US President Donald Trump on Wednesday appeared to dismiss Russian President Vladimir Putin’s offer to mediate the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran, suggesting instead that Putin should prioritise resolving Russia’s own war in Ukraine.
Speaking to reporters while unveiling a massive new flagpole at the White House, Trump said, “I spoke to him yesterday and… he actually offered to help mediate. I said, ‘Do me a favour, mediate your own.’ Let’s mediate Russia first, okay? Vladimir, let’s mediate Russia first, you can worry about this later.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov challenged Trump’s account of the timing of the call, telling Russian state news agency TASS that the US president “was speaking figuratively,” adding that “life is so eventful right now that looking back a few days is like looking back to yesterday.”
Both leaders had previously confirmed a phone conversation on Saturday, during which Putin reportedly called to wish Trump a happy 79th birthday.
Later on Wednesday, Trump hinted at a possible shift in US-Iran relations, suggesting that a change in Iran’s government “could happen” and indicating that negotiations might be forthcoming, though he did not provide further details.
“They want to meet, they want to come to the White House—I may do that,” Trump told reporters.
Despite Moscow intensifying its military operations in Ukraine, Trump remained optimistic about peace talks, stating they were “going to work out.” He also criticised the war, which began with Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, as “so stupid.”
Trump had promised to end the Ukraine conflict within 24 hours of taking office and had sought to pivot US policy closer to Putin, but progress has so far been limited.
