U.S. State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce on May 27 urged Russia to focus less on President Donald Trump’s social media posts and more on ending its war in Ukraine, saying that if Moscow truly cared about peace efforts, it would prioritize stopping “the carnage and the slaughter that’s happening right now.”
U.S. State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce called for "concrete proposals from both sides" in order for Washington to "move forward" in peace negotiations.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio "underscored to his Russian counterpart the next steps in Russia-Ukraine peace talks and the need to end the war now," U.S. State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce said.
"We remain committed to achieving a full and comprehensive ceasefire," a U.S. State Department spokesperson said on April 20.
The proposed cuts for the next fiscal year would reportedly leave $28.4 billion for all State Department activities, a 48% reduction from the 2025 budget approved by Congress.
"The United States extends our deepest condolences to the victims of today's horrifying Russian missile attack on Sumy," U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote on X. The statement did not include condemnation of Russia's actions or calls for increased sanctions on Moscow.
"It is a dynamic that will not be solved militarily. It is a meat grinder," U.S. State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said. "There is nothing else (that) can be discussed for the outcome until the shooting and the killing stops."
"China is a major enabler of Russia in the war in Ukraine," U.S. State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce told reporters on April 8.
"In Brussels, Secretary Rubio will attend the NATO Foreign Ministers Meeting to discuss security priorities for the Alliance, including increased Allied defense investment and securing lasting peace in Ukraine," State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said in a statement.
The Trump administration cut funding to an initiative led by Yale University that tracked Russian war crimes, including the forced deportation of Ukrainian children. The database included thousands of Ukrainian children forcibly taken to Russia and there were concerns the data may have been deleted.
Kyiv has relied on high-resolution satellite images for defense and strategic planning, tracking Russian troop movements, assessing battlefield conditions, and monitoring Russian infrastructure damage.
"The United States raised concerns regarding access to banking and contracted services as well as the need to ensure stable and sustainable staffing levels at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow," the U.S. State Department said.
"To be clear, there are no political or security issues on the agenda. Ukraine is not on the agenda," a U.S. State Department spokesperson said in an email to Reuters. U.S. and Russian officials will meet in Istanbul on Feb. 27.
These exemptions would extend beyond the U.S. waiver for "life-saving" programs and would allow Ukraine to receive funding for demining, narcotics control, and civil society projects.
The U.S. has asked European countries to outline their potential security and peacekeeping contributions to Ukraine as part of any future peace negotiations with Russia, the Financial Times reported on Feb. 15, citing undisclosed sources.
A federal judge temporarily halted the Trump administration’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) memo that sought to freeze up to $3 billion in funding for various U.S. federal programs, the New York Times (NYT) reported on Jan. 28.
The U.S. government has officially classified Marc Fogel, an American schoolteacher jailed in Russia on drug charges, as wrongfully detained, the State Department announced on Dec. 27.
U.S. State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller warned that if North Korean troops crossed the border into Ukraine to fight for Russia, that would mark a serious "escalation" in the war.
The U.S. State Department announced visa bans for approximately 20 Georgian individuals for undermining democracy in the country, according to the department’s statement on Dec. 12.
"Georgian Dream’s various anti-democratic actions have violated the core tenets of our U.S.-Georgia Strategic Partnership ... As a result, the United States has suspended this mechanism."
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on Nov. 13 officially confirmed Republican Senator Marco Rubio as his nominee for the secretary of state, the U.S.'s top diplomacy job.
U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink said on Nov. 3 that the U.S. State Department has funded 800 mobile fire teams in Ukraine, which have shot down over 200 Russian drones since January 2024.
The United States will allow Ukraine's Azov Brigade to use weapons provided by the U.S. to fight Russia's full-scale invasion, the U.S. State Department announced on June 10, reversing a long-standing policy.
"Using a normal, routine, and democratic transition as an excuse for military provocations risks escalation and erodes longstanding norms," U.S. State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller said.
"We are working on other packages. I think you can expect to see us get back to the kind of tempo that we were at before we had this break in funding," U.S. State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters.
U.S. representatives will not attend Vladimir Putin's inauguration on May 7, but Washington recognizes him as Russia's president, U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said on May 6.
U.S. State Department spokesperson Dan Cisek said it is a "difficult question" but that the "government of Ukraine has the right to define its policy" on this issue.
A collaborative investigation by The Insider uncovered evidence linking the mysterious health condition known as the Havana Syndrome to members of Russia's military intelligence agency. GRU Unit 29155 reportedly used directed energy weapons to target overseas U.S. government personnel.
The U.S. does not believe that Russian leader Vladimir Putin has gained the upper hand in the war against Ukraine amid the capture of Avdiivka and the failure of Congress to pass a large-scale aid package for Ukraine.
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