CNN Analysis: What Trump wants to achieve with Ukraine, Putin & China – He aims to capitalize on the Gaza Deal

In a week of aggravated overseas argumentation activity, U.S. President Donald Trump sought to usage the caller Gaza ceasefire–hostage merchandise statement arsenic a springboard for broader diplomatic initiatives.

As CNN notes successful an extended analysis, the starting constituent was his 36-hour travel to the Middle East and his quality earlier Israel’s parliament, where, addressing peculiar bid envoy Steve Witkoff, Trump said: “We person to decorativeness with Russia. That’s what we request to bash first.” The week concluded with Volodymyr Zelensky astatine the White House seeking support for caller long-range missiles, up of an unexpected—and seemingly imminent—meeting betwixt Trump and Vladimir Putin successful Budapest.

The president appeared convinced that the occurrence successful Gaza has created “momentum” and “credibility” that tin beryllium carried implicit to different fronts. “I deliberation we person a batch of momentum, a batch of credibility. Closing the Middle East was precise important,” helium said, adding: “We had to acceptable the array properly… I deliberation the array is present set, and it volition beryllium a large grant to get it done.”

However, the fragility of the woody with Hamas became evident erstwhile difficulties arose successful locating and returning the bodies of hostages, prompting backlash successful Israel. U.S. officials pointed retired that, fixed the rubble and deficiency of dense machinery successful the Palestinian enclave, recovering the bodies was not operationally feasible successful the abbreviated term, portion stressing the “undeniable” occurrence of freeing 20 surviving hostages. The operational attraction of the woody has been entrusted to Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who mediated with Hamas done Arab channels. Trump himself spoke again with Benjamin Netanyahu about the bodies, saying: “We’ll spot if they support their word; if not, we’ll woody with it.”

Meanwhile, the White House moved connected aggregate fronts: Trump confirmed that helium had authorized CIA covert operations successful Venezuela, threatened strikes wrong the country, approved $20 cardinal successful U.S. Treasury enactment for Argentina, and near unfastened the anticipation of caller tariffs connected China ahead of his upcoming gathering with Xi Jinping.

On Ukraine, Zelensky arrived successful Washington hoping for a transportation of Tomahawk missiles—with a scope that would enactment Moscow wrong reach—and adjacent met with the shaper for method discussions. However, during a moving luncheon astatine the White House, it became wide that the Tomahawks would not beryllium released for now.

“I anticipation they won’t beryllium needed. I anticipation we tin extremity the warfare without reasoning astir the Tomahawks,” Trump said. According to sources, the president believes Kyiv is seeking escalation and worries astir casualties heading into winter. After the meeting, Zelensky said they agreed not to sermon the rocket contented publicly, portion Trump returned to his summertime presumption of ending the warfare “where the lines are now,” hinting astatine acceptance of the existent territorial situation—after earlier comments successful September suggesting Ukraine mightiness inactive reclaim land.

The adjacent signifier volition impact nonstop diplomacy. Trump plans to conscionable Putin successful Budapest—“within 2 weeks,” arsenic helium said—and past clasp a acme with Xi successful Asia to clarify commercialized tensions. He aims, helium said, “to person Ukraine wrapped up” earlier the gathering with the Chinese leader. However, European and U.S. officials judge the “momentum” from Gaza volition beryllium hard to construe into leverage implicit 2 atomic powers that are not militarily oregon economically babelike connected the U.S. Without a “stick”—new sanctions oregon important arms support—Moscow has small inducement to marque concessions, portion the “carrots” Washington tin connection are constricted compared to the Israel–Hamas case.

The governmental magnitude is arsenic complex. Trump seemed to grasp the home pressures facing Netanyahu, adjacent going truthful acold arsenic to telephone for a statesmanlike pardon for the Israeli person earlier the Knesset: “Cigars and champagne—who cares astir that?” helium quipped astir the bribery charges. With Putin, specified levers bash not exist: the Russian president rules autocratically and is wanted by the International Criminal Court for the deportation of Ukrainian minors. Thus, Trump appears torn betwixt taking tougher measures—which helium hints at—and backing down erstwhile the Kremlin intervenes, arsenic reportedly happened with a telephone telephone earlier Zelensky’s sojourn that paved the mode for a caller one-on-one meeting.

Despite the risks, the White House is moving up with the “next day” of the Gaza agreement, preparing a multinational information unit and reconstruction steps, portion Witkoff and Kushner research operational solutions for locating bodies, adjacent considering deploying specialized teams from Turkey. When asked whether helium disquieted that Putin was “buying time,” Trump replied: “Yes, I worry. But, you know, I’ve been played by the champion each my life—and I’ve done beauteous well,” implying that helium intends to propulsion for tangible results quickly, adjacent arsenic galore captious issues stay unresolved.