Gaza, Ukraine and beyond: Is Trump’s bid to be a global peacemaker falling apart?

The United States’ decision to withdraw from Gaza ceasefire negotiations this week has cast fresh doubt over President Donald Trump’s attempts to resolve some of the world’s most intractable conflicts.

The faltering of talks aimed at ending the 21-month war between Israel and Hamas marks another setback for Trump whose efforts to broker international peace agreements have stalled across multiple fronts.

Though back in office for only six months, the Republican president has sought to position himself as a global peacemaker. Some of his aims, such as ending the Ukraine war before taking office, have yet to materialise.

While Trump has cited humanitarian motives for his diplomatic pursuits, he has also been vocal about his desire to win the Nobel Peace Prize. Several allies have nominated him for the honour.

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Ceasefire efforts in Gaza: No major progress

Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, announced Thursday that the U.S. was recalling its negotiating team from Qatar. Talks there had failed to yield a breakthrough. Witkoff accused Hamas of not engaging in “good faith”, though he did not elaborate. Despite a visit to Washington earlier this month by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the negotiations have produced little progress.

Witkoff said the U.S. would now “consider alternative options to bring the hostages home”, but officials declined to provide further details. Asked about the issue on Friday, Trump told reporters that Hamas was uninterested in a deal and added, “I think what’s going to happen is they’re going to be hunted down.”

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Ukraine war: Stalemate persists

Trump previously vowed to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict within 24 hours of assuming office, but the war continues with no sign of resolution. Despite increasing criticism of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Trump has not supported a bipartisan U.S. sanctions bill. Instead, he gave Russia 50 days to accept a peace plan, delaying punitive measures.

This delay has allowed Moscow to intensify its military offensive. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has reiterated his willingness to hold direct talks with Putin, but Russia has rejected the offer. Lower-level negotiations held in Istanbul on Wednesday ended without progress.

Russia continues to demand that Ukraine withdraw from four regions it annexed in 2022 and abandon its NATO ambitions, terms Kyiv and its Western backers have rejected.

Iran conflict: Ceasefire but no nuclear deal

The US and Israel recently carried out joint strikes on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, leading to a fragile ceasefire. However, Washington has not yet reached any agreement with Tehran over its nuclear programme.

An Iranian diplomat said this week that Tehran is open to talks with the US but only if steps are taken to rebuild trust. Meanwhile, Iran is also exploring a separate negotiation path with Britain, France and Germany—three parties to the 2015 nuclear deal that Trump withdrew from during his previous term.

Foreign ministers from the four countries met Friday in Istanbul, warning that sanctions could be reinstated if there is no movement on a new deal by August.

Progress on some fronts

Despite the setbacks, Trump has managed to broker certain regional agreements.

In June, the US facilitated a peace accord between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, ending years of tension. The agreement includes commitments to cease hostilities, respect each other’s sovereignty and grant US access to critical minerals.

In May, the Trump administration claimed to de-escalate tensions between India and Pakistan following cross-border strikes. However, India denied any international interference.  

Earlier in July, US special envoy Tom Barrack announced a limited ceasefire between Israel and Syria following Israeli intervention in the latter’s internal conflict. While the ceasefire was hailed as a success, the episode disrupted efforts to normalise relations between the two nations.

With inputs from agencies