Trump uncertain on which war will end first, mixes up Ukraine and Iran

US President Donald Trump gave an unclear answer on whether the war involving Iran or the ongoing Russian war in Ukraine would end first, at one point appearing to confuse the two conflicts during remarks at the Oval Office, The Independent reported.

The comments came on Wednesday (29 April) during an event held to honour the Artemis II lunar mission crew, which later turned into an extended question-and-answer session covering global conflicts, domestic legal issues and international relations.

After brief remarks recognising the Nasa crew, Trump spoke about a recent conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying the discussion focused largely on Ukraine, with some mention of Iran.

"I talked about Ukraine, and I talked a little bit about Iran. I talked about a few different subjects, mostly about Ukraine, and we had a very good conversation. I think we're going to come up with a solution relatively quickly," he said.

Trump said Putin had shown interest in being involved in resolving concerns over Iran's enriched uranium, which the United States opposes. He added that he had encouraged the Russian leader to instead focus on ending the war in Ukraine.

"He doesn't want to see them have a nuclear weapon either. But I had a long talk with President Putin. I suggested a little bit of a ceasefire. And I think he might do that. He might announce something having to do with that," he said.

When asked which of the two conflicts might end first, Trump said he did not know and described the question as "interesting". He suggested both wars could follow a similar timeline before appearing to conflate Ukraine with Iran while repeating his claim that Tehran had been defeated.

"I don't know. Maybe they're on a similar timetable," he said.

According to the report, the president also commented on the criminal case involving former FBI director James Comey, who turned himself in earlier in the day after being indicted by a North Carolina grand jury over a social media post featuring seashells arranged to form the numbers "86 47", according to The Independent.

Comey has said the phrase was intended to signal removing Trump from office, but the US Justice Department alleges it constituted a threat against the president's life. Legal experts, however, have questioned whether the case meets the legal threshold required for such charges.

Asked whether he believed Comey posed a real threat, Trump suggested that the number "86" could be linked to organised crime terminology meaning to kill someone.

"You ever see the movies, the mobster says to one of his associates '86 him' that means kill him," Trump said. "People think of it as something having to do with disappearing, but the mob uses that term."

Trump also responded to a question about remarks made by King Charles III to the US Congress, where the British monarch defended the NATO alliance. Trump has previously criticised Nato and questioned the commitment of its members.

He said he was disappointed that Nato countries, including the United Kingdom, did not join the US-Israeli air campaign against Iran earlier this year. Despite this, he praised the King and described him as a close friend.

"We spent a lot of time together. He loves his country, and he's a great king," Trump said.

He added that he had watched the King's speech and praised both the address to Congress and remarks made at a White House state dinner.

"I loved his speech yesterday. I watched it. I loved the speech last night. I thought he was an unbelievable king," he said.

The Oval Office event was originally intended to honour the Artemis II crew, who recently completed a lunar flyby mission. Trump congratulated the astronauts for travelling farther into space than any humans in more than five decades.

"I don't know how they do it. I wouldn't want to do it. They have unbelievable courage," he said.

He also joked about his own physical fitness, suggesting he would have no difficulty qualifying for space travel.

The Artemis II mission marked several milestones, including the first woman and the first Black astronaut to reach the moon. The crew launched on 1 April from Kennedy Space Center in Florida aboard Nasa's Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System rocket, before returning to Earth on 10 April.

During the 10-day mission, the astronauts conducted scientific experiments and observed previously unseen areas of the moon. They also named several lunar features, including a crater named "Carroll" in tribute to the late wife of astronaut Reid Wiseman, who died of cancer in 2020.

Nasa officials said the crew is now assisting in analysing data from the mission and testing new technologies, including updated spacesuits.

The Artemis programme is expected to continue with Artemis III, which will focus on testing docking systems required for a future lunar landing. Nasa aims to land astronauts on the moon's south pole region and is targeting early 2028 for the mission.

Trump said he believes the agency has a "good shot" at meeting that timeline, as part of broader plans to establish a long-term presence on the moon and eventually pursue missions to Mars.