Trump says he'll focus on Ukraine war after brokering Israel-Hamas deal
Editor's note: The article was updated with additional details.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Oct. 13 that he plans to focus on Russia's war against Ukraine after establishing a peace deal between Israel and Hamas.
The statement comes as peace talks between Moscow and Kyiv remain stalled following Russian President Vladimir Putin's effective dismissal of direct negotiations with President Volodymyr Zelensky — an initiative that Trump personally backed.
"It would be great if we could make a peace deal with (Iran)... First, we have to get Russia done," Trump said during his speech in Knesset, Israel's legislature. "Let's focus on Russia first."
Hamas released all of the remaining 20 living Israeli hostages as part of a peace deal in Gaza on Oct. 13. The move is part of a U.S.-brokered peace deal to end the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, which has been ongoing since October 2023.
Discussing people involved in concluding the Israel-Hamas deal, Trump singled out U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff, who has also attempted to negotiate a peace deal with Putin. Witkoff has met the Russian leader multiple times.
Trump recounted that when Witkoff met with Putin, Trump called half an hour after the meeting began, expecting it to be over. However, he was told it was still ongoing.
"In five hours, he came out. I said, 'What the hell were you talking about for five hours?' And he says, 'just a lot of interesting things.' But you can't talk about it for five (hours)," Trump said.
The U.S. president said that at the time, Witkoff "had no idea about Russia, had no idea about Putin too much, didn't know too much about politics," but had "that quality" Trump was looking for.
The Kremlin welcomed Trump's shift of focus toward ending the war in Ukraine while praising Witkoff as an "effective" negotiator.
"We are already well acquainted with Mr. Witkoff. He is effective — he has proven his effectiveness in the Middle East," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Oct. 14.
"We hope that his talents will continue to contribute on the Ukrainian track as well," he added, claiming Moscow remains open to a peaceful resolution of the war.
Witkoff's negotiation approach faced backlash because he frequently echoed Putin's narratives, reportedly lacking a clear understanding of Ukraine's position.
The comments comes almost two months after Trump and Putin met in Alaska to discuss peace settlement in Russia's war against Ukraine and broader cooperation, marking their first meeting since Trump returned to office.
While Trump pledged to arrange direct talks between Zelensky and Putin, no agreement was reached.
Zelensky rejected Putin's invitation to meet in Moscow, calling it impossible while Russia bombs Ukraine, but repeatedly said he is ready to meet the Russian leader on neutral ground.
Bloomberg reported, citing sources, that the meeting with Trump convinced Putin he could intensify air strikes on Ukraine without facing serious pushback from Washington.
Trump has recently hardened his tone on Russia, saying in September that Ukraine could win the war and reclaim all Russian-occupied territories lost since the invasion.
Washington is also considering sending Tomahawk cruise missiles with a range of up to 2,500 kilometers (1,550 miles) to Ukraine, which could allow strikes deep into Russian territory.
Putin warned that such a move, which would allow Kyiv to strike the Urals and parts of Siberia, would mark a "new stage of escalation" and could undermine any progress made in U.S.-Russia relations.
Trump said on Oct. 12 that he is prepared to send long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine but plans to first discuss the matter with Putin.
Kateryna Hodunova
