Donald Trump didn’t mince words when Russian President Vladimir Putin offered assistance amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran.
Speaking to reporters en route to the NATO summit in The Netherlands, Trump opened up about the escalating Middle East tensions — and a surprising offer from Moscow.
Just days earlier, Trump had taken credit for brokering a ceasefire between Israel and Iran following a 12-day exchange of hostilities. The situation intensified after Iran launched a limited missile strike on a U.S. military base in Qatar, prompting fears of broader escalation. By Monday evening (June 23), both Israel and Iran had reportedly agreed to Trump’s proposed ceasefire plan.
However, in a confusing turn of events, Israel later alleged that Iran had continued launching missiles despite the agreement — a claim Tehran firmly denied. Amid the mixed messages, Trump addressed the media and gave a characteristically blunt assessment of the situation, saying:
“They don’t know what the fk they’re doing.”**
Despite the turbulence, Trump later posted on Truth Social, affirming that the ceasefire remained in place — and so far, it appears to be holding.
On Tuesday, the president flew to The Netherlands to join other global leaders at a NATO summit. During the trip, Trump shared details of a recent phone call with Putin.
“Vladimir called me up, he said, ‘Can I help you with Iran?’” Trump told reporters.
“I said, ‘No, I don’t need help with Iran — I need help with you.’”
He then added, “I hope we’re going to be getting a deal done with Russia.”
Trump has long expressed a desire to broker peace between Russia and Ukraine, a goal that has thus far remained elusive. His latest remarks suggest a renewed push toward that objective, even as tensions flare in other regions.
With Trump now taking a front seat on multiple global issues — from the Middle East to Eastern Europe — the international community is watching closely to see whether his unconventional style delivers results or provokes further uncertainty.
Trump said Putin called him offering help (GAVRIIL GRIGOROV/SPUTNIK/AFP via Getty Images)
Reporters also asked Trump about the ceasefire, with the president speaking about Iran’s future, explaining: “They’re not going to have a nuclear weapon and they know that.
“They’re going to get on to being a great trading nation, they’re very good traders and they’re going to be a great trading nation, they have a lot of oil and they’re going to do well.
“They’re not going to have nuclear weapons.”
Trump also said that he does not want to see regime change in Iran, adding: “Regime change takes chaos and ideally we don’t want to see so much chaos.
“So we’ll see how it does.”
When Trump arrived for the NATO summit, X was flooded with comments from conspiracy theorists who claimed he had used a ‘body double’ to attend.
People were confused over Trump’s height (HAIYUN JIANG/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
In what has been described as a ‘historic’ meeting by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, the leaders could be seen standing for a photograph alongside King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands, before enjoying a formal dinner.
But people were left baffled by one specific detail in the image.
One person on Twitter claimed that a ‘mini Trump’ had been sent to The Hague, instead of the president, referring to the fact that Trump appears shorter in the photos from the event.
“That… that is not Trump,” one person wrote.
While another said: “When I saw a video from earlier today I was wondering why he was so much shorter.”
And a third added: “Obviously not the real one. Not tall enough. Loved the people noting he’s in multiple places at once.”
Others were skeptical of the claims, as many pointed out that Trump seemed to look shorter because he was standing next to tall men.
“I think he just looks short here because the King of the Netherlands is 6’5. Let’s not get carried away,” said one.
