Trump Mocks Putin
On June 18, U.S. President Donald Trump announced that he had declined Russian President Vladimir Putin’s offer to mediate the growing Israeli-Iranian crisis.
“You know, when I talked to him yesterday, he really volunteered to assist with mediation. Do me a favour, I said. “Mediate your own,” Trump advised journalists. “All right, let’s mediate Russia first. Vladimir, let’s mediate Russia first, I said. This is something you can worry about later.
The Russian state news agency TASS reported shortly after Trump’s remarks that Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov claimed the U.S. president was referring to a talk with Putin “figuratively.”
Peskov went on to say, “Life is so eventful these days that a retrospective covering several days is like looking back at yesterday,” suggesting that no such discussion had taken place on June 17.
Trump’s remarks follow his declaration that he was “open” to the possibility of Putin mediating a deal between Israel and Iran, which drew criticism from American friends. Trump asserted on June 15 that Putin was “ready” and had extensively discussed the prospect during a recent phone conversation.
On June 13, Putin, whose nation has been strengthening its military ties with Tehran, had separate talks with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He offered Russian mediation and denounced Israel’s airstrikes against Iran.
Trump says Putin offered to mediate in the war between Israel and Iran.
Trump: "Do me a favor. Mediate your own. Let's mediate Russia first. I said, Vladimir, let's mediate Russia first. You can worry about this later.”
— Brian Lilley (@brianlilley) June 18, 2025
Israel characterised those operations as “preemptive,” using 330 munitions and 200 bombers to target Iranian military and nuclear facilities. At least five Ukrainians were murdered on June 14 as a result of Iran’s missile attacks on Israeli cities, including Tel Aviv.
Several Western leaders have rejected Putin’s offer of mediation.
Russia “cannot be a mediator,” according to French President Emmanuel Macron, because of its conflict with Ukraine. That view was supported by EU foreign policy leader Kaja Kallas, who stated on June 17 that Putin “cannot be trusted to mediate peace” while still waging war on civilians in Ukraine.
On June 17, Dmitry Peskov, a spokesman for the Kremlin, stated that Israel was unlikely to accept mediation by Moscow. Regarding the offer, Israel has not made any public remarks.
