US President Trump: We have ended eight wars and will soon make that number nine

US President Donald Trump answered questions from reporters in the Oval Office at the White House. When asked during the press conference about his social media statement earlier today threatening Hamas, Trump said, "We are looking at what is going on. That was not the deal we made. We will see what happens. The situation has calmed down a bit. This is a tough region, as you know. We received a commitment from them, and I hope they will stick to that commitment. I hope they do. As far as I know, they sent some additional bodies today. When you think about it, it is a really difficult situation, very difficult. We got our hostages back completely. We were really lucky in that regard."

Regarding the question of whether US forces would intervene against Hamas if necessary, Trump said, "I didn't say we would intervene. But someone will. It won't be us. We won't need to go in. People who are very close, who are right next to them, will go in. They will handle things very easily, and they will do it under our auspices. Hamas also said they would behave properly. We will see if that is really the case. If they behave properly, that is good. But if they don't, we will do what is necessary."

"I WILL MEET WITHIN TWO WEEKS"

When asked when he would meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Trump said, "I will probably meet within the next two weeks; it will be quite soon. As you know, Marco Rubio will meet with his counterpart Lavrov; they will come together soon. They will determine a place and time shortly, perhaps it has already been determined because they have spoken before."

Trump added, "I will also meet with President Putin, and we will reach a decision. I am meeting with President Zelensky tomorrow, and I will mention this meeting to him as well."

"WE WILL MEET IN HUNGARY"

Emphasizing that Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky do not get along well, Trump said, "Maybe we can do something separate but equal, meaning the parties meet separately but with equal status. Because the relationship between them is really bad. I have seen things that no one would ever believe, and this is one of them. We will have a meeting. We will meet in Hungary, and our host will be (Hungarian Prime Minister) Viktor Orban. This will be a meeting whose time has truly come."

Stressing his belief that they will stop the war in Ukraine, Trump said, "Because of my relationship with President Putin, I thought this war would end very quickly, but it didn't. Who could have predicted that the Middle East would be resolved before this? We have ended a total of eight wars, and we will soon make that number nine." Trump added, "I will probably meet with him (Putin) within the next two weeks. Marco (Rubio) will meet first. Then the Vice President. As you know, he is quite involved in this. The whole team will be involved in this process, and Steve Witkoff will also be included."

When asked about what he and Putin discussed regarding Tomahawk missiles, Trump said, "We talked about it a little, we didn't talk much. But let me say this, as the US, we also need Tomahawk missiles. We have a lot of missiles, but there is a need, meaning we cannot deplete our country's stocks. These are vital, very powerful, very accurate, truly very good missiles, and they are essential for us. I don't know what we will do about this." When asked why he believes a second meeting with Putin after the meeting in Alaska could yield results, Trump said, "I think the meeting in Alaska laid a foundation. It wasn't that long ago, but it prepared a foundation."

Blaming former US President Joe Biden for the war in Ukraine, Trump said, "When I took office, everything was in complete chaos. In my opinion, this could have led to World War III. It won't be like that anymore, but it could have been." Expressing that he wants to stop the war in Ukraine to save human lives, Trump stated, "I am not doing this for our country; there is an ocean between us. But I am also doing this for Europe; they want the war to end, but they cannot do it. I can. I think we will be successful and save many lives. This was a war that should never have started."

"NOT THE RIGHT TIME"

When asked about sanctions against Russia, Trump replied, "I am not against it, but I don't think now is the right time."

When asked if Putin tried to dissuade him from selling Tomahawks to Ukraine, Trump said, "Of course. What do you think, is he going to say, 'Please, buy Tomahawk missiles'? Is he going to say, 'Please, buy Tomahawks, we would be grateful'? As a matter of fact, I asked him what he thought about me sending a few thousand Tomahawks to the other side. He didn't like that idea. He didn't like that idea at all."

News Source: İHA