Trump: "Not Rushing on Iran... Xi-Putin Summit Is a Good Thing"

Trump Stresses Iran Issue Unrelated to Political Calendar

Says Cooperation With Israel Remains Unshaken

U.S. President Donald Trump has reopened the possibility of resuming military operations against Iran, while describing the summit between the leaders of China and Russia as "a good thing." Regarding the Taiwan issue, there are also observations that he hinted at the possibility of a phone call with Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te, which could further heighten tensions between the U.S. and China.

On May 20 (local time), President Trump met with reporters at the White House. In response to a question about whether he was rushing to resolve the war due to the midterm elections following his recent decision to temporarily withhold airstrikes against Iran, he said, "Everyone talks about the midterms, but I am not rushing at all." This statement is interpreted as suggesting that he may approach the Iran issue as a prolonged matter, irrespective of the political calendar.

When asked what kind of conversation he had with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu regarding the previous day's decision to temporarily halt the strike on Iran, he said, "I am someone who will do whatever I want," stressing that there is no problem with cooperation with Israel.

President Trump went on to say about the summit between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin, "I think it's a good thing," adding, "I get along well with both of them."

He shared that President Xi had mentioned his plans for a summit with President Putin in advance, but jokingly added, "I'm not sure if the welcome ceremony for President Putin in China was as good as mine."

President Putin visited China just four days after President Trump's state visit there. Some analysts interpret this as President Xi, after emphasizing 'equal coexistence' to President Trump, sending a message of containment directed at the U.S. by demonstrating cooperation with President Putin.

Regarding the Taiwan issue, President Trump left open the possibility of direct communication with President Lai. When asked if he planned to speak with President Lai about U.S. arms sales to Taiwan, he replied, "I will talk to him," and added, "We will resolve the Taiwan issue."

Without specifying a particular time, he said, "I will talk to anyone." He also stressed that the summit with President Xi was "very good."

There are predictions that an actual phone call between President Trump and President Lai could provoke a strong reaction from China. According to Reuters, since the U.S. established diplomatic relations with China in 1979 and ended official diplomatic ties with Taiwan, there has been no precedent for a sitting U.S. president and a sitting Taiwanese president to have direct dialogue.

Previously, President Trump, following the U.S.-China summit on May 14, made comments suggesting that U.S. arms sales to Taiwan could be used as a bargaining chip in negotiations, raising concerns that America's security commitments to Taiwan could be shaken.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.