State Department Briefing, June 30, 2025: Bruce on Congo-Rwanda Peace Signing, Quad Ministerial, and Lifting Syria Sanctions

Name: "State Department Briefing, June 30, 2025: Bruce on Congo-Rwanda Peace Signing, Quad Ministerial, and Lifting Syria Sanctions"
Uploaded: 2025-06-30
Duration: 22 min 22 s
Description: "Spokesperson Tammy Bruce said Secretary Rubio hosted the June 27 signing of a peace agreement between Congo and Rwanda ending a 30-year war, would welcome Quad counterparts the next day, and that President Trump would issue an executive order lifting U.S. sanctions on Syria, according to the briefing."

June 30, 2025 · U.S. Department of State · 0:22:22

Embedded from the source channel — never re-uploaded. Watch on YouTube

What happened

Spokesperson Tammy Bruce opened the June 30, 2025 briefing — a shorter one, she noted, because the president was beginning signings at the White House — by saying President Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio continue to deliver a vision of peace through strength, according to Bruce.

Bruce said that on June 27, Rubio, Under Secretary Allison Hooker, and Senior Advisor Massad Boulos hosted the ministerial signing of a landmark peace agreement between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of Rwanda, marking a historic milestone for the Great Lakes region and bringing an end to a 30-year war, according to Bruce. She said the United States, in coordination with the African Union, Qatar, and Togo, will continue supporting full implementation toward mutual prosperity, according to the briefing.

Bruce said Rubio would welcome his Quad counterparts from Australia, India, and Japan to Washington the next day to reaffirm a shared commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific, defend sovereignty, strengthen maritime security, and build resilient supply chains, according to Bruce. She said Trump would that day issue a new executive order lifting U.S. sanctions on Syria, reflecting his belief that the Syrian people deserve a future of safety and prosperity, according to the briefing.

Bruce also said the department’s Middle East Task Force ended its activities on Friday, June 27, that embassies and consulates across the region are open for routine and emergency services, that nearly 100 security alerts had been sent since the crisis began, and that 16 flights had departed Israel with over 650 U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents, according to Bruce. The briefing then took press questions.

Why it matters

The briefing’s three headline items — a signed Congo-Rwanda peace agreement, an imminent Quad ministerial, and a Syria sanctions-lifting order — are the department’s stated diplomatic deliverables for the turn of July 2025.

Sources: U.S. Department of State, “Department of State Press Briefing - June 30, 2025”, 2025-06-30 (official upload, embedded above; published 2025-06-30). Transcript via Supadata (private research store, paraphrased and attributed, not republished). All figures and characterizations as stated by the speakers.