President Donald Trump took a sharp jab at Russian President Vladimir Putin’s offer to mediate the conflict between Israel and Iran.
Trump told reporters Wednesday that Putin had reached out with the idea. But Trump wasn’t interested.
“He actually offered to help mediate,” Trump said. “I said, ‘Do me a favor, mediate your own. Let’s mediate Russia first, okay?’”
He continued, “‘Vladimir, let’s mediate Russia first. You can worry about this later.’”
Putin told reporters Wednesday he was willing to help broker peace between Israel and Iran. He claimed Russia could create a deal allowing Iran to pursue a civilian nuclear program while easing Israeli concerns.
The Kremlin had already signaled its interest earlier in the week. “Russia remains ready to do everything necessary to eliminate the root causes of this crisis,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Monday. He added, “The situation is escalating more than seriously.”
Trump initially said Sunday he was “open” to Putin’s help. In an interview with ABC News, he revealed that Putin had called him directly and the two discussed the conflict at length.
But Trump made clear Wednesday that Putin should focus on his own war — the one in Ukraine. “I think Putin is tired of this whole thing,” Trump told Fox News last month. “He’s not looking good, and he wants to look good.”