Trump 'inspired' by ceasefire between Israel and Hamas: Seeks to resolve Russia-Ukraine conflict

With a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas and a hostage deal in place, US President Donald Trump says he will now focus on ending Russia's war in Ukraine and is considering providing Kiev with long-range weaponry as he seeks to pressure Moscow to the negotiating table .

Ending the wars in Ukraine and Gaza was central to Trump's 2024 reelection campaign, during which he persistently criticized then-President Joe Biden for his handling of the conflicts. However, like his predecessor, Trump has also grown frustrated with Vladimir Putin , having failed to convince the Russian leader to hold direct talks with Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky to end a war that is approaching its fourth year.

But fresh from the ceasefire in Gaza, Trump is showing renewed confidence that he can finally make progress in ending the Russian invasion. He also signals his willingness to increase pressure on Putin if he doesn't come to the table soon.

“Interestingly, we made progress today, because of what’s happened in the Middle East ,” Trump said of the Russia-Ukraine war Wednesday night while hosting supporters of his White House ballroom project at a glamorous dinner.

Earlier this week in Jerusalem, in a speech before the Knesset, Trump predicted that the truce in Gaza would lay the groundwork for the United States to help Israel and many of its Middle Eastern neighbors normalize relations. But Trump also made clear that his top foreign policy priority now is ending the largest armed conflict in Europe since World War II.

“We have to resolve Russia first,” Trump said , addressing his special envoy, Steve Witkoff, who has also served as his principal interlocutor with Putin. “ We have to resolve that . If you don’t mind, Steve, let’s focus on Russia first. Okay?”

Trump is preparing to host Zelensky for talks on Friday, their fourth face-to-face meeting this year.

Ahead of the meeting, Trump said he was considering selling Kiev long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles, which would allow Ukraine to strike deep into Russian heartland, if Putin did not resolve the war soon . Zelensky, who has long wanted the weapons system, said it would help Ukraine exert the necessary pressure on Russia to get Putin to participate in peace talks .

Putin has made it clear that providing Tomahawks to Ukraine would cross a red line and further damage relations between Moscow and Washington.

But Trump has not been deterred.

“ He would like to have Tomahawks ,” Trump said of Zelenskyy on Tuesday. “We have a lot of Tomahawks.”

Agreeing to sell Tomahawks to Ukraine would be a striking move, said Mark Montgomery, an analyst at the conservative Foundation for Defense of Democracies in Washington. But it could take years to supply and train Kiev with the Tomahawk system.

Montgomery said that in the short term, it would be more useful for Ukraine to increase its stockpile of Extended Range Attack Missiles (ERAMs) and the Army Tactical Missile System, known as ATACMS. The United States approved the sale of up to 3,350 ERAMs to Kyiv earlier this year.

The Tomahawk, with a range of approximately 1,600 kilometers, would allow Ukraine to strike much deeper into Russian territory than the ERAM ( approximately 460 km ), or the ATACMS (approximately 300 kilometers).

“Providing Tomahawks is as much a political decision as a military decision,” Montgomery said. “The ERAM has a shorter range, but this can help them pressure Russia operationally, in their logistics, command and control, and their dispersal of forces within several hundred kilometers of the front line. It can be very effective .”

Zelensky is expected to reiterate his call for Trump to hit the Russian economy with more sanctions, something the Republican has so far seemed reluctant to do .

Congress has considered legislation that would lead to tougher sanctions against Moscow, but Trump has focused primarily on pressuring NATO members and other allies to stop buying Russian oil, the engine that fuels Moscow's war machine. To that end, Trump said Wednesday that India, which became one of Russia's largest buyers of crude oil after the invasion of Ukraine, had agreed to stop buying oil from Moscow .

Awaiting Trump's approval is legislation in the Senate that would impose steep tariffs on countries that buy Russian oil, gas, uranium, and other exports in an attempt to economically cripple Moscow.

Although the president has not formally endorsed it, and Republican leaders do not plan to move forward without his support, the White House has shown, behind the scenes, more interest in the bill in recent weeks.

Administration officials have reviewed the legislation in depth, offering edits and requesting technical changes, according to two officials with knowledge of the White House-Senate discussions . That has been interpreted on Capitol Hill as a sign that Trump is taking the legislation, sponsored by one of his close allies, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., along with Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., more seriously.

A White House official said the administration is working with lawmakers to ensure that “the bills introduced advance the president’s foreign policy objectives and authorities.” The official, who requested anonymity to discuss private deliberations, said any sanctions package must give the president “complete flexibility.”

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Wednesday that the administration is expecting more support from Europe, which he said faces a greater threat from Russian aggression than the United States.

“So all I hear from the Europeans is that Putin is coming to Warsaw,” Bessent said. “There are very few things in life I’m sure of. I’m sure he’s not coming to Boston . So, we will respond… if our European partners join us.”