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By Shane Croucher
Senior Editor
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U.S. President Donald Trump said he rejected Russian President Vladimir Putin's offer to help with the Israel-Iran conflict during a recent call, turning the focus back to the unresolved war in Ukraine.
Trump has for months sought to end Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine, having entered the White House on a promise to swiftly bring about a peace that has remained elusive as the war rages on each day.
He has expressed frustration with both sides as peace talks make little progress. Trump sees the burden on American taxpayers of military aid to Ukraine and the vast loss of life as intolerable.
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"I'd like to see a deal with Russia," Trump said on Tuesday morning as he headed to the NATO summit in the Netherlands, Fox News reported.
"As you know Vladimir called me up. He said, 'Can I help you with Iran?' I said, 'No, I don't need help with Iran. I need help with you.'
"And I hope we're going to be getting a deal done with Russia, which is a shame. Six thousand soldiers died last week."
The Ukraine war is the toughest test so far of Trump's self-styled role as global peacemaker, and it is one he is yet to pass. But his "peace through strength" strategy secured a major win with the Israel-Iran ceasefire, which is back on track after a shaky start.
Ukraine and its European allies want Trump to increase the pressure on Putin through more military aid to Kyiv and additional economic sanctions on Russia. They do not believe Putin will make peace without coercion to do so.
But Trump believes Ukraine is unrealistic in its expectations and wants more from a settlement than the battlefield realities can deliver, with Kyiv on the back foot as Russia makes advances.
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Ukraine War Latest
Russian drones, missiles, and artillery killed at least 18 civilians and injured almost 200 others in Ukraine, officials said Tuesday, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky sought guarantees of further Western help for his country's efforts to repel Russia's invasion.
Russian forces have relentlessly blasted civilian areas of Ukraine throughout the war, which is now in its fourth year.
More than 12,000 Ukrainian civilians have been killed, according to the United Nations. Ukraine has also launched long-range drones against Russia, hitting residential areas.
Zelensky was set to meet Tuesday with Western leaders attending a NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, where the alliance is set to agree to a 5 percent defense spending target for members. Ukraine is not a member of NATO.
He is keen to lock in additional military support for Ukraine's fight against Russia's bigger army, as recent direct peace talks have delivered no progress on a possible settlement.
Key U.S. military commitments to Ukraine left over from the Biden administration are expected to run out within months, according to analysts, and there is uncertainty over whether Trump is willing to provide more.
This article includes reporting by The Associated Press.
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