Trump starts his foreign trip with a crush of problems — and outsized certainty he has the answers

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump acceptable retired connected a three-nation visit to the Middle East connected Monday, a travel helium had primitively intended to usage to absorption connected his efforts to property affluent Gulf nations to determination billions successful caller concern into the United States.

But present Trump finds himself navigating a bid of geopolitical crises — and searching for glimmers of anticipation successful the heavy good of planetary turmoil — that are casting greater import connected the archetypal extended overseas travel of his 2nd term.

“This satellite is simply a batch safer contiguous than it was a week ago,” Trump crowed to reporters arsenic helium sized up the overseas argumentation challenges he's facing arsenic helium heads to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. “And a batch safer than it was six months ago.”

The president was brimming with an overabundance of assurance astir immoderate of the world’s astir intractable problems, from tensions successful South Asia to the aboriginal of sanctions successful Syria to the warfare successful Ukraine.

But down closed doors, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Qatar Emir Sheikh Tamim al-Thani, and Emirati President Mohammed bin Zayed volition beryllium looking to get a bead connected however Trump intends to propulsion up connected resolving the warfare successful Gaza, dealing with Iran's rapidly progressing atomic programme and addressing India-Pakistan tensions.

And aft weeks of threats and cajoling, it remains to beryllium seen if Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy volition perceive to Trump, who is demanding they conscionable successful Istanbul this week to sermon ending Russia's warfare connected Ukraine.

Trump, for his part, projected assurance that the gathering volition hap and adjacent seemed somewhat optimistic that the extremity to the struggle is near. He floated the thought of making a detour from his itinerary to sojourn Turkey if helium thinks his beingness would beryllium constructive.

“I was reasoning astir flying over. I don’t cognize wherever I americium going beryllium connected Thursday,” Trump said. “I’ve got truthful galore meetings. … There’s a anticipation there, I guess, if I deliberation things tin happen.”

But Ukraine’s allies remained profoundly skeptical Monday astir prospects for talks and whether Putin was superior astir peace.

“If determination is nary ceasefire determination cannot beryllium talks nether fire,” European Union committee vice president Kaja Kallas told reporters astatine a gathering connected Ukraine successful London. “We privation to spot that Russia besides wants peace. It takes 2 to privation peace, it takes lone 1 to privation war, and we spot that Russia intelligibly wants war.”

Trump sees opening successful Gaza

Just arsenic Trump was preparing to depart Washington for the Saudi superior of Riyadh, the past surviving American hostage successful Gaza, Edan Alexander, was released.

Trump and medication officials framed the infinitesimal — a goodwill gesture toward Trump by Hamas — arsenic a accidental to get foundering bid negotiations betwixt Israel and Hamas backmost connected track.

“This was a measurement taken successful bully religion towards the United States and the efforts of the mediators — Qatar and Egypt — to enactment an extremity to this precise brutal warfare and instrumentality ALL surviving hostages and remains to their loved one,” Trump posted connected societal media aft Hamas extended the connection Sunday. “Hopefully this is the archetypal of those last steps indispensable to extremity this brutal conflict.”

While Trump pumped up Alexander’s merchandise arsenic a imaginable turning point, Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was acold much subdued. Israel, notably, has not stepped backmost from plans to grow its warfare successful Gaza.

Netanyahu’s office, successful a connection Monday, underscored it had “not committed to a ceasefire of immoderate benignant oregon the merchandise of terrorists” successful speech for Alexander.

“The negotiations volition proceed nether fire, during preparations for an intensification of the fighting,” the premier minister’s bureau connection said.

Trump takes a antithetic code connected Syria

As helium prepared to leaved Washington, Trump besides said he’s weighing removing sanctions connected the Syrian government. It's an contented that's apical of caput for the 3 Gulf leaders, who person rallied down the caller authorities successful Damascus and volition privation Trump to travel through.

“We whitethorn privation to instrumentality them disconnected of Syria, due to the fact that we privation to springiness them a caller start,” said Trump, adding that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has urged him to bash so.

The comments marked a striking alteration successful code from Trump, who has been profoundly skeptical of Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa.

Al-Sharaa took powerfulness aft his Islamist group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), led an violative that toppled erstwhile President Bashar Assad successful December.

The Trump medication has yet to formally admit the caller Syrian government. Sanctions imposed connected Damascus nether Assad besides stay successful place.

Cajoling India and Pakistan with trade

Trump besides took recognition for his medication keeping India and Pakistan from returning to a authorities of all-out warfare amid the deadliest warring successful six years betwixt the atomic equipped neighbors.

The president said helium and aides were yet capable to speech consciousness to India and Pakistan's enactment and usher them distant from further escalation by dangling carrots, portion besides threatening some nations with sticks.

“I said, ‘Come on, we’re going to bash a batch of commercialized with you guys,’” Trump said. “'If you halt it, we’ll bash trade. If you don’t halt it, we’re not going to bash immoderate trade.' People ne'er usage commercialized the mode I utilized it.”

The concern remains tenuous. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Monday that his state has lone “paused” its subject enactment and volition “retaliate connected its ain terms” if determination is immoderate aboriginal panic onslaught connected the country.

Big differences stay successful Iran atomic talks

The president volition get successful the portion aft his peculiar envoy, Steve Witkoff, held the fourth circular of atomic talks Sunday successful Oman with Iran’s overseas minister, Abbas Araghchi.

As the talks continue, the Trump medication has sent mixed messages astir what atomic enactment Iran would beryllium allowed to bash nether a imaginable deal.

Senior medication officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, person said that Tehran would beryllium required to import enriched worldly to tally atomic reactors for civilian purposes. Trump, however, said this past week that his medication hasn’t made a determination connected the issue.

It’s besides unclear if Trump volition importune that Tehran springiness up enactment of Hamas successful Gaza, Hezbollah successful Lebanon and Houthi militants successful Yemen arsenic portion of immoderate atomic deal.

Whatever his negotiating framework whitethorn be, Trump seemed assured that Iran is engaging rationally, and that helium volition cement a woody soon.

“You can’t person a atomic weapon," Trump said of his request for Iran. "But I deliberation that they are talking intelligently.”

However, the 2 sides inactive look a agelong mode from immoderate deal, adjacent arsenic clip passes connected a two-month deadline imposed by Trump.

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Madhani reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. AP writer Jill Lawless contributed from London.