US President Donald Trump, who has been calling himself a ‘broker of peace’, said on Tuesday that he turned down Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin’s offer to help with the Israel-Iran war and instead asked for his assistance in resolving the Ukraine war.
Speaking to reporters on board Air Force One, Trump asserted his belief that Putin wants to end the war with Ukraine, which began with Russia’s full-scale invasion of the country in February 2022.
“He’d like to get out of this thing. It’s a mess for him,” Trump said, adding that, “He called the other day, and he said, ‘Can I help you with Iran?’ I said, ‘No, I don’t need help with Iran. I need help with you.'”
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The US President has been at the centre of the conflict between Israel and Iran, claiming ‘victory’ in achieving the ceasefire between the two Middle Eastern countries.
Trump and his team had reportedly worked together to broker a peace deal between Israel and Iran, with the US President taking the duty of persuading Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and his team engaging in talks with Iran.
Trump had directed his team on Saturday night, “Let’s get on the phone…with the Iranians,” Reuters reported, citing a White House official. “Get me Bibi. We’re going to make peace,” the official quoted Trump.
As Trump spoke to Netanyahu, Vice President JD Vance and State Secretary Marco Rubio, along with special envoy Steve Witkoff, talked to Iran, persuading it to agree to the ceasefire.
Israel and Iran both agreed to the ceasefire. However, the truce was short-lived as both sides reportedly violated the ceasefire and launched strikes at one another.
An entire blame game row erupted, resulting in the US President fuming with disappointment. He had taken to his Truth Social network to post a warning for Israel, asking it to call back its pilots immediately and not to drop bombs on Iran. He had later also gotten on a phone call with Netanyahu, telling him not to attack Tehran at all.
He accused both Iran and Israel of violating a ceasefire on Tuesday, just hours after he announced it. He even lost his cool and dropped the ‘f’ word, “We basically have two countries that have been fighting so long and so hard that they don’t know what the f**k they’re doing.”
Later, Trump assured that Israel was not going to Iran. “Nobody will be hurt, the ceasefire is in effect,” he said. And 48 hours later, the ceasefire seems to be holding intact.
Now, the US President has circled his focus back to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, a war that he swore to end during his presidential campaign last year. His promise is allegedly termed as one of the reasons behind his victory in the race to the White House.
Meanwhile, Trump also met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in The Hague, on the sidelines of the NATO summit. A meeting that comes after the duo’s much-talked-about altercation at the White House earlier this year.
Zelensky said that the 50-minute meeting with Trump was “good” and “substantive”. In a post on social media, the Ukrainian leader said, “We discussed the protection of our people with the President — first and foremost, the purchase of American air-defence systems.”
After wrapping up the closed-door meeting, Trump also said, “Couldn’t have been nicer.”
The US President also indicated that he will consider providing more of the Patriot missiles to Ukraine, a weapon that Kyiv needs to defend itself against the increasing Russian strikes.
Both Trump and Zelensky described the meeting as a positive step in a conflict that the US President described as “more difficult than other wars”.
Trump also said that he would soon speak with Putin again, “Look, Vladimir Putin really has to end that war.”
(with inputs from agencies)
