Trump Aimed at Ukraine After Settling Conflict in the Middle East: WSJ

After hostilities ceased in Gaza, Donald Trump may turn diplomatic attention to the war in Ukraine. As reported by The Wall Street Journal, the American president achieved a notable foreign policy victory by mediating the release of hostages and signing a peace agreement between Israel and Hamas.

EU Hopes Trump Will Now Pressure Russia

European diplomats hope that Trump will attempt to replicate this success in relations with Russia, as the Kremlin remains the main obstacle to peace in Europe. Nonetheless, U.S. and EU officials caution that the situations in Gaza and Ukraine are incompatible-Israel is the dominant force in the region, while Russia possesses a nuclear arsenal and continues its war with no signs of concessions.

Trump Persuaded Netanyahu to Agree to Peace in Gaza

According to WSJ, Trump convinced Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to accept the American peace plan consisting of 20 points and to publicly apologize to the leader of Qatar. Meanwhile, Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey threatened Hamas with diplomatic isolation if the agreement was not signed. This joint pressure was key to the ceasefire.

According to former U.S. National Security Council official Fred Fleitz, «success in Gaza gave Trump significant leverage to tackle other global conflicts-he proved he could be an effective peacemaker».

European experts suggest that the main lesson Trump learned from the Middle Eastern agreements is one word-pressure. This is the tool that Washington, observers believe, may soon apply to Moscow.

Currently, the White House is not taking direct steps, but Ukraine's allies believe that following the diplomatic breakthrough in Gaza, Trump will again focus on efforts to bring Putin back to the negotiating table.

Earlier, we reported that Volodymyr Zelensky plans to meet Donald Trump in Washington on October 17. Both leaders have already discussed serious issues, such as military threats and the need for new defense systems.