"Success in the Middle East Will Help Negotiations to End the War in Ukraine"
On October 16 (local time), President Donald Trump of the United States announced that he had a phone call with President Vladimir Putin of Russia, during which they discussed ending the war in Ukraine and trade issues between the two countries.
President Trump stated via his own social networking service, Truth Social, that "the phone call with President Putin was very productive," and shared these details.
He said, "President Putin congratulated me and the United States for achieving the long-standing aspiration of great peace in the Middle East," and added, "I also believe that the success in the Middle East will help facilitate negotiations to end the Russia-Ukraine war."
This statement suggests that, following his mediation of the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza war between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas, President Trump is set to actively pursue diplomatic mediation to end the war between Russia and Ukraine.
President Trump said, "We have agreed to hold a high-level meeting between the United States and Russia next week," and added, "The U.S. side will be led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio." He continued, "Afterward, I will meet with President Putin at the agreed location in Budapest, Hungary, to discuss whether we can bring an end to this 'inglorious' war."
Since the beginning of his term, President Trump has made ending the war in Ukraine one of his top diplomatic priorities. However, as there was no progress due to Russia's passive negotiating stance, he moved to cut off Russia's war funding by pressuring India and European countries to stop purchasing Russian oil. He also indicated a willingness to provide Tomahawk cruise missiles in response to Ukraine's request.
He stated, "I believe today's phone call marked significant progress," and added, "Tomorrow (the 17th), I will meet with President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine to discuss the details of the call and various issues."
President Trump is scheduled to meet with President Zelensky at the White House on October 17.
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