Trump meets with Ukraine, Israel leaders amid broadening conflicts

WASHINGTON— President Trump hosted the leaders of two warring countries, Ukraine and Israel, at the White House on Tuesday, as Washington’s role in both conflicts reached a critical stage.

Trump’s meetings with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took place at a time when the wars in Ukraine and Iran have recently expanded and their footprints overlap.

Ukraine on the weekend Crashed into Iranian cargo ship It’s an attack in the Caspian Sea condemned by Iranian leaders who are dealing with their own uncertainty over an expanding war with the United States and Israel.

Both meetings took place in the Oval Office without reporters in attendance, and while few details about the discussion were released, the White House described the sessions as “positive and productive.”

But there were signs of disagreement ahead of Netanyahu’s visit, his eighth visit of Trump’s second term and his first since the start of the US-Israeli war against Iran on February 28.

In an interview with Fox News on Tuesday morning, Trump was asked about reports that Netanyahu plans to provide him with intelligence on new activities at Mount Kazma, a suspected underground nuclear facility in Iran.

“Well, I don’t need Bibi to tell me that. Bibi tells me that because she wants me to stay involved,” Trump said, using Netanyahu’s nickname. “We know exactly what happened.”

Trump appeared uncomfortable that Netanyahu disclosed this information before the meeting, but added that the United States would “take out Pickaxe if we don’t make a deal.” Netanyahu came to meet Trump while continuing his campaigns in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria, amid increasing unrest in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

However, after the meeting, Netanyahu released a video statement emphasizing that the two had an “excellent” session.

“It was one of the best conversations I had with our friend, US President Trump,” Netanyahu said, adding that Israel and the US met “with full cooperation, mutual support, understanding of the common goal that Iran will not have nuclear weapons and other goals.”

There were fewer signs of tension with Zelensky, indicating improved relations between the two leaders, at least compared with the first meeting in the Oval Office last year that turned into a shouting match in front of television cameras.

In a social media post, Zelensky described his meeting with Trump as “good” and thanked him for working with him to “protect the lives of Ukrainians and advance peace.”

Zelensky said the two leaders discussed Trump’s promise to allow Kiev to produce U.S. Patriot air defense missiles, which are vital in its military efforts against Russia.

“We also talked about diplomacy,” Zelensky said, an apparent reference to Trump’s desire to help Ukraine and Russia reach a peace agreement.

Trump’s relationship with Zelensky has shown signs of improvement since the start of the Iran war, with Ukraine helping Americans with drone technology for use in the Middle East conflict.

Following the meetings, all three men attended the funeral of Sen. Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican who was a staunch supporter of both Ukraine and Israel until his death on July 11.

Zelensky was also scheduled to meet with a group of senators at the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday evening to talk about legislation that would impose tougher sanctions on Russia and its trading partners. Graham was the author of the proposed measure.

In recent days, Israeli settlers have stepped up attacks on Palestinian towns and villages, destroying property, seizing homes and fields, and establishing settlements that are illegal under international law.

At the same time, Israeli soldiers intensified their attacks in the West Bank, arresting more than 100 Palestinians and destroying homes.

The escalation follows clashes between settlers and Palestinians that turned deadly on Friday, leaving four Palestinians and two Israelis dead in what is considered the deadliest single attack on the West Bank this year.

Despite the ceasefire signed nine months ago, Israel’s attacks in Gaza continue. On Tuesday, health officials in the region said 22 Palestinians were injured in Israeli strikes.

The escalation of hostilities comes as Israel continues to pressure the United States over a conflict that experts say carries political risks for the Trump administration with its domestic backers and international allies.

Last week, the US war escalated again when Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen attacked two Saudi Arabian oil tankers in the Red Sea, causing global oil prices to rise. This development increased fears that another vital energy corridor would be blocked due to the Iran war.

As the November election approached, Trump downplayed the economic damage the war was inflicting on his supporters. He told a crowd in Michigan on Monday that if they were going to question why the United States was at war, it was because “we’re not going to let crazy people have nuclear weapons.”

Meanwhile, the cycle of claims and counter-claims by the United States and Iran continued.

On Tuesday, Ebrahim Zolfaqari, spokesman for the unified command of Iran’s armed forces, warned that any country or company that accepts frozen Iranian funds as compensation for damaged ships would be hit – according to a proposal Trump made over the weekend.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei also opposed Trump’s claims that negotiations between Iran and the USA are continuing and that Tehran wants a meeting.

Baghaei said negotiations with the United States “are not in our DNA.”

Meanwhile, Ukraine’s attack on an Iranian ship has increased the possibility of its footprint in this war. Ukraine said the ship was carrying military equipment between Iran and Russia.

Iran condemned the attack; Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi criticized this as “a violation committed on Israel’s orders”, and the ministry spokesman compared Zelensky to pre-World War I “anarchists” whose “theatrical but extremely dangerous actions” sparked a Europe-wide conflict.

“There is no guarantee that a dramatic gesture aimed at attracting attention and defending the position of a person whose position is not particularly strong in the international arena will remain limited in scope,” Baghaei said at a press conference in Tehran on Monday. he said.

He added: “The consequences for both Ukraine and the entire region drawn into this conflict could be unpredictable.”

Ceballos reported from Washington and Bulos from Beirut.