US President Donald Trump revealed that he turned down Russian President Vladimir Putin’s offer to help with the conflict between Israel and Iran. Instead, Trump said that he brought the focus back to Russia-Ukraine war, which still hasn’t ended.
According to a report by Fox News, Trump, while heading to the NATO Summit said, “I’d like to see a deal with Russia.” He added that Putin called him up and asked him if the POTUS needed help with Iran, to which Trump said, ‘No, I don’t need help with Iran. I need help with you.’ Noting that around 6000 soldiers were killed last week, Trump said that he hoped to get a deal with Russia.
Trump has said in the past that he believes US is spending too much taxpayer money on military aid to Ukraine and that these ongoing deaths are unacceptable.
Trump’s peace strategy faces tough test as Russia-Ukraine war drags on
The war in Ukraine is the biggest challenge yet for Donald Trump’s image as a global peacemaker, and it appears he hasn’t succeeded so far. However, his “peace through strength” approach did help get the Israel-Iran ceasefire back on track after a rough start.
It has been reported that Ukraine and its European partners want Trump to take a tougher stand against Vladimir Putin. They want more weapons for Ukraine and stronger economic sanctions on Russia. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said earlier that Russia won’t agree to peace unless they are forced to.
But Trump has expressed before that Ukraine is asking for too much and expects more from peace talks than what the current situation on the battlefield can give.
Ukrainian officials had said on Tuesday that Russia‘s attacks with drones, missiles, and artillery killed at least 18 civilians and injured nearly 200 more. Zelensky meanwhile has been trying to secure more help from Western countries to push back against Russia.
Zelensky was set to meet Western leaders at a NATO summit in the Netherlands on Tuesday. Ukraine is not a NATO member, but the group is expected to agree on a new defense spending strategy. Zelensky hopes to get more military support, as direct peace talks with Russia haven’t made progress.
Some of the US military aid promised under President Biden will run out in the coming months. It’s still unclear if Trump will send more help to Ukraine.