QUESTION: First of all, Mr. Secretary of State, congratulations. I haven't gotten a chance to talk to you since the appointment, and I wish you well in doing the work of the American people. What do you want us to know about what you're doing tonight and what you think it signifies?
SECRETARY RUBIO: Well, look, anytime an American comes home who's being held overseas like this situation is, it's a time for celebration. We're happy for him and for his family. It's a case we followed very closely for a number of years, and obviously we're excited about that. But I think it's also important to note it was not in return for anything. There wasn't some deal here where we had to release, like, 10 spies. And I think it shows President Trump's commitment to bringing home Americans. I think - Adam knows better than I do at this point - but I think it's up to 10 people now in just three weeks who were being detained overseas who have been brought home, and so I think this is a very positive development.
QUESTION: Hey, Adam, let me get you in here. Congratulations on bringing home an American. Obviously that's good news no matter what your perspective. Help us understand why the Russians didn't ask for anything in return.
MR BOEHLER: I think what you're seeing here is a bunch of unilateral actions, and I think it speaks to the strength of the President United States, to Steve Witkoff, to Marco and the team they're building, which is basically they're trying to show that they know that the President cares about hostages. He's made it a priority, and you're seeing a whole bunch of people act unilaterally. It happened in Venezuela, and now it's happening here, which is, you've got Russians saying hey, we want to show action because it's a - it's a presidential priority.
QUESTION: Mr. Secretary of State, where are you in terms of your level of confidence that this act is a true indication of possibility when it comes to getting Mr. Putin to be reasonable about ending his campaign in Ukraine?
SECRETARY RUBIO: Well, look, I wouldn't link the two because they're not linked in the sense that there was some sort of understanding on Ukraine in exchange for this. What I would say about it, though, is that if you can't even get an American held under these circumstances released, then the chances of working together in good faith are none. So it's certainly a good sign. But obviously the - look, the situation in Ukraine is complex and difficult, and it's one that is going to require a lot of work, a lot of hard diplomacy. It's a war the President's made clear he wants to see end. And so this is good. I mean, it's not indicative that it's going to make it easier to do a deal, but if you can't get an American who shouldn't have been there out, then the chances of doing something far more difficult are not very high.
QUESTION: You've got a lot on your plate, obviously, and that's why you wanted the opportunity. How concerned are you that we're going to lose the ceasefire between Hamas and Israel?
SECRETARY RUBIO: Well, look, I mean, the - it's always a tenuous ceasefire, because you're dealing with a terrorist organization in Hamas —
QUESTION: Sure.
SECRETARY RUBIO: — who has kidnapped, murdered, raped, savaged innocents. And so you're not dealing with a nation-state here who's operating under the laws of war or any laws for that matter. So it's very tenuous. We'll see what happens on Saturday. I think the President's been very clear he wants to see those hostages come - be released. He's tired of this drip, drip every week. There's some Americans there as well. He wants to see them released, and he's made very clear that if that's not the case on Saturday, then then all bets are off. And it's not going to be good for Hamas. But let's hope that that resolves itself. I don't think anyone wants to see a resumption of hostilities. But by the same token, we can't have Hamas deciding what parts of the deal they're going to live up to and what parts they're not.
QUESTION: Do you believe their assertion that Israel hasn't let in aid that was agreed to?
SECRETARY RUBIO: Well, I think you can't believe anything Hamas says. Obviously, the bigger point here is, yeah, I mean, you're going to - part of the challenge here is that Hamas, we know, continues to use networks to smuggle in weaponry and aid for themselves to reconstitute themselves. Israel can't allow that to happen. You can't allow them, Hamas, to use the ceasefire to sort of rebuild itself and recover strength. So it's a ceasefire but it's not a stupid ceasefire. You can't have it as an opportunity for them to rebuild themselves and come back and do the same thing all over again. Hamas exists with a very clear purpose. That is the destruction of the Jewish state.
So let's hope that we can overcome this hurdle over the next 72 hours. I know that a lot of countries in the region are weighing in, and hopefully we're going to have a good outcome on Saturday; and if not, then I think Hamas will be to blame.
