REVIEW – A year into Trump’s second term: Pledges to end wars

ISTANBUL

Ending wars and resolving long-running conflicts were among US President Donald Trump’s most prominent promises as he began his second term on Jan. 20, 2025.

A year later, Trump has repeatedly boasted about his record.

“I single-handedly ENDED 8 WARS,” he posted on his social media platform Truth Social earlier this month. “And Norway, A NATO member, foolishly chose not to give me the Noble Peace Prize. But that doesn't matter! What does matter is that I saved Millions of Lives.”

As Trump marks the first anniversary of his return to the White House, here is a breakdown of the key conflicts he has addressed – and what has happened since.

Russia-Ukraine

Ending the war in Ukraine was one of Trump’s most explicit pledges.

During the 2024 campaign, he claimed multiple times that he could end it "in 24 hours" via calls to Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, saying, "I will have the war settled ... before I even become president."

Post-inauguration, his first move was a call with Putin announcing "immediate negotiations," followed by a heated meeting with Zelenskyy on Feb. 28.

Following the infamous Oval Office exchange with Zelenskyy, the US even paused some military assistance and intelligence sharing to Kyiv – a move officials said was aimed at increasing pressure for negotiations on a proposed 30-day ceasefire.

In May, June and July, Ukraine and Russia held three rounds of talks in Istanbul in a US-facilitated process hosted by Türkiye. Those talks produced major prisoner exchanges and an exchange of draft memoranda outlining their respective positions for a future peace deal, but failed to secure a ceasefire.

Trump then issued a 50-day deadline to Moscow on July 15, threatening “severe secondary tariffs” on Russian energy exports unless talks advanced. He later shortened the timeline to 10 to 12 days, which was followed by a direct meeting with Putin in Alaska in August. The summit ended without an agreement. A few days later, Trump hosted Zelenskyy and several European leaders at the White House to discuss his meeting with the Russian president and potential security guarantees for Ukraine.

In November, the White House confirmed discussions on an initial 28-point framework for ending the war, which reportedly required Ukraine to make major concessions, including recognition of Russian control over certain territories, a commitment not to join NATO, and limits on the size and capabilities of its military.

Amid shuttle diplomacy through the fall of 2025 in Geneva, Switzerland and Florida, the proposed draft was later revised into a 20-point document, though key issues remain unresolved, including questions over territories and the operation of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.

Israel-Hamas

Before his inauguration, Trump issued a stark warning over Israeli captives held by Hamas, saying that “all hell will break out in the Middle East” if the hostages were not released by the time he took office. He repeated the remark several times in the weeks leading up to his Jan. 20 inauguration.

On Jan. 15, negotiators reportedly reached a ceasefire and captive-exchange agreement after 15 months of war in Gaza that had killed tens of thousands of Palestinians. The deal took effect on Jan. 19, temporarily halting large-scale fighting and enabling the first phase of exchanges.

The truce, however, proved short-lived. On March 18, the ceasefire collapsed as Israel resumed attacks amid stalled negotiations on extending the agreement.

In September, Israel carried out an airstrike in Doha targeting a Hamas delegation, a move that sharply escalated tensions, drew condemnation from the UN and Gulf states, and temporarily disrupted Qatar’s mediation efforts between Israel and Hamas.

In October, the US backed a renewed, phased ceasefire framework that Trump described as a 20-point Gaza peace plan. Phase one aimed to halt fighting, facilitate the exchange of Israeli captives and Palestinian prisoners, define limited Israeli withdrawals from parts of Gaza, allow the full entry of humanitarian aid and reopen the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt.

After brokering a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, Trump hailed the agreement as a major diplomatic breakthrough, saying the war in Gaza had ended and that it marked a step toward “everlasting peace” in the Middle East.

Days later, a high-profile summit was held in Egypt’s Sharm el-Sheikh for the deal, where Trump joined Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani in signing an international declaration backing the Gaza ceasefire and outlining commitments to humanitarian aid, reconstruction and phased political negotiations.

Under the first phase of the deal, Hamas released Israeli captives in exchange for the release of nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.

By mid-January 2026, the ceasefire entered its second phase, which the US said would center on “demilitarization, technocratic governance, and reconstruction.”

As part of this, a Palestinian technocratic governance body was established, headed by Dr. Ali Abdel Hamid Sha’ath, a former Palestinian Authority deputy minister, to oversee day-to-day civilian administration in Gaza during the transitional period.

While Palestinians are responsible for municipal duties, two international bodies were created above them: a Gaza Executive Board and a broader “Board of Peace,” chaired by Trump himself.

The Gaza Executive Board includes US envoy Steve Witkoff, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, former British prime minister Tony Blair, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Qatari diplomat Ali Al-Thawadi and Egyptian intelligence chief Hassan Rashad.

For the Board of Peace, Trump has reportedly invited leaders from at least 50 countries, including Russia, China, the UK, France, Canada, Israel, Egypt, Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Jordan, amid debates over whether the initiative could undermine the UN framework.

Israel has repeatedly violated the agreement. While daily attacks have declined, intermittent violence has continued even after the ceasefire entered its second phase, and the humanitarian situation in Gaza remains dire as UN experts say Israel continues to block life-saving aid.

Since the truce took effect on Oct. 10, Palestinian authorities say Israeli strikes have killed at least 451 Palestinians and injured more than 1,250 others.

Israel-Iran

A major escalation between Israel and Iran last summer briefly drew the US into direct military involvement.

The conflict began in June, when Israel launched strikes on Iranian military and nuclear-linked targets following weeks of regional escalation. Trump later confirmed he had been informed in advance by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

In response, Iran launched waves of ballistic missiles and drones at Israel.

The US subsequently carried out strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, which Trump said “completely and totally obliterated” Iran’s nuclear facilities, although a Pentagon assessment later said it was likely to set back the nuclear program by two years.

On June 23, Trump posted on social media that a ceasefire between Israel and Iran was imminent under terms he said he had helped negotiate, describing the confrontation as “the 12 Day War” and saying it “could have gone on for years, and destroyed the entire Middle East, but it didn’t.”

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei later said Iran had achieved a “decisive victory,” while Israel warned it would strike again if new threats emerged.

India-Pakistan

Tensions between India and Pakistan escalated in late April after unidentified gunmen killed 26 people in Indian-administered Kashmir.

India blamed Pakistan for the attack -- accusations denied by Islamabad -- and launched strikes on May 7, followed by several days of air and cross-border clashes that marked the most serious confrontation between the two countries in decades.

Trump said US intervention prevented a "bad nuclear war" between the two countries after the South Asian rivals agreed to a ceasefire following the clashes.

“I stopped a war between two major nuclear nations. I don’t think I had a story written about it, but that’s okay. You know why? The people know,” he said.

Pakistan thanked Trump and nominated him for the Nobel Peace Prize, while India attributed the de-escalation to its own diplomatic efforts.

Rwanda-Democratic Republic of the Congo

Trump hosted the leaders of Rwanda and DR Congo in Washington on Dec. 4, where they signed a US-backed deal aimed at ending years of conflict in eastern Congo.

“Today, we’re succeeding where so many others have failed,” Trump said, calling it another war ended under his watch.

Fighting later resumed as M23 rebels – which the UN, Kinshasa and others accuse neighboring Rwanda of supporting, a claim Kigali denies – advanced in parts of South Kivu.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Rwanda’s actions violated the accords and warned Washington would act to ensure promises made to Trump were kept.

Thailand-Cambodia

Tensions between Thailand and Cambodia flared last year over long‑standing disputes along their shared border, where deadly clashes killed dozens.

The fighting halted after Malaysian-hosted talks and Trump’s threats of tariffs on Thai exports, yielding a fragile initial ceasefire in July.

This was formalized into an expanded agreement on October 26 at the 47th ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur, with Trump present alongside the Thai and Cambodian leaders.

However, the ceasefire proved fragile, and hostilities later resumed, with both sides accusing each other of violations.

Trump said in December he would make a phone call to help resolve the renewed clashes, describing his approach as “making peace through strength.”

On Dec. 27, Thailand and Cambodia signed their third ceasefire agreement since the conflict broke out, which was brokered by the Malaysian prime minister and overseen by Trump. In early January, the Thai government accused Cambodian forces of firing into Thai territory, warning Cambodia to exercise caution.

Egypt-Ethiopia

The dispute was on Trump’s list of conflicts he said he had succeeded in resolving, although it did not involve an active war but long-running tensions.

The disagreement centers on Ethiopia’s construction of a large dam on the Nile, which Egypt says could threaten its vital water supply.

Despite years of negotiations, no legally binding agreement has been reached between the two sides.

More recently, Trump said he was ready to restart US mediation, posting a letter to Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi in which he said resolving the dispute was “at the very top” of his agenda.

Azerbaijan-Armenia

At a signing ceremony in Washington ending more than three decades of conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the Nagorno-Karabakh region, Trump described the agreement as a historic breakthrough.

“They fought, and now they’re friends, and they’re going to be friends for a long time. It’s a big, beautiful honor to welcome everyone to the White House for this very historic peace summit…” he said.

Both Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev praised Trump’s role in brokering the agreement, saying he deserved the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts.

Under a joint declaration by Baku, Washington, and Yerevan, a transit project named the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP) will link mainland Azerbaijan with its autonomous Nakhchivan exclave via Armenia.

Serbia-Kosovo

Trump said Serbia and Kosovo were “ready to go to war” but claimed US intervention stopped the escalation.

Tensions between Kosovo and Serbia have persisted for years following Kosovo’s 2008 declaration of independence, with periodic flare-ups over sovereignty, border controls and the status of Serb-majority areas in northern Kosovo.

On June 27, Trump said he threatened both sides, saying there would be “no trade with the US” if fighting broke out.

Kosovo’s President Vjosa Osmani said in July that an intervention by the US president helped maintain stability.