State Department Briefing, June 30, 2025: Congo-Rwanda Peace Deal, Syria Sanctions Lifted, Quad Meeting

Name: "State Department Briefing, June 30, 2025: Congo-Rwanda Peace Deal, Syria Sanctions Lifted, Quad Meeting"
Uploaded: 2025-06-30
Duration: 1 h 22 min 14 s
Description: "State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce highlighted the June 27 Congo-Rwanda peace agreement signing, a new executive order lifting U.S. sanctions on Syria, and the assisted departure of over 650 U.S. citizens from Israel, according to the Department of State briefing."

June 30, 2025 · U.S. Department of State · 1:22:14

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

What happened

State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce opened the June 30, 2025 briefing by announcing that on June 27, Under Secretary Allison Hooker and a senior adviser hosted a ministerial signing of a peace agreement between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of Rwanda, which she said brings a stop to a 30-year war in the Great Lakes region, according to the Department of State briefing. She said the United States, in coordination with the African Union, Qatar and Togo, will support the deal, as stated in her remarks.

Bruce said Secretary of State Marco Rubio would welcome his Quad counterparts from Australia, India and Japan to Washington the next day to reaffirm a free and open Indo-Pacific, according to the briefing. She also said President Trump would issue a new executive order that day lifting U.S. sanctions on Syria, reflecting his belief that the Syrian people deserve a future of safety and prosperity, as stated in her remarks.

On the Middle East, Bruce said the department’s Middle East Task Force stopped its activities on Friday, June 27, that embassies and consulates in the region are open, and that nearly 100 security alerts had been sent since the crisis began, according to the briefing. She said 16 flights departed Israel carrying over 650 U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents and immediate family members, and she thanked Greece, Italy, Cyprus and Qatar for their help, as stated in her remarks. In questioning on Gaza aid, Bruce said the administration would not rethink its funding approach, that Israel had announced investigations into incidents at aid distribution sites, that Hamas bears responsibility for the situation, and that nearly 51 million meals had been distributed, according to the briefing.

Why it matters

The briefing marks a transition point — a signed African peace deal and lifted Syria sanctions on the diplomatic side, and the wind-down of the Middle East evacuation operation on the consular side.

Sources: U.S. Department of State, “Department of State Press Briefing - June 30, 2025 - 2:00 PM”, 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.