Trump shifts focus to Ukraine conflict after Middle East ceasefire

Now that Israel and Hamas have agreed to a ceasefire, all eyes are turning to the next ongoing global conflict: Russia and Ukraine.

President Donald Trump is wasting no time in turning his attention to the war in Ukraine, and is scheduled to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House on Friday as the president weighs… Arming Ukraine with Tomahawk cruise missiles.

Likewise, Trump spoke with the Russian president Vladimir Putin He said Thursday that high-level advisers to the United States and Russia would meet the following week. He then said that he and Putin would meet in Budapest, Hungary “to see if we can end this ‘shameful’ war between Russia and Ukraine.”

Trump finds new leverage in fighting Ukraine using the Tomahawk threat and authorizing long-range strikes

In addition, Trump said he believed the Middle East agreement could provide momentum for resolving the conflict in Europe.

“I actually believe that success in the Middle East will help in our negotiations to reach an end to the war with Russia and Ukraine,” Trump said in a social media post on Thursday. “I believe significant progress was made through today’s phone conversation.”

While the new Middle East peace agreement shares some similarities with the conflict in Europe due to increasing pressure on adversaries, the conflicts are too different for Gaza to serve as a clear blueprint for Ukraine and Russia, according to experts.

Rather, what the Middle East Agreement really does is pave the way for Trump to devote more of his energy to negotiating an end to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. While other foreign policy priorities were previously vying for Trump’s attention, Ukraine and Russia are now at the top of the list.

President Donald Trump said he believes the Middle East agreement could provide momentum for resolving the conflict in Europe. (Kenny Holston/Pool via Reuters)

“The US president can turn his attention to only a few issues at a time,” Peter Rove, a senior fellow and director of the Center for Europe and Eurasia at the Hudson Institute, told Fox News Digital in an email on Tuesday. “Now that he has a framework for action in the Middle East, President Trump can set his sights squarely on the war in Ukraine.”

Experts said that there are many differences between the two conflicts, including the relative strength between the two opponents involved in each conflict.

“In the Middle East, Hamas was weaker than our ally in Israel,” Rowe said. “The challenge in Europe is that Russia is a major (nuclear) power spanning the Eurasian landmass. It is larger and more powerful than our partner Ukraine. That is why it is absolutely necessary for the United States and Europe to support Ukraine against Russia. In the absence of this support, it is difficult to persuade Russia to accept the deal.”

The Middle East Peace Agreement included a clause requiring the return of hostages who are still in captivity within 72 hours of Hamas signing the agreement. The resolution also called on Israeli forces to withdraw their forces and completely disarm Hamas.

Another key difference between the conflicts is that, said John Hardy, deputy director of the Russia program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies Russia refused to agree To a ceasefire unless Ukraine signs certain demands. These demands previously included preventing Ukraine from joining NATO and making concessions on some borders that previously belonged to Kiev.

“In the Gaza war, Israel obtained some important concessions in the ceasefire agreement, but it also agreed to leave some key issues to be negotiated in a political process,” Hardy said in an email to Fox News Digital on Tuesday. “In Ukraine, by contrast, (Russian President Vladimir) Putin has consistently refused to accept a ceasefire unless Kiev first surrenders to unprincipled demands, even though Russia has almost no prospect of enforcing them by force.”

Trump stresses that ceasefire is not necessary for peace during high-stakes meeting with Zelensky

President Donald Trump is ramping up pressure on Russia, telling reporters aboard Air Force One on October 12, 2025, that he may send Tomahawk cruise missiles to Ukraine if Russia refuses to “settle” the conflict. (Chip Somodevila/Getty Images)

Meanwhile, Trump Intensifying pressure on Russia He told reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday that he might send Tomahawk cruise missiles to Ukraine if Russia refused to “settle” the conflict. Trump said he told Zelensky that he might raise the matter with Russia, because it was a “new aggressive step.”

Tomahawk missiles can be launched from ships, submarines and land-based assets to strike targets up to 1,000 miles away, according to weapons maker Raytheon.

Moscow did not welcome this news, and former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said in a post on the Telegram application that supplying Ukraine with missiles “may end badly for everyone… and most importantly of all, for Trump himself.”

Despite Russia’s claims that such a move by the United States would escalate tensions, equipping Ukraine with missiles would put Kiev on an equal footing in the fight against Russia, according to Mick Ryan, a military studies fellow at Australia’s Lowy Institute’s International Security Program. Ryan is a retired Australian Army Major General and also served as a strategist for the United States Joint Chiefs of Staff at the Pentagon.

Zelensky outlines peace demands ahead of high-stakes White House meeting with Trump

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky gestures alongside US President Donald Trump during a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House, amid negotiations to end the Russian war in Ukraine, in Washington, D.C., August 18, 2025. (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)

“Russia has used Tomahawk-like missiles since day one of the all-out invasion,” Ryan said in a post on Monday. “This is not an escalation. It is merely setting the stage for a three-year long-term Ukrainian strike campaign that has now achieved decisive mass and momentum.”

Zelensky said his meeting on Friday with Trump would focus on putting more pressure on Russia in an attempt to secure peace through air defense and long-range capabilities. In addition, Zelensky took advantage of the recent peace agreement in the Middle East, saying in a post on Monday that it is “important that we do not lose momentum in spreading peace.”

“If I were Trump, I would focus my energies on supporting the Ukrainian military and pressuring Russia until Moscow signals it is open to ending the war on more reasonable terms,” Hardy said.

Zelensky has visited the White House on multiple occasions since Trump took office again — including in February when he sparred with Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance On engaging in diplomacy with Russia to end the conflict.

The White House said Russia should prioritize reaching an agreement quickly, and that Trump believes he can achieve that.

“If they were smart, they would more urgently seek an agreement to end the war that has done so much damage to Russia’s reputation, stop the killing, and get their country back on track,” a White House official told Fox News Digital. “President Putin has repeatedly rejected generous peace proposals that would have benefited Russia. The President remains optimistic that he will be able to persuade both sides to stop the senseless killing.”