() President Donald Trump wrapped up the first extended foreign trip of his second term Friday, ending a tour he said secured deals worth trillions in the Middle East.
The trip’s fourth and final day included a visit to the Abrahamic Family House an interfaith center containing a mosque, synagogue and church named after the Abraham Accords he negotiated in the United Arab Emirates.
He visited Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE during his trip. Trump did not visit Israel, which conducted strikes on the Gaza Strip on Friday, killing at least 64 people, according to hospitals.
As he departed from the region on Air Force One, Trump said the trip was a “fantastic moment for our country,” adding that he “really believes everyone’s talking about it.”
Trump to meet with Putin ‘as soon as we can set it up’
Trump said he expects to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin soon and that he “would actually leave here and go,” but that he wanted to see his new grandchild. His daughter, Tiffany, gave birth to a son Thursday.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a Russian delegation and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy convened in Turkey on Friday to discuss a ceasefire, the first direct peace talks in roughly three years. Reporters said the working-level discussions ended after just 15 minutes.
Trump teased earlier in the week that he could potentially attend the talks but ultimately did not stray from planned stops in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
“They all said Putin was going and Zelenskyy was going. And I said, If I don’t go, I guarantee Putin is not going, and he didn’t go,” Trump said. “And I understand that, but we’re going to get it done. We’ve got to get it done.”
Rubio told reporters he was not expecting a significant breakthrough, with neither Trump nor Putin attending.
Trump on Iranian nuclear deal: ‘Come a long way’
After saying on Thursday that Tehran “sort of” agreed to the terms of a new nuclear deal, Trump on Friday said of Iran: “I think we’re talking to them.”
“I think they’ve come a long way,” he added.
Trump has said Iran must choose between a nuclear weapon or facing “violence like people haven’t seen before.”
‘s Anna Kutz contributed to this report.
