Putin should end war in Ukraine before mediating in Middle East – Trump
Photo: US President Donald Trump (Getty Images)
Russian leader Vladimir Putin should first end the war that Russia started in Ukraine before talking about mediating in the Middle East, stated US President Donald Trump during a conversation with journalists.
"I spoke to Putin yesterday, he offered to help mediate. I said, do me a favor — mediate your own. Let's mediate Russia first, OK? I said, 'Vladimir, let's mediate Russia first, you can worry about this later," Trump said.
According to the US President, he told Putin that he should deal with Russia first before involving himself elsewhere.
"So many people have been killed. Far more people are dead than have been reported in Ukraine and Russia. Many, many more people. A building falls down and they say, 'Nobody was hurt,'" Trump added.
Putin wants to act as a mediator
The Institute for the Study of War wrote that Russian President Vladimir Putin is attempting to divert global attention from Russia's war against Ukraine.
He wants Moscow to act as an intermediary between Iran and Israel.
Earlier, Trump himself said that Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin could serve as a mediator in the Iran-Israel conflict.
Meanwhile, political analyst Volodymyr Fesenko told RBC-Ukraine that Putin is effectively "caught in a bind," trying to balance relations between the US and Iran.
Trump’s latest statement came against the backdrop of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's speech at a special G7 leaders' session, where he highlighted the only notable shift in Russia's behavior since Donald Trump returned to the US presidency.
