Trump, Reluctant to Pressure Putin and Netanyahu, Risks Sidelining Himself

Observers Say One-on-One Relationships Won't End the Wars, Especially the One Between Moscow and Kyiv

- Michael R. Gordon, Alexander Ward & Robbie Gramer

He is a close U.S. ally. The other is an adversary. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Russian President Vladimir Putin both have consistently disregarded President Trump's wishes, often without major consequences. His perceived passivity highlights a revealing paradox about Trump. Frequently claiming to have ended half a dozen wars, he portrays himself as an unmatched peacemaker. Yet in the two conflicts he has most often vowed to stop—Gaza and the Ukraine war—he has often been reluctant to exert U.S. leverage with Israel and Russia.

Israel on Tuesday carried out missile strikes on Hamas political officials in Qatar, who had gathered to discuss Trump's proposals for ending the Gaza fighting and securing the release of the hostages held by the U.S.-designated terrorist group. And Putin, after meeting with Trump in Alaska last month, escalated drone and missile attacks on Ukraine. This past week, forces from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's European members shot down Russian drones infiltrating Poland.

Trump has done little publicly to respond to either event. He held a tense phone call with Netanyahu, followed by a second and friendlier conversation about the results of Israel's operation. He recently said that the attack "hopefully" wouldn't endanger the roughly 48 hostages Hamas still holds, despite fears from their families that the strike might disrupt the tenuous diplomacy. About 20 of the hostages are thought to still be alive, Trump said Friday on Fox News.