Trump nominated for Nobel Peace Prize by Netanyahu: 'Well-deserved'
FULL: Trump meets with Netanyahu at WH
President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met at the White House to discuss ongoing issues in the Middle East. President Trump told reporters this past weekend that one of the matters he expected to discuss with Netanyahu "is probably a permanent deal with Iran."
President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met at the White House to discuss vital Middle East issues.
The talks between the leaders come after the U.S. and Israel launched recent strikes against Iran.
On Sunday, Trump told reporters that one of the matters he expected to discuss with Netanyahu "is probably a permanent deal with Iran."
Here's what Trump and Netanyahu discussed at the White House on Monday.
Netanyahu talks of peace with ‘entire Middle East’ under Trump
At the meeting, Netanyahu said he thinks Israel can work out a peace with the "entire Middle East" with Trump’s leadership.
That would include allowing Palestinians the power to govern themselves while keeping security matters forever in Israel’s control, Netanyahu said.
Trump indicated that Iranian officials have reached out to the U.S. to schedule talks about Iran's nuclear program. Negotiations had started in April but were scuttled after Israel began its operations last month.
"We have scheduled Iran talks, and they want to," Trump told reporters. "They want to talk." He said last week that the talks would restart soon.
Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, sitting at the table with Trump, said the meeting would be soon, perhaps in a week.
Tehran has yet to confirm that it has agreed to restart talks with the U.S.
Netanyahu nominates Trump for Nobel Peace Prize
Netanyahu also nominated Trump for a Nobel Peace Prize and gave him a copy of the nominating letter.
The honor was "well-deserved," Netanyahu told Trump.
US President Donald Trump meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Blue Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on July 7, 2025. (Credit: ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP via Getty Images)
Trump, speaking in front of reporters, said the nomination was news to him.
"Coming from you, this is very meaningful," he told the Israeli leader.
Trump told prime minister he wants Russia to end war in Ukraine
Trump also told the prime minister that he wanted to see Russia end the war in Ukraine, because "I hate to see people killed."
What’s happening between Russia and Ukraine is a "horrible thing, and I’m not happy" with Russian President Vladimir Putin, he said. "I’m not happy with President Putin at all."
Trump says US will send more weapons to Ukraine
The announcement came days after the administration ordered a pause on deliveries of critical weapons to Ukraine.
Trump said, "we have to send" more weapons because "they have to be able to defend themselves." He said Ukraine is getting hit "very, very hard" by Russia.
Trump continues to push for an end to Israel's war against Hamas
Dig deeper:
Monday’s meeting also comes as President Donald Trump pushes for an end to Israel’s 21-month war against Hamas in Gaza amid the 12-day war between Israel and Iran.
The meeting between Trump and Netanyahu could give new urgency to a U.S. ceasefire proposal being discussed by Israel and Hamas.
FILE-President Donald Trump (R) meets with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., on February 4, 2025. (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)
RELATED: Hamas accepts ceasefire proposal, awaiting word from Israel
According to the Associated Press, Israel and Hamas apparently might be moving closer to a new ceasefire agreement that would involve a 60-day pause in the fighting, providing aid to Gaza and freeing at least some of the remaining 50 hostages held in the territory.
"The utmost priority for the president right now in the Middle East is to end the war in Gaza and to return all of the hostages," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters ahead of the leaders' private dinner.
Before departing for Washington on Sunday, Netanyahu praised the cooperation with the U.S. for bringing a "huge victory over our shared enemy." He struck a positive note on a ceasefire for Gaza, saying he was working "to achieve the deal under discussion, on the terms we agreed to."
The AP noted that Hamas has said it is willing to free all the hostages in exchange for an end to the war and a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.
Meanwhile, Netanyahu told reporters that the war will end once Hamas surrenders, disarms, and goes into exile — something it refuses to do.
Trump’s vision for the Middle East
Big picture view:
The Associated Press reports that Trump also has a vision for a new Middle East, where he hopes that additional countries will join the Abraham Accords, a series of agreements normalizing relations between Arab countries and Israel brokered during his first term.
RELATED: Israel-Hamas war: Protesters march around the world to call for ceasefire
Netanyahu and Trump are also expected to discuss how to bring Syria into the mix. Syria is an enemy of Israel and has new leadership after the fall of President Bashar Assad, and experts tell the AP that conditions might be in line for some type of agreement.
But Trump's main goal is to include Saudi Arabia. The Saudis have shown interest in normalizing relations with Israel only if it is a part of steps toward resolving Israel's conflict with the Palestinians.
The Source: Information for this story was provided by the Associated Press, which provides background on the meeting between the two leaders and cites comments from President Donald Trump. This story was reported from Washington, D.C.