U.S. President Donald Trump has revealed that Russian President Vladimir Putin offered to mediate the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran, according to a report by Fox News.

 

“Vladimir called me up and said, ‘Can I help you with Iran?’ I told him, ‘No, I don’t need help with Iran. I need help with you,’” Trump said. “And I hope we’re going to get a deal done with Russia. It’s a shame, six thousand soldiers died last week.”

 

 

 

Trump’s remarks appear to reference the continuing war in Ukraine, a conflict widely seen as fueled by Russian military aggression. He has consistently linked any potential cooperation with Moscow to the resolution of the war in Eastern Europe.

 

Just days earlier, Trump had reiterated that any meaningful talks with Russia must begin with an end to the Ukraine war, suggesting that only after that could discussions about Russia mediating other global conflicts,including in the Middle East, take place.

 

According to analysts at the Institute for the Study of War, Putin’s offer to mediate the Israel-Iran conflict is likely a calculated move to shift global attention away from Russia’s actions in Ukraine and recast Moscow as a neutral diplomatic player.

 

Volodymyr Fesenko, a Ukrainian political analyst, told RBC-Ukraine that Putin is “trapped in a difficult balancing act”, trying to maintain diplomatic influence with both Iran and the U.S. while deflecting international criticism of Russia’s war in Ukraine.

 

Meanwhile, Trump confirmed that a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Iran had been reached earlier in the day. However, the truce was quickly tested after Israel reported renewed rocket fire from Iran.

 

Before departing for the Alliance summit, Trump offered a blunt critique of the situation:

 

“They don’t know what the fuck they’re doing,” he said, referring to both nations for violating the ceasefire.

 

 

 

He added that he was “unhappy” with the actions of both Israel and Iran, but stressed he was “really unhappy” with Tel Aviv in particular.