A Muddled Middle East Policy Unravels at the White House

President Donald Trump is set to host Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House. This meeting comes amidst escalating tensions in both Ukraine and the Middle East, which have strained Washington’s attention.

Zelenskyy’s visit is significant as he seeks to build on momentum from his earlier meeting with Trump at the NATO summit in Ankara. The Ukrainian president has pressed for a swift resolution to the conflict with Russia, citing the need for Kyiv to secure more arms and missiles to counter Russian aggression. Trump’s announcement of a license for Ukraine to manufacture Patriot missile interceptors was seen as a significant boost, but Ukraine’s dwindling stockpile of air defense interceptors leaves it vulnerable to Russian attacks.

Netanyahu faces a delicate task in convincing Trump to maintain Israel’s interests amidst an increasingly complex regional landscape. The Israeli prime minister meets with Trump at a time when US policy towards Iran and Russia continues to shift. The recent memorandum of understanding between the US and Iran, which included a 60-day ceasefire during which Iran would reopen the Strait of Hormuz, has raised questions about Washington’s influence over Tehran.

The dynamic at play is the ever-shifting calculus of Trump’s relationship with Netanyahu. Since Trump began his second term, the two leaders have been in lockstep, but recent weeks have seen an increase in tensions between them. Trump’s public jabs at Netanyahu, including calling him “crazy” and declaring that without him there would be no Israel, have sent shockwaves through the Israeli establishment.

The White House meeting will also address allegations made by Ukraine regarding Russian satellite surveillance of Arab Gulf allies and US military facilities in the region. Zelenskyy has accused Russia of helping Iran target US military bases in the Middle East, a claim Trump has dismissed as unfounded. This dismissal echoes his earlier handling of reports from US intelligence officials about Russian bounties on American troops in Afghanistan.

Trump acknowledged that he did not raise concerns about Russian bounties during his communications with Putin, a decision widely criticized for prioritizing personal relationships over national security.

The conflicting signals emanating from Washington are a direct result of Trump’s mercurial style and tendency to privilege personal friendships over established alliances. The US foreign policy establishment remains in disarray, with the Middle East continuing to burn.

It is imperative that Washington reasserts its commitment to regional stability and security. Anything less would be a dereliction of duty by a superpower entrusted with maintaining global order. The coming days will reveal whether Trump’s White House meetings can salvage what remains of US credibility in the region, but one thing is certain: the road ahead will be treacherous, and the stakes have never been higher.