US President Donald Trump said he had made no progress with Russian President Vladimir Putin on a ceasefire in Ukraine after the two spoke by phone.

“No, I have made absolutely no progress with him,” Trump told reporters when asked if he was close to an agreement to end the Russian invasion, adding that he was “not happy” with the ongoing war.

Trump hailed Congress’s passage of a key tax and spending bill. He described it as a stimulus for the US economy comparable to a “rocket.”

“It’s going to make our country a rocket,” he told reporters on his way to a rally in Iowa to kick off America’s 250th anniversary celebrations, calling the text “the biggest bill of its kind ever signed.”

The president also said he wanted “security” for the people of Gaza as he prepares to host Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu next week to push for a ceasefire.

“I want the people of Gaza to be safe, most of all,” Trump said, when asked if he still wanted the United States to take control of the Palestinian territory, as he announced in February.

“I want to see security for the people of Gaza. They’ve been through hell.” | BGNES