President Donald Trump’s diplomatic record is under renewed scrutiny as ceasefires across multiple conflict zones show signs of collapse, with a Guardian analysis published Sunday describing the administration’s approach as “0 for 3” in Ukraine, Iran-Lebanon and Israel-Palestine.
The commentary, written by Guardian foreign affairs commentator Simon Tisdall, argues that Trump’s preference for quick results and reliance on inexperienced envoys has contributed to continued violence and civilian suffering. Tisdall wrote that Trump “boasted he alone could cut deals and bring peace” but has “delivered neither.”
“In striking out, he mostly makes matters worse,” Tisdall wrote.
The analysis comes as ceasefires in Lebanon and Iran show signs of breaking down, the war in Ukraine continues into its fifth year, and violence persists in Gaza. MSI previously reported that ceasefires across the Middle East have persisted on paper while violence continues across three fronts, and that Trump swore at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the threat to resume bombing Beirut.
Tisdall wrote that Trump promised to resolve the Ukraine war in a day but that the conflict has continued. He said Trump “blatantly sided with Russia, told a browbeaten Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, he had ‘no cards,’ and cut weapons supplies.” Tisdall wrote that Kremlin officials “ran rings round” Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner during negotiations in Moscow, and that the two envoys have not visited Kyiv.
Regarding the Iran conflict, Tisdall wrote that after the US illegally attacked Iran in February, Trump declared a ceasefire in April “with none of his main objectives met and with the strait of Hormuz largely closed to shipping.” He said violations occur daily and that “half-hearted ‘peace talks’ via shadowy third parties lead nowhere.”
Tisdall cited figures indicating that at least 3,468 people have reportedly died inside Iran since the war began, with 26,500 injured and millions displaced. He noted that attention has been deflected from the Minab primary school bombing on Feb. 28, when US forces allegedly killed more than 100 children.
In Gaza, Tisdall wrote that the truce Trump proclaimed last October “rings distinctly hollow,” with Trump’s 20-point plan for disarming Hamas having “quickly run into the sand.” He described the reality as “continuing, unconscionable Palestinian suffering and expanding Israeli military occupation.”
Tisdall wrote that Netanyahu is “doing to southern Lebanon what he did to Gaza – creating a depopulated desert – and thereby obstructing a US-Iran deal.” He said the two men “had a furious row last week.”
The commentary contrasted Trump’s approach with historical diplomatic efforts by figures such as former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, Finnish diplomat Martti Ahtisaari, and former US Sen. George Mitchell, who brokered Northern Ireland’s Good Friday agreement. Tisdall described the gap between diplomats such as Richard Holbrooke, who helped settle the Bosnian war, and Trump’s envoys as “akin to that between Arsenal and a Sunday park football XI.”
Tisdall wrote that Secretary of State Marco Rubio “stands back from the fray, telling his boss he’s right when he’s wrong.” He said that only Trump and Rubio “seem surprised that Hezbollah, excluded from peace talks by their US hosts, rejected the latest Lebanon ceasefire.”
The analysis argued that the failure of ceasefires reflects a broader problem in the global order, where “major powers and non-state actors treat international law and international courts with contempt.” Tisdall wrote that “without rules, peace deals cannot ultimately be enforced.”
“None of these wars will ultimately be ended by military force,” Tisdall wrote. “It’s not about who has the biggest bombs or who gets to declare a specious victory, Mr Trump. It’s about people’s lives.”
Unicef reported that in the last week of May, 77 children were killed or injured in Lebanon, according to Tisdall, who described them as “77 reminders why ceasefire negotiations are not self-congratulatory political shows or social media entertainments.”