By Sarah Roderick-Fitch
The Center Square

Fresh off the heels of President Donald Trump’s trip to the Middle East, the president is set to host the Ukrainian president at the White House on Friday to discuss the Russian-Ukrainian war; meanwhile, the pressure remains on Hamas to disarm.

The president has repeatedly said that he believed ending the Russian-Ukrainian war would be far easier than achieving peace in the Middle East; however, the war is approaching its fourth year come February.

Trump, who is becoming increasingly frustrated with Russian President Vladimir Putin, said he spoke with Putin on Thursday ahead of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s visit.

“I am speaking to President Putin now,” Trump wrote Thursday in a social media post. “The conversation is ongoing, a lengthy one, and I will report the contents, as will President Putin, at its conclusion.”

To put pressure on Putin, the president disclosed during a news conference in the Oval Office on Wednesday afternoon that India has agreed to halt its oil purchases from Russia.

Trump has threatened to implement secondary sanctions or tariffs on countries like India that buy oil from Russia.

In addition to economic pressure, the president is expected to discuss a plan for Ukraine to buy Tomahawk missiles from the U.S., which the president said he expects Zelensky to request.

“I know what he has to say. He wants weapons. He would like to have Tomahawks. Everyone else wants to, and we have a lot of Tomahawks,” the president told reporters this week.

The missiles can fly at high speed, low altitudes and a range of up to 1,000 miles. They are shot by naval ships and submarines. The president has touted their recent use in Operation Midnight Hammer in June, when the U.S. targeted Iranian nuclear sites.

The Naval Air Systems Command states that the unit cost for Block V Tomahawk missiles is about $2.4 million as of fiscal year 2022.

As the president continues his pursuit of peace in Eastern Europe and lauds a peace plan in the Middle East, Trump and the U.S. Central Command leader are warning Hamas to disarm and adopt peace.

Adm. Brad Cooper, CENTCOM Commander, issued a statement pleading with Hamas to cease violence in Gaza after it was reported that the terror group had executed several Palestinians in the wake of the first phase of the peace plan between Israel and Hamas being carried out.

“We strongly urge Hamas to immediately suspend violence and shooting at innocent Palestinian civilians in Gaza – in both Hamas-held parts of Gaza and those secured by the IDF behind the Yellow line,” Cooper said. “This is an historic opportunity for peace. Hamas should seize it by fully standing down, strictly adhering to President Trump’s 20-point peace plan, and disarming without delay. We have conveyed our concerns to the mediators who agreed to work with us to enforce the peace and protect innocent Gaza civilians.”

The president said he would consider allowing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the IDF to resume operations to take out Hamas if the group refuses to disarm.

“Well, they’re going to disarm, and because they said they were going to disarm. And if they don’t disarm, we will disarm them,” Trump told reporters.