A U.S. president pursuing peace

OPINION:

It’s gratifying to see President Trump personally pursuing peace and reconciliation in a world ravaged by war and conflict. His dictum that “we have no permanent enemies” is a powerful statement coming from the leader of the free world. Fortunately, the subject changed from more weapons that can kill more people to what we must do to stop these wars that are killing so many innocent people.

What Mr. Trump has accomplished since being sworn in as president on Jan. 20 is impressive.

On April 26, terrorists shot 26 civilians in Pahalgam, Kashmir. On May 7, India retaliated by attacking terrorist bases in Pakistan-administered Kashmir and sites in Pakistan’s Punjab province. The potential for armed confrontation between two nuclear-armed countries was palpable. Fortunately, Mr. Trump brokered a ceasefire on May 10, before war seemed inevitable.

During Mr. Trump’s trip to Saudi Arabia, he announced that the U.S. was lifting sanctions on Syria. He subsequently met with Syria’s new leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, a former al Qaeda commander and U.S.-designated terrorist. Mr. Trump made it clear to Mr. al-Sharaa that Syria was expected to cooperate with the U.S. on counterterrorism, especially against the Islamic State group. Mr. al-Sharaa was also told that his government would protect our Kurdish partners in Syria, who fought so bravely against the Islamic State group and other terrorist groups.

The timing coincided with the dissolution of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, a militant Kurdish separatist group that has been fighting the Turkish government since 1978 in search of an independent Kurdistan. This development had to please Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

To the surprise of many, the U.S. war with the Houthis in Yemen ended with a ceasefire on May 6, brokered by Oman. However, the civil war in Yemen continues, with widespread malnutrition.

Mr. Trump continues to seek an end to the war in Ukraine, an elusive goal. Recent efforts to meet in Turkey for direct peace talks ended abruptly when Russian President Vladimir Putin refused to participate and instead sent a low-level delegation to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Mr. Trump hasn’t given up on a ceasefire. As the fighting in Ukraine continues, casualties rise, with estimates of about 500,000 deaths and injuries in Russia and Ukraine. Indeed, the civilian casualties in Ukraine are staggering, with broad devastation to population centers. An immediate ceasefire is the only humane option for Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine.

The war in the Gaza Strip continues, with Israel pursuing and decapitating Hamas. Meanwhile, innocent Palestinians suffer the consequences of collateral deaths and injuries and widespread food and medical scarcities. Hopefully, we will have a ceasefire in Gaza and, under the Oslo Accords, a two-state solution will be pursued. Given Mr. Trump’s excellent relationship with Israel and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, hopefully, he can persuade the Israeli government to end the war in Gaza and the West Bank and in earnest pursue a two-state solution to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Pope Leo XIV is the first American to head the Catholic Church. He recently pledged to “make every effort” for peace and offered the Vatican as a mediator in global conflicts, saying war was “never inevitable.” Pope Leo XIV’s predecessor, Pope Francis, left a legacy of peace. He reminded us that we are of one human family and should love and care for one another and safeguard our planet for future generations. Hopefully, Pope Leo XIV will help bring peace to a splintered, polarized world.

The global community is fortunate that two American leaders are pursuing peace for a world in disarray.

• The author was a special envoy for negotiations with North Korea from 2003 to 2006. He is the director of the National Counterproliferation Center and a former associate director of national intelligence. The views are the author’s and not those of any government agency or department.