Absolutely.  I think rural and hard-to-reach communities are usually the most served by our technology; it’s a true equalizer for health access.  But what we’ve also seen over time is our operation sites become community centers themselves.  Kids love to see drones take off.  We open our hubs for community visits and school tours, robotics workshops.  We do a lot of community outreach.  We host a lot of blood drives.  We help the governments that we partner with raise awareness on things like World Malaria Day, taking our drones out of our nests and into communities where people can kind of touch and feel the technology themselves.  It’s super powerful.  Of course, we hire from the local communities that we operate in.  We’re 100 percent locally led, but also we find that after operating for a while everyone knows someone whose life was saved by Zipline. Someone told me recently that every time they see a Zipline drone in the sky they smile because they know someone’s life is being saved, and I think once that becomes how people understand the system to be, it’s a really welcome – it’s a really welcome part of everyday life.  So, yeah. MODERATOR:  Great.  Okay, thank you.  Our second question comes from Ms. Dabia Mohamed from the Al Jazeera Media Network in Ethiopia:  “What criteria guided the selection of the five African countries chosen for this project?”  And I would add, which African countries are next in line for Zipline? MR GRAHAM:  Maybe let me start with that one.  So in terms of this particular award – this is an investment in places where there already is a Zipline relationship with countries and with governments.  And so it made sense to start there.  As Caitlin just described, this is, I think, a really interesting way of approaching this which is not bringing in Americans to do this work in rural communities.  This is about having Africans do this work in their own communities.  So what we’re making is an upfront investment.  So we chose the countries where Zipline was already there.  Maybe Caitlin can talk about how those expansions are going to work in those individual countries. In terms of what comes next, I won’t speculate.  Let’s stay focused on the current investment now, but just look for more exciting and innovating investments coming from the U.S. under this strategy in the future. Caitlin, over to you. MS BURTON:  Yeah, I mean, in a way these governments selected us, right?  Like, they had the vision.  They were tired of struggling with the status quo and so they adopted Zipline even when they were often receiving other supply chain services for free, and they have been spending their own budget on having Zipline for years already, and they’ve been able to realize tremendous gains from that. And so I think the question here was:  How can we get that faster?  How can we scale that as fast as possible?  How many lives could we save if we had this infrastructure nationwide now instead of over the 10 years it’s going to take us to self-finance that?  So the U.S. Government and the America First Global Health Strategy, they kind of had this vision. If this is what these governments are asking for, if they’ve proven that it works, if they’re willing to pay for it themselves, if they can only access it at scale, that’s a perfect example of commercial diplomacy, I think.  It’s giving them the technology, the jobs, the entrepreneurship that they’ve been asking for and it’s giving it to them as quickly as possible so that they can realize the benefits that this delivers as fast as they can. So yeah, it was kind of a self-selecting group and there are more of them out there, but as Jeff said, we’ll leave to another day. MODERATOR:  Great, thank you. Another question from Nigeria, which is:  “How will this initiative ensure long-term sustainability once the initial U.S. funding cycle ends?”  Actually, another journalist asked the same question:  “And what plans exist for knowledge transfer and capacity building so that African governments can eventually run these drone networks independently?”  Or another way to put it is:  What happens after U.S. Government funding? MR GRAHAM:  Maybe I’ll just start with the easy part, which is that again, that’s the whole thrust of the new U.S. strategy.  I think what we are pushing is an entire mindset shift in how we do foreign assistance, moving from a system of staying engaged for decades and decades where there was no endgame, no exit strategy.  Now we are moving to a self-sufficiency strategy.  And so I’ve just come from a trip in Africa where we were negotiating agreements all across the continent trying to move countries toward glide paths for running their own health systems over the next five years.  And this is part of that approach. So it’s looking at upfront, short-term investments by us that translate into long-term, sustainable projects that we leave behind; rather than having the U.S. Government stay in these countries, running a supply chain network for decades, we’re going to make an upfront investment and then it will be sustainable. But Caitlin, maybe you can answer the other part. MS BURTON:  Yeah, I know, I think you’re spot-on.  By design this is meant to be self-sustaining and long term for the countries that take it on.  We looked around at what was happening with foreign aid this year and we thought there’s a real opportunity to reset the trajectory for development instead of having the U.S. Government kind of own and operate a supply chain for decades. Countries are – they’re already doing a version of that with Zipline at regional scale.  And moreover, they have been saying for a decade they want trade, not aid.  They don’t want to be kind of treated like a charity case.  They want technology; they want jobs; they want entrepreneurship; they want growth. So yeah, I mean, I think the governments adopted this themselves because they – it has unparalleled impact on population health.  It can solve problems like maternal mortality and child deaths once and for all.  When the countries have already adopted it, they just need support to bring it to scale faster.  So think of all the lives that would be lost kind of needlessly over a decade of scaling the system on their own.  So why wait? I think this is about being really catalytic, but it’s the governments’ vision really that we’re all investing in here.  They have a plan for long-term sustainability.  They put this in their budgets and they pay for the service.  And the funds, by the way, that they pay get spent right back there in the economy.  It covers people’s salaries; it covers service provider costs; it covers utilities; it covers taxes.  So it’s – in many ways this is kind of a win-win.  It’s the government spending their own domestic resources on a kind of fundamentally game-changing piece of infrastructure that the U.S. Government is able to support them accessing as quickly as possible at scale.  But the long-term ownership, the long-term service provision is run locally and it’s paid for locally by the governments from day one. MODERATOR:  Great.  Thank you.  Next question comes also from Nigeria.  This is – this question is from Adejuyigbe Francis Adegoke from the Fishe Govima Network.  And his question is: “Which Nigerian health facilities, up to the stated total across all countries, will benefit from the Zipline drone delivery system?” MS BURTON:  That’s a great question.  This is determined by the Nigerian Government, and so they need to tell us where the service is going to be most effective and certainly cost-effective, what specific health burdens they want to use it to target.  And then we set up the system to maximize coverage that’s going to deliver on those goals at scale. And so the nature of our conversations with the Nigerian Government right now really focus on BHCPF facilities, as the Basic Health Care Provision Fund.  It’s kind of a new model the Nigerian Government has, where they invest in ensuring that there is one, like, highly-equipped facility with highly trained personnel with a flawless supply system that can always meet its mandates to patients and having one of those in every single ward in this massive country of 230 million people.  So I think there’s about 14,000 or 17,000 of those facilities planned.  About half of those are currently online.  And Zipline – our first order of business is going to be integrating into and serving that network of BHCPF facilities. From there we will be able to expand to all sorts of community distribution and other sorts of state facilities. MODERATOR:  Great.  Thank you.  We have another question that came from Ms. Dabia Mohamed at Al Jazeera: “How does this initiative align with the United States’ broader strategy in Africa, particularly amid growing global competition in health and technology?” MS BURTON:  Jeff, do you want to take that first? MR GRAHAM:  Yes, I had an unmuting problem.  Yeah, let me – I mean, I’ll try to stick to the health space.  First of all, the – I think the main difference of the way we’re approaching the health assistance and the strategy is, again, moving from a model that for good reasons and with good intentions ended up being – creating a cultural of dependency in Africa, where we were just providing the medical support to African – citizens of African countries, rather than really pushing the governments to get to a place where they would do this themselves.  Again, there are reasons for that that happened over time, and it’s all described in our strategy.  But this is a push to something new, which is – it’s long overdue to make this shift. And in fact, I’ll tell you, I’ve met with many ministers of health across Africa who uniformly welcome this approach and have said, in fact, we wish you had done this earlier, not because they don’t like having assistance, but it’s — because of the way it works, if we don’t build a system where they end up responsible for their own health outcomes, we’ll just never get to that stage.  So the strategy really is the leading edge of the Trump Administration’s new approach on how to do this, because at the end of the day our goal is not necessarily to – we’re doing lifesaving assistance, but we’re not trying to do it forever. We’re trying to get countries able to do this themselves.  And frankly, every aid dollar in the world won’t solve problems of economic growth and development in Africa.  They’re – countries are going to have to move to other systems to figure that out.  And so Zipline is a great example, again, of investing in something that becomes locally owned, locally grown, sustainable, builds the local economy, and contributes to GDP growth while delivering lifesaving assistance at the same time. MODERATOR:  Great.  Did — Caitlin, did you have something to add to that or no? MS BURTON:  I mean, I – yeah, I think this award is squarely focused on two things:  what African government partners want, which is scaling access to this cutting-edge technology that saves lives; and then how to improve things for America, whether that’s reinvigorating American manufacturing or being a better steward of taxpayer dollars.  I think it ticks a lot of boxes in terms of what we’re all – what the U.S. Government is trying to achieve with its foreign assistance strategy and also what is good for America and good for the – for our partner governments.  And so kind of a win-win-win. MODERATOR:  Great.  Okay.  Very good.  The next question – let’s see.  I think we got time for just two more questions.  So the next question comes from Adejuyigbe – sorry – Adegoke, who asks: “What impact will American-made AI robotics and anonymous logistics technologies have on overall health outcomes in Africa?” MS BURTON:  I mean – MR GRAHAM:  Maybe I’ll start and then Caitlin – oh, Caitlin, do you want to start?  Yeah. MS BURTON: No, no, no.  Please go.  Yep. MR GRAHAM:  All I was going to say is you said it already in your first answer, which is leapfrog technology is the best way to say this.  I think there’s a – the great example that Caitlin mentioned already in Africa of rather than spending decades trying to catch up on digging trenches for telephone lines either buried or in – on poles, move to cellular technology and just skip over that generation.  This is exactly the same thing. We’ve just had multiple meetings with countries about their health systems, and in a health system, if you’re trying to deliver commodities what matters – the hardest part and what matters the most is the last mile.  Getting commodities onto a tarmac in a capital city is easy.  Getting commodities from the capital city out to the regional warehouses is also pretty easy.  Getting it those last couple of steps is actually very, very hard, particularly in countries that don’t necessarily have their road networks built all the way out or where villages are very hard to reach.  So I think you first have that piece. And secondly, I think you’re introducing some really great new technologies.  I don’t know if the question is getting at are countries ready for this tech.  Of course they are.  So it’s – we’re providing them with things that they don’t have to wait generations to get the latest tech.  I think this is a fantastic way to introduce it now and skip over the slow process in between. But Caitlin, please jump in. MS BURTON:  Yeah.  I mean, I would add to that that I think there’s a common misconception that this is just a transport method.  But it’s actually a whole supply system.  That’s what kind of robotics enables is – it’s the centralized, on-demand system that creates an extremely reliable system.  It can’t be interrupted by the things that other forms of transport are interrupted by.  But more importantly, it – a lot of the trade-offs that you have to make in a health system have to do with controlling for quality by also controlling access.  You kind of limit – you limit where patients can access certain kinds of care in order to limit your exposure to potential theft or fraud or expiries, or whatever it is.  And these sorts of trade-offs have never been good for patients.  And that’s why – it’s one of the reasons why we continue to have these health burdens that are completely solvable. I think that a lot of those kind of old-school supply chains, they measure their performance in inputs like how many drugs they procured, how many drugs they brought into the warehouse, some kind of turnover rate.  Maybe they measure it in on-time performance, in-full distribution, what actually is ordered arrives on time.  With Zipline those things are – it’s impossible for us to not deliver everything on time and in full.  It’s kind of guaranteed.  It’s the future of the system.  It’s what robotics can do.  They’re uninterruptible. What we measure are impacts.  So we measure the increase in facility visits.  We measure the increase in treatment rates.  We measure systematic improvements in population health at a grand scale.  And so I think what we’re finding, this is the highest-impact, most effective way to improve population health at such a large scale.  So I think that’s what technology does, it takes an analog system that’s kind of tinkering at the margins, trying to make it marginally better, and you can leap over that, as Jeff said, and you can just get to the finish line and solve the problems. MODERATOR:  Thank you.  Our final question, I’m actually going to combine two questions.  One comes from Carmen Puan of Politico, and the other one comes Abubakari Sadiq in Ghana.  The question is the – we have this $50 million.  Is that for each of the five countries, or what is the level of co-investment from each of those countries? And related to that, the question from Ghana, is what is the burden on the taxpayer?  This question is specifically for Ghana, that – what is the burden on the taxpayer for each of the questions – each of the countries in question? MR GRAHAM:  So – MS BURTON:  So the – okay, Jeff, please. MR GRAHAM:  Yeah.  No, no, you do it.  You answer it. MS BURTON:  I was going to say the funds are not evenly distributed.  The countries all have different sizes; the population served as highly variable.  What we do is we work with each country to determine kind of where – what their greatest health burdens are that they’ve not been able to solve, where the greatest access challenges are, where the health system is just not succeeding at meeting its mandate for patients, and we size the network accordingly. This is meant to be nationwide, and it’s meant to be able to deliver the volumes of product required to kind of engineer the health outcomes that we want to see.  We know how to do that now.  We know how to solve maternal mortality; we know how to solve malnutrition and these sorts of things.  So the networks get sized based on that, and then the governments, they pay the operating cost.  So the operating cost is kind of fixed.  It’s known, and it’s a long-term commitment. But I think what’s really important to focus on here is that in the past you might sink $50 million into a project just to address maternal mortality in a region, or just to address HIV infections in a region, or mother-to-child transmission.  And what you’re doing here is you’re paying for a single piece of infrastructure, and it attacks each of those things – you know what I mean?  It addresses all of the health burdens.  There is no specific investment for one.  There is no specific adaptation or programmatic element to one.  It’s just ensuring that those products reach patients where they are, where the outbreaks are happening, where patients are seeking care, whether it’s in the community instead of in clinics that might be stigmatizing.  It just creates a really responsive system. And so, kind of how we size it and how much money goes to each country and how much funds – domestic funding countries put into it is really a reflection of what we’re trying to achieve together, the goals that we have for the system. MODERATOR:  Great.  Thank you.  Thank you, both of our speakers today.  That concludes our questions.  I’ll turn it over to Senior Bureau Official Jeff Graham for any final words. MR GRAHAM:  Thanks.  I’ll be extremely brief, just to say thank you to everybody for joining us today.  I hope you can tell we’re pretty excited about this.  We’re excited about the strategy.  We’re excited about Zipline being our – kind of kickoff, one of our big kickoff investments, and what is, frankly, a really cool technology and something that I think will be – have dramatic impact in rural communities in particular in Africa. And so my thanks again to Caitlin for joining me and for providing great answers, and for all of you for listening. MODERATOR:  Thank you. MR GRAHAM:  We hope for more in the future. MODERATOR:  Great, wonderful.  Well, thank you, Senior Bureau Official Jeff Graham, and thank you, CEO Caitlin Burton.  And thank you, journalists from across Africa for participating today in today’s briefing. A transcript of today’s briefing in both French and English, along with an audio recording of this briefing, will be available to you shortly after this call.  And if you have any questions about the briefing, please reach out to us here at the Africa Regional Media Hub at afmediahub@state.gov.  And also, if you publish any articles or broadcasts based on today’s briefing, we would appreciate a copy at that same email address. Finally, I’d like to invite everyone to follow us on X.  Our handle is @africamediahub. Thank you, and I wish you all a pleasant day. # # # Secretary Rubio’s Call with Italian Foreign Minister Tajani 12/03/2025   Secretary Rubio’s Call with Italian Foreign Minister Tajani 12/03/2025 02:33 PM EST Office of the Spokesperson HomeOffice of the SpokespersonPress Releases…Secretary Rubio’s Call with Italian Foreign Minister Tajani hide Secretary Rubio’s Call with Italian Foreign Minister Tajani Readout December 3, 2025 The below is attributable to Principal Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Pigott: Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke today with Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani to reaffirm the strong U.S.-Italy partnership and discuss key global issues.  Secretary Rubio expressed appreciation for Italy’s support for continued diplomatic efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine war and reach a durable peace.  The Secretary welcomed Italy’s contributions to stabilization and reconstruction efforts in Gaza. Tags Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs Office of the Spokesperson The Secretary of State United States Applauds Spain’s Repatriation of Displaced Persons from Northeast Syria 12/04/2025   United States Applauds Spain’s Repatriation of Displaced Persons from Northeast Syria 12/04/2025 11:52 AM EST Office of the Spokesperson HomeOffice of the SpokespersonPress Releases…United States Applauds Spain’s Repatriation of Displaced Persons from Northeast Syria hide United States Applauds Spain’s Repatriation of Displaced Persons from Northeast Syria Media Note December 4, 2025 With U.S. government assistance, Spain repatriated one woman and one child from the Roj displaced persons camp in northeast Syria on Tuesday, November 25. Approximately 11,600 individuals from more than 70 countries outside Syria remain in the al-Hol and Roj camps, most of whom are children under the age of 12.  Of the total, approximately 3,700 are nationals from over 30 different European countries. The only durable solution to the humanitarian and security challenges in northeast Syria is for countries of origin to repatriate, rehabilitate, reintegrate, and, where appropriate, ensure their nationals face accountability for past acts.  By doing so, the risk of an ISIS resurgence in the region can be reduced, and a stable future for Syria can be ensured. The United States thanks Spain for working with us to repatriate its nationals, and expresses gratitude to our local partners, the Syrian Democratic Forces, for their assistance in facilitating this repatriation and their commitment to ensure the enduring defeat of ISIS. Tags Bureau of Counterterrorism Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration Immigration ISIS Office of the Spokesperson Refugees and Migration Security and Defense Cooperation Spain Syria Transparency and Accountability Joint Statement Declaration of Intent from the United States Government and the European Commission on the Lobito Corridor and Investment in the Great Lakes Region 12/04/2025   Joint Statement Declaration of Intent from the United States Government and the European Commission on the Lobito Corridor and Investment in the Great Lakes Region 12/04/2025 03:48 PM EST Office of the Spokesperson HomeOffice of the SpokespersonPress Releases…Joint Statement Declaration of Intent from the United States Government and the European Commission on the Lobito Corridor and Investment in the Great Lakes Region hide Joint Statement Declaration of Intent from the United States Government and the European Commission on the Lobito Corridor and Investment in the Great Lakes Region Media Note December 4, 2025 The text of the following statement was released by the Government of the United States of America and the European Commission. Begin text: The Government of the United States and the European Commission reaffirm our shared commitment to promoting peace, security, and economic growth in the Great Lakes region of Africa. Together, we are focused on creating the conditions necessary for increased U.S. and EU investment across the region, recognizing that economic development is a cornerstone of long-term stability. Central to this effort is the Lobito Corridor, a transformative infrastructure project that will enhance regional connectivity, secure critical mineral supply chains, and drive sustainable economic growth. By linking the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to the Atlantic Ocean port of Lobito in Angola, the Lobito Corridor will open new avenues for two-way trade between Central Africa and the United States and Europe. The Government of the United States and the European Commission are working closely with private sector leaders and African partners to rehabilitate and modernize the Lobito Corridor, ensuring its success as a catalyst for regional development. In this spirit, we take note of recent private sector discussions with the Government of the DRC regarding investment proposals for the DRC portion of the Lobito Corridor. The Government of the United States and the European Commission stand ready to discuss possible ways to finance proposals that would ensure synchronicity with the ongoing rehabilitation on the Angolan side of the Corridor to maximize the efficiency and success of the project. We declare our intention to remain fully aligned and coordinated to support the Corridor’s success which will secure more transparent supply chains and sustained investment from the region. End text. Tags Angola Bureau of African Affairs Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs Democratic Republic of the Congo European Union (EU) Office of the Spokesperson The Week at State: November 28 – December 4, 2025 12/05/2025 November 28 – December 4 Here’s what happened at State this week. ⤵️ The United States assumed the 2026 Presidency of the Group of 20 (G20). President Trump hosted the signing of the Washington Accords for Peace and Prosperity. Secretary Rubio talked America First with Sean Hannity. The U.S. Assumed Presidency of the G20 (Department of State) In 2026, the U.S. will host the G20 for the first time since 2009, coinciding with America’s 250th anniversary.  Under President Trump, the summit in Miami will highlight American values of innovation and entrepreneurship, with a focus on reducing regulatory burdens, securing energy supply chains, and advancing new technologies.  Poland will join the G20, reflecting its economic rise. In contrast, South Africa, criticized for divisive policies and undermining G20 cooperation, will not be invited. The U.S. supports the South African people but rejects the ANC-led government’s actions, aiming to restore the G20’s focus on prosperity and partnership. Learn how America is welcoming a new G20 in Secretary Rubio’s latest Substack. President Trump Hosts Signing of Peace Accords between DRC and Rwanda President Donald Trump, Rwanda's President Paul Kagame and Democratic Republic of Congo President Félix-Antoine Tshisekedi, during a signing ceremony at the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace, Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025, in Washington. (State Dept./Freddie Everett) On December 4, President Trump hosted the signing of the Washington Accords for Peace and Prosperity between the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Rwanda. The historic agreement aims to end decades of conflict, promote economic cooperation, and lay the groundwork for lasting peace in Africa’s Great Lakes region.  The Accords build on the June 27 peace agreement between the two nations and the Regional Economic Integration Framework, a plan to boost growth and create new opportunities for U.S. businesses in the region.  Alongside the Accords, the U.S. signed new agreements with the DRC and Rwanda to strengthen security and economic ties.  These efforts reflect a shared international commitment to transform the region into a model of peace and prosperity. The United States remains committed to supporting these initiatives, recognizing that true economic potential depends on lasting peace and security. Secretary Rubio Talks about Trump Doctrine, U.S. Military Policy in Sean Hannity Interview (Fox News) In a wide-ranging discussion with Fox News’ Sean Hannity, Secretary Rubio laid out the Trump Administration’s America First foreign policy. “What the President has done is he defines what’s in the core national interest of the United States,” said Secretary Rubio, “and he takes actions that are very specific and limited to getting the outcome that’s good for our country.” In line with this doctrine, the Secretary spoke to the threat to Americans of Nicolás Maduro’s support of narcotics traffic from Venezuela to the United States. “The Maduro regime is not a legitimate government,” said the Secretary.  News You May Have Missed The Department of State renamed the former Institute of Peace to the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace. The Department of State paused visa issuance for individuals traveling on Afghan passports.  We advanced the America First Global Health Strategy through landmark bilateral agreements on global health cooperation. The State Department’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs announced a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of Giovanni Vicente Mosquera Serrano, a leader of Tren de Aragua. The United States is providing emergency lifesaving assistance for Sri Lankans in need following Tropical Cyclone Ditwah. Deputy Secretary Landau discussed security priorities for the NATO Alliance, including increased Allied defense investment.  Note to Our Readers 📩 We welcome feedback at EmailTeam@state.gov  Was this forwarded to you? Subscribe to The Week at State for weekly updates on important work, activities, and news straight from the State Department. Useful links Travel advisories and updates for U.S. Citizens Did you know that you can invite a State Department official to speak at your school, business, or organization? Learn about what we do through the firsthand experience of one of our representatives.  Read More at State.gov Meeting Between Special Envoy for Peace Steven Witkoff, Jared Kushner, Ukrainian Secretary of National Security and Defense Council Rustem Umerov, and Chief of General Staff General Andriy Hnatov 12/05/2025   Meeting Between Special Envoy for Peace Steven Witkoff, Jared Kushner, Ukrainian Secretary of National Security and Defense Council Rustem Umerov, and Chief of General Staff General Andriy Hnatov 12/05/2025 05:57 PM EST Office of the Spokesperson HomeOffice of the SpokespersonPress Releases…Meeting Between Special Envoy for Peace Steven Witkoff, Jared Kushner, Ukrainian Secretary of National Security and Defense Council Rustem Umerov, and Chief of General Staff General Andriy Hnatov hide Meeting Between Special Envoy for Peace Steven Witkoff, Jared Kushner, Ukrainian Secretary of National Security and Defense Council Rustem Umerov, and Chief of General Staff General Andriy Hnatov Media Note December 5, 2025 Over two days, Special Envoy for Peace Steven Witkoff and Jared Kushner met with Ukrainian Secretary of National Security and Defense Council Rustem Umerov and Chief of General Staff General Andriy Hnatov for constructive discussions on advancing a credible pathway toward a durable and just peace in Ukraine. Today, the group had their sixth meeting over the past two weeks. Secretary Umerov reaffirmed that Ukraine’s priority is securing a settlement that protects its independence and sovereignty, ensures the safety of Ukrainians, and provides a stable foundation for a prosperous democratic future.   The participants discussed the results of recent meeting of the American side with the Russians and steps that could lead to ending this war. The American and Ukrainians also agreed on the framework of security arrangements and discussed necessary deterrence capabilities to sustain a lasting peace.   Both parties agreed that real progress toward any agreement depends on Russia’s readiness to show serious commitment to long-term peace, including steps toward de-escalation and cessation of killings.   Parties also separately reviewed the future prosperity agenda which aims to support Ukraine’s post-war reconstruction, joint U.S.–Ukraine economic initiatives, and long-term recovery projects.   American and Ukrainian parties underscored that an end to the war and credible steps toward ceasefire and de-escalation are necessary to prevent renewed aggression and to enable Ukraine’s comprehensive redevelopment plan, designed to make the nation stronger and more prosperous than before the war.   Parties will reconvene tomorrow to continue advancing the discussions. Tags Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs Office of the Spokesperson Russia-Ukraine War Ukraine Finland National Day 12/06/2025   Finland National Day 12/06/2025 12:01 AM EST Marco Rubio, Secretary of State HomeOffice of the SpokespersonPress Releases…Finland National Day hide Finland National Day Press Statement December 6, 2025 On behalf of the United States of America and the American people, I congratulate the people of Finland on the 108th anniversary of your independence. Finland is a trusted partner and model NATO Ally, and its leadership within the Alliance reinforces global stability, making both America and Finland stronger and safer. Over the past year, the United States and Finland have deepened cooperation in defense, trade, and emerging technologies, advancing shared interests and delivering meaningful benefits for our citizens. We look forward to further enhancing NATO’s collective defense with the rollout of Finland’s U.S.-made F-35A fighter jets and the icebreaker agreement signed by President Trump and President Stubb. Together, the United States and Finland are driving innovation in advanced communication networks, cybersecurity, and other emerging technologies, strengthening our industries, enhancing our global competitiveness, and creating opportunities for shared economic growth. As you commemorate this milestone, I send warm regards to all Finns for a successful year ahead. The United States stands with Finland as a friend, Ally, and partner in advancing peace, prosperity, and security. Tags Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs Finland Office of the Spokesperson The Secretary of State

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