Russia, Ukraine resume talks for first time in years — all thanks to Trump



Negotiators from Russia and Ukraine met in Istanbul, Turkey, on Friday, marking the first meeting between the two countries since 2022 due to mounting pressure from President Donald Trump.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan addressed the negotiators at Dolmabahce Palace on Friday, urging the two countries to reach a ceasefire agreement as soon as possible.

"There are two paths ahead of us: One road will take us on a process that will lead to peace, while the other will lead to more destruction and death," Fidan said. "The sides will decide on their own, with their own will, which path they choose."

'Although tensions ran high, progress has been made.'

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  (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

The war officially began under former President Joe Biden, but there was little movement throughout his term. Now, Trump has taken the lead to resolve the conflict.

Up until Trump's inauguration in January, Ukraine was essentially bankrolled by the United States. That all changed during the infamous Oval Office meeting with Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Although tensions ran high, progress has been made with various proposed peace deals, though none have yet been agreed to by all parties involved.

RELATED: Trump pledges to lift 'brutal and crippling' sanctions on Syria, pushes for Middle East peace talks

  Photo by BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images

The Russia-Ukraine War is not the only conflict Trump is trying to resolve. The president spent the week touring the Middle East and meeting with various leaders, like President Ahmed al-Sharaa of Syria, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia, and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey.

During these meetings, Trump encouraged the leaders to sign onto the Abraham Accords alongside Israel in order to restore peace in the Middle East. Trump also urged the leaders to expel foreign terrorists from Syria, to deport Palestinian terrorists, to aid the United States and prevent the resurgence of ISIS, and to take responsibility for the ISIS detention centers in Syria.

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Trump pledges to lift 'brutal and crippling' sanctions on Syria, pushes for Middle East peace talks



President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that he will be lifting sanctions on Syria as he kicks off his tour in the Middle East.

After the fall of the Assad regime in December, Syria's new leaders, like President Ahmed al-Sharaa, hoped America would loosen its grip and lift the sanctions. After Trump announced the sanctions would be lifted, he met with al-Sharaa and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia, with President Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey joining them over the phone.

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'When Syria is contemplating its future under new leadership, we should want a seat at the table.'

  Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images

During the meeting, Trump urged the leaders to sign onto the Abraham Accords with Israel in an attempt to inch toward peace in the Middle East. Trump also insisted they tell foreign terrorists to leave Syria, to deport Palestinian terrorists, to assist the United States and prevent the resurgence of ISIS, and to take responsibility for the ISIS detention centers in northeastern Syria.

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"Syria, they've had their share of travesty, war, killing in many years," Trump said. "That's why my administration has taken the first steps toward restoring normal relations between the United States and Syria for the first time in more than a decade."

  Photo by Amadeusz Mikolaj Swierk/Anadolu via Getty Images

"The sanctions were brutal and crippling and served as an important, really an important function, nevertheless, at the time," Trump added. "But now it's their time to shine. So I say, 'Good luck, Syria.' Show us something very special."

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The United States has designated Syria as a terrorist state for decades. But under the new leadership, some lawmakers like Republican Rep. Marlin Stutzman of Indiana said Syria is potentially shaping up to become a key ally.

  Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

“When Syria is contemplating its future under new leadership, we should want a seat at the table," Stutzman, who met with al-Sharaa in April, told Blaze News. "President al-Sharaa has welcomed the West, allowed women into his Cabinet, and even recognized Israel as a sovereign nation."

"President Trump should be meeting with him not only to help Syria be prosperous, but also to weaken the influence of Russia and China and create another ally and trade partner in the region," Stutzman added.

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Bill Maher completely disagrees with Jordan Peterson's take on Israel



Jordan Peterson is known for bringing order to chaos. His take on what’s happening in Israel is no different.

“I think you can lay a fair bit of what happened in Israel on Biden’s plate,” Peterson told Bill Maher on a panel.

Maher looked at him, confused.

“I know that the Saudis were hot to sign the Abraham Accords two years ago,” Peterson continued, adding that he has “more than a sneaking suspicion that the reason they weren’t pursued more assiduously [was] because it would have meant giving Trump some credit for something that happened during his term.”

“I know that the Iranians are fomenting dissent in Palestine through Hamas to pressure the Jews into doing something” that will “split the Arab world,” Peterson added.

Peterson believes you can “put a fair bit of that at the feet of the Democrats.”

“Biden also alienated the Saudis,” he continued, noting that when Biden spoke to them, he “pushed them into the arms of China.”

“We had a chance there to make peace,” he added.

A New York Times reporter who was also on the panel took that as an opportunity to poke fun at Peterson, saying, “I’m surprised to learn that Biden has started two wars, in Ukraine and in Israel, because I was thinking it was Putin and Hamas.”

Maher noted that he agreed with her.

However, Dave Rubin believes Peterson was spot on.

“Jordan didn’t say that Biden started those wars, he said a certain amount of blame is to be on Biden and the Democrats, and then he laid out a rather compelling argument for that which we all know is true,” Rubin says.


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