U.S. President Donald Trump stated that "a lot has been decided" in his recent meetings with representatives of major Middle Eastern countries, and that they are "very close to a deal" to end the Gaza war (Israel-Hamas war).

President Trump made these remarks to reporters on the 25th (local time) during a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan at the White House.

On the 23rd, President Trump held a private multilateral meeting at the UN Headquarters in New York with President Erdoğan, as well as leaders from Qatar, Jordan, Pakistan, Indonesia, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates.

President Trump said, "We had a very good meeting with the representatives of the strongest countries in the Middle East. And I think we are very close to a deal."

He added, "I think a lot has been decided in that meeting. And I have to meet with Israel. I'm going to tell Israel, 'Let's get started.'"

It has been reported that President Trump presented a U.S. government white paper to the Middle Eastern leaders during the meeting, outlining plans to end the nearly two-year war between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza, which also included post-war governance and security plans.

Steve Witkoff, President Trump's special envoy to the Middle East, introduced President Trump's proposal of a 21-point Middle East peace plan to them and indicated that a breakthrough was expected within days.

Regarding the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas, President Trump said, "I want to get back all of the hostages, over 20, and we want to get back all of the bodies, 38 bodies. We want to get them back all at once."

President Trump also stated, "I will not allow Israel to annex the West Bank" during a Q&A with reporters after signing an executive order related to TikTok on the same day.

This signifies that Israel will not be allowed to absorb the West Bank, which is governed by the Palestinian Authority (PA). This approach appears to be different from the one taken in the Gaza Strip, where Hamas is currently engaged in a war with Israel.

It is understood that President Trump had also expressed this stance in his meeting with Middle Eastern country representatives the previous day. Leaders of Middle Eastern countries had expressed concerns about the possibility of Israel deploying its forces to annex additional territories, including the West Bank.

When asked if he had directly conveyed his intention not to allow the annexation of the West Bank in his phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Trump confirmed, "I did talk about it. I'm not going to allow the annexation of the West Bank. That's enough. It's time to stop."

Meanwhile, regarding the war in Ukraine, President Trump commented, "I'm very disappointed in Putin (Russian President). He fought hard for a long time, but they lost millions of people."

He added, "They haven't gained almost any territory in two weeks of intense bombing."

He emphasized, "I'm not going to call anyone a 'paper tiger,' but Russia has expended a tremendous amount of bombs, missiles, ammunition, and lives, and has gotten virtually no territory. It's time to stop. I really believe that."

President Trump had previously criticized this on Truth Social on the 23rd, stating, "Russia is fighting a war for three and a half years without purpose that would have taken less than a week to win if they were a real military power. It makes them look very much like a 'paper tiger'."

President Trump also told President Erdoğan, "I think you could have a big impact (on ending the war in Ukraine). If you get involved, the best thing you can do is not buy oil and gas from Russia."

President Trump and President Erdoğan. AFP Yonhap News. 

Hankyoreh Shinmun · Yonhap News